How are the Chinese made CRKT brand knives?

I have quite a few of their knives both from China and Taiwan , they're all solid. I carry a Heiho pretty regularly and it's a good knife.

CRKT is one of those brands that I won't buy unless it's heavily discounted, there really isn't a rational explanation for this , but that's just how I perceive their knives.
 
I have a CRKT M4-02 folder and a Hisshou japanese style fixed blade. I believe they're both made in China. The folder's pretty good, seems to hold an edge well yet still sharpens easily enough. The hisshou is a pretty nice defense blade, except for a section of blade edge where the curvature of the blade was not properly followed, almost like someone did a poor job of freehand sharpening. Though I'm satisfied with those knives for the most part, like others have said, there are knives offering far superior value, better quality for less money, such as Ontario RAT folder.

I also dislike the fact that CRKT is made in communist People's Republic of China. Not because of prejudice, but for political and overall quality issues. (Look at how many made-in-china products kill people: toothpaste, cough syrup, milk, crayons, flooring, drywall.) You'd have to almost crazy to buy anything made in China anymore. Made in Taiwan, on the other hand, is much better quality and it's not communist. If CRKT moved its production to Taiwan, I'd buy more of their stuff, but until then, I think that'll be it with my CRKT purchases.
 
Quality control has greatly increased. Just because it says made in China or Taiwan doesn't make it a bad knife. The spyderco tenacious comes out of China and it's a great edc/food prep knife. I've also been intrigued by CRKT's designs. So I say pull the trigger
 
ThePeacent said:
I agree on the exaggerated price tag of most of their knives. I also think they offer unique designs and interesting collaborations.
if you're looking for a CRKT folder suitable for SD (please don't start with the discussion "a knife is not appropiate for SD blah blah blah") I recommend checking the Otanashi Noh Ken and Shizuka Noh Ken folders. A bit expensive if compared to other chinese knives, but wicked sharp, strong, hefty and reliable. Longer blade than most chinese folders.

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Perfectly able to handle most utility tasks (cardboard, boxes, zip ties etc.) and food prep. Really.
Tell us what you finally choose!
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Um, those are not made in China.

and...

A knife is far from the best SD option ;)
 
TheEdge01 said:
Hey guys, I'm looking for another everyday carry knife for for SD and doing minor tasks at work. Right now I carry a Kershaw Sleek and it seems to be a great knife but I am looking to upgrade. I found a CRKT brand knife priced at $69 that I was interested in but the fact that it was made in China was a major turn off. I have never owned that brand before, but it looked good and felt solid in the hand. If they are good knives I will probably go back and buy it. I know there are other brands out there but i really like the looks of this one. Are they good solid knives or would you pass it up?
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I carry an EDC made in China (Taiwan) and it is the best knife I have ever had for my general duties around my shop and home. It is a Gayle Bradley model made by Spyderco. I don't baby it and touch it up on my Sharpmaker about once a month, when I remember. And that being said I'm still not sure I'm not over-sharpening it. It is not too expensive, a little over $100. So ignoring place of manufacture or brand, this what I would recommend for your next knife purchase.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk0IxU-fuW4

The only CRKT I own in the Ken Onion designed Hi Jinx, made by Lion Steel out of Italy. It is Blade Magazines 2014 Knife of the Year. It is a great knife, but big bucks if you can find one.

My favorite lower priced knife is the titanium coated Gerber CryoTI, recommended for friends who don't want to spend much for a folder. Blade Magazine said it was the year's Best Buy a couple of years ago. Not bad for a knife made in China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh7MPz7lUf4

I like the CRKT Eros but the blade is a little to pointy for my EDC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNy113tMG_A
 
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Again, Taiwan is not China. Let's all learn something and read up on the history of Taiwan.

Further, country of origin matters not in terms of quality. It is the company who decides the level of quality in a product. The gayle Bradley mentioned above comes out of Spyderco's Taichung factories. Spyderco demands high quality from these factories. The Tuff I have is better than all the other Spydercos I have in terms of quality and fit/finish. Yes, the Taiwanese made spyderco I own is better than my American made ones and my Japanese made ones. The price also reflects this.

It is the company, not the country.

And this is the problem with CRKT. Too expensive for what level of interest the company has in putting out a quality product now days.
 
craytab said:
And this is the problem with CRKT. Too expensive for what level of interest the company has in putting out a quality product now days.
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Well, Craytab, for once you and I agree on something.:D

Because this is a CRKT thread, I have ask, How many of us would purchase a knife that is in production at CRKT today? I know that they have a bunch of stuff out that I am not familiar with.
 
I like a lot of the James Williams stuff. I would try one again. That said, I have had 4 from that line and only one remains. Only one was worth the price tag. Only one was flawless. The problem is, when it comes down to shell out the money, I always find something with less risk of getting a good one, as has always been my experience with CRKT. It is a shot in the dark.
 
