M16/11K review

Artfully Martial

Artfully Martial

Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
4,761
Okay quick review here for anyone who might care.

The action is silky smooth. I've used probably 20 different comparable folders (including benchmades) in the last two weeks for comparison, and the M16/11K ties for the best non-assisted action with the surprisingly good Kershaw Storm. It features a similar notch in the back for opening that works quite well. The initial pressure to open it is reassuringly great, so it's definitely not opening by accident, but once it's started moving, it opens easy.

The knife is gorgeous. I'm using a black aluminum hilt with a uniquely polished blade (which I absolutely love)...some sort of titanium nitride finish. The blade isn't black, but it's a very dark shiny.

Build quality could not feel more solid. The auditory cues of opening and closing are dead on and satisfying. There is absolutely no play when open or closed. However, some of the finish could use work. For instance, the metal grate/bump surface used for the notches used to flip over the blade (on the blade, not on the back) look like the bumps on the metal are slightly uneven. More attention is brought to this because some of them actually appear polished on the top and lack the black finish in tiny areas. Minor details, however. The only truly annoying part is the cross lock. Better too much than too little, of course, but I've never used a knife that was even half as hard to push the lock across. Expect to build thumb muscle and callus before you can do it easily. This is made even more noticeable by the positive inclusion of a lock for the lock (explained later) making accidental unlocking essentially impossible.

The ergonomics are quite good. The knife feels and looks like a fixed blade thanks to an excellent hilt. As mentioned earlier, the action is silky smooth. Again, the cross lock is unecessarily hard to push.

One of the features that is new to me is the lock for the lock. A sliding button near the top of the hilt moves a steel wafer in the way of the lock, supporting the blade and making it astronomically improbable the the lock to be released. Exerpt from CRKT's M16 website "We have also incorporated the patented* Lake And Walker Knife Safety (LAWKS®), which makes the folders virtual fixed blades when actuated." CRKT has advertised the knife as a "folding fixed blade," which definitely comes to mind when using this knife with the second lock engaged, but I think that if you're going to advertise a knife as having fixed blade potential, you should ship it with a sheath intended for that use. I would personally use this knife like that when appropriate, but without the sheath, that's essentially impossible. Nonetheless, I find this feature useful and worth a little extra money.

The serrations feel ready, but the straight edge is largely dull out of the box. I love the spear point and false edge on the other side, however. AUS-8 steel.


I've searched for weeks looking for my new EDC, exploring new companies before finally coming home to my second CRKT. I think this is the closest I'm going to come for awhile to my ideal knife. Anyone looking for a 3 inch folder should definitely play with this one (and as an alternative, the Kershaw storm).
 
I am sorry to admit how new I am to the modern knife world. Who is the
maker of the M16 reviewed?
 
[LAWKS]

Artfully Martial said:
CRKT has advertised the knife as a "folding fixed blade,"
Click to expand...
Yeah this is a gross over exaggeration by CRKT, I have one, Point Guard, ligh tot moderate spine whacks will easily bend the LAWKS out of the way. It is very thin and the metal soft. It does however prevent torque releases.

-Cliff
 
I picked up a M16-01K (small one from the EDC line) and I really like the knife, but un-like what Cliff said, light to moderate spine-whacks cause the lockbar to move away from the lawks safety. I have not been able to get it to move all the way to the scale, but if it did, the lockbar being so thin, would fit inbetween the scale and the tang of the blade. Because of this, I am not carrying it as an EDC. But I would be interested in how the larger versions behave with their lock-up. Walter

*I don't think this is a safty issue in day to day use, but I just don't like that much play in the pivot/lock mechanics.
 
This isn't a real issue, though I would like to see less clearance on the other side (away from the LAWKS). I've just done another round of testing (with proper safety precautions, no fingers in the way here) of smacking the near-end of the back of the blade against a read oak desk. (for those who have read about my first test, this IS a different one. The first test was sheer physical force against the back of the blade to try and get it to close, no "wacking." This test was concussive instead of pressure) I have confirmed the slide AWAY from LAWKS, but never torwards. After 5 minutes of pounding it, the blade could not go far enough to get beside the blade. Despite the (unwanted) displacement of the liner away from LAWKs, not even with all of my intentional physical force could I finish the job and push the liner over into the wrong side. I'm further skeptical that the blade could close like this. I believe that the blade could move an inch down at most (at the tip) before the lock inhibited it. I can't test this, unfortunately, because the knife, so far, cannot fail. I have used great force against the LAWKS device also and have been unable to move it, though it's not important since liner locks are designed so that if the liner is giving, it gives away from its point of origin. A failure won't go torwards the LAWKS device, but away from it. LAWKS is apparently designed against accidental disengagement of the lock by your hand during use.

I decided to go ahead and find out what the liner lock can REALLY do. I've justed used a flat head screwdriver for leverage to push the lock into the space between the blade and hilt and failed.
 
On the Point Guard, to close the Blade with the LAWKS engaged takes about six light-medium spine whacks. This is holding the knife by a pinch grib with thumb and index finger and with a wrist pop of the point about six inches above a piece of wood. The liner will simply come over and smash the LAWKS out of the way leaving it deformed. The blade can then be closed fully readily with the LAWKS still engaged.

This one does have a problematic lock. With the LAWKS not engaged it can be released by just popping the back of the blade against the hand, a hard object isn't even needed, the security of the lock is almost zero. Of course once locks start to fail they tend to get easier to fail in this regard (though some times you can seat thm with hard inertial openings), but even the first time the LAWKS didn't require hard impacts to squash it.

It could be the one I got was defective in some way, the metal too soft for example. Does anyone have an email contact for customer service?

-Cliff
 
It does indeed sound like you received a defective knife. I have two CRKT linerlocks, one I EDCed for about two years, and neither have problems. I have proven the effectiveness of the M16 liner lock through some torture tests, and these results and tests posted in the main forum. I believe this is the number you're looking for:

Email: info@crkt.com | U.S. and Canada Toll Free: 1-800-891-3100
 
Yes, liner locks are prone to this kind of variance, some work well some don't. I'll check into the LAWKS issue, thanks for the contact information.

-Cliff
 
I have a m16-00k and hard spine whacks do not cause the liner lock to fail. In fact I hit the spine of the blade so hard I thought I might break the blade. I've EDC'd the knife for over two years and have never had a problem or felt at any time that the lock would fail. No problem with the LAWKS either.
 
If you haven't already, laceration, read my testing of the knife (I may add it to the review when I feel like it...), specifically its liner lock. I caught so much flak for buying a linerlock that I decided to see how much of this stuff was grounded in fact. It would also be greatly helpful if you'd repeat my exams as best you can and post YOUR results. I'd be fascinated to see them. The post is the blade forum, I believe, the main one.
 
Today at work, I was thinking about the linerlock bar moving around. Being the tinkerer I am, (also my Father was a machinist so I get it honestly) I looked into the possible problem/problems. This is what I found.

1-The loose pivot/sloppy blade play can be remedied by shorting the pivot pin approx. 1 mm. The pin is made too long and CRKT uses (on this model) an o-ring to maintain tension on the pivot. Remove the o-ring and use loctite and set to desired tension.
2-I cut the tang on the blade approx. 1 deg. steeper and added a small amount of further preload on the lock bar.
3-Reassembled, lubed, and now the lock-up is much better. Under the same test, the bar will hardly move away from the LAWKS. Also passes HARD spine whack and barely any noticeable side play on blade. The action is not as smooth as before, but some "break-in" will help this.

*From the start, I never felt this knife's lock would fail. I just didn't like the sloppiness in the pivot. This knife will re-enter my 6"-7" open length rotation.
 
I did a variety of spine whacks with differing force and also applied increasing pressure on the spine of the blade. Both push the lock to the opposite side of the LAWKS but did not fail. I also used a screwdriver to push on the lock and did actually get it to move past the blade into the gap on the side. The blade did not move with the liner lock in this position or give indications that it would close on my fingers even after giving it several hard spine whacks. I had to disassemble the knife to move the lock back into position. I probably could have made it fail if I pushed my bodyweight down onto the blade with the lock in that position or if I did continuous heavy spine whacks (I did 10 hard whacks), way beyond any conceivable situation I would use this knife for. The only way I got the lock to move past the blade tang was by exerting force in the middle of the lock and bowing it. After all of this, the action is still smooth, lockup is tight, no damage (that I can tell) has been done to the lock, and it still passes the spine whack test. I don't own a vise so I couldn't try that out, but hard hand pressure torquing of the blade and hilt doesn't move the liner lock much at all. Negligible, really. I feel that the M16's liner lock shouldn't make anyone nervous, it is very dependable in my opinion. As Cliff points out though, sometimes a crappy one slips through the cracks but that's the case with most any manufacturer and virtually any type of locking mechanism.

Also, the Lawks will not fail with extreme finger pressure exerted against it or even using a screwdriver to push against it. I imagine that it is possible to make it fail, but once again, the amount of force necessary way exceeds any typical expectations of a knife of this size.
 
Thanks for the info. I know I will end up with a larger version of the M-16. :D * Also, this AUS8 has really impressed me! Walter
 
Also as a side note, if you disengage the liner lock while holding the knife in a normal grip the Carson Flipper will close on your index finger. It pretty much prevents the blade from closing on your fingers unless you apply so much force that you actually crush through half of your index finger or cause the Flipper to tear it open enough to allow the blade to close, and even then you'd wind up with the blade embedded in your index fingers bone. Pretty unlikely. Also, Spyderco's Military does the same thing due to it's large choil. It just pinches the hell out of your finger unless you apply so much force that you turn half of your finger into pulp.
 
Thank you greatly for running my tests. I now humbly ask that you post your findings in my liner lock testing post, which is the source of a fairly heated debate, called "It's hell being a linerlock" or something like that. The majority of the people descredit my examination by telling me that my sample size is too small, which is a valid complaint. However, with but one knife, I can't remedy it myself.

You have made an excellent point about the carson flipper helping to prevent accidental closings. I'll mention this in the liner lock testing post.

I for one am constantly being impressed by this knife. Judging from the (otherwise reliable) other tests of the M16, I got a particularly beefy one, but the M16 is definitely making me a loyal fan and fast. I'm actually wondering if I should change my mind on the benchmade I just ordered and get an SFM16.
 
I don't understand all the bad hype about these knives.. they are im my oponion very well built.. I have one of the older M16-04 tanto models with out the LAWKS lock out.. And I trust it enough to carry as a duty back up last ditch and also serves as one hell of a utility knife.. It could just be me but I really like the way the knife feels in my hands and operates..
~Jeff
 
Just an update on my "fix" (M16-01K) After approx. 100-150 cycles, blade play is smooth again. Knife passes hard spine-whack tests,(although makes somekind of metalic "pinging" noise during test, I suspect the LAWKS disc is the culprit. It is not the clip), lock bar now stays in place (does not move away from LAWKS) and the knife feels more overall solid.

*One point, this is a small knife and all the parts are small in nature, making it subject to flex and bending that a larger knife would handle with more confidence. Hence my question of behavior charactoristics of larger sized knives. (M16 series for clairty) Walter

**just tested some other liner locks for "pinging noise" and my Spyderco Military does this also. Now I feel it's the lock bar insted if the LAWKS disc.
*Camillus Blaze/Heat made no noise as well as CRKT 14K Summit Longs Peak.
 
my m18-02 has the LAWKS mechanism, and it exhibited no noticeable change after my bonk test.

I would TTD, buit i'd like to keep using the knfe. on dissasembling the knife, the LAWKS is just a shaped disc of steel; admirably simple, well machined.

I'm most pleased with the unobtrusiveness of this gimmick- it's basically tits on a boar, but very easy to ignore and should i ever need it, possibly to make a spear after the end days arrive, it's there...:)
 
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