CRKT M16-14Z...A pretty good folder, IMO...

glockman99

glockman99

RIP Dann, you were a good guy.
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Jun 12, 2000
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Today I received the CRKT M16-14Z folder that I bought from vwb563 here at BladeForums, and after "playing" with this knife for a couple of hours, I have to say that I am VERY impressed with its' quality. It might not have a blade made out one of the new "wonder steels", but it'll do just fine. The "fit & finish" is totally "top-notch". The lock-up is PERFECT, and tight. The ergos are PERFECT, and it fits my (fairly large) hand like it was made for me. The blade flicks open quickly, and the "action" is VERY smooth. I really can't find any fault with this knife.

This one IS a "keeper".:thumbup:.:thumbup:.
 
+1 Everything Glockman said! I just picked up a CRKT M16-13SFG. I can't put it down! I love it. My only gripe might be that the serration portion of the blade seems to take up too much of the blade. Why don't we see more about CRKT on this forum? Is it not a good enough quality brand? I'm new to this hobby.
 
It is a good folder, beefy sucker isn't it. I remember when I bought mine too in a aafes store at camp Udairi Kuwait.
 
I have am older 12z, and I gotta say it's held up really well through all kinds of abuse. I think crkt is sold pretty widely through military px's, meaning they're used and abused in all kinds of environments and with all kinds of tasks. I think its a solid, dependable knife that I'm not afraid to use up and replace.
 
The M16 line comes in a variety of steels and I think that dissatisfaction with the steels and QC on the budget end of the line sold at Wal-Mart taint the general opinion of the higher end of the line. I have a 14DSFG I picked up on sale and have never had a problem with it since I put loctite on the torx screws that hold the scales to the liner - solid lockup, no play, and sharp out of the box. The full review with pics* is here.

*[pics are back up after a quick switch of hosting sites]
 
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They aren't a $300 collectible, so they don't get much love here. I carried one for a good 4 or 5 years atleast, detroyed it at work in an emergency, then got a new one. If your actually going to use your knife for more than opening you mail, I think they are priced right for something to use and abuse. I like mine a lot. Mark
 
I have the m16-14sf and I love it. It is a pretty strong folder , I have stabbed it into wood and have done big spine whacks on it and it never failed.
 
I have the cheaper M16-01KZ model with Zytel handles, and it seems like the CRKT M16 series isn't a bad deal at all for a beater knife.

Like Glockman mentioned, the steel might not be amazing, but for a beginning knife sharpener it works well and cuts good enough. It also has really great handles and is suprisingly comfortable to use, even if it is slightly smaller than most knives I prefer. It truly is a knife that I wouldn't mind beating on, but wouldn't worry too much about it failing because it really is a pretty tough knife for 20-30 dollars. As much as I enjoy my nicer benchmades and Spyderco, it is nice to also have a cheap beater that isn't babied as much.

In all honesty, even though this knife isn't really one of my favorites, it works fine for whatever I throw at it and is one of the few knives that I wouldn't mind losing. Compared to something like the Gerber Evo, this thing is way better built, and a better investment of your money.
 
I've got an M16-04 with the aluminum handles that I've had for several years and it's held up really well to alot of abuse. I think they are great knives for the money.
 
Nternal said:
I have the m16-14sf and I love it. It is a pretty strong folder , I have stabbed it into wood and have done big spine whacks on it and it never failed.
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Actually, I am very strongly thinking about buying one of those to go with my M16-14Z (and the M21-02GL that I should receive from CRKT today or tomorrow :)). I've been looking at the M16-14SFG model...The one with G-10 scales. Have you had any "problems" with the "double flippers" on the "SF" series?
 
Crewdawg said:
Nice review SB! I like the idea of filing down the spine flipper. Thanx!
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Thanks for the compliment. THe review should be even better now that I have the pics showing again.

And I mention some of my thoughts about the double flippers on the SF models in my review, glockman, if you are interested. In brief, I think I'd prefer a single flipper model for pocket carry just due to ease of maneuvering past it but it's not a huge issue either way.
 
glockman99 said:
Actually, I am very strongly thinking about buying one of those to go with my M16-14Z (and the M21-02GL that I should receive from CRKT today or tomorrow :)). I've been looking at the M16-14SFG model...The one with G-10 scales. Have you had any "problems" with the "double flippers" on the "SF" series?
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No, they are great. It can be opened like a waved knife and it comes out very smooth.
 
I had the M16-13SFG, and other than the serrations, I loved it. I'd been wanting a titanium version of the M16, or an M21, and finally got both. As much as I like the M16/Ti and M21, I'd sure like to have an SFG again, but no serrations this time. That dual guard concept is great, IMO.

~Chris
 
About 1/2 an hour ago, I received the replacement folder from CRKT for a (discontinued) Point Guard that they didn't have parts for to replace, and it's a good one...A CRKT M21-02GL...(The"L" means that it's a left-handed knife...Pretty cool, since I'm a "lefty"!.).:thumbup:.:thumbup:.
 
Here's a dumb question: can anyone s'plain to me CRKT's model numbers? I have googled, searched this forum, searched CRKT's website and tried to figure it out based on the specs of the knife. I've figured out the letter suffix relates to the model and the type of handle material, but the "16" or "21" and the "-14" or "-13"? e.g. M16-13SFG = Special Forces, G10 handles, but I can find no correlation between the first 2 numbers and blade length, thickness, style etc. What's the main difference between an M16 and an M21? Can anyone edumicate my dense noggin, please? It's probably glaringly obvious, right...?
 
For the quality they have beside the steel, iam agree this pretty good folder.

4a8c6893.jpg
 
I agree that it's a good knife for the bucks. I know that we often pan CRKT for their "cheap" folders, but I have to say that they come out with some really innovative designs, plus their knives don't break the bank.

- Mark
 
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