My wife bought me the CRKT BladeLOCK (a Michael Walker design) for Christmas, so here are the initial impressions:
It's alittle heavier than it looks, but heavy in a good way that makes you feel that it can handle some really tough work.
At first glance the clip seems kinda small, but after clipping it to my pocket I discovered that it had no problem. The clip is very tight (too tight in fact) but I think it will loosen over time. Or I can just bend it a little. And for those who hate clips you can remove the clip since it's held with three small torx screws.
The lock: what can I say, I love this lock!
It does take some getting used to and it's not for everyone (especially if you have weak fingers or very little dexterity) but I don't have any problems opening and closing. It just took one night of practice and now it's second nature.
I like how it locks closed and open (my wife calls it my "child proof" knife). The action is silky smooth and it locks up extremely tight. I don't know how strong this lock is compared to others but it seems very robust.
The bad news about the lock: it's only for right-handed folks. Another potential problem is that I wonder the effect of fine sand in the thumb-stud mechanism. Of course the same can be said of alot of other locks.
The blade: I like the blade shape. It's like a California clip-point or a modified turkish clip-point but it's very strong and stout. The steel is AUS6 which is'nt the best but it's not the worse either. I'll see how it holds up over time.
The overall grip and ergonomics are very comfortable and nice.
The fit and finish and worksmanship is as nice as any of my Spyderco knives (and that's saying alot!).
So far, I'm extremely pleased with this knife.
I don't know how CRKT can sell this for so low of a price. It's a bargain in my book.
I'll let you guys know how it holds up over time.
Good luck and happy New Year,
Allen.
It's alittle heavier than it looks, but heavy in a good way that makes you feel that it can handle some really tough work.
At first glance the clip seems kinda small, but after clipping it to my pocket I discovered that it had no problem. The clip is very tight (too tight in fact) but I think it will loosen over time. Or I can just bend it a little. And for those who hate clips you can remove the clip since it's held with three small torx screws.
The lock: what can I say, I love this lock!
It does take some getting used to and it's not for everyone (especially if you have weak fingers or very little dexterity) but I don't have any problems opening and closing. It just took one night of practice and now it's second nature.
I like how it locks closed and open (my wife calls it my "child proof" knife). The action is silky smooth and it locks up extremely tight. I don't know how strong this lock is compared to others but it seems very robust.
The bad news about the lock: it's only for right-handed folks. Another potential problem is that I wonder the effect of fine sand in the thumb-stud mechanism. Of course the same can be said of alot of other locks.
The blade: I like the blade shape. It's like a California clip-point or a modified turkish clip-point but it's very strong and stout. The steel is AUS6 which is'nt the best but it's not the worse either. I'll see how it holds up over time.
The overall grip and ergonomics are very comfortable and nice.
The fit and finish and worksmanship is as nice as any of my Spyderco knives (and that's saying alot!).
So far, I'm extremely pleased with this knife.
I don't know how CRKT can sell this for so low of a price. It's a bargain in my book.
I'll let you guys know how it holds up over time.
Good luck and happy New Year,
Allen.
