CRKT My 2nd CRKT is on order , will it be OK or will I "SPEW" ?

[DocJD]

With some trepidation , I've ordered a CRKT "S.P.E.W"

The design seems very good , but the steel and sheath maybe not too great , according to reviews .

I just wanted to see for myself and put it to the test .

It's just a ~$20 knife , and mostly intended for SD , but still ...I hope it's not too junky !

For a strictly SD knife , the best steel is not really necessary , but the sheath needs to work properly .

We shall see !

Anybody got experience to share on this knife ?

 

[Cosmodragoon]

I owned one of these briefly and I can't recommend it.

I love the shape. I love the design. There are problems in the execution, which seems to happen a lot with CRKT. First, the steel is 5Cr15Mov. That's not good. I understand the idea that you don't need good steel in a strictly self-defense knife because that's all you'll use it for. The problem with that idea is that you'd be EDCing an otherwise useful tool but not using it so it stays good for a situation that you hope never arises.

It's 2019. For the $45 MSRP that CRKT lists on their website, other companies are offering good budget steels like 14C28N or 9Cr18Mov. For the $20 you'll actually pay for a S.P.E.W., you can get knives in AUS8 or 8Cr13Mov. While not good, AUS8 or 8Cr13Mov would at least be reasonable for the price. It really bugs me that CRKT ruins cool designs like this or the Minimalist series with junk steel.

Speaking of junk, we've got the second problem. The fit and finish on my S.P.E.W. was downright terrible. The scales were extremely rough and made using the knife painful. If this was a serious self-defense knife, you'd at least have to use it enough to get comfortable wielding it. As is, I'd hate to be forced to defend myself with one of these.

The third problem is that it says S.P.E.W. in big letters on the blade. Look, weird things can happen in the legal system. For all the ways people can interpret the meaning, I'd put this in the same category as having skulls, tombstones, or the Punisher logo on a carry gun.

 

[TheEdge01]

With some trepidation , I've ordered a CRKT "S.P.E.W"

The design seems very good , but the steel and sheath maybe not too great , according to reviews .

I just wanted to see for myself and put it to the test .

It's just a ~$20 knife , and mostly intended for SD , but still ...I hope it's not too junky !

For a strictly SD knife , the best steel is not really necessary , but the sheath needs to work properly .

We shall see !

Anybody got experience to share on this knife ?

If you like the looks, I’d say it’s worth giving it a shot since it only has a 20$ price tag. CRKT quality is hit or miss, maybe yours will be a hit.

 

[craytab]

I've looked at buying this knife over the years but several things always keep me from pulling the trigger.

My biggest worry is the sheath. I've had 4 crkt fixed blades with their molded plastic sheaths and I considered none of them acceptable for carry. The hissatsu was particularly horrendous considering its intended purpose and marketing audience. I wonder how many folks in uniform had their hissatsu hit the deck because of poor sheath retention. I had the spew's bigger brother, the dragon, bought for SD, but again the sheath was completely unacceptable (as well as the rest of the knife).

Another thing that always bugged me about the spew was the fob (did I use that term correctly @marcinek ?), and the fact that it is not optional. You've got to either use it or cut it off.

Then there is the whole CRKT thing. Fit/finish, QC, materials.....you get the idea. Even at this price you can get better materials with a bigger guarantee of quality, elsewhere. And 5cr? Seriously? If this knife is actually used everyday (as the name states), the tip portion of that gorgeous Wharncliffe is going to be worn down from sharpening.

OP, I hope this knife works out for you. I really do. I like the design quite a bit. The company that has it made just gives me enough pause to not buy one even though I will likely spend more on lunch today.

 

[justjed]

I have a S.P.E.W. My wife has one, carries in her purse. My kid has one. Easy to put a good edge on, tho it won't last if you actually use it. As a back-up to a better knife and/or gun, it's easily worth the $20 it costs. But it's more of a self-defense piece, rather than an everyday user. In my opinion...

 

[craytab]

Are there any forum supporting dealers that have these for the $20 being quoted?

 

[Basp2005]

Worst knife I've ever owned. The tip so thin and the heat treat was so bad it failed almost immediately. Had to reprofile the tip. But the steel is still so soft it is essentially useless. I hope you have better luck than I did.

 

[DocJD]

Are there any forum supporting dealers that have these for the $20 being quoted?

More like upper $20's to 30 , so far as I see .

With a better steel / HT and a decent , reliable sheath , it'd be worth twice that at least . Not likely to happen , though .

 

[craytab]

With a better steel / HT and a decent , reliable sheath , it'd be worth twice that at least . Not likely to happen , though .

That it would. And a higher chance of getting good f/f and QC would be nice.

 

[JBC6650]

CRKT has has their business down to an Art Form. Unfortunately that Art Form is delivering an underwhelming product by taking good and even great designs and wrecking them with poor materials, a lack of proper HT and spotty at best QC, even on their high dollar efforts. The real problem is CRKT isn't a knife manufacturing company they aren't even a design house, they are simply a clearing house for other people's designs, that they then outsource production for and market those products. Brilliant Business Strategy but let's not confuse them with any company that truly invests in the design and production process. They will always fall short of expectations when looked at as a whole product line. They might have a random hit here and there (I like my Drifter for light edc) but its rare and they are in no means high end, quality, dependable or any other works we associate with the other major brands.

That said you will probably need to experience the pain and disappointment yourself a few times before you give up on the brand, and even then they will drop something that sparks your interest, you'll buy it and then curse yourself again, Damn you Ken Onion designs....go back to KAI please.

