opinions on CRKT

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bmw4life1

Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
232
im thinking about getting a CRKt, thinking the m16-10z

http://www.crkt.com/m16edcz.html

just for a pocket knife. they are a local company which i like. they seem like a popular company. does anyone know if they actually make the knifes in Oregon or if they are outsourced?

any insight would be great thank you.

dylan
 
They are not made in Oregon.

Mostly Taiwan.
 
aus4 is pretty much fail.

aus8 is fine with a good heat treat, I think they make it in that. It is outsrouced, and 45 or 50 dollars is WAY too much when you can get a mini griptilian for 5 or 10 dollars more and get 154cm, axis lock and made in the usa.
 
I had a version of that knife in tanto point and green handle. I really loved the deployment speed that the flipper gives. It's possible to get the blade out quite quickly using almost no wrist-action at all with the flipper. The flipper was pretty much a necessity for me because I did not like the thumb studs at all. I also found the texturing on the thumb studs and flipper to be very abrasive, and they would always scratch my hand when I would reach in my pocket to get something other than my knife. That was one of the reasons why I stopped carrying it, that and I always felt self-conscious with a tanto pointed, black coated blade.
 
i use m16-02Z for past 5 or 6 years and it is easily sharpened even after using the tanto point as a glue scraper. i work in a cabinet shop. cant afford much better.
 
I have no doubt that CRKT makes some very decent knives, especially in AUS 8.

The trouble is, there's just much better available at the same price point.
 
Great designs, abysmal steel. Still better than a no-name, though.
 
CRKT's are usually made either mainland China (cheaper models) or Taiwan. The Taiwan made ones are significantly better. The M16 flipper works well but downside is amount of blade play and the cheaper zytel models flex too much to inspire me with confidence. Unless you need one-handed opening, at that price I would suggest either a Buck 110 or 112 - rock solid knives and made in USA

As for CRKT being crap - being loyal to USA is fine but CRKT is a USA company that uses mainly US designs but also outsources to various countries - as do a lot of other manufacturers. It's unfair to make a generic statement about CRKT quality as this varies considerable depending on knife and model, and their prices reflects this. I recently posted (on another forum) a mini-comparison between M16-13LE (Taiwan) and a (100% made in USA) Randal King Phantom. The CRKT was half the price and way better.
 
I stopped buy CRKT a while back because the didn't hold and edge very well. They're just too soft.
 
what are your guys opinions on crkts razel? love that design, not paying hundreds for an actual graham one haha
 
When it comes down to it they will do the job, but if you can save your pennies a little bit longer there are much better deals out there.
 
They go into several interesting collaborations with custom knifemakers, and yet unfortunately the end product tends to use steel that's too basic for us knife knuts. A prime example of this is my elegant miniscule Ichi, designed by Koji Hara, it has basic 420J2 steel. A number of their knives come in reasonable AUS8, for example highly original folders designed by Allen Elishewitz. These are two examples of custom knife makers whose personal creations are out of reach for many, and at least this way everyone can for example afford an Elishewitz design. I hope they do an Jens Anso collaboration in AUS8 one day! The build quality of all of their knives that I handled is decent.
So in short I have sympathy for the brand. The AUS8 models should be pretty acceptable users, and many of them look special.
A Delica, Native, or Griptilian may be a wiser choice, but the better CRKTs are a fun alternative.
 
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