CRKT or Kershaw - need to narrow down choices

rschuch

rschuch

Joined
Apr 18, 2014
Messages
709
First off, I know NOTHING about tactical brands - I'm a traditional GEC, Queen, Case guy.
BUT after going to my dad's house last weekend and seeing his choice of knives, I think tactical is the way to go and, after perusing for the past week, I figured I should pick up a smattering for myself and a co-worker since they're CHEAP! I'm talking $10 - $25.

SO, trying to keep with USA, I got my Dad a Kershaw Whirlwind (he likes switchblades) and myself a CRKT M16-13z (which came with a Doolittle 6612 I'll probably give to my buddy). Trouble is, I haven't actually GOTTEN any of them yet, so I have nothing to base any future purchases on until they get here and Christmas is looming.

Someone else asked a similar question and a lot of you answered the Leek was a good buy, as well as Spydercos. The Leek seems a little small to me; I'd like to keep the blade over 3". Kershaw was also suggested in general to keep it USA, but a LOT of the Kershaw blades are Taiwan or China, though I've read the quality coming out of there for these knives is pretty good and to keep from having no choices at all, I'm expanding my pool of possibilities to include them. I'd also like the blade to be interesting, either a tanto or with a distinctive swedge. The more safety features (LAWKS, etc.) the better, since I've read a few (like the Gerber Combat) can open in your pocket, and I'm not in favor of self-applied vasectomies. I've kind of got it narrowed down to the following:

CRKT:
Hammond Cruiser 7904 (3.75" blade!) no spring assist
Crawford Kasper (3.75" blade!) no spring assist
My Tighe 1091K (3.5" blade) spring assist
Ignitor (3.35" blade) spring assist

Kershaw
Leek or Shallot (3" or 3.5" blade) spring assist
BlackWash (3.5" blade) spring assist (I like this blade shape)
Cyro II (3.25" blade) spring assist
Lifter (3.5" blade) spring assist

Any advice on how to sort through these, which have the better features, are the safest to use and will hold up the best or even which should be definitely avoided at all costs would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks guys!
 
MOST (but not all) Kershaws are made in China... while some will no doubt dispute this, I think it is a generally held belief that knives made in China are not inferior, as long as the company having them produced there maintains high quality control standards (which major companies like Kershaw, CRKT, etc. do...).

I own A LOT of Kershaws and won't really go into specifics, but mention some that I consider my favorites. The Leek, as you mention, is very popular, but doesn't impress me PERSONALLY as much... in the "Onion"-named line, I prefer the Shallot, which is larger than the Leek. I'll mention the Skyline, because it is very popular, but again, not one of my favorites for some reason... too thin? I don't know, it just doesn't feel good in my hand. I like both the Cryo and the larger Cryo II. I like the Thermite. I like the Knockout. Don't overlook the new Kershaw/Emerson collaboration knives, they are pretty nice. I'm not really saying much about WHY I like these particular knives, but looking at my Kershaw collection, these are just the ones that jump out at me... I notice that almost all of them (except some of the Kershaw/Emersons) are frame locks rather than liner locks and, while I did not choose them for that reason, I DO prefer the frame locks. (By the way, you mention the "Blackwash"... this is not a model, but 'color'... there are many models available with a Blackwash finish, so I'm not sure WHICH of them you are referring to.)

CRKT... offshoot company founded by former Kershaw employees, if you were unaware. The Crawford Kasper is decent and a BIG knife for a small price, but really TOO BIG for practical EDC use, IMO. My favorite CRKT that I own is probably the Foresight (though this one is not cheap). I also quite like the CRKT Carson M21-02 Aluminum (similar to your M16-13z, but a bit nicer and larger. I also have the M16-01KZ and the M16-10S, I prefer the metal handle of the M16-10S between those two).

IMPORTANT NOTE: The CRKT Lawks system WILL NOT keep the blade from opening in your pocket, it is designed to keep the blade locked OPEN when it is open. I don't think MOST knives have an issue opening in your pocket (and, if you carry them tip up in your right pocket, they shouldn't be able to open anyway, though most knives are shipped with the clip for tip down carry). Some knives DO have locks to prevent them from opening, which is a feature a lot of people DON'T LIKE. SOG particularly features this on a lot of their knives, there are a few Kershaws with this feature too (besides others I am sure).

I always feel the need to throw this in, because it is by far my favorite knife... the Spyderco Paramilitary II. I'm not personally a HUGE Spyderco fan, but I love this knife (own three). Not the cheapest, very hard to find due to high demand, but they DO come up on certain BladeForum member dealer websites from time to time at a fair price ($110-$125 about, the higher price should get you a black blade, which cost more and also seem to be much harder to find).
 
