I really like what CRKT is doing

I'm hesitant to write and send this response, but...

Back in July I decided to give CRKT a try. I really liked the design of both the Buku and the (large) Jettison. I ordered them both and when they arrived I was...fairly impressed with the finish. Both knives were smooth and very sharp out of the box, too. BUT the Buku had some serious up and down play (lock rock? Not sure). I took it apart, cleaned it and manipulated the lock bar a bit. Upon reassembly it was rock solid. I like the knife just fine, and carry it occasionally.

BUT the Jettison is an entirely different story. MY example sucked. Yes. It sucked very badly. The F&F was above average for the price point. It was/is extremely smooth. The blade came scary sharp. The lockup *seemed quite solid...until I actually used it. I was using it for light yard work, cutting up some thin but green branches. The blade closed on me and cut me to the bone. I decided against a trip to the ER, but I have quite a nice scar on my index finger now. Could this have been user error? Absolutely. Yes. However, I wasn't using the knife "hard" by any means.

After the Jettison closed on me, I decided to see if I could figure out what went wrong. The lockup felt completely solid when the blade was flipped open. No play in any direction. So I took an old checkbook, placed it on the corner of my desk, and very lightly "spine-whacked" it. Bam. The lock failed immediately. Please understand: I'm not one to abuse my knives. I believe in using a tool the way it's meant to be used. I've never felt the need to test the integrity of a lock like that, but after it closed on me during such light use, I was very curious. Again, I feel the need to reiterate: I did this very lightly. Spine "whack" isn't a fair descriptor. Spine "tapped" would be more like it.

Maybe mine is just a lemon? But I can say that the lock bar on the framelock is very, very thin. But so are the lock bars on liner locks, and I've never had a problem. As they say, YMMV, but my experience with CRKT (also my first shot at really trying out "budget" knives) was less than mediocre. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for. OR maybe my Jettison was just a lemon. Hopefully that's the case. Mine now sits in the back of my knife drawer, and will be used like a slip joint if I ever decide to use it again. I do not trust the integrity of their locks based on personal experience. Just wanted to share my experience, and I mean no disrespect, whatsoever, to CRKT.


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Last edited:
Fire Beard said:
I'm hesitant to write and send this response, but...

Back in July I decided to give CRKT a try. I really liked the design of both the Buku and the (large) Jettison. I ordered them both and when they arrived I was...fairly impressed with the finish. Both knives were smooth and very sharp out of the box, too. BUT the Buku had some serious up and down play (lock rock? Not sure). I took it apart, cleaned it and manipulated the lock bar a bit. Upon reassembly it was rock solid. I like the knife just fine, and carry it occasionally.

BUT the Jettison is an entirely different story. MY example sucked. Yes. It sucked very badly. The F&F was above average for the price point. It was/is extremely smooth. The blade came scary sharp. The lockup *seemed quite solid...until I actually used it. I was using it for light yard work, cutting up some thin but green branches. The blade closed on me and cut me to the bone. I decided against a trip to the ER, but I have quite a nice scar on my index finger now. Could this have been user error? Absolutely. Yes. However, I wasn't using the knife "hard" by any means.

After the Jettison closed on me, I decided to see if I could figure out what went wrong. The lockup felt completely solid when the blade was flipped open. No play in any direction. So I took an old checkbook, placed it on the corner of my desk, and very lightly "spine-whacked" it. Bam. The lock failed immediately. Please understand: I'm not one to abuse my knives. I believe in using a tool the way it's meant to be used. I've never felt the need to test the integrity of a lock like that, but after it closed on me during such light use, I was very curious. Again, I feel the need to reiterate: I did this very lightly. Spine "whack" isn't a fair descriptor. Spine "tapped" would be more like it.

Maybe mine is just a lemon? But I can say that the lock bar on the framelock is very, very thin. But so are the lock bars on liner locks, and I've never had a problem. As they say, YMMV, but my experience with CRKT (also my first shot at really trying out "budget" knives) was less than mediocre. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for. OR maybe my Jettison was just a lemon. Hopefully that's the case. Mine now sits in the back of my knife drawer, and will be used like a slip joint if I ever decide to use it again. I do not trust the integrity of their locks based on personal experience. Just wanted to share my experience, and I mean no disrespect, whatsoever, to CRKT.


