How good are these Taiwanese CRKT knives?

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
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I have heard from friends that CRKT has a factory of sorts in Taiwan where certain models are made.

Are these made-in-Taiwan CRKT knives on par with their American CRKT cousins?

How's the quality control with regard to CRKT knives from Taiwan?

The difference in prices is quite obvious to a lot of people but what I am really curious about is the quality when one compares CRKT knives made from two sides of the ocean.

CRKT knives have a big following. I welcome true experiences from those who own Taiwan knives made from Taiwan and America.

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Make Love your strongest weapon. Compassion your shield and forgiveness your armour.
 
All CRKT knives that I've seen are made in Taiwan, except for the Classic KISS made in Japan. They are of very good quality and their custom collaborations are great. Their quality control is also good.

[This message has been edited by el cid (edited 04-11-2001).]
 
In my opinion CRKT has been instrumental in changing the way people think about knives made in Taiwan. Not too long ago, knives made in Taiwan did not have a reputation for quality. Now companies like CRKT, Outdoor Edge, Timberline and Gerber are having good quality knives made for them in Taiwan. I read that even Buck is having some knives made in Taiwan now.
 
The 3 (well, 2 now, thanks to a trade) are all Tiawanese and all excellent:

Mirage
Point Guard
Commander
 
I have a taiwan made CRKT S2 that's BETTER IMO, than a good number of "american" made knives.

Remember though that no matter where it is made, you might end up with a "bad" one.

DaveH
 
As far as I know, CRKT knives are made in Taiwan. Price/performance ratio is outstanding.
 
I didn't know there were any American made CRKT knives, I don't own any. The quality of their KFF's (I have a large and small) are excellent. They are built solid with a very smooth action and a solid lockup (with or without the secondary lock). I've heard some people here complain about the steel used, but has no problem for me. I don't own a custom Crawford KFF, but I have handled enough of them to say that CRKT has come very close, in fact I like the lock better on the CRKT than on the customs which for me are too recessed. They are a very good production knife and well worth the money and I wouldn't hesitate about buying from them again or to recommend them.

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"Will work 4 Knives!"
My PhotoPoint Site
 
I'll chime in with everyone else, they are great knives at incredibly low prices.

Brandon
 
In January of this year I was looking at a display of Gerber knives in a store and noticed that one of them called ''Harsey Air Ranger" had Taiwan on the blade and was also marked "First Production Run". A few days later I bought one of these after I found out that the blade was AUS8A. I was pleasantly surprised at the edge that could be put on this knife and how well it will hold an edge. As far as I am concerned this is a very reasonably priced knife in most places for the quality.

[This message has been edited by Walt2 (edited 04-11-2001).]
 
Walt2, Gerber has their "International" line made in Taiwan. I've seen the AR 3.00 and the Gerber Walker, and I understand they have a collaboration with Fred Carter, also made in Taiwan, But, I haven't seen one yet. They are all very well made.
 
As far as I know, thay are all made in Taiwan.

For the price, the quality is remarkable. Many knife users may not even have the need for anything more.

Dick
 
I own 7 CRKT knives: PECK, Neck PECK, KISS, CF M-16, KFF, Pointguard, and Mirage. I am really impressed with their products and am currently saving up for an S-2. Cool knives as far as I'm concerned. I especially like the PECK and the Point Guard. BTW, the CF M-16 is one of the lightest knives I have ever owned. Don't let the "made is Taiwan" trick you, they are good knives.
Matt
 
One more thumbs-up on CRKT. The price/quality ratio is great. I don't care for the bead blast finish, but it's hard to complain about on a $35 knife. I happen to like AUS steels; they're easy to sharpen.
 
So far, I like all of CRKT's knives. All are very well made and not overpriced. By the way, why isn't there a CRKT Forum yet?
 
They come up with very interesting design features in an affordable, quality product.

The CRKT KISS is a neat pocket knife. Some people don't like 6A steel, but I haven't had any trouble with keeping it sharp. It sharpens very easily. I've also had a Point Guard, and it was very well made. If you don't like the bead blast, you can remove the blade from the handle (and they don't void the warranty for disassembly, unlike Benchmade and MT) and rub it up and down rapidly on a Scotch Brite pad to create a quasi-satin finish. Just make sure you're always going the same direction. It can take a while sometimes, and you'll need to resharpen it afterwards.

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Chang and the Rebels of the East
(Southern Taiwan Shall Rise Again!)
 
The CRK&T knives I've sold in in my shop have been well received. Customers like the price and quality. I ask for feedback from my customers (pro or neg.) and so far the feedback has all been positive. I closely inspect and play with all the new models and I haven't had to send one back yet.
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Ray Carr
 
CRKT has made Taiwan as a location, a reasonable place to get a knife made. I wish however they would leave the country of manufacture of the blade however. On the box is ok. My freinds still sneer when they read Taiwan on the blade, to them is is almost as bad as Pakistan...

One interesting story I was told the other day. One of the top dudes in CRKT actually goes to Tiawan an monitors the production of the blades in person. He then ships the blades to the States and individualy inspects each and every knife in the US. Now this sounds a bit far fetched if you ask me... But it sure goes some way to explain how EVERY CRKT blade I have bought ans seen was PERFECT. No BM QC issues here.

Only things wrong with CRKT in my opinion is the use of the bead finish and the 6M steel in so many products. I know it keeps the cost down, but I would like to se 8a and a satin finsh as the minimum standard. It is a pity they cannot move over to VG-10 and the like for the more expensive models. Instead they are looking at strange steels like Acutco 440 and the like
frown.gif
Pity.

For the cash, you get a lot of knife.

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Wayne.
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto

A few useful details on UK laws and some nice reviews!
http://members.aol.com/knivesuk/
Certified steel snob!
 
A lot of knife for the money.

Greg

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Always do right....this will gratify some and astonish the rest.
Mark Twain
 
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