- Joined
- Jan 8, 2001
- Messages
- 1,242
I opened my birthday gift from my wife a few hours ago...a new CRK Professional Soldier in S35VN. I LOVE it!!! I wanted to write a brief review for those of you sitting on the fence. Props to Plaza Cutlery for the excellent service!
The fit and finish provide no surprises. It is absolutely perfect. Every surface, grind, and contour is finished and shaped flawlessly. I have confidence in no other brand like I do in CRK when it comes to buying a knife sight unseen. This is my first CRK fixed blade (I have four Sebenzas), and it just exudes quality. The first comment from everyone that's handled the knife (myself included) is, "Damn, that's a nice knife."
I've looked at this knife for close to a year, hard for probably six months. I loved the look, size, everything except the short handle. I was really worried that the handle would end up being too short and ruin an otherwise perfect small knife.
After handling it, boy, was I wrong. I can't remember who said it, but "the handle isn't short, it's compact." That's exactly the truth. My pinky rests either on the rear point of the handle in a hammer grip or just behind it in saber grip, and due to the wonderfully rounded handle, it isn't at all uncomfortable. I can even hold it in edge-in, and it works well there as well. The traction grooves cut into the thumb ramp and at the rear of the handle are exactly right. They add substantially to the 'grippy-ness' of the handle when gripped tightly, yet they aren't so aggressive or sharp to chew your hand up in more casual use.
Yes, the handle could be longer, yes, it could have scales, but then you would lose much of what makes the knife so perfect for EDC/concealed carry. The compact handle gives you as good a grip as possible in as small a package as possible.
The knife has a deep hollow grind. It should be an excellent slicer. The blade arrived absolutely razor sharp, and will tree top hairs off of my arm without touching my skin. This is one of the sharpest knives I've ever recieved, and understand, I have multiple knives and regrinds from Tom Krein!
The sheath is also very well made. I think it would serve it's purpose well for a soldier, but as a civilian, I'd like to be able to grip the knife more fully upon drawing it. I didn't have the knife for more than 30 minutes before I was out on the belt sander reshaping it. Piter, thank you to you, as your pictures of the stock sheath you reshaped were my inspiration! After modifying the sheath, it works MUCH better. The sheath is near perfect now as well, and will suit my needs much better.
The size of this knife is also perfect. I have knives that might work better for certain chores, with blades that are longer, more thinly/thickly ground, and with handles that provide a fuller, more hand filling grip. However, this knife is about the best compromise for daily carry I have yet to see. The blade is long enough to be useful, but short enough to be easy to carry and conceal. The handle is comfortable enough for hard work but still small enough and slim enough that it's almost unnoticable when carrying.
The best analogy I have for this fixed blade is that it fills the same niche for me as the small Sebenza. Other knives might fit certain jobs better, or have a longer/'better' blade or handle, but NOTHING is as easy to carry, as useful, or as well made, day in and day, out as my small Sebenzas.
The knife is absolutely perfect. It has the normal CRK manufacturing perfection that we all expect, a comfortable handle, a sharp, useful blade, an excellent sheath (especially after modification), and while it's not cheap, it isn't so expensive that it's unobtainable or impossible to replace. I look forward to carrying this knife for a long, long time. If you are sitting on the fence about this knife, and are unsure if you'll like it, BUY IT! I can almost guarantee that you'll be happy with it.
The fit and finish provide no surprises. It is absolutely perfect. Every surface, grind, and contour is finished and shaped flawlessly. I have confidence in no other brand like I do in CRK when it comes to buying a knife sight unseen. This is my first CRK fixed blade (I have four Sebenzas), and it just exudes quality. The first comment from everyone that's handled the knife (myself included) is, "Damn, that's a nice knife."
I've looked at this knife for close to a year, hard for probably six months. I loved the look, size, everything except the short handle. I was really worried that the handle would end up being too short and ruin an otherwise perfect small knife.
After handling it, boy, was I wrong. I can't remember who said it, but "the handle isn't short, it's compact." That's exactly the truth. My pinky rests either on the rear point of the handle in a hammer grip or just behind it in saber grip, and due to the wonderfully rounded handle, it isn't at all uncomfortable. I can even hold it in edge-in, and it works well there as well. The traction grooves cut into the thumb ramp and at the rear of the handle are exactly right. They add substantially to the 'grippy-ness' of the handle when gripped tightly, yet they aren't so aggressive or sharp to chew your hand up in more casual use.
Yes, the handle could be longer, yes, it could have scales, but then you would lose much of what makes the knife so perfect for EDC/concealed carry. The compact handle gives you as good a grip as possible in as small a package as possible.
The knife has a deep hollow grind. It should be an excellent slicer. The blade arrived absolutely razor sharp, and will tree top hairs off of my arm without touching my skin. This is one of the sharpest knives I've ever recieved, and understand, I have multiple knives and regrinds from Tom Krein!
The sheath is also very well made. I think it would serve it's purpose well for a soldier, but as a civilian, I'd like to be able to grip the knife more fully upon drawing it. I didn't have the knife for more than 30 minutes before I was out on the belt sander reshaping it. Piter, thank you to you, as your pictures of the stock sheath you reshaped were my inspiration! After modifying the sheath, it works MUCH better. The sheath is near perfect now as well, and will suit my needs much better.
The size of this knife is also perfect. I have knives that might work better for certain chores, with blades that are longer, more thinly/thickly ground, and with handles that provide a fuller, more hand filling grip. However, this knife is about the best compromise for daily carry I have yet to see. The blade is long enough to be useful, but short enough to be easy to carry and conceal. The handle is comfortable enough for hard work but still small enough and slim enough that it's almost unnoticable when carrying.
The best analogy I have for this fixed blade is that it fills the same niche for me as the small Sebenza. Other knives might fit certain jobs better, or have a longer/'better' blade or handle, but NOTHING is as easy to carry, as useful, or as well made, day in and day, out as my small Sebenzas.
The knife is absolutely perfect. It has the normal CRK manufacturing perfection that we all expect, a comfortable handle, a sharp, useful blade, an excellent sheath (especially after modification), and while it's not cheap, it isn't so expensive that it's unobtainable or impossible to replace. I look forward to carrying this knife for a long, long time. If you are sitting on the fence about this knife, and are unsure if you'll like it, BUY IT! I can almost guarantee that you'll be happy with it.
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