Let me preface this post by saying that I'm neither a professional reviewer nor writer. I'm merely trying to relate the experiences I had when dealing with these two knives. I also wouldn't recommend what I describe below as you risk stripping out screws and more importantly voiding warranties.
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I recently got the chance to thoroughly examine CRKT's version of Kit Carson's M-16, specifically the spearpoint M-16 13 and M-16 13Z. My father purchased the "13" model after TheKnifeStore.com said they were out of the BM 840s he had ordered. Once the "13z" came out (Zytel/AUS6 version with Mr. Carson's blade flipper) he ordered one as well.
Almost immediately we both came up with the same idea... The flipper blade sure would be nice on the more upscale Aluminum handled model.
After plenty of reassurances that I wouldn't destroy the two knives, and a complete understanding that this voided both warranties, he gave in and let me switch them out.
The first thing I did was spend some time looking over the 13Z. There are a number of differences between this more economical model and the original AL handled knife. First, of course, are the scales. The Zytel appears to be bead blasted and overall has a very nice texture. I would probably rate these scales over any other Zytel Ive handled in both looks and feel. The Spyderco volcano or Benchmade Ascent patterns may have a slight edge in grippiness(?) but IMHO they dont look or feel as nice.
Underneath the scales are dual stainless liners. They are not skeletonized like the AL scales, probably for added strength. They also lack the AL model's slight scallop inside the scale/liner. This scallop allows the thumbnail better access to the liner without compromising the lock's safety.
The clip on the 13z is a slight bit higher on the knife and sits in a recessed cutout in the Zytel. After I had the knife apart I noticed that the clip screws had made it all the way through the liners and left a few indentions in the teflon(?) washers.
The next difference was the lack of a thong/lanyard hole in the "Z" version. The Zs spacer is Aluminum(!), not the typical plastic material - a very nice touch. The spacer had a hole drilled through it for the lanyard as did the Zytel scales, but the stainless liners were not drilled. An enterprising DIYer could easily take a small drill and I also noticed that the Z's spacer was longer, extending further up the back of the knife than the older Al knife's spacer.
The last difference is of course the blade. While the Z version has Mr. Carsons ingenious flipper it is ground from a lesser steel (AUS-6 vs AUS-8) so edge retention may not be up to the regular model. I havent used either model extensively so I cant comment on either knifes performance in that arena. But, I'll trade a slight loss of edge retention for the flipper any day - it acts as a finger guard when open, making the already secure knife even safer.
The Zs liner stuck pretty bad out of the box. My dad carries a quarter to pry it loose if its opened too hard. Both blades appear to have a coating on the tang where they make contact with the liner. I think with time either the coating or the liner will wear enough that unlocking will become easier.
As I was disassembling the two knives I was surprised to find little rubber (neoprene?) O-rings on each side of the knife under the pivot screw heads. Whether theyre there to keep oil and grim out or to keep the screw from loosening over time I dont know but it sure is a nice touch on these two very affordable factory knives.
Anyway, disassembly was a bit of a chore. The tolerances were rather tight and it took some work to get the blades off of their pivot pins. On the other hand the innards of both knives showed no tooling marks from the production process (except for the molding marks left on the underside of the Zytel scales) and I just happened to have all the right Torx drivers. The knives went back together very easily and the process didn't seem to create any blade wobble in either of the newly-bladed knives.
As I told my dad, the operation was a success. The flippered blade is perfectly happy living in the AL handled knife. It now exhibits the same sticking effect when opened too quickly but otherwise works as well, if not better, than the original blade.
I have a new found respect for Kit Carson and Columbia River - that they could come up with such stout and well made folders at such a reasonable rate is nothing short of amazing.
Jon
PS - If CRKT has come out with a flippered version of the AL handled M-16 13 please don't tell me.
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I recently got the chance to thoroughly examine CRKT's version of Kit Carson's M-16, specifically the spearpoint M-16 13 and M-16 13Z. My father purchased the "13" model after TheKnifeStore.com said they were out of the BM 840s he had ordered. Once the "13z" came out (Zytel/AUS6 version with Mr. Carson's blade flipper) he ordered one as well.
Almost immediately we both came up with the same idea... The flipper blade sure would be nice on the more upscale Aluminum handled model.
After plenty of reassurances that I wouldn't destroy the two knives, and a complete understanding that this voided both warranties, he gave in and let me switch them out.The first thing I did was spend some time looking over the 13Z. There are a number of differences between this more economical model and the original AL handled knife. First, of course, are the scales. The Zytel appears to be bead blasted and overall has a very nice texture. I would probably rate these scales over any other Zytel Ive handled in both looks and feel. The Spyderco volcano or Benchmade Ascent patterns may have a slight edge in grippiness(?) but IMHO they dont look or feel as nice.
Underneath the scales are dual stainless liners. They are not skeletonized like the AL scales, probably for added strength. They also lack the AL model's slight scallop inside the scale/liner. This scallop allows the thumbnail better access to the liner without compromising the lock's safety.
The clip on the 13z is a slight bit higher on the knife and sits in a recessed cutout in the Zytel. After I had the knife apart I noticed that the clip screws had made it all the way through the liners and left a few indentions in the teflon(?) washers.
The next difference was the lack of a thong/lanyard hole in the "Z" version. The Zs spacer is Aluminum(!), not the typical plastic material - a very nice touch. The spacer had a hole drilled through it for the lanyard as did the Zytel scales, but the stainless liners were not drilled. An enterprising DIYer could easily take a small drill and I also noticed that the Z's spacer was longer, extending further up the back of the knife than the older Al knife's spacer.
The last difference is of course the blade. While the Z version has Mr. Carsons ingenious flipper it is ground from a lesser steel (AUS-6 vs AUS-8) so edge retention may not be up to the regular model. I havent used either model extensively so I cant comment on either knifes performance in that arena. But, I'll trade a slight loss of edge retention for the flipper any day - it acts as a finger guard when open, making the already secure knife even safer.
The Zs liner stuck pretty bad out of the box. My dad carries a quarter to pry it loose if its opened too hard. Both blades appear to have a coating on the tang where they make contact with the liner. I think with time either the coating or the liner will wear enough that unlocking will become easier.
As I was disassembling the two knives I was surprised to find little rubber (neoprene?) O-rings on each side of the knife under the pivot screw heads. Whether theyre there to keep oil and grim out or to keep the screw from loosening over time I dont know but it sure is a nice touch on these two very affordable factory knives.
Anyway, disassembly was a bit of a chore. The tolerances were rather tight and it took some work to get the blades off of their pivot pins. On the other hand the innards of both knives showed no tooling marks from the production process (except for the molding marks left on the underside of the Zytel scales) and I just happened to have all the right Torx drivers. The knives went back together very easily and the process didn't seem to create any blade wobble in either of the newly-bladed knives.
As I told my dad, the operation was a success. The flippered blade is perfectly happy living in the AL handled knife. It now exhibits the same sticking effect when opened too quickly but otherwise works as well, if not better, than the original blade.
I have a new found respect for Kit Carson and Columbia River - that they could come up with such stout and well made folders at such a reasonable rate is nothing short of amazing.
Jon
PS - If CRKT has come out with a flippered version of the AL handled M-16 13 please don't tell me.
