Monofletch
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I wonder how much of that inflated price goes to the big name designer? Even WE’s Eric Ochs colab was a bit higher than usual.
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New 2022 CRKT... Really?!?
- Thread starter Chronovore
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- May 14, 2012
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Who is CRKT? Is this a new company?
Seriously, CRKT has been off my radar for a long while. Only CRKT I own is an oooold Lake design. Great knife, wish I bought the plain edge version.
Their new knives are innovative, yes, but I’ve found that the “soul” is lacking. Their steel choices are the “marshmallows” of knife steels.
Most designers they collaborate with have fallen off my radar as well.
WE and Civivi knives are absolutely boring and have zero soul.
Save up. Buy one CRK and it will outlast all the CRKT’s in the world. Heck, buy 20 CRKT’s and the CRK will outlast them all!
Unless you just open packages, then CRKT’s are ok.
Seriously, CRKT has been off my radar for a long while. Only CRKT I own is an oooold Lake design. Great knife, wish I bought the plain edge version.
Their new knives are innovative, yes, but I’ve found that the “soul” is lacking. Their steel choices are the “marshmallows” of knife steels.
Most designers they collaborate with have fallen off my radar as well.
WE and Civivi knives are absolutely boring and have zero soul.
Save up. Buy one CRK and it will outlast all the CRKT’s in the world. Heck, buy 20 CRKT’s and the CRK will outlast them all!
Unless you just open packages, then CRKT’s are ok.
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- Aug 21, 2013
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- 14,785
I agree with you on CRKT, but will have to disagree on the rest. My sebenza was "boring" and nothing from that company released in the 6 years since has caused me to reconsider. With all the issues the 31 has, I'm less inclined to buy one. If they offered a Sebenza or Inkosi insingo with a thumb hole or even squared off thumbstuds, maybe. I just can't get a grip on those pointy ones, making it a 2 hand opener.Who is CRKT? Is this a new company?
Seriously, CRKT has been off my radar for a long while. Only CRKT I own is an oooold Lake design. Great knife, wish I bought the plain edge version.
Their new knives are innovative, yes, but I’ve found that the “soul” is lacking. Their steel choices are the “marshmallows” of knife steels.
Most designers they collaborate with have fallen off my radar as well.
WE and Civivi knives are absolutely boring and have zero soul.
Save up. Buy one CRK and it will outlast all the CRKT’s in the world. Heck, buy 20 CRKT’s and the CRK will outlast them all!
Unless you just open packages, then CRKT’s are ok.
I own 1 WE, 3 Civivi, and the WE produced Massdrop/Ferrum Forge Gent, and I love all but the Gent. I have been pleasantly surprised by the 9cr Damascus Civivi uses. I've yet to own a knife with Chinese D2.
Chronovore
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- Aug 29, 2019
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- 11,269
But they are not. Nobody cares about “the deals” in steel frame locks when you can’t compare them feature to feature.
‘The M16 D2 steel you’re keep trashing is the same Chinese steel used in bunch of other should-be-superior Chinese folders, so when we’re commenting on those it is well HT-ed but when we’re commenting the M16 D2 steel it is of unknown quality. This is funny…
And when you compare the cheaper M16 line with the same features, the “superiority” evaporates. Your examples are not even match to the M16 design with the dumb finger choils and size, and not “vastly superior” locks.
‘Either way, you are so obviously biased about those Chinese knives that it don’t make sense to carry this conversation, especially after the comment about Walmart purchases, it’s another projection…
Dude, I'm comparing the Chinese D2 in a Chinese-made M16 that costs $120 to the Chinese D2 in Chinese-made knives that cost like $30-60. I'd also be curious to see how well this D2 M16 holds an edge versus any of the Chinese-made knives in 9Cr18Mov, N690, or 14C28N that cost less than half as much; or recent Civivi offerings in Nitro-V. I also wonder how they'd all compare on QC or fit and finish. I'm guessing that this M16 won't even crack mid-pack. That's just a guess but it is based on lots of experience. I do know a guy who does carefully controlled cut testing. If someone wants to supply a D2 M16, I could reach out and see if he is interesting in testing it.
Now, is it really "bias" to point out the multitude of "better" Chinese-made knives that are available for around $120? Notice that I also mentioned the American-made knives from Spyderco and Benchmade that are available around the $120 mark. How about those quality comparisons?
I'd be glad to compare the overall quality or steel performance of cheaper versions of the M16 with comparably priced models from any of the companies I mentioned previously. However, we should talk about "comparison classes". If you really want to zoom in and ask what other models have exactly the same features, what would be a fair comparison? If you're in a class by yourself, you'll always be top of the class. That's why I think it would be useful to focus on things like steel performance, QC, action, build quality, or fit and finish. (I've discounted lock strength completely for reasons described in the lock strength thread. Please go over there if you wish to engage me on that.)
BTW, if the M16 is broadly compared to just other stuff under the glass at the Walmart knife counter, including assisted and manual knives from Kershaw, CRKT, and Gerber; then it becomes a lot less terrible. (That's why I mentioned that.)
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- 3,416
Dude, you are comparing what you are comparing, because this is the only way you can make those Chinese examples to look better…
‘I’m only talking about the M16 model. If you want to compare another Chinese made knife to it, or BM or Spyderco for that matte, it has to have same blade length, better steel, no finger choil, same lock, a flipper tab/guard and one polymer/non-metallic scale.
It should be less than $120. This is the only correct comparing if we leave aside our preferences.
My point is that such other than M16 Chinese knife doesn’t exist, therefore the $120 price tag seems hight to me but still bearable for the knife profile, materials and lock.
Carson designed M16 with purpose and that’s why this is so popular model, people like it
and buy it because of the features, of course they are cheaper knives, but they don’t have those features, fact.
About the steel, I’ve mentioned already twice - this is Chinese manufactured knife.
‘Let’s find out where they make it and you will know what other Chinese knives use the same D2 steel
and have better idea if it’s good or bad.
‘I’m only talking about the M16 model. If you want to compare another Chinese made knife to it, or BM or Spyderco for that matte, it has to have same blade length, better steel, no finger choil, same lock, a flipper tab/guard and one polymer/non-metallic scale.
It should be less than $120. This is the only correct comparing if we leave aside our preferences.
My point is that such other than M16 Chinese knife doesn’t exist, therefore the $120 price tag seems hight to me but still bearable for the knife profile, materials and lock.
Carson designed M16 with purpose and that’s why this is so popular model, people like it
and buy it because of the features, of course they are cheaper knives, but they don’t have those features, fact.
About the steel, I’ve mentioned already twice - this is Chinese manufactured knife.
‘Let’s find out where they make it and you will know what other Chinese knives use the same D2 steel
and have better idea if it’s good or bad.
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CRKT is the classic example of giving overseas made products a bad name. Inflated prices, poor quality control, subpar materials. Reate, Kizer, WE, Bestech are trying to change that perception. CRKT’s name is big enough most people won't care. People keep buying Nike even though they are made by kids in sweatshops because it's Nike, they gotta have those Jordan's. (Not me).
I have a particular prejudice against them because an M16 nearly lopped some fingers off with a failed lock. M16-12Z. I was cutting through something (over 15 years ago) and it stuck. In extricating it, it closed on my hand.
I have a particular prejudice against them because an M16 nearly lopped some fingers off with a failed lock. M16-12Z. I was cutting through something (over 15 years ago) and it stuck. In extricating it, it closed on my hand.
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It's definitely a problem if the latest and bestest CRKT Carson M-16 variants are priced the same as more than things like much better Benchmade knives (Bugout, Griptilion, Puukko, Redoubt, etc) or Spyderco (Atlantic/Pacific Salt series, Resilience S35VN, Manix 2 S30V, or Para 3 in SPY27), where you can expect much better heat treatments and materials.
It's much worse than the situation you have with the Morakniv Garberg price point against its competition for fixed blades. I have some interest in getting one of the three new CRKT Carson M-16 models (D2 with Deadbolt Lock), but at that price it's not going to be an add-on sale along with a more expensive knife, so that purchase is going to be kicked a long way down the road, since it's probably also not going to be a priority purchase either.
You also don't want to put something like that on your Christmas list, because with so many knives made in that series, in the confusion of holiday shopping you might end up with some half-serrated blade made out of pot metal. It's hard enough to buy for knife collectors without making things confusing for people.
It's much worse than the situation you have with the Morakniv Garberg price point against its competition for fixed blades. I have some interest in getting one of the three new CRKT Carson M-16 models (D2 with Deadbolt Lock), but at that price it's not going to be an add-on sale along with a more expensive knife, so that purchase is going to be kicked a long way down the road, since it's probably also not going to be a priority purchase either.
You also don't want to put something like that on your Christmas list, because with so many knives made in that series, in the confusion of holiday shopping you might end up with some half-serrated blade made out of pot metal. It's hard enough to buy for knife collectors without making things confusing for people.