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If you had a failure of that magnitude and you believe you weren't misusing the knife, have you contacted CRKT about the issue? I personally would be a) concerned about spending money on a product that wasn't up to the standards advertised and b) curious about what CRKT's response to said problem would be, especially after it resulted in a personal injury to you. While you may have lost faith in that particular knife/their frame locks/their brand, it would be nice to see them send you a fully working and safe new Jettison to try and restore at least some of the faith you must have lost.
 
Etna said:
Well designed and unique yes. And I also think they sell the most expensive 8cr13mov knives. :D

I'm really only interested in their M16-01 series, the Endorser, the Ripple 2 and the Outrage. The rest just don't have any appeal to me. And I look at the Pazoda and Drifter only because theu are the cheapest in CRKT's lineup at $20 and $25 respectively.
Click to expand...

You could be 100% correct, but I still like their recent collaboration designs more than any others in the sub $50 range :thumbup:
 
Dang Fire Beard that sucks. Hope the finger is healing okay.

Did you try the same spine test on your Buku? As you said the lock up seems solid as it does on my Buku. I might try a similar test on mine till see if it holds. I'm planning to get a large Jettison in the near future. I'm wondering if the thinner handle shape and the way it sits in the hand had anything to do with it.
 
Chariotz4 said:
If you had a failure of that magnitude and you believe you weren't misusing the knife, have you contacted CRKT about the issue? I personally would be a) concerned about spending money on a product that wasn't up to the standards advertised and b) curious about what CRKT's response to said problem would be, especially after it resulted in a personal injury to you. While you may have lost faith in that particular knife/their frame locks/their brand, it would be nice to see them send you a fully working and safe new Jettison to try and restore at least some of the faith you must have lost.
Click to expand...

I have not contacted CRKT about this, though you're right: I need to. Maybe it's just an issue with the lock geometry. Regardless, I'm not sure I'd ever fully trust a new one, either.


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RoadDog66 said:
Dang Fire Beard that sucks. Hope the finger is healing okay.

Did you try the same spine test on your Buku? As you said the lock up seems solid as it does on my Buku. I might try a similar test on mine till see if it holds. I'm planning to get a large Jettison in the near future. I'm wondering if the thinner handle shape and the way it sits in the hand had anything to do with it.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. It healed fine, just left a big scar. It was a very clean cut due to the sharpness of the blade. And I wondered the exact same thing you are, but I dunno. I've never had a framelock fail on me regardless of how thin the handle was.

I did test the Buku the same way, and the lockup remained strong and solid. I like the Buku plenty.


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Fire Beard said:
I have not contacted CRKT about this, though you're right: I need to. Maybe it's just an issue with the lock geometry. Regardless, I'm not sure I'd ever fully trust a new one, either.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely get on that sooner rather than later if you think that it was an inherent design flaw that caused the knife to fail on you! In my limited experience, CRKT's customer service has been good, although the extent of my dealings with them have been the few emails I've sent them to request missing/spare parts so I'm not sure how much of my experience translates to your CS issue, although, in my case, it was handled well (if a little slowly, turn around time for me was just over 6 weeks on the first batch of parts and a much more reasonable 2 weeks on the second request). Anyways, whatever course of action you end up taking, I hope it yields a satisfactory solution from CRKT for you!
 
Fire Beard said:
It was a very clean cut due to the sharpness of the blade.

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Well, at least we now have hard proof that 8cr13mov is an amazing low-cost steel that can be honed to extremely sharp, and is definitely not "cheap junk steel" :thumbup:
 
They all still bore me qaulity wise. I got both the larger and smaller fossil models and they are nice though. Older budget blades used to be so cool like the kershaw energy/camillus heat. Really hoping Kershaw and crkt make some new usa made designs.
 
Fire Beard said:
Thanks man. It healed fine, just left a big scar. It was a very clean cut due to the sharpness of the blade. And I wondered the exact same thing you are, but I dunno. I've never had a framelock fail on me regardless of how thin the handle was.

I did test the Buku the same way, and the lockup remained strong and solid. I like the Buku plenty.


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Click to expand...

Yeah I tried banging on the spine of my Buku (man that kinda sounds inappropriate ;)), but it didn't fail or close on me thankfully. After your warning about the Jettison and hearing how well it cuts :D and mostly because of how much I like the Buku I passed on the Jettison for now and went ahead and ordered an Amicus :thumbup:
 
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