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

Gravy said:
In the past year or so I've made the jump from "budget" knives (let's say anything >$100) to more expensive knives in the $150 - $250 range. I've found that I don't carry any of my cheaper knives anymore, so now I have about $250 tied up in budget knives that just sit in my knife case.
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I made that jump 30 years ago and I still carry a cheap EDC in my pocket. Why? Because it does everything that I need it to do and it has grown very comfortable in my pocket over the many years. There are a lot of great knives out there, and fortunately, we are not required to dump our cheaper knives in order to enjoy them. Forget about the brand name and price and focus on what works best for whatever task is at hand.

If the OP is skipping over stuff like ZT, he is really missing out on the broader market. No matter how good, there is much more out there than a single brand. Drinking only one wine label, is a bore; learn to experience and enjoy the variety.

n2s
 
MSchott said:
Interesting to compare a CRK to Rolex. It’s difficult to compare knife qualities to watch attributes. Rolex watches are iconic, functional and reliable. CRK knives are beautifully made, functional and reliably simple. I don’t think of Rolex watches as beautifully made compared to their competition like JLC and IWC. Grand Seiko is a brand comparable to CRK.
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CRK doesn't have a Kershaw line though. I'd compare (Grand) Seiko to ZT sooner than CRK. In my limited knowledge of the two hobbies CRK and Rolex both convey a similar "gold standard" status. Slightly below platinum, diamond and unobtanium status.
 
tony281sc2 said:
Totally agree man it’s like an addiction every time ZT comes out with a new knife I feel like I gotta have it. But I bought dozens of Kershaws before buying my first ZT. If I could do it all over again I’d probly have 10 kershaws and 10 ZT’s and 5 grand in the bank lol
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Dont say that so early and for so sure. One or two years from now, you may be asking the same question: why you bought 10 ZTs, why did not you instead buy 4 CRKS ;)
 
There is certainly nothing wrong with going straight to the high end. But admittedly, the op is new to the knife world. There is merit in starting cheaper to learn the ins and outs of caring for a knife. How to properly take apart a knife or sharpen or oil it. Maybe see how his usage affects a knife over time and the type of wear he puts on a knife to see what features are right for him.

But i don’t pretend to know the op. Maybe money is no object and he wants to go through a few CRK to see what happens. For me personally, I have bought many knives but i still have much to learn
 
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Tseg said:
So I'm loving my new Tanto...I just put on a preferred lanyard to the black one. But check the Born On date. Somebody must have been working overtime.

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IIRC, July 4th was a Wednesday- They traded working on the 4th to have a longer weekend. Since their normal workdays are Mon-Thursday, they got a 4-day weekend.

Congrats! Great knife!
 
MSchott said:
Interesting to compare a CRK to Rolex. It’s difficult to compare knife qualities to watch attributes. Rolex watches are iconic, functional and reliable. CRK knives are beautifully made, functional and reliably simple. I don’t think of Rolex watches as beautifully made compared to their competition like JLC and IWC. Grand Seiko is a brand comparable to CRK.
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Interesting you mention Grand Seiko... I went to Rolex first, then back to Grand Seiko. Both are excellent, but I prefer the Rolex, but being twice the price I suppose that is a good result. Between these 2 and some higher end quartz watches to wear when I'm doing rough stuff its all I need. Yet I have a box of Orients and Tissots as I 'learned' the hobby. Of course their resale value is now 50%, so there is a few grand down the drain. It was this experience (and didn't learn it the first time with cameras... same result) that I came to the "fool me twice, shame on me...". The "its about the journey" is all well and good when you experience it once or twice, but when I realized I was travelling up and down the same road, no need to repeat the same mistakes. My long term reward are using daily those specific amazing pieces that make me not dream of 'the next one' any more. Anyway, I realize I have a habit of landing on 2 top tier examples, so maybe room in my knife collection for 'just more'? :)

Pair of Aces


The No. 20


Sailor King of Pen
 
Nothing wrong with skipping cheapie knives, not that ZT is exactly a cheapie!! But if I could say my first watch was a Rolex I’d be proud of myself too. The problem is, where do you go from here—Redford one-offs at $10k apiece—I fall you got the dough, more power (and beauty) to you!!
 
Knives are like women, everyone has a preference and those preferences all have merit, but the merit is in the eye of the beholder.

I've handled a CRK that someone I knew had. Yes, I'll give it the high quality build mark. I'll give it a useful blade shape mark. What I won't give it, at least for me.....is that it is somehow better than my pm2. I like my pm2 better for blade shape, weight, steel, lock, opening style, and how lightning fast it opens, even after years of being used and carried in the woods.