 

[Cosmodragoon]

It seems like my experiences with the S.P.E.W. are par for the course here.

It also seems that I'm not alone in another sentiment. I'd happily pay the MSRP for a good version of this knife. Give it to us in a better budget steel with a decent heat treatment, and some attention to fit and finish. Here is another way to look at it. If Tangram made one of these in Acuto 440 or Civivi made one in their 9Cr18Mov for $45, it would be an amazing little knife.

For the real-world price, this could at least have been serviceable in 8Cr13Mov or AUS8 with just a little more attention to fit and finish. The fact that CRKT won't even do that makes me sad. You might as well buy an MTech.

 

[DocJD]

Thanks to all for responding . You have all pretty much summed up my frustration and ambivalence towards CRKT.

We may wish they will become better , but must deal with the sad reality of how they actually are , right here and now .

I do much admire the designs of Alan Folts . Other than his pricey customs , I don't know of a way to try out one of his models other than a CRKT product .

 

[gazz98]

I still have my CRKT M21 from back in the day. I haven't bought a CRKT in years and I don't plan on buying anytime soon. Nothing more I can add about CRKT that hasn't been said before.

 

[cchu518]

I have a ripple in acuto, it's pretty great. My last favorite crkt was the centofante tribute another great knife. Most of the crkt outside of these knives and I've had more than a dozen were disappointing for one reason or another as others have noted.

 

[DocJD]

Received my CRKT "SPEW" today and was not too shocked that the sheath was kinda poor in retention for a necker , right out the box .

I tried some hair dryer heating on the sheath with not much luck . Either I didn't persist long or hot enough or this type of material isn't the kind you can work with to adjust .

I did use some silicone self fusing tape to wrap the knife handle which helped with both retention and handling / grip .

The knife is small and the handle is difficult to get a secure and fast grip on , especially in a pressured SD/ emergency type situation . I don't have big hands , either . Just barely men's medium size .

The little fob that comes on the SPEW helps some and works even better by far with some rubbery tape wrap .

The overall fit and finish was acceptable for the price . Grind was OK and sharpness good enough to slice paper .

Can't speak yet for the performance .

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

Received my CRKT "SPEW" today and was not too shocked that the sheath was kinda poor in retention for a necker , right out the box .

I tried some hair dryer heating on the sheath with not much luck . Either I didn't persist long or hot enough or this type of material isn't the kind you can work with to adjust .

I did use some silicone self fusing tape to wrap the knife handle which helped with both retention and handling / grip .

The knife is small and the handle is difficult to get a secure and fast grip on , especially in a pressured SD/ emergency type situation . I don't have big hands , either . Just barely men's medium size .

The little fob that comes on the SPEW helps some and works even better by far with some rubbery tape wrap .

The overall fit and finish was acceptable for the price . Grind was OK and sharpness good enough to slice paper .

Can't speak yet for the performance .

Wow, I never realized how small the spew is. Seeing it next to the mini tac it looks tiny.

 

[craytab]

Received my CRKT "SPEW" today and was not too shocked that the sheath was kinda poor in retention for a necker , right out the box .

I tried some hair dryer heating on the sheath with not much luck . Either I didn't persist long or hot enough or this type of material isn't the kind you can work with to adjust .

I did use some silicone self fusing tape to wrap the knife handle which helped with both retention and handling / grip .

The knife is small and the handle is difficult to get a secure and fast grip on , especially in a pressured SD/ emergency type situation . I don't have big hands , either . Just barely men's medium size .

The little fob that comes on the SPEW helps some and works even better by far with some rubbery tape wrap .

The overall fit and finish was acceptable for the price . Grind was OK and sharpness good enough to slice paper .

Can't speak yet for the performance .

In my experience molded plastic can't really be changed like kydex. It is what the manufacturer makes it. Not one of the crkts I've had came with an acceptable molded plastic sheath, well maybe the minimalist. Just poor design.

 

[DocJD]

I did some performance testing today , but not entirely sure of what my results indicate .

I went beyond the normal use for a pure backup SD/ emergency hideout knife to more a survival type use . I wanted to push the steel/HT a bit to see how it would hold up to some moderate hard use .

I stabbed and slashed at the end grain of seasoned hardwood and drilled some shallow holes with the tip . Did some prying also .

The knife held up actually better than I expected , but the very tip did bend a bit .

 

[DocJD]

Overall , I can't really recommend this knife as it comes .

I got the sheath and handle to work OK for me , but had to do some simple mods . The sheath is inadequate as supplied from factory .

The steel would be fine for a pure SD / emergency backup , but not something I'd want for everyday utility or survival "hard use" .

The Cold Steel Mini Tac , I pictured above is larger and not as light or concealable , but overall a much better knife as it comes from the factory .

The retention is far superior and the steel/HT is better . The blade pattern is more useful , IMO and the handle is more secure and ergonomic . The prices are in the same ballpark .

 

[Cosmodragoon]

The Mini Tac series seems like higher quality overall. They come in steels like AUS-8 and 8Cr13Mov, which are at least a step up from the SPEW and Minimalist knives. One thing I don't care for with the Mini Tacs is how the grip pattern forms a ton of tiny sharp points all around the edge of the scale.

What I'd really like to see are some better quality versions of this concept around the $50 mark. I'd love to see a company like Civivi, Ruike, or Tangram get into the game. Tangram has the Brevis in their Acuto 440 for around the same price as some of the Mini Tacs but the lack of scales has kept me from trying one.