Test: two different CRKT M16's

Moine

Moine

Joined
Aug 15, 2003
Messages
494
Hi everyone,

I've (finally) got my CRKT M16's. I have ordered two models, actually. One M16-14 (full sized tanto point bulldog), and one M16-01K (smaller EDC).

M16-14 (large, tanto) http://www.crkt.com/m16alumn.html
Blade: Overall length: 3.94” (10.0 cm)
Cutting edge: 3.88” (9.9 cm)
Thickness: 0.14” (0.35 cm)
Steel: AUS 8, 57-58 HRC
Handle: Closed length: 5.31” (13.5 cm)
Weight: 4.9 oz. (139 g)
Geometry: american tanto styled, hollow ground

Initial thoughts

Pros:
- The finish is nice (not perfect, but good for a 80$ knife).
- The factory edge was way above expectations: many hair jumped out of my forearm before they had even seen the blade. Incredible.
- Thanks to the aluminum handle, the knife is very light for such a big folder, and the grip is very comfortable. It does not slip, even with wet hands.
- The "Carson flip" also secures the grip (and the lock) a lot, espcially for piercing.
- The action is very smooth. The blade can easily be snapped open.
- The clip is tough.
- The blade does not touch any metal when folded. That preserves sharpness, and I like that.

Cons:
- Too big for EDC. If the cops catch me with such a nice big tanto folder, they'll get jalous and take it away... Besides I opened it in front of my girlfriend and her first reaction was "Make sure your son does not play with it"... It looks mean. It looks evil. I love it ;) Oh... yes. It's a con, and we're in the real world. It's not a socially acceptable knife for EDC. Anyways it would fill up my pockets and stick out of my jeans as is I was carrying a fixed blade. Just too big.
- The lock is sometimes a little hard to disengage. Requires some serious pressure to unlock the knife sometimes. Dunno why.

Blade, lock and edge abuse

The edge geometry is fine. The hollow grind makes a thick, tough knife cut and slice like a charm. It's also great for piercing. I don't really like serrations, but the partly serrated blade makes hard cutting tasks really easy. I must admit.

The lock and blade easily passed Cliff Stamp's "white knuckle test" in any angle possible. And as a white knucle tester, I can put my share of pressure and torque, really. I really tried to break the lock, and I couldn't. Spine whacks, side whacks, nothing got that lock out (even without the additional security that, well... locks the locks...).

Edge retention is acceptable. It's not the best I've seen, but for AUS-8 it's nice. Resiliency is a factor that must be kept in mind, for blade toughness. This blade seens to have a good compromise between RC/edge retention and resiliency.

I've cut through boxes, foam, plastic, then I did some light wood chopping. I cut a piece of thick leather with it, then some more wood. After half an hour of that treatment, the edge was not yet dull. It was not shaving hair anymore, but it still was slicing tomatoes very gently and I did not feel any significant difference for normal use (no, shaving is not what I call normal use ;^). IMO, edge retention is good.

This knife won't ever become my EDC folder (it's too big), but it's certainly the one I'll chose for outdoor activities. In combination with a large survival blade/machete, this one will be just great. I'd also use this big folder for fighting, if I had to. It's built for real action.

M16-01K (smallest EDC) http://www.crkt.com/m16edc.html
Blade: Overall length: 3.12” (7.9 cm)
Cutting edge: 3.00” (7.62 cm)
Thickness: 0.08” (0.20 cm)
Steel: AUS 8, 57-58 HRC
Handle: Closed length: 4.00” (10.2 cm)
Weight: 1.9 oz. (54 g)
Geometry: spear point, hollow ground

Well... What can I say. It's all like the big one, but it's smaller. It's extremely light, smooth, and tough. Perfect for EDC. I'll see over time, but for now it's in my pocket now, going for a longer test drive ;^)

Best regards,

David
 
I had an 03-Z (the big spearpoint) as my EDC for two years. I beat the snot out of that thing. But it always came back for more. For the price CRKT gives you a lot of knife.

Frank
 
I ordered the big and small at the same time because they where cheap and I thought one might become my EDC. I find the lock jams on the large M-16 if I put a lot of pressure on the cut. This is because of the liner moving way across on the lock. The little one has the same problem. Not a huge issue but enough to put me off it slightly. The spyderco Military is my EDC now. More expensive but for me better value for money.

The big test of any knife for me is when salvaging cray (lobster) pots and floats. I often have to hack through thick, hard, nylon rope - a savage test of any blade. The M-16 was jammed and blunt within a few cuts. The Millie takes a week or two of the same treatment before needing a touch up.

But otherwise I concur with your review. Good value for money, easy to get scary sharp, nice size (especially for food prep), addictive flipper and robust build.
 
Originally posted by Ming65
I find the lock jams on the large M-16 if I put a lot of pressure on the cut. This is because of the liner moving way across on the lock.

[...]

The big test of any knife for me is when salvaging cray (lobster) pots and floats. I often have to hack through thick, hard, nylon rope - a savage test of any blade. The M-16 was jammed and blunt within a few cuts. The Millie takes a week or two of the same treatment before needing a touch up.
Click to expand...

