Okay. So when I got back from the NYCKS today I saw that I had a package in the mail. This new CRKT Ripple is what was in the package. I purchased one of the black handle models. First off, I have to say that I really like Ken Onion's work and I love every single knife that he developed with Kershaw. His designs have always been eye catching to me as well as highly functional. That being said, let's talk about the CRKT Ripple.
Let's go over some positives of this knife.
When I opened the box and took out the knife I couldn't believe how thin it was. Everything is thin. The blade, the scales, even the clip. It's very light in the hand and the ergos are fantastic. The hand just molds to the handle shape. The IKBS system work like a charm making for super smooth and fast opening with light finger pressure. Upon opening, the blade locks up nice and tight with literally no blade play. The wavy horizontal lines make for a great grip. The blade shape is quite useful and the satin finish is very nice.
And now for the negatives.
The fit and finish is what you have come to expect from CRKT, which on a $100 knife upsets me a little. CRKT should have put a little extra effort into making the finish on this knife much more refined. While the wavy horizontal lines are nice, the two vertical lines that run the length of the handle are actually sharp and should be rounded off more. The jimping on the flipper is way too sharp and hurts your index finger after very little time. The jimping on the clip is completely unnecessary and actually hinders the knife from sliding into and out of the pocket a bit.
There are two negative things about this knife that have displeased me greatly.
First is that because the scales are so thin the framelock is a little flimsy. It doesn't seem that the lock will fail with normal use, but I believe the lock needs a stablizer of some sort. It is entirely too easy to over extend the lock in the opposite direction. You have to be very careful when disengaging the lock or you will over extend it and your lock is screwed. The second this is that the factory edge was completely horrible. I mean I have never seen a factory edge like this. Small barbs hanging from the edge and not even close to sharp in between those small barbs. The blade edge was an utter disgrace. Luckily, the Accuto steel is very easy to sharpen. I had to go at with diamond rods, medium stones, fine stones, and then a strop. After about 30 minutes I was happy with the edge. It got hair poppin sharp and is more than acceptable now.
Overall I'm happy with the knife, but feel that it should be more in the $75 range. If CRKT is going to do justice to Ken Onion's designs they really need to step up their game as far as fit and finish as well as QC. I would recommend this knife to anyone who digs Ken's designs and wants to get their hands on their first IKBS knife. Just don't expect that CRKT has changed overnight because of the collaboration with Ken Onion. They still have alot of work to do.
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, I personally like the texturing on the scales, I appreciate the use of stainless steel over titanium, initial impressions of the blade steel seem good, grinds are perfect, IKBS is amazing (it really is that damn good, this knife is incredibly easy to flip, much less friction than any washer and absolutely no side to side blade play) .... but I do have one negative:
