CRKT M16 Series, steel grades

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I'm planning on getting one of the m16 series knives. I've got a question though about the steel. I saw one at walmart that they were selling for $30, the model 13Z, it said on the package that it had AUS4. Online however I see the same model at knifeworks and it says it has AUS6. Guess walmart has lower grade. I also see they make many of them with AUS8.

I don't mind the zytel handle, I've got a spyderco endura that I've had for many years and had no problem with. But is the AUS4 or AUS6 a good enough steel?

Also are there any pros/cons to the tanto style blades? Are they more suited to some particular type of work?
 
Here is some steel info about "AUS-6-8-10" and others.

My guess is that either knife steel will perform okay. They won't be the longest lasting edges in the world but they will be a good value.

http://www.ajh-knives.com/metals.html

I don't have an M-16 knife but have heard many positive things about it. It is right up there with the Benchmade Griptillian but the Grip is higher priced I'm sure.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=550

Between the two I'd chose the Griptilian but only because I know what a good knife it is having owned and used several. I think the AXIS lock may be stronger on the Benchmade.

Here is a decent CRKT M16 review that might be of some assistance.

http://www.oegmag.com/CRKTM1612LE.asp

Please let us know what you decide and how it works out.
 
A few comments on this issue:

first, in addition to having a different blade shape, the spear point and tanto versions of the M16 also differ in terms of their edge grind. The spear points feature a chisel ground edge, whereas the tanto-style blades are dual ground. I wasn't aware of this when I purchased my first M16 spear point, and while I still think very highly of the knife, I would have preferred a dual grind. My experience is limited to the zytel and aluminium models, so I'm not sure if this is true across the board.

Second, CRKT has recently (in the last year, I believe) started moving towards AUS-4 steel for models that originally featured higher-end steels. The release of their latest catalogue caused a bit of a stir, as many people saw old favourites get a bit of a 'dressing down.' This probably explains the discrepency you're seeing between the model advertised online (possibly an older knife), and the one in-store.

All things considered, I am a fan of both the tanto and the spear point models. Both types used to be available in plain-edge (preferable, IMHO), but I believe that this option is no longer available with some of the spear point models.

Best of luck with your decision. I would steer clear of the AUS-4 if I had the choice.

All the best,

Mike
 
Although I have not owned a AUS 4-6 steel blade.. I imagine the knife is still pretty decent quality .. But I would defiantly go with the AUS 8 in the CRKT M16's or M21's.. I have read many articles and comments about people saying stay away from the "Z" Zytel models due to their lower edge retention.. My AUS 8 holds a razor edge pretty good but still needs to be maintained pretty regular

~Jeff
 
I have never heard of AUS-4. AUS-6 and AUS-8 are good steels, usually used on lower price knives, never the less thay are good steels.
 
AUS 8 is a quality steel, pretty much right in the middle of steel grades in my mind, somewhere around 440C.

I LOVE my M16. This knife is built tough. It's very beautiful, it looks a lot like a fixed blade when opened. Fortunately, it feels like one too. Mine has still not developed blade play in the slightest after all my use. The flipper is absolutely the best out there and increases the safety. I could go on and on about it, but get either the AUS8 (aluminum) M16 or any M21, as I think the M21s are all the high end. I have some nice folders and the M16 is EDCed at least three times a week. Definitely one of my favorites. As someone pointed out, check out the griptilian/minigrip also (which I also own), as it's an excellent knife, though a bit more expensive. A lot of folks think differently, but I have a very slight preference to the M16's ergonomics (though both excellent), but the minigrip uses steel I like more and the axis lock is awesome. I recommend the D2 minigrip if you think about it.
 
AFAIK all the 16's w/the spear point are CG, i had a Ti '16 and it was CG, i didnt know either when i got it.

AUS6 and '8 are ok, i have never had a knife with '4 myself, but i would imagine its "ok" too, most folks prob couldnt tell the diff between the 3.

really the F&F and such on my Ti '16 was pretty good, certainly the best on any CRKT i have had or seen, if i was looking for a '16 i would skip the zytel/etc and get the Ti version, they aren't really much higher and certainly look a lot better, though the zytel works too.
 
reloader;

The CRKT M16 Series, are definately great for the price.
Recently, I believe CRKT made changes, and I think it involved changing from Aus-6 to Aus-4, to the dismay of many, and this was even discussed a short while ago in this forum, as well as recent discussions on the CRKT M16 line, with the majority of people supporting the notion that the M16 is one of the better, if not the best, knife in CRKT's product line, simply due to it being a fairly good quality knife, at a relatively inexpensive price.

In terms of the M16-Z's, with the zytel handles, I have read a couple of reviews which noted that these performed fairly well, considering the cheaper price, and the lower quality of steel, which was previously Aus-6. It is a shame that they have now been lowered to Aus-4, since the Aus-6 Zytel M16's made reasonable knives at that price range. Ideally, the best advice would be to go with the Aus-8 blades, however if a cheap product that is of average quality is what you are after, any of the M16 line is a reasonable purchase, IMO, I would suggest that if you don't want to purchase a aluminium handled M16 with Aus-8 blade, you at least try to purchase one of the Aus-6 zytel models first, rather than purchasing the later Aus-4 models found in Walmart.

I own an M16-13SF, which features Aluminium handle, Aus-8 tanto blade, with dual Carson flippers. You inquired as to the tanto and it's usefulness, and there are some contrasts to the spear point blades, in that the tanto, in my opinion, is not as useful to the average person, as a spear point would be, especially for EDC, and daily use, and it is also more difficult to sharpen, and with the M16 tanto's, the 2 grinds are also on different angles, which make it even more of a hassle.

"Mentor" also stated that the spear point blades are chisel ground, and the tanto's are dual ground, however from my limited experience, the tanto's may be dual, yet the grind is definately not a proper v-grind, and can nearly be viewed as close to a chisel-grind, since the backside angle is hardly even noticable, and whilst not a full chisel, it is neither a full dual/v grind. So in my opinion, and other's I have discussed with, agreet that the spear point is generally much more useful in daily duties for the average person, and as an EDC, rather than a tanto grind, which is more specialised IMO.

I definately suggest you do a search on the CRKT M16, as there are many discussions on this particular subject, and some fairly recent discussions which mentions all of your inquiries, with alot of beneficial views, opinions, and information.
 
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