CRKT RYAN 7 review

[BenchMyke]

Yeah it was abuse, but backing up a LAWKS with plastic???????????? They advertise this to be as strong as a fixed blade with the LAWKS engaged.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

All three of my CRKTs have been of similar quality to all of my Benchmades and exceeded the quality of my Spydercos (of which there are many).

What do you mean by quality?

-Cliff

 

[inspira]

Yeah it was abuse, but backing up a LAWKS with plastic???????????? They advertise this to be as strong as a fixed blade with the LAWKS engaged.

No folder is going to be as strong as a fixed blade unless it was welded.

Its not plastic. Its fibreglass filled nylon, and is what spyderco make most of their handles out of.

Some models of CRKT have non Zytel scales and will be arguably be safer under abuse. Personally the LAWKS on my M16 Zytel is fine as others have attested to. I'm not sure about yours but the Ryan Seven has had many reported problems with regards to lock failure. CRKT should probably upgrade to put in a thicker piece of metal for the LAWKS. I cannot imagine the Zytel bulging out - I'd send it back to CRKT for investigation / replacement.

 

[Artfully Martial]

Seriously ..... what bothers me about CRKT in general is that they produce (IMO) inferior tools, but obviously go to great lengths to make them look nice cosmetically. The ones I've examined and disassembled left me with the feeling, "Why do they even bother?"

They're not perfect, but several of their knives are excellent. I'm dissapointed here in the Ryan...it's a fairly attractive knife. Too bad we can't see a G10/VG10 version.

The M16 line is one of the best designs I've ever used. Its use is different, but comparable to my Blue Bump or Paramilitary..I suppose its most comparable to my minigrip.

By quality, I mean fit and finish. All of my CRKTs have come and stayed perfect and have proven themselves in the real world and even through tests that make this Ryan test look weak. Stick with the classics in the company and I think you'll be pleased.

 

[Confederate]

The Ryan Plan B (AUS 6) got mixed reviews, but I liked it much better than the Model 7. As I've indicated in other posts, CRKT has turned to linerlock steel to make many of their blades. Some of their knives (made of AUS 8) are still quite good, but I wish there was a way to compare their AUS 8 with Cold Steel's AUS 8.

Many of the CRKT knives sold on eBay are being sold using the old specs. Some are honestly ignorant of the fact that CRKT has downgraded its steel; others know and claim to be ignorant. The Ryan Model 7 is worth only about $10-$12. But you'll see it advertised for more with the old specs. The blade is thick and stubby and might be suitable for some prying; however, the design of the handles is so poor that even that would be problematic.

CRKT would be well advised to drop their cheap line or risk ending up with a reputation like Gerber or Smith & Wesson. If they have to cut the quality of their steel again, we'll be seeing blades of iron.

Sending the Model 7 back to CRKT will only begin a chain of unfortunate exchanges. There's no way to get quality out of this knife.

 

[Gryffin]

All three of my CRKTs have been of similar quality to all of my Benchmades and exceeded the quality of my Spydercos (of which there are many).

Whoa, dude... I've stepped up to defend CRKT before, and I have several knives of theirs that I really like, but even I wouldn't go that far!!

CRKT knives are generally very well designed, and very attractive; where they fall down is in their use of truly craptastic blade steels at the low end of their line, and in their sometimes spotty quality control (or at least, inconsistent execution).

 

[Gryffin]

I'm not sure about yours but the Ryan Seven has had many reported problems with regards to lock failure. CRKT should probably upgrade to put in a thicker piece of metal for the LAWKS. I cannot imagine the Zytel bulging out - I'd send it back to CRKT for investigation / replacement.

Yeah, that looks pretty extreme. That part of the scale is right next to the pivot screw, so it's held pretty securely. What's amazing to me is that the "tab" on the end of the LAWKS didn't just fold, like Cliff Stamp reported on his ill-fated Point Guard.

That said, I have a Ryan Model 7 (an older Aus-6 one, and I bought a spare in case I lose it!). I must've gotten lucky, 'cause mine has been very reliable. It's one of my favorite "banging around" knives; I've beat on mine for several years now, and it's handled it all. Of course, I've never beat the spine like the OP did, but I've batonned with it without incident.

I love the secure feel of the handle, but the edges are a little rough. I rounded the edges off mine with sandpaper, and it made world of difference! Recently, just for giggles, I took it apart and polished the blade and liners to a mirror finish (GAWD I hate bead-blasted finishes!), and it's now a sweet lookin' knife.

Oh, and by the way, it slices pretty well for such a short grind; the blade stock is fairly thin. I also convexed the edge on mine (sandpaper on mousepad), and it sails through meats and veggies — and even cardboard better the most of my full-flat-ground knives, which tend to drag.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

No folder is going to be as strong as a fixed blade unless it was welded.

This assumes the lock is the weak point, it often isn't, folders often suffer broken tips and/or blades and they would be no more durable in that respect than if they were fixed blades. The problem is overbuilding the blades and not making the handle to match. It is hardly sensible to put a 3/16" blade in a handle which can only match the strength of a 1/8" blade, there is then no advantage to the thicker blade outside of hype based on looks.

-Cliff

 

[DGG]

Good review. I'm tired of seeing reviews where the knife is the greatest thing ever invented.

A good liner lock doesn't need a LAWKS. Terzuola wrote a great book about building tactical folders and covered the liner lock method in great detail. It is a very tough lock to overcome if made with the proper bevels and clearances. It is sad that these guys didn't read it first.

http://www.anvilfire.com/bookrev/terzuola/terzuola.htm

I think CRKT has some great designers but they are very lacking in the engineering and production area, IMHO.

 

[rycen]

Can someone take a pic with the thumb studs removed?

 

[Confederate]

If you take away the thumstuds, you've taken away a big part of the knife!

Gryffin said he got one of the older AUS 6 models. That can make all the difference in the way this knife performs and how well it was built. CRKT is clearly on a cost-cutting mission. If they're making blades from liner metal, what are they making the liners out of? What else might they have quietly changed?

I would like to hear how the older AUS 6 handles cardboard cutting. I don't know whether the performance hit was because of the stubby blade or because of the crappy steel.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

The liners are really weak on the current ones, I have taken the folders apart and compared them to Spyderco's which are much stiffer even when thinner.

-Cliff