But there are lots of knife guys that love CRK knives and that's fine too.

FWIW, I've got probably $6k in knives at the moment, mostly higher end fixed blades, but about $1000 of it is in folders. I could essentially have whatever folding knife I wanted if I didn't like what I have now.

Knives arent a "but x" and you are set sort of thing. Not one knife does it all, not that I've found. And to be fair, I'm not going to be knife-less should I lose one. Oh, by the way, the guy that showed me his sebenza, lost it a couple days later working out in the woods (I was on a different crew, but went to help him look, never found it).

Like others have said, if you want to get the most enjoyment out of high quality knives, you need to do more than just buy a nice one. Just like buying a Ferrari won't make you a great driver, a high end knife won't perform for you like it will someone who has learned enough about them to understand what they want, not just what everyone else thinks others should like based on their personal preferences.

ZT might not be on the same level as CRK, but they are damn nice knives and honestly, if you can destroy a ZT, you will destroy a CRK too.

(PS: I'm not saying crk knives arent worth the $, they are some of the best out there for where they are in the market....I just dont prefer them for what I like in a knife).
 
Everyone likes different shit.

CRK does nothing for me. I see overly expensive, small, thumb-stud only knives.

I've acquired a nasty ZT addiction the past 2 years though. Fit and finish, quality of materials used, etc. Good luck finding a better value.
 
I skipped ZT; and went straight to a hinderer, but probably after 40-50 spyderco, benchmade, cold steel, Ontario, Emerson, etc...

Here’s my conclusion on high end knives - the high end stuff is super nice, but there is an unjustifiable gap in price/value between a rat 1 and a Sebenza. There just isn’t $600 more utility out of the sebenza.

Having said that, this hobby is about finding joy - not about reaching milestones. Do I need an xm-18? Definitely not. Do a derive joy from the ownership? yes. So I have one, because I want to and I can - end of story. Do what you fulfills you.

I’ll still probably have a ZT enter the collection one day, heck I’ll probably add some more mid range spyderco, benchmades and Emerson’s. There is joy to be had with every welll designed and well executed piece, regardless of the price tag.
 
You did what made you happy, don't ask for someone to explain if that was right or wrong. I have a Zaan but EDC a Gayle Bradley because I like the way it feels and cuts than the CRK. And, that CRK is no slouch.
 
I just came here, I’m not sure how. This seems like a Chiahuahua vs. a German shepard argument. CRK is far and away the better knife. For decades, it’s been established. Zt is flipper only, they like placing clips in the same pinch points as lockbar cutouts. I’ve had their locks slip (but not fail, yet. It’s far less reliable, and squishy, the 5 I’ve tried do not inspire confidence at all, being a veteran of decades of knife use/making) . The clip placement on most models (I’ve tried more than a few) makes it (literally, sometimes) impossible to draw from your pocket. Plus they’re often flipper only. Which means you have to wonder if your knife opened fully or not. I’m not a flipper or flicker guy, I like to know my knife is open.

It’s no contest, these are not comparable. If you want a fail safe, true tried and true folder, it’s CRK. I’ve owned 6+ and never remotely doubted any aspects of. It’s legit the best folder money can buy. If you want a maybe-it’s open? Meh, can’t pull it out of my pocket, made in US, squishy kinda scary , but light, kinda chinsy, mall ninja folder maybe Zt is your thing.

Sorry, I’ve had many frosty beverages this eve, take it with a grain of salt, but there’s no comparison in my opinion. This is what I feel. Apples and bananas
 
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So months later, how did it play out? The Zaan satisfy me? It is a great knife and flicks open so smooth and easily. But for EDC I determined I needed something slightly smaller so got an Inkosi Insingo blade. Now with 2 CRKs how could I not have a Sebenza with drop point?... and to stop the upgrade urge, splurged for Basket Weave Damascus and Spalted Beach. I finally have no more CRK acquisition urges. No regrets with my purchases But I got no flipper still! So how do I reconcile? Of course now I'm on the Grimsmo wait list. The good news is I'm not frantic about needing to acquire one for a premium in the aftermarket.

 
microbe said:
Maybe now you can check out knives with more advanced steels.
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The Advanced Steel thing does not do anything for me, so I suppose I'm blessed in that way. I have a little Spyderco Dragonfly with ZDP-189 as my advanced steel blade. I hand sharpen on stones and strops and some of the more advanced steels don't take kindly to stone sharpening and prefer diamonds. An S35VN steel or equivalent is all I need... gets nice and sharp, stays sharp enough long enough for my needs with low risk of chipping, then sharpens right back up easily. I really enjoy hand sharpening on a stone. But I can see why some get fascinated with advanced steels.
 
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