I own several Kershaws (Leek, Cryo II, etc.) and they are all well-made, dependable knives. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of assisted openers and Kershaw has a lot of them in their line--all good knives, just saddled with a feature I don't like. That aside, I really think Kershaws are the top of the heap in lower priced knives. The Chinese-made Kershaws have always been impressive to me. I don't own any of the current CRKT models. The only ones I have are about 10 years old and were made in Taiwan. They are also good knives but I don't know about the current quality of the brand. Presumably CRKT is still a reliable brand and, if you like the designs, you will probably be happy with their quality.

Spyderco actually doesn't come across as "tactical" in my view. They're form-follows-function working knives in most cases although there are models designed as weapons in the line up. Spyderco's value line of knives is pretty impressive as well--Ambitious, Persistence, Tenacious and Resilience models. All made in China but impressively good quality. Spyderco's Taiwan knives are divided into two groups, generic "Made in Taiwan" and the "Taichung, Taiwan" models. Both groups are well built but the Taichung models are actually exquisite, often times surpassing the quality of USA-built Spydercos. And they are priced accordingly. Most Spyderco models will cost a bit more than equivalent models of other brands...no really cheap models available although they also market the Byrd brand of knives that is sort of a lower priced range of Spyderco designs made in China. I rank Spyderco at the top for quality, innovative cutlery right now so I don't mind paying a bit more for their knives.
 
I have a whirlwind, its a nice knife for $35. I kinda think I like it more than a blackout. Just not found of the handle, but its a light handle
 
Whirlwind is pretty cool.

I have pretty much all of those CRKTs and I think of the ones you mention I like the Hammond best, but overall my favorite CRKT is the M21-04 Big Dog.
 
If you want a good looking knife that looks somewhat flashy and are on a budget I would go CRKT. But if you are a quality instead of quantity type guy then I would go Kershaw. CRKT and Lower cost kershaws I think are somewhat on the same level in regards to finish quality but the actual build quality is hands down kershaw.
 
I have both a crkt m16 and the kershaw shallot. The crkt now lives in a box.I did carry the crkt for a couple years and really liked it and took time to get use to carrying the new shallot. After a couple weeks the shallot is I'm my pocket everyday(a couple years now).I personally carry this knife tip up I noticed pocket lint or other small debris keeps it from solid lockup in the tip down position. The blade keeps a good edge with little maintenance. The scales are slick due to the finish but it feels solid in my hands. The pocket clip works great for me and I'm an electrician so I'm always crawling in an attic or climbing on a ladder. With all this being said I only use it to cut slice. Not a prybar hammer or screwdriver and I don't loan out any knife I carry to anyone. I've tried to tell the cons I've found so no one gets surprised but the pros far outweigh the cons. For the $ I would buy this knife again. The kershaw works for me. I know it's not everyone's flavor so I'm not discrediting any brand. Hope this helps Semper Fi
 
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From the quality control standpoint, go with Kershaw. Theirs is far superior, and if you've gotten the rare specimen that fails this test, they've got the best customer service I've personally experienced with folding knife issues.CRKT's poor to nonexistent heat treat and lousy quality control rules out any of their folding knives IMO.
 
Kershaw definitely. CRKT knives can't hold an edge cutting through hot butter. Complete crap heat treat on every knife of theirs I have tried. I will never buy another CRKT myself.
 
Why did you rule out the Link? At around $40 dollars for the aluminum handled version, made in the USA, a very useful blade shape, I know of no better Kershaw value.
 
I've had all the blades you list except the igniter none of them are bad blades. I feel you should be warned that budget friendly modern folders (I hate the word tactical) can quickly become a black hole form which there is no escape. There are so many good blades for reasonable prices that you can try a new one every day for the next ten years. I would echo those who've mentioned the tenacious line from spyderco, possibly the byrd as well. Possibly the best budget blade ever is the RAT 1 from Ontario knives the utilitac II is very good as well. Have fun and enjoy checking out some cool blades. If it helps I've reviewed a few of the ones you asked about.
 
AmosPaul said:
Why did you rule out the Link? At around $40 dollars for the aluminum handled version, made in the USA, a very useful blade shape, I know of no better Kershaw value.
Click to expand...

AmosPaul is right on the money! The Link would be your best bet!



Also check out the Byrd Cara Cara 2. I won this one in a GAW, and have been putting it to work for the better part of 2 weeks. Pic from when I first got it.



The Clash is another good budget knife from Kershaw. Ken Onion design, Speedsafe, good blade shape.



Let me also mention one of my favorites, the Kershaw Injection 3.5.



You might also want to check out the Utilitac II.

 
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