Skipped ZT, went staight to CRK - Good or bad move?

There is something sensual about opening a CRK. The quality reveals itself in the hydraulic smoothness.

But there’s a certain joy in opening a quality flipper. And ZT is the best in their price range. As far as cutting ability, blade material is pretty much equal.

I agree that for an EDC, a Tanto blade may not be the best choice. Drop points blades are more practical and IMO better looking. Tanto blades are more specialized. I just sold my Tanto Small Sebenza and kept my drop point.

Last, if I had to give up my ZT’s or CRK’s, the ZT’s would go.
 
I’m in the same early research/buying stage you’re in. As best as I can tell, CRK is definitely and strongly “Rolex-ish”, but... there are almost always other, higher levels. If you want to take it a step up, you could go for a Sebenza with a damascus blade. If I was looking at CRK's, I’d probably see a damascus Mnandi as a secondary must do. If you’d like to have a flipper, it seems the Shirogorovs are the Rolexes of the flippers. To see other possibilities, go into the major online knife vendor sites, apply the folding knives filter and sort by price-high to low. I found the knives that popped up pretty hard to believe, and the customs are another universe. Like Rolexes, there’s probably no end to it. A steel Submariner is impressive, but one of those jewel-encrusted gold Pearlmaster 39’s is a universe of impressive beyond the Submariner--and that doesn’t even count the Patek Philippes.

One happy closing thought... At least the highest of the high end knives don’t come with prices like the top end watches.
 
halden.doerge said:
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...said the guy who couldn't stop himself from buying the ZT 0392 when it came up on the Exchange :D
 
When I first got into aquariums, I started with a 2.5 gallon tank. Then a 5g, 10g, 20g, 30g, 40g, 55g, and eventually a 120g, with many different filters and lights and accessories along the way. Looking back I realized I should have just started with a 55g or even the 120g tank with a great Eheim filter etc. Not only would I have saved a lot of money that way instead of constantly upgrading, but I would have been able to get what I wanted sooner.

I often think about this experience when it comes to buying things, especially for a hobby. If you know you will use something for the long term and want to appreciate quality, go for what you want and reduce the superfluous leapfrogging to a reasonable level. However, to learn and appreciate quality it is necessary to experience the continuum from crap to greatness, and if you just jump straight to the Rolex of ______, you are basically going by popular opinion only. How can you judge or appreciate greatness if you have no reference point? (This is not a comment on OP but general thoughts).
 
Darkera said:
When I first got into aquariums, I started with a 2.5 gallon tank. Then a 5g, 10g, 20g, 30g, 40g, 55g, and eventually a 120g......
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Your aquarium story parallels my decades-long shotgun story. I started with an old Ithaca pump and ended up shooting classical American and Italian SxS doubles with gold filigreed sidelocks. I put a lot of money into trading up through the years. Time will tell how far I take knives from my present ZT-Spyderco-Reate range.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming... If you just want to buy one “this is my Rolex/Holy Grail knife” to keep in a drawer, you should be satisfied with a CRK. If you dabble with ZT’s and others along the way, you’ll probably end up trading up into a CRK or something else like it anyhow.
 
Nothing paves the way to knowing what you want like experience. There are good knives in every level of budget minded knife enthusiasts. If a person uses a knife for it’s intended purpose, that knife will last a lifetime without issue. Most knife manufacturers do have lifetime warranties. Some are better than others. I feel KAI (ZT) has an excellent warranty service, so does CRK. For some folks, a CRK is a love or hate relationship. I find that the CRK tanto is useful, but not practical for EDC. Don’t get me wrong, I have several CRK tanto’s, including the Umnumzaan and use them all the time for my plumbing work. But, I carry a drop point more often because it’s more practical. Having so many options to choose from, a CRK is not a perfect knife, but it’s the perfect knife for me and what I expect a knife to be.
One thing is for sure, you’ll know on Monday if you made the right choice
 
Tseg said:
All things considered, did I calculate things correctly?
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I did the same thing, jumping to CRK and I have no regrets. And you will have a lifetime knife in that CRK. Although it’s too big for many occasions, so you need a small 21 too. With wood inlays. Classy and subtle. Or a mnandi. Best just to get both.

If you still look around after that, you’ll find the analog of watch microbrands in custom knife makers. (Although custom knife makers can be superior to micro brand watches, because they often make the whole item, not just a case with a miyota or seagull in it. After sales service is also often impeccable among custom makers.)

So you did calculate correctly in jumping to the CRK. You got your lifetime knife. But you likely miscalculated that you will only need one lifetime knife.
 
Can't really go wrong with either, I have 2 sebenza's and 10 ZT's I just prefer flippers..
 
CRK has always been one tier up from ZT. CRK knives are offered in one standard grade. I've had MANY of both makers and can easily say this. Buy one CRK; it will last you forever plus 50 years.
Of course, ZT has some newer, upgraded models that are very nice...and very expensive...but it's no contest, IMO.
 
CRK - as the user you're limited to a couple models and steels with several blade profiles. Based on the entirety of the OP, I doubt finding what fits you best in these categories matters much.

ZT - a mid tier company offering--much like their competitors--an array of models, steels and collaborations for the end user. People like flippers, too.

This honestly isn't a Silky saw scenario (where every saw I used before using a Silky proved to be abysmal failures by comparison).

I now dare challenge you to begin your quest for a fixed blade! :cool:
 
Liner and frame locks are junk. Wouldn't pay a dime for either. Just buy an axis lock knife or a cold steel tri- ad lock knife. Money well spent.
 
yep. great knife. great company. if you don't like it and want a different CRK, sell it to the rabid following for what you paid. like others have said, ZT isn't really the comparable here, but skipping that type stuff if you can and are eventually going to, is a good move IMO.
 
I don’t necessarily think it’s a good or a bad choice. Get what you like. That’s important.

I bought a ‘Zaan fairly early after becoming seriously enthused about knives. I love that thing! It’s led to a second ‘Zaan, some 21’s and a small Inkosi.

It hasn’t convinced me to quit other makers. I have ZT’s and Spydercos I love too. Although I won’t deny a quality difference, in my mind that difference is less substantive than the other aspects differentiating the two knives. Maybe that’s just me.

If it matters, there’s a ZT, a CRK, and a Spyderco on my wtb list right now. Once you have your ‘Zaan (and even though it may be my favorite too), I’d still give your ZT of choice a chance. Having a variety of quality knives is part of my fun in this hobby. Maybe your fun will come from something different than mine. You won’t know until you try.
 
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