New knife time, rip mini crooked river

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D4v30

Joined
Jun 24, 2021
Messages
70
Hey Guys,

It's that time of the year again, much to the dismay of my wife, new knife time. Last year I bought a Mini Crooked River, while I initially wasn't too impressed with the fit and finish I grew to love that knife. Somehow, I managed to loose it and I'm heartbroken by it. I would buy another one but with how expensive everything is right now I just can't afford to spend that much this year.

I would love to find something similar in spirit to the mini crooked river but at a lower price. Thought I feel lie I won't love it as much as I did that knife.

Would be great to see your suggestions on other outdoorsy folding knives that give ou the warm and fuzzies but at a bit of a better price.

Looking for a folding knife, 3-3.5" blade (thought I would prefer closer to 3), no automatics or assisted opening (I'm from Canada), no button locks as they are a bit too much in the grey area for my comfort. Nothing agro either, just not my style.

Thank you kindly in advance for any suggestions you might have.
 
If made international isn't a problem (and you are able to get them in CA) then I'd point you to the Civivi Nox, Asticus, etc. Most Civivi knives have variations that come in wood and other classy materials. Artisan, Kizer, are fine too but are runner ups to Civivi.

Edit: the Civivi knife that gives me the most warm and fuzzy is the Rustic Gent. It is a GREAT knife for the price, made of premium material, and has a very useful blade. I carry mine often when I want something tough and slim that doesn't have a clip.

You can also get an upgraded Buck110/112 that can come in under 100 (especially if you get it from the kind knifebros here).

I'm sure there are other hunting pattern knives I missed, good luck!
 
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What about something like a Buck 112 Ranger Sport? Similar vibe, outdoor heritage, and about half the price of a Mini CR.

Of if you want to stick with Benchmade, consider a Bugout, Mini Presidio, or the recently discontinued S30V Mini Griptilian (which can be had for quite a nice price in some places). In that line-up, I think the Mini Presidio is the sleeper hit; it's a great knife.
 
Don't know what "outdoorsy" mean at all.
If you meant bushcraft, the crooked river isn't considered in that category at all to begin with.
So...

FWIW, I usually take a fixed blade, a folder and some kind of multi-tool when I venture into wilder areas, the exact model depend on what I'll expect to be doing(ie white river rafting, fishing, hunting or family camping are different activities which require different tools).
 
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My main EDC is a Bugout with CF scales and 20cv blade from their custom shop, I know you don't want to spend that kind of money but there are plenty of Bugout options out there. Just got this Demko AD 20.5 in and it is defiantly a keeper. I don't like the scales and already have Micarta scales to swap out but you can always do that at a later date if you don't like them and there are plenty of options out there, also LynchNW makes a nice deep carry clip if you feel the need.

H6oVXM9.jpg
 
Civivi Riffle is a pretty sweet knife for ~$50.

--Not super agro
-- multiple opening methods and you can play with it if you're into that
--the curve of the handle has a similar feel to the Crooked River style
--blade length is 3.5" so right within your specs but feels a lot smaller of a knife to me
--micarta says outdoorsy to me (though I'm not sure the overall design goes that way)

3y8qkea.jpg
 
Thanks guys, digging all the suggestions. There's a few Civivi models that have cought my eye, they are defintiely the best bang for the buck. Love the look of the Rustic Gent I just wish it wasn't a lock back, not a fan of that style of lock and I prefer knives that can be opened and closes single handed, otherwise I'd get that one in a hearbeat.

The riffle has been high ony my list too, same with the Pintail, just wish I could flipper delete them. I've almost ordered the wood and demascus versions a few times now but those damn flippers.

I should have mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of flippers. I feel they ruin the lines of the knives, that little pecker always sticking out. I don't even find it to be a very satisfying deployment method. I really wish there wasn't such a plague of flipper tabs on every knife these days. Haven't tried a front flipper yet though, definitely are a more attractive package.

I've been eyeing the Demko's for ages but they are $250 here which is a bit more than I'm looking to spend. Also, $250 for Aus10 and plastic scales just feels wrong. I love the sound that the action makes though. I seen recently recently they've made a version with upgraded steel and titanium scales. Haven't seen it here in Canada yet and I'm sure I won't be able to afford it anyways.

What I meant by "Outdoorsy" Is purely in an asthetic sense. The mini crooked river, for example, had the wood scales and a splash of orange, just screams outdoors geear and I love it. Plus it looked really good sitting on my buffalo hide wallet
 
If you're liking wood, it may be worth looking at Italian brands like Fox, Lionsteel, and Viper. They have a lot of models with wooden handles and modern designs. They should be cheaper than the Crooked River--but not cheap cheap.

I want this Terzuoula (pic from KnifeCenter)
8dFcoV8.jpg
 
Cargun said:
Benchmade 940, bugout or tagged out. Hogue Deka in plastic/magnacut or g10/20cv.
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Honestly the 940 doesn't do much for me, not really my stle. The Deka is quite nice though, but a little out of my price range this year, sadly.
kreole said:
If you're liking wood, it may be worth looking at Italian brands like Fox, Lionsteel, and Viper. They have a lot of models with wooden handles and modern designs. They should be cheaper than the Crooked River--but not cheap cheap.

I want this Terzuoula (pic from KnifeCenter)
8dFcoV8.jpg
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The Italians make some beautiful knives, but so expensive and for N690? It looks like these are far more reasonably priced in the US, the mark up on knives here in Canada is ridiculous, feel dirty paying $350 for a $150 knife.
 
Just to clarify, what exactly is your budget? Please make sure you specify CA or US dollars too.

Blades CA has the ...
Ruike P831SF for $48 CA. Not sure how you feel about SS handles tho.
Kizer Vanguard Vigor V3 for $69.
 
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gazz98 said:
Just to clarify, what exactly is your budget? Please make sure you specify CA or US dollars too.

Blades CA has the ...
Ruike P831SF for $48 CA. Not sure how you feel about SS handles tho.
Kizer Vanguard Vigor V3 for $69.
Click to expand...

I guess I should have specified that, eh? I'd like to be under $200 CAD all in, it's not a lot, I know, but I'm hoping to find something special. I can really only afford a new knife once a year so I gott make it count.
 
D4v30 said:
I guess I should have specified that, eh? I'd like to be under $200 CAD all in, it's not a lot, I know, but I'm hoping to find something special. I can really only afford a new knife once a year so I gott make it count.
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All in? It means about 170 CAD for the knife itself once the GST and shipping is factored in, or about 130~135 USD depending on the day. It does take a lot of options off the table.

My suggestion? Boker Plus Gulo Pro marble, 160 CAD on W&W.
 
Floatingby said:
All in? It means about 170 CAD for the knife itself once the GST and shipping is factored in, or about 130~135 USD depending on the day. It does take a lot of options off the table.

My suggestion? Boker Plus Gulo Pro marble, 160 CAD on W&W.
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Ooo nice! Wish it was in a bit better steel but it sure is a good looking knife? I've never had a knife in D2, how prone to rusting is it?
 
D4v30 said:
Ooo nice! Wish it was in a bit better steel but it sure is a good looking knife? I've never had a knife in D2, how prone to rusting is it?
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It's better than 10xx and 50xx series steel, not as good as 400 series stainless. About the same as S90. A quick rinse and a wipe after use and you won't have any problem, and that hold true for any knife.

Edit. Oh, and D2 is not "cheap steel". It is an inexpensive steel because it is widely used as a tooling steel, so there's a very large economy of scale at play here, especially when compared to semi custom powder metallurgy steel.
 
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Floatingby said:
It's better than 10xx and 50xx series steel, not as good as 400 series stainless. About the same as S90. A quick rinse and a wipe after use and you won't have any problem, and that hold true for any knife.

Edit. Oh, and D2 is not "cheap steel". It is an inexpensive steel because it is widely used as a tooling steel, so there's a very large economy of scale at play here, especially when compared to semi custom powder metallurgy steel.
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You know, I might just get one of these. I know D2 get's a bit of a bad wrap sometimes since it's been around for so long. I haven no experience with it myself but from what I can gather is has quite good edge retention but mid-low toughness, poor sharpenability and low corrosion resistance.

Do you know if Boker does a good job with their D2? I'm guessing it's no the CPM D2 that they are using.
 
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