GrReaper said:
If CRKT moved its production to Taiwan, I'd buy more of their stuff, but until then, I think that'll be it with my CRKT purchases.
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CRKT knives were originally made in Taiwan, then they later transferred most (or all?) of their production to mainland China to cut costs. I'm not sure, because I haven't bought a CRKT knife since around 1999 or 2000 or so. In fact, AFAIK, CRKT was the first U.S.-based knife company to import quality knives out of Taiwan in the late 1990s.

Jim
 
craytab said:
Again, Taiwan is not China. Let's all learn something and read up on the history of Taiwan.

Further, country of origin matters not in terms of quality. It is the company who decides the level of quality in a product. The gayle Bradley mentioned above comes out of Spyderco's Taichung factories. Spyderco demands high quality from these factories. The Tuff I have is better than all the other Spydercos I have in terms of quality and fit/finish. Yes, the Taiwanese made spyderco I own is better than my American made ones and my Japanese made ones. The price also reflects this.

It is the company, not the country.

And this is the problem with CRKT. Too expensive for what level of interest the company has in putting out a quality product now days.
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^^^This^^^

I'm really adamant about this, as I lived in Taiwan for close to a decade.

Jim
 
Inazone said:
Just to be clear, my main point of comparison between CRKT and Boker Plus is the designs (mostly cool) and cost for materials, country of manufacture, etc. I question whether the 440C on Chinese Boker Plus models is "real" 440C or 8Cr-series Chinese steel, and whether it is or not, their prices are high enough for me to explore a lot of other options. Same with CRKT in many ways, and SOG too, at least in my experience.

In terms of QC, I would rate Boker Plus over CRKT, no question.
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I understand. Sorry for the mischaracterization on my part.
 
As I mentioned above, I've several (7 actually) CRKTs. Have a CRKT Lake 111Z lockback on order - looking forward to handling it up close and personal. All my CRKTs have been fine working knives at a reasonable price.
Rich
 
craytab said:
I like a lot of the James Williams stuff. I would try one again. That said, I have had 4 from that line and only one remains. Only one was worth the price tag. Only one was flawless. The problem is, when it comes down to shell out the money, I always find something with less risk of getting a good one, as has always been my experience with CRKT. It is a shot in the dark.
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I'm not a CRKT fan; when I was getting into knives I bought a few models, mostly disappointing... but a couple were okay. I had the same assessment; the James Williams Hissatsu folder was actually quite well constructed -- like many of the best Spydercos, made in the Republic of China, instead of the People's Republic of China, a very important distinction ;) -- and once I removed the torsion bar (assisted opening isn't my thing), the stored energy required to break the detent was more than enough to fire the blade open with the thumb-disc. The action was close to that of a flipper, running on washers but smooth, and the blade dropped shut without play in either direction. The auto-lawks system was annoying, but I probably would have gotten used to it. Then I discovered Spyderco, and so on.
 
Quality is hit or miss. A lot of miss.

I lost two. Best thing I could have done with them. Blades had play, the lock was sketchy
 
craytab said:
Again, Taiwan is not China. Let's all learn something and read up on the history of Taiwan.

Further, country of origin matters not in terms of quality. It is the company who decides the level of quality in a product. The gayle Bradley mentioned above comes out of Spyderco's Taichung factories. Spyderco demands high quality from these factories. The Tuff I have is better than all the other Spydercos I have in terms of quality and fit/finish. Yes, the Taiwanese made spyderco I own is better than my American made ones and my Japanese made ones. The price also reflects this.

It is the company, not the country.

And this is the problem with CRKT. Too expensive for what level of interest the company has in putting out a quality product now days.
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Thanks for your insights. I really would suggest that you need to learn a little history about Taiwan aka The Peoples Republic of China, with focus on the civil war in China before and after WWII. before you start dissing folks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan
 
Thanks for all of the replies so far. My question has definitely been answered, I would be better off going with a different manufacturer. I'm glad I posted this before spending my hard earned cash on something and regretting it. Lords willing my wife and I will pay a visit to Smoky Mountain Knife Works next week. I really like my Kershaw Leek so I may look at some more of their products. I have also been reading some nice reviews about Benchmade and Spyderco as well.
 
TheEdge01 said:
I really like my Kershaw Leek so I may look at some more of their products. I have also been reading some nice reviews about Benchmade and Spyderco as well.
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If you haven't already noticed this with Kershaw and other brands, they usually have a few different model lines that fit different price ranges, with both materials and country of origin being major contributing factors to price. Since you already own a Leek, your experience so far has been with an American-made knife and a good if not exactly noteworthy steel. Now, it's even possible to get a Leek with a composite blade that employs D2 steel on the cutting edge. There are a number of other small Kershaws, also made in the USA, for not a lot of money. Some of their more interesting designs (in my opinion) are used on their Chinese imports in the $20-40 range. A lot depends on what you want to use a knife for, and what your expectations are as far as durability, reliability and performance in general. The same is true with Benchmade and Spydero, as well as many other brands.
 
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