CRKT Mirage Wharncliff Plain

J

JoeShmoe2002

Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
224
I won one on Ebay ($21.85 delivered) and since I like my M16 03Z so much I feel I'm bound to like the Mirage.

Also, the new Sog 'Flash' knives look pretty cool...

Anyone have comments?

I have a thing for inexpensive toys!

Joe Shmoe
 
Very helpful as are most all the comments I've seen from you in my short time here.

My not so cheap Benchmade 350 (admittedly not one of their better models) feels way cheaper than the less than 1/3 the cost Kershaw Vapor, or approx. 1/2 cost CRKT M16. Maybe it is better steel, but for what I need a knife for any of them will do nicely.

It would be sweet to own all super/great/custom knives, but I just don't have that kind of budget.

Now, does anyone OWN one they would like to comment on?

Joe Shmoe
 
I bought one at a knife show for $15 awhile back--couldn't resist that deal. It's a good knife for the money and I like wharncliffe blades. I don't carry it all that often since I have a lot of knives in my rotation, but it's a knife that I have had no problems with and have never regretted buying. And I can get the blade wicked sharp on my Sharpmaker--even thought it's not all that great at keeping the edge. Hope that helps.

-Z
 
I have a large plain edge and a large serrated edge. You may have noticed that they aren't on my list for sale.;)

I think they make great utility cutters. They were my first CRKT knives. Led me to buy many others.
 
CRKT = no quality??????!!!!!!!! Bite your tongue youngin'!
They are as tight as anything BM can produce.
 
JoeSchmoe,

I'm sorry, I came off as something of an elitist there.

I appreciate value knives, particularly Spyderco's various Zytel models (Endura, Native, etc.) and Kershaws fine speedsafes.

I'm not one of those people who's gonna give you sh!t for not owning a sebenza, I don't own one either.

What i'm really saying is even in the CRKT and SOG lines, the Mirage and Flash are really on the low end, plus their designs don't impress me much.
Speaking of design, if CRKT ever replaced their crappy AUS6 (I'm not knocking AUS6, just CRKT's AUS6) with some sort of real steel, i'd go broke over night buying several of their designs.
But in my mind CRKT will always be pandering to the poor, and I find that a disappointing direction to take a company.
 
Contrary to YC, I'd say CRKT make fine pieces.
I've tried a Mirage, however, the blade was loose enough that I might get a run in with the law. (Law says no knife that could be opened by a light wrist wave)
I've the M16. Love it. Of course the steel was nothing compared to stuff like spyderco (I have a VG10 endura, slices like no tomorrow), but It's a great piece.
You'll find some great deals for CRKT, but I'll find myself buying less because I found good deals for spydercos too ;)
 
Youngcutter says:
Neat gimmicks, but they'll never be quality knives
Click to expand...

Typical of somebody who probably bases that opinion on something he read somewhere. Im sure he will come here and say how he has used them ALOT and finds them to be junk....I doubt he has used any.

CRKT makes a fine knife, and for te cost they are hard to beat. The Mirage is a neat design, and CRKT AUS6 is not the newest wonder steel by any means, but its a nice steel that holds and edge fairly well and is quite easy to sharpen up very well.

Yet more words of wisdom for the ultra-wise YC:

But in my mind CRKT will always be pandering to the poor, and I find that a disappointing direction to take a company.
Click to expand...

Ah, so you consider making quality knives at a low price point "pandering to the poor" and "disappointing"? How nice for you. Actually CRKT has models that cost as much as many other companies such as Benchmade or Spyderco. They also have models which are there so that folks who have a small budget can also enjoy high quality knives and not be restricted to buying real junk like home shopping channel crap. I seriously doubt that Kit Carson or any of the other many makers that CRKT collaberates with would allow their name to be placed on junk knives.

YC, why dont you get a CRKT or two, use them in real life, grow up a bit, then come back and shower us with you knowledge.

Ok, enough about YC.

Personally, I have owned and used plenty of brands of knives. I own (or have owned) knives from Chris Reeve, MT, BM, Spyderco, Puma, Sog, Kershaw, AG Russell and so on. Each was quite nice and very useful. I also own (or have owned) a fair number of customs. Having used the above mentioned knives, I can say that I also enjoy my CRKTs and find the quality to be very good.

Enjoy your Mirage.
 
