Cryo II or Skyline?

E

Eagle10710

Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
182
Hey all,

I'm a very pro-ZT person that is in need of a cheaper knife that I can carry to work. I'd like to keep it under $40, and I've narrowed it down to the Skyline and Cryo II. I really like many of the Cryo's features, however I do not like its weight and all metal handles. I love the blade shape and handle material on the skyline, but I dislike the pocket clip. It seems like when it is carried tip down that the handle would stick out a few inches, yikes!

I'm sure a lot of you have experience with the Skyline, and even a few may have some with the Cryo II. I'd love to hear your input. Thanks!
 
I'll go ahead and bite. First off, a couple of questions that will help you decide. What exactly do you do for work? What will be required of this knife? A quick search on the site will give you more rave reviews of the Skyline than you can shake a stick at. That being said, I do love my Cryo 1. But the Cryo 2 is more or less twice as heavy as the Skyline.

Cryos are built like tanks, but a lot of people find the stainless steel handles too slippery for a sure grip. The Skyline uses G-10 handle scales, which offer a more secure grip. And from what I've read, the liner lock is plenty strong for a variety of tasks. Speaking of strength, Skylines are made in the USA and feature blades of Sandvik 14C28N steel. This is a considerable step up from the Cryo 2's Chinese 8Cr13MoV. Both blades can get the job done, but it's been my experience that the Sandvik steel has superior edge retention compared to the 8Cr. I've carried my Cryo to work for weeks at a time, but I work in a college library and the Chinese steel is just fine for tearing down boxes and such. YMMV.

As for the clip, I absolutely love the deep carry one on the Cryo 2. Do you use tip-up or tip-down? Remember when carrying tip-up, you're still looking to have a bit of real estate showing out of your pocket. So there's not much of a difference between the knives. You mentioned being a ZT buff, aren't you ok with the clips on the 0300/0350s? Take a look at their clips; they're identical.

In closing, I'll say that at the end of the day you should pick whichever you prefer. I was just throwing in my 2 cents. They are both awesome knives and if you have any trouble, you know KAI customer service will take awesome care of you. Good luck man!
 
Thanks for the response. I work in a restaurant and I am a volunteer EMT. Basically the knife would be used for general use things like breaking down boxes and popping zip ties. I do not like the clip on the ZT 0300 series knives, I love the 0560's clip though. You made a very good point about the quality of materials used in the blade steel which is making me lean towards the skyline. Thanks a lot!
 
Eagle10710 said:
Thanks for the response. I work in a restaurant and I am a volunteer EMT. Basically the knife would be used for general use things like breaking down boxes and popping zip ties. I do not like the clip on the ZT 0300 series knives, I love the 0560's clip though. You made a very good point about the quality of materials used in the blade steel which is making me lean towards the skyline. Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

Haha I love the 560 clip as well. And no problem at all, man. I'm just happy I was able to help. Maybe a few more people will sound off before the day is over, and you can get some more feedback!
 
Having a cryo 1, I wouldn't worry about the cryo's 2' steel what it lacks in steel type it makes up in thickness. I would pry with the cryo, I would hesitate and then pry with a skyline if I had to.

That said the 8cr is soft enough for any beginner to sharpen it back I'll to scary sharpness levels every time. The sandvik is not that noticeable I. Edge retention. I do like the stonewash of the skyli e's blade vs the coated cryo's. The skyline is much easier to look edc because of weight and thinness.
 
Skyline all day

USA vs China made

14c28n vs 8cr13mov

Manual Flipper vs assisted opener

Super thin/light vs thick/heavy

All wins for the Skyline. Carry it tip down if you want deeper carry. The knife is small enough it doesn't make a big difference.
 
Get yourself a skyline and slap some custom scales on it :) This knife has pushed all others out of my pocket specially when Im wearing shorts

1sky.jpg2sky.jpg
 
Sold my Skylines.

I own three Cryo's and have two Cryo II's on pre-order.

Come to think of it - I need to ask Kershawguy if he is taking pre-orders on Cryo II's.
 
I gotta go with grownstar. It depends on what you are specifically looking for in a knife. Lightweight and pocketable or more ZTish and built like a tank. I wouldn't worry to much about the steel difference. I think 8cr has proven to be very satisfactory for its price point.

As far as made in the US thing goes, if that is important to you because you want to do everything you can to help the US economy then great, get the Skyline. If you don't buy into that, then that is fine too. I personally don't think that "US made" means automatic superior quality. It's the QC of that manufacturer that determines this not where it's made.

I'm surprised this already hasn't been posted several times, but if you can't decide, just buy both!
 
Adrenaline_6 said:
I gotta go with grownstar. It depends on what you are specifically looking for in a knife. Lightweight and pocketable or more ZTish and built like a tank. I wouldn't worry to much about the steel difference. I think 8cr has proven to be very satisfactory for its price point.

As far as made in the US thing goes, if that is important to you because you want to do everything you can to help the US economy then great, get the Skyline. If you don't buy into that, then that is fine too. I personally don't think that "US made" means automatic superior quality. It's the QC of that manufacturer that determines this not where it's made.

I'm surprised this already hasn't been posted several times, but if you can't decide, just buy both!
Click to expand...

I'm afraid it may come to that!
 
I would go with the Skyline. Its lighter and carries easier. You said you were an EMT, well I carried a Skyline for a while when I worked the ambulance and it carries good in your EMS pants.
 
I love my Skyline, but I'd bet money the Cryo is much more rigid.

I also have an incredible dislike for metallic scales.

I'd take a look at the Clash. At one point I was working in a shipping department and was cutting open zip ties and cutting down boxes as my primary job. I found a smaller tanto was the best compromise for getting under zip ties with out damaging the product, while still having a full size purchase on the handle for box cutting. So maybe the Brawler would fit the bill too, or the RJII.
 
Cryo II will be a tougher knife if you tend to abuse them a bit, skyline will take up less pocket real estate, be much lighter, and has a blade steal that in my experience is roughly twice as good than the cryo's. That said the coating they put on the cryo makes it more corrosion resistant in my experience.
 
Cryo is built like a tank, as for the grip I wouldn't worry with how it is designed yous till get a good grip with the jimping and the groves on the top and bottom of the handle. I would trade my Cryo for a Cryo II in a heartbeat as I feel the Cryo is too small for me. As for the skyline it looks like a great little knife, I still regret not picking up the damascus skyline back when I really started looking at knives, I just never heard of kershaw before back than or else I probably own one right now.
 
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