CRKT: Your thoughts?

T

T.L.

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Sep 20, 2012
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I have recently noticed that I have been subconsciously straying away from CRKT products without having a reason...

I am looking to get another brand into my EDC/beater knife selection.

They seem like good knives but I've never been able to pull the trigger on one. Specifically I am wondering what people think of the M14, M16, and M21. They have tons of styles, and I have heard that the Veff serrated versions are some of the best serrations you can get. I have no knowledge of how the good the AutoLawks sytem is compared to others.

Any thoughts? Recommendations on a certain model? Photos?

EDIT: Would it be reasonable to compare them to Smith & Wesson?


Thanks
 
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There are better knives out there, IMHO.

For the price (or less), get a Spyderco tenacious for about $35 or an Ontario Rat1 for around $25.
 
CRKT is good for the custom makers that that do reproductions for. It can amount to a significant revenue stream for them. For me, I own the Razel and the Razel stubby that CRKT makes. I got them to try out prior to getting a custom made one. My decision was "not to" take the custom plunge. My general feeling about Columbia River is they are "okay".
 
CRKT is good value for the money. Their strength is that they have a wide variety of styles, but finding what you're looking for among the sheer number can be difficult.

To date, I've owned:

CRKT/Lightfoot M1
Hammond Cruiser
Ryan Plan B
Koji Hara Ichi
Carson M16, partial serrations (the old kind) and Zytel handle
Krein Dogfish
Folding Razel
Stubby Folding Razel
CRKT Ripple (the Wal-Mart version)

There may have been more, but those are the ones I remember. The Carson and the M1 both have LAWKS, and it is a good system. Problem is, the liners on the M14/M16 are kind of thin. I've never had one fail on me, but I have had the lock stop against the LAWKS when I drove a dull knife through something.

With the LAWKS system, I recommend the M series as a no-worries knife. The ergos do not stand out, but the handle won't hurt you. It's the kind of knife you can use, abuse, lose, and not worry about.
 
My M16-14D was well made and very smooth. The AUTOLawks doesn't matter to me either way.
 
The CRKT Ripple (blue framelock flavor) is a great knife, opens like magic (it opens like an assisted opener, though its not), the pivot rides on ball bearings, and the blade goes through cardboard like a laser. Its a little spendy, but a fine knife IMO.

20120831_180228-1.jpg
 
Very glad you posted that. I was just going to ask about the Ripple or Ripple II. They look like they're pretty sweet for the price.

Nevermind, I get it now. K405KXP is the model. Acuto+ is the steel.
 
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I dislike the M series myself. I do however like the ripple, drifter, razel, and natural,
 
I've tried to like them but like co556guy there are just other knives I would rather get. I would rather save my money and get a spyderco or a bm.
 
I have 3 CRKT knives. I can't find any fault with them. They were not expensive, I assume because they were made overseas and because they use less exotic blade materials. I don't mind the auto-lawks system in the bigger knives but I don't like the safety lock integrated in the thumb stud in their smaller knives. Both of my big dog knives have aluminum scales and seem to be very tough knives. The black one I bought cheap because it was used heavily and I intend to do some hard use testing on it someday just to see what it will do.

I got interested in CRKT knives after reading stories about their use by servicemen in the middle east, and I found that they had lots of interesting styles.

I have a Spyderco Tenacious and likewise I think it is a very good knife. I have read about the Ontario Rat 1 and I'm interested in buying one of them to try. I can't say that the Tenacious is better or worse than my CRKT's.

For me though I've discovered that I have more respect for my Benchmades and more expensive Spydercos and get more pleasure out of carrying them.

DSC_6633b.jpg


photodelegateb.jpg
 
At 16, the M16-04 was my first high end knife.
 
T.L. said:
EDIT: Would it be reasonable to compare them to Smith & Wesson?
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Good God no. CRKT knives are leagues and leagues better than Smith & Wesson. The M-series knives have been around for a long time, and they're proven as highly capable knives.
 
I've had 3 Alaska Bawana two of wich went to people who i guss liked them more than i did. and two Serengetti Hunters. all good knives for the price. the alaska Bawana has been in daily use around the house since I got it around ten or fifteen years ago, the high hollow grind makes it a great slicer. its also been used to skin & butcher Deer, Rabbit, and chickens. Pic borrowed from web

CRKT Alaska Bawana.jpg
 
I had a N.E.C.K Designed by Crawford Kasper. My first (of hopefully many) small fixed blades.
The recurve tanto was a cool shape but of limited utility. The blade steel (said 3Cr13) was softer than my Kershaw 8Cr13MoV and did not hold an edge very well.
A friend of mine saw it and liked it so I let it go to him.

It wasn't a bad knife per se. It also was a fixed blade so I cannot comment on the quality of the folders. However I do believe I am influenced by the lack of mention of crkt as a "serious" knifemaker on most forums. Which is why I haven't bought another. Maybe you are too (OP). There is another thread though where it gets mentioned as an underrated brand.
 
I use to have an M21 and an M16.
Converted the m21 into a trainer and gave the m16 away

They not too bad for beaters, but the SF versions are fail knives imo
 
Shorttime said:
CRKT is good value for the money. Their strength is that they have a wide variety of styles, but finding what you're looking for among the sheer number can be difficult.
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I would change that to: CRKT HAS good value for money. Some of their stuff is very gimmicky and uses terribly soft steel. It also depends on where you live. Over here in Europe CRKT is definately not one of the cheapest brands you can buy. Some of the knives that sell for $20-$30 in the states sell for €40-€50 HERE (that's close to double the price.)

So while they do have some good stuff (Their Ken Onion line particularly is very good value) some of their stuff isn't just cheap in terms of money but also cheap in terms of quality.
 
Decided to try a Drifter (well, both :rolleyes::p)...cost is negligible, and Nutnfancy kind of sold me on them, just wanted some solid bargain knives that I can gift eventually if I get sick of them.
 
I think that CRKT knives almost certainly are a great deal better than Smith & Wesson (as per the discussion above). I only have one CRKT knife, their version of the A.G. Russell 'Sting'. It was advertised as "razor sharp", but arrived as blunt as a table corner. When I contacted the stockist, they told me all the models they had were the same. I sent a polite e-mail to me, and they offered to sell me a notoriously bad sharpening device, which I thought added insult to injury. It took a fair bit of work to put an edge on the knife, and I think it says a lot about CRKT's quality control that it left the factory in that condition, what else are they missing? Incidentally, the CRKT sheath for the knife is an appalling piece of design, and gimmicky to boot. I might purchase a CRKT Kasper-Polkowski 'Companion' if one came up, but otherwise CRKT are on my 'to be avoided' list.
 
The Lake Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 are fantastic low budget beaters. I also like the big Crawford/Kasper knife. The CRKT My Teigh is my all time favorite!

I will never EDC an expensive folder.
 
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