Personally, I'd rather have a lock that jams than a lock that does not lock well... But of course, the best thing is a lock that does lock without jamming ;^)

For what comes to lobster salvaging, it certainly is among the toughest use for a knife: salted water, hard materials to cut and work through, including minerals (sand, shells, etc.)... The Spyderco Military has a CPM S30V blade, which is certainly harder than AUS-8 (S30V: 59-61 RC / AUS-8: 57-58 RC). But S30V won't bend as much as AUS-8 before breaking (it's less resilient). Besides the blade on the military is thicker and has a different geometry (the angle of the edge is not as acute as on the M16). This gives a tougher edge, that will stay sharp longer, but that won't get as sharp as on the M16. It's all about what you're gonna do with the knife...

There is no "one best knife". There is "the best knife for that job"...

That being said, the Military is certainly one of the best knives on the market today for "hard use EDC". However I still don't think it's worth the 160$ they ask for it... Just my opinion, of course.

Cheers,

David
 
Yep it's horses for courses allright. The M16 is certainly a sexier looking knife. The Millie is as ugly as a sack full of hammers :D
 
Originally posted by Ming65
The Millie is as ugly as a sack full of hammers :D
Click to expand...
LOL

No it's not that ugly, actually :)

Hell I like those australian expressions... A sack full of hammers sure isn't pretty :D

Have a Foster's for me, mate :)

Cheers,

David
 
I have the CRKT M16-13Z, the Zytel, spearpoint, semi-serrated version. I had fancied one for some time, but when it arrived, the edge was so appalling that it went straight into the "ho-hum" box and stayed there for months. It was so bad that it was child-safe...

I recently retrieved it from its place of shame and beasted it on the Edge Pro. It now has a good, though not hair-popping edge. I find it a solid, value-for-money knife with no pretensions. The flipper, together with a wrist flick, makes it a quick deploy and a good toy while watching telly.

I quite like its looks, though compared to a BM 710 or Sebenza, it's got "A face like a plasterer's radio."

maximus otter
 
I'm in the process of trading one of my knives for a CRKT M-16 (The Fire Department knife with the red handle). I'm happy to read this review, as most comments are positive.
Thanks, guys!
 
Just got a CRKT M16-00ke EDC this past weekend. Tanto plain blade w/green anodized scales. Has the TiNi coating on the blade. Hair-shaving sharp right out of the box. Flipper works well--almost as fast as my old Kershaw Scallion w/SpeedSafe. Size is just right too for pocket carry and not too 'scary' large. Noticed that if you flip it open with authority, the lock does tend to stick too far to the side, making it difficult to release by finger. Need a coin sometimes. I might contact CRKT to see what's up with the lock issue, but it's not a big deal.
 
maximus, what grind does yours have? I have an M16-11K (edc, spearpoint combo) and appears to be a chisel grind, but I emailed CRKT and they claim it is dual hollow ground. I know its n00bish, but I've got a Fiskars ceramic V-stick sharpener, that I assume would sharpen a dual hollow ground edge. It really does appear that it is chisel ground.

Could you enlighten me?

Other than my inability to sharpen it, I love the knife. I found a hefty squirt of WD-40 around the pivot and lock helped it no-end (I'm not going to be using this knife hard). I found it easy to adjust the tension so it would open into a locked position using only the flipper, very rapidly. It scared my girlfriend no end. Not very socially acceptable as Moine said...
Great balance when open IMHO, I wish I could sharpen it.
 
Daverave,
I thought I'd jump in and make some comments, if it's ok.
The M16 series are all hollow ground, with both sides ground equally. I think the confusion comes in on the actual bevel of the edge. On the serrated versions it is more beveled (sharpened) on the serrated side and less on the back side. This technique makes it cut better. On the non serrated versions it is beveled equally.
When you sharpen it, sharpen one side till you create a burr, then sharpen the other side till you create a burr. Lightly remove the burr and it should be sharp. Stroping is a good way to remove the burr.
Hope this helps.:)
 
Daverave999,

Mine gave every appearance of being chisel ground. The edge was pathetic out of the box; the worst I have ever experienced with a new knife.

I have now beasted hell out of it with my Edge Pro, giving it a conventional grind. It's out of the "ho hum" box and into my EDC cycle.

maximus otter
 
Mr. Carson,

I recently got a CRKT M1 for my birthday and noticed the edge bevels are uneven on this blade (which has no serrations). You mentioned the bevels on a blade with no serrations should be even, is this only for the M16's, or wouldn't it apply to the other models CRKT offer?

For 2 weeks I've been wondering about the bevels being uneven, and just chalked it up to a minor mistake (with so many blades being produced...some are likely to be flawed or mixed up?) Now after reading your post, I began to wonder if it has to deal with different styles and designers?

Maybe you can help me put my mind to rest? :confused: :D

Thanks for your time!
 
Shane,
I'd recommend you call CRK&T customer service. They are pretty responsive.
About the bevels, normally on a non serrated blade the sharpened bevel is even on both sides. Coulda been just a bad day for the sharpening guy:)
On the serrated blade the bevel is much more pronounced on the side with the serrations, and on some, no bevel at all.
I've not handled alot of the M1s and not sure how they are beveled.
CRK&T is very much sensitive to the razor sharp edge issue but again, with the volume of knives they produce, I have no doubt that one passes thru occasionally with less than a perfect edge, as has been mentioned above.
 
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