- Joined
- Oct 22, 2012
- Messages
- 1,764
JK Crooked Creek Pass-around Review
First Impressions:
When I first put the Crooked Creek in my hand, I thought two things 1) the stock on this thing is thin and looks slicey! And 2) this thing fits well in my hand, and I feel like I could comfortably slice all day long.
Size and Options:
Designed by Cooper Woods, this blade is 11 long and comes in 01 steel. The blade itself is 6 in length, and the stock is 3/32 thick. You can also order 1/8 stock, stainless steel, and other custom options on JKs website.
For size comparison, here is the Crooked Creek next to a semi-wharncliffe JK Element 01 EDC.
The Crooked Creek would be a great knife to combine with a pocket knife and an axe for the field, a la Horace Kephart and George W. Sears "Nessmuk". Kephart and Nessmuk had their own preferred blade patterns, but JK offers both of those patterns, too. :thumbup:
Ergonomics:
As I indicated, I found the knife to be quiet comfortable in my hand, though my personal preference might be for a handle that is even thicker (I have sore hands no fault of the knife). Though I usually prefer thicker scales, I didn't experience any fatigue throughout using the knife.
The Crooked Creek was comfortable in multiple grip positions, including a reverse grip and an edge-up grip for upward cutting.
Performance:
Any time I get my hands on a knife, I like to put my own edge on it. JKs 01 takes a wonderful edge, and I love the contrast of the patina on the blade against the polished edge.
With a freshly-sharpened Crooked Creek, I grabbed my flask, mining lamp, atlas, and brothel coins (just in case) and set off for adventure...
I brought the Crooked Creek with me all over to see how it felt on the belt; it felt right at home on my side. I brought it with me on a snowy walk with the dog -
And then I brought it with me for an excellent hike in the Poudre Canyon -
When I came home, I made myself a drink -
And then I went out to the yard to put the blade to some sticks -
Then I brought the Crooked Creek into the garage to help me with my workshop build. I used the Crooked Creek to cut insulation down to size to fit between studs -
After hitting nails, staples, wood, and concrete, the blade was still able to delicately cut spray foam -
I then went back to some hard stuff - trimming up plywood around outlets and the edges -
I also started hacking at a 2 x 4, until the Mrs. yelled at me -
This knife was great in the garage. I finished the pegboard and felt the knife looked great among my other tools -
So, this ergonomic knife is clearly a great camp knife, it does woodcraft pretty well given its size, it's a wonderful hiking companion, it helps you with cocktail preparation, it's a wonderful tool in the garage... but wait! This is a butcher knife!
I washed it up and brought it back in the house. Without a sharpening, honing, or even a single grazing of the strop, this thing was still ready to rock and roll -
And it looks great in the knife block. I didn't want to remove it -
Sadly, I had to send this off for someone else to try. Tears were shed. It was a painful goodbye. I can only hope she comes back some day
In short, I highly recommend the Crooked Creek. Dont let the thin stock fool you; this is clearly a capable, versatile design. I didn't baby it at all, and neither did some of the other members that had their hands on this. Off it goes for more abuse, er um, love!
Many thanks to JK and cbwoods67 for making this pass-around happen.
Other Reviews and Links:
Crooked Creek Passaround Thread
Review by KYenglish
Review by mqqn
http://www.jkhandmadeknives.com/
First Impressions:
When I first put the Crooked Creek in my hand, I thought two things 1) the stock on this thing is thin and looks slicey! And 2) this thing fits well in my hand, and I feel like I could comfortably slice all day long.
Size and Options:
Designed by Cooper Woods, this blade is 11 long and comes in 01 steel. The blade itself is 6 in length, and the stock is 3/32 thick. You can also order 1/8 stock, stainless steel, and other custom options on JKs website.
For size comparison, here is the Crooked Creek next to a semi-wharncliffe JK Element 01 EDC.
The Crooked Creek would be a great knife to combine with a pocket knife and an axe for the field, a la Horace Kephart and George W. Sears "Nessmuk". Kephart and Nessmuk had their own preferred blade patterns, but JK offers both of those patterns, too. :thumbup:
Ergonomics:
As I indicated, I found the knife to be quiet comfortable in my hand, though my personal preference might be for a handle that is even thicker (I have sore hands no fault of the knife). Though I usually prefer thicker scales, I didn't experience any fatigue throughout using the knife.
The Crooked Creek was comfortable in multiple grip positions, including a reverse grip and an edge-up grip for upward cutting.
Performance:
Any time I get my hands on a knife, I like to put my own edge on it. JKs 01 takes a wonderful edge, and I love the contrast of the patina on the blade against the polished edge.
With a freshly-sharpened Crooked Creek, I grabbed my flask, mining lamp, atlas, and brothel coins (just in case) and set off for adventure...
I brought the Crooked Creek with me all over to see how it felt on the belt; it felt right at home on my side. I brought it with me on a snowy walk with the dog -
And then I brought it with me for an excellent hike in the Poudre Canyon -
When I came home, I made myself a drink -
And then I went out to the yard to put the blade to some sticks -
Then I brought the Crooked Creek into the garage to help me with my workshop build. I used the Crooked Creek to cut insulation down to size to fit between studs -
After hitting nails, staples, wood, and concrete, the blade was still able to delicately cut spray foam -
I then went back to some hard stuff - trimming up plywood around outlets and the edges -
I also started hacking at a 2 x 4, until the Mrs. yelled at me -
This knife was great in the garage. I finished the pegboard and felt the knife looked great among my other tools -
So, this ergonomic knife is clearly a great camp knife, it does woodcraft pretty well given its size, it's a wonderful hiking companion, it helps you with cocktail preparation, it's a wonderful tool in the garage... but wait! This is a butcher knife!
I washed it up and brought it back in the house. Without a sharpening, honing, or even a single grazing of the strop, this thing was still ready to rock and roll -
And it looks great in the knife block. I didn't want to remove it -
Sadly, I had to send this off for someone else to try. Tears were shed. It was a painful goodbye. I can only hope she comes back some day
In short, I highly recommend the Crooked Creek. Dont let the thin stock fool you; this is clearly a capable, versatile design. I didn't baby it at all, and neither did some of the other members that had their hands on this. Off it goes for more abuse, er um, love!
Many thanks to JK and cbwoods67 for making this pass-around happen.
Other Reviews and Links:
Crooked Creek Passaround Thread
Review by KYenglish
Review by mqqn
http://www.jkhandmadeknives.com/
Last edited:
