Hi, I'v been looking at CRKT's range recently, and I really like a lot of the stuff they have, looks really innovative, and all the ones I've tried have felt good in the hand. I just wondered how well regarded the company is in terms of quality? Are they generally thought to be a good make?
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Good Brands?
- Thread starter quietriot
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CRKT is a decent brand probably most comparable to the byrd speyderco line in some cases slightly better and in others not quite as good.
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If you're on a tight knife budget, CRKT is a good place to start. For the money, they make decent knives. The main appeal of CRKT is that they release modern knife designs/collaborations at prices the average Joe can afford. You won't find high-end steels or exotic materials being used often, but on the whole they are good working knives. Some models don't appeal to me, but that's a matter of liking particular designs. That said, they're coming out with a few nice designs I look forward to, mainly the Carson M4.
A decade ago most knife enthusiasts would have scoffed at the thought of owning a knife made in Taiwan, but in my opinion, CRKT was the brand responsible for taking the quality, fit and finish of Taiwanese-made knives to a whole different level. Soon others appeared on the scene with knives manufactured in Taiwan: Timberline and Outdoor Edge come to mind, which reminds me...Man, I miss my Outdoor Edge Magna!! These days, Buck, Gerber, Cold Steel, SOG and even Benchmade and Spyderco have knives made in Taiwan (and mainland China for that matter). The point is, these days you can get a quality knife at a fraction of what a comparable product made in the States would cost. While I do appreaciate purchasing a homemade knife, I'm not hung up on the "overseas product" thing.
However, I do have one critical opinion about CRKT and it's the fact that they seem content in releasing knives with what I would consider to be rather pedestrian materials. Unlike Spyderco, Benchmade, SOG or even Buck who use a wide variety of materials and upper-end steels, CRKT's staple seems to be AUS-8 and Zytel (with the exception of a few aluminum handled models and the titanium handled M16's). In fact, they've even downgraged a few models by using cheaper steels like AUS-4 and 420 steel. I understand that their aim is to produce affordable cutlery, but the savvy knife enthusiast wants more. I for one would like to see more G-10, Titanium, different woods and I'd especially like to see higher-grade steels. Sure, that would mean that their prices would go up, but I'd pay the extra if it means the knife will hold a better edge and offer a variety of handle materials. Until then CRKT will be mostly be regarded as "entry-level" by many knife enthusiasts.
A decade ago most knife enthusiasts would have scoffed at the thought of owning a knife made in Taiwan, but in my opinion, CRKT was the brand responsible for taking the quality, fit and finish of Taiwanese-made knives to a whole different level. Soon others appeared on the scene with knives manufactured in Taiwan: Timberline and Outdoor Edge come to mind, which reminds me...Man, I miss my Outdoor Edge Magna!! These days, Buck, Gerber, Cold Steel, SOG and even Benchmade and Spyderco have knives made in Taiwan (and mainland China for that matter). The point is, these days you can get a quality knife at a fraction of what a comparable product made in the States would cost. While I do appreaciate purchasing a homemade knife, I'm not hung up on the "overseas product" thing.
However, I do have one critical opinion about CRKT and it's the fact that they seem content in releasing knives with what I would consider to be rather pedestrian materials. Unlike Spyderco, Benchmade, SOG or even Buck who use a wide variety of materials and upper-end steels, CRKT's staple seems to be AUS-8 and Zytel (with the exception of a few aluminum handled models and the titanium handled M16's). In fact, they've even downgraged a few models by using cheaper steels like AUS-4 and 420 steel. I understand that their aim is to produce affordable cutlery, but the savvy knife enthusiast wants more. I for one would like to see more G-10, Titanium, different woods and I'd especially like to see higher-grade steels. Sure, that would mean that their prices would go up, but I'd pay the extra if it means the knife will hold a better edge and offer a variety of handle materials. Until then CRKT will be mostly be regarded as "entry-level" by many knife enthusiasts.
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They make some decent knives, but they have been using 420J2 craptastic metal for blades on some models. They are circling the drain with that BS. Soon they will be in the sewer with Gerber.
Cosmic Superchunk
I think you nailed it when you wrote,
"...Until then CRKT will be mostly be regarded as "entry-level" by many knife enthusiasts."
There in lies the problem with CRKT, originally its strength was in marketing economically priced products with a great quality finish worthy of the designer collaborations they had going on. The next thing they tried (too quickly IMO), was to raise the standard of their product by utilizing better materials for their knives. This saw a much higher price range not usually associated with a CRKT product. Was this a move to reposition their lable as a premier knife brand? Well, if it was, I have yet to consider CRKT as anything more than a company which produces medium/good quality Taiwanese manufactured pocket knives. It must be aware by now that as a brand it must continue to work harder to improve its perceived market value in order to run on par and be comparable to that of Benchmade or Spyderco Knives.
I think you nailed it when you wrote,
"...Until then CRKT will be mostly be regarded as "entry-level" by many knife enthusiasts."
There in lies the problem with CRKT, originally its strength was in marketing economically priced products with a great quality finish worthy of the designer collaborations they had going on. The next thing they tried (too quickly IMO), was to raise the standard of their product by utilizing better materials for their knives. This saw a much higher price range not usually associated with a CRKT product. Was this a move to reposition their lable as a premier knife brand? Well, if it was, I have yet to consider CRKT as anything more than a company which produces medium/good quality Taiwanese manufactured pocket knives. It must be aware by now that as a brand it must continue to work harder to improve its perceived market value in order to run on par and be comparable to that of Benchmade or Spyderco Knives.