I think CRKT makes some good knives for the price but I don't think they can compare to Benchmade. I would still buy a CRKT and actualy own a few but I still have to say the two companys are in a different class. There is just something in the feel of the knives, It's hard to explain but most knife nuts know what I mean. That something just is not there in CRKT for me. They are still a good knife and for the price can't be beat. Oh yeah Spyderco is not much more costly if at all. If given the choice I would take a spydie over a CRKT any day. Just personal pref. I guess
 
I have to come clean on this one, I have 2 large sebenzas, 11 MT autos and more sydercos and benchmades than I can recall. My every day work knife is a CRKT mirage plain edge wharncliffe (model 6732).Yes its aus 6 and i have to sharpen it every day but for a utility blade its hard to beat. Great lock up, excellent fit and feels great in the hand. And best of all if I break it Im out $15. I love my higher quality knives but for the money CRKT cant be beat.
 
Again I must say, owning what I now own that my CRKT M16 feels like a tank. It opens with the help of the Carson Flipper and a flick faster than it can be described by a longshot. It locks up good, can take a pretty heavy series of spine whacks without fail. And it came (and remains in as much as I actually use a knife) wicked sharp.

My particular Benchmade (350) does not compare favorably in feel, though it does lock up tight and is pretty darn sharp as delivered.

However, what is in my pocket right now, and probably will remain my EDC even in the face of the Mirage or a Sog, or perhaps even in the face of a better Benchmade (something in a G-10 scaled Axis Lock Spear or Drop point blade)....

The $20 built in Japan Kershaw Ken Onion Vapor. Solid. Smooth. Sharp. An not extremely threatening to sheeple.

I just ain't likely to ever spend enough on a single knife to get a custom
 
I have a couple of the Wharncliffe Mirages and they are very nifty little knives. Solid lockup, ok fit and fihish, perfectly ground blades with decent to good edgeholding and easy one hand opening and closing. I use them whenever I will be opening a lot of boxes or need to do some precision cutting out of paper or cardboard.

These things are available at insane prices on eBay and the gunshows if you shop around a little. I have found several for $14-16. Great value for the money.
 
Richard,

First of all I don't own any CRKTs, nor do I want to. I never said I did.
Second of all, what I mean by pandering to the poor is compromising things like their AUS6M steel to meet ultra-low pricepoints.
I don't consider myself much of a steel-snob, since I am perfectly content with relatively low-grade steels like 440A and 420HC, but everything i've heard about CRKT's AUS6M tells me that it performs unacceptably.
I will admit that CRKT is good for entry-level stuff, but if I had a nickel for every post I saw about "I have a CRKT X and I like it, but the blade won't hold an edge".
I'm not knocking CRKT's designs, but I am also not an entry-level knife collector, for $50 (the price of several AUS6M CRKT designs) I can get a Spyderco Endura or Camillus EDC, so why in god's name would I want a CRKT over those?
From what I can see all CRKT can do to become competitive again is to make their designs worthwhile by upping their quality.
 
I'll say it again, CRKT's knives are constructed with less slop than nearly if not all the spyderco's and BM's I've handled. Blade material can be changed at the drop of a hat, and they do offer some pieces in ats-34 which is as good a steel as you need on a folder.
 
YC- quit talking...you're going to embarrass yourself here as if you haven't already. Reread Richard's post again if you need to know why.
-- IMO, for the money, CRKT's are excellent knives. They have great custom designs and even if the blade steel is "lacking" as so many have put it, I've never had a problem with it or their bead blast. And no, you can't compare it to a BM or a CR or an Emerson. But look at the price, you aren't paying for one either. I have 9 CRKT's so I have quite a bit of experience with their designs and to tell you the truth, I get more excited about their designs than any other knife companies (Prowler, KFF Pro, M16, etc)! So, please, before you piss on someone else's parade, back it up with your own opinion. This means, buy one before you bitch.
Matt
-- BTW, I've owned two wharncliffe mirages and I haven't been dissapointed yet. If you are still looking for another great knife, try an S-2. Ti frame lock and an ATS-34 blade. SMKW had em on sale, you might want to check it out (read my reviews in the knife review section) if you can find one.

****Edited for harshness****
 
If you get an S-2 get a small one, the medium ones wont stay closed worth a F.
They are awesome little knives.
The Mirage come in Ti framelock also for 40 bones.
 
The Mirage Gray Ghost (Aus8 with aluminum scales) was my first "modern" knife. It started me on this journey of collecting knives, and $4500 dollars later I still have it and carry it on occasion. CRKT makes fine knives for the money. Aus6 is not my favorite steel, but when heat treated properly is Very serviceable. As a matter of fact I can get a sharper edge from the less expensive steels, than I can from 154. Aus6 just doesn't stay sharp as long. While most of us no longer go Gaga over CRKT, they hold a very valuable place in the market. If I would have had to spend $150 on my first folder, it never would have happened.

I just got my Mirage out of the drawer and put her in my pocket so she'd know that I still love her.:p

Steve Ferguson
 
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