First off, yes it’s made in China.
I was looking for something to keep in my truck all the time. I wanted it to be a well-made knife, but cheap enough that if it were lost, I wouldn’t freak out about it.
My truck is red, so I figured, why not look for a matching knife? I looked online, and eventually stumbled upon the CJRB Caldera. Blade HQ is running a special on them right now, so it’s even less expensive than normal. I then looked up some YouTube videos, which were generally positive, so I figured that it seemed close enough to what I was looking for to give it a chance.
I just got the knife today, and I’m quite impressed.
Aesthetics are what they are, and I figure that this is something that’s going to be polarizing. I like the overall design, but if I wasn’t getting this to match my truck, I’d probably opt for the other color scheme, which has light blue scales (same red pivot surround though). The cleaverish style blade is also probably something that you’re going to love or hate looks-wise. I happen to like it quite a bit. And yes, I get that some are going to look at this knife and think that it looks like it came from a gas station.
The ergos are really nice for me. The G-10 is slightly grippy, but not overly so. It fits my glove size large hand very well, where there is about a 1/2” sticking out behind my pinky when holding it behind the choil. When choked up, the choil is really great - and I’m picky about them. This one fits me perfectly. The spine gimping is subtle, but does provide better purchase than if ommited. Also, there is a thumb notch about half way down the spine that, combined with the finger coil, makes it really easy to make precise cuts. I can feel the pocket clip when cutting, but I don’t notice any potential hot spots. Maybe if I were to bear down really hard, it would dig in a bit, but so haven’t been able to get it to do so yet.
The flipper action is super smooth. It doesn’t take much, and it glides into place with a nice click. It’s running on bearings of some type. The flipper itself is comfortable to me, and I don’t think that many people will have issues with it. I can also easily front or reverse flip it open with the ovular shaped hole. Out of the box, it flicks better than many of my Spydercos. Lockup seems rock solid. The steel liner lock is covering 25% of the pivot when engaged, and I don’t see this failing unless I were to really abuse it.
The blade is thinner than I expected (which is a pleasant surprise to me), but I didn’t read the specs when purchasing. It cuts hair out of the box, and the edge grinding is very well done. I don’t see any areas that need work off the bat. In fact, the overall fit and finish is much better than I’d anticipated. I can’t find any flaws as of yet. Cutting-wise, this is a slicey blade. The belly is mild, but there is plenty of cutting area. Also, the blade is 1.5” edge to spine at its widest. So far, I’m quite enjoying the cutting experience, but I’ve only tried paper, cardboard, and some tomatoes so far. I’m not sure about Artisan’s AR-RPM9 steel yet, but I suppose time will tell. It’s something new for me to try out anyway.
A downside for some will be the weight. On my scale it comes in at 4.99oz, so it’s not a lightweight. Also, the access to the liner lock is not great. I can disengage it every time I try without needing to use my thumbnail, but it would be a lot better if the liner came down another 1/16” or so. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker, but I do think that it should be improved for the next generation.
The big complaint I have is with the pocket clip. I like the design, and it’s very deep carry. But it is hard to remove from my pocket because way too much of it comes in contact with the scale, and it is made of some really pliable metal (I don’t know what). I was simply pulling it out of my pocket at a funky angle, and the clip bent open severely. I was able to get it back to shape, but this is a major issue that needs to be fixed. Since mine is going to live in the truck, it’s not a big deal, but if this were something that I carried everyday, I think that I’d have to figure something else out for a clip.
So, overall I’m very happy with my purchase. It’s definitely the best knife that I’ve owned in this price range. If CJRB/Artisan could fix the few flaws, and offer some more color options, I think that this is a solid budget friendly option that many people would enjoy.
I was looking for something to keep in my truck all the time. I wanted it to be a well-made knife, but cheap enough that if it were lost, I wouldn’t freak out about it.
My truck is red, so I figured, why not look for a matching knife? I looked online, and eventually stumbled upon the CJRB Caldera. Blade HQ is running a special on them right now, so it’s even less expensive than normal. I then looked up some YouTube videos, which were generally positive, so I figured that it seemed close enough to what I was looking for to give it a chance.
I just got the knife today, and I’m quite impressed.
Aesthetics are what they are, and I figure that this is something that’s going to be polarizing. I like the overall design, but if I wasn’t getting this to match my truck, I’d probably opt for the other color scheme, which has light blue scales (same red pivot surround though). The cleaverish style blade is also probably something that you’re going to love or hate looks-wise. I happen to like it quite a bit. And yes, I get that some are going to look at this knife and think that it looks like it came from a gas station.
The ergos are really nice for me. The G-10 is slightly grippy, but not overly so. It fits my glove size large hand very well, where there is about a 1/2” sticking out behind my pinky when holding it behind the choil. When choked up, the choil is really great - and I’m picky about them. This one fits me perfectly. The spine gimping is subtle, but does provide better purchase than if ommited. Also, there is a thumb notch about half way down the spine that, combined with the finger coil, makes it really easy to make precise cuts. I can feel the pocket clip when cutting, but I don’t notice any potential hot spots. Maybe if I were to bear down really hard, it would dig in a bit, but so haven’t been able to get it to do so yet.
The flipper action is super smooth. It doesn’t take much, and it glides into place with a nice click. It’s running on bearings of some type. The flipper itself is comfortable to me, and I don’t think that many people will have issues with it. I can also easily front or reverse flip it open with the ovular shaped hole. Out of the box, it flicks better than many of my Spydercos. Lockup seems rock solid. The steel liner lock is covering 25% of the pivot when engaged, and I don’t see this failing unless I were to really abuse it.
The blade is thinner than I expected (which is a pleasant surprise to me), but I didn’t read the specs when purchasing. It cuts hair out of the box, and the edge grinding is very well done. I don’t see any areas that need work off the bat. In fact, the overall fit and finish is much better than I’d anticipated. I can’t find any flaws as of yet. Cutting-wise, this is a slicey blade. The belly is mild, but there is plenty of cutting area. Also, the blade is 1.5” edge to spine at its widest. So far, I’m quite enjoying the cutting experience, but I’ve only tried paper, cardboard, and some tomatoes so far. I’m not sure about Artisan’s AR-RPM9 steel yet, but I suppose time will tell. It’s something new for me to try out anyway.
A downside for some will be the weight. On my scale it comes in at 4.99oz, so it’s not a lightweight. Also, the access to the liner lock is not great. I can disengage it every time I try without needing to use my thumbnail, but it would be a lot better if the liner came down another 1/16” or so. It’s certainly not a dealbreaker, but I do think that it should be improved for the next generation.
The big complaint I have is with the pocket clip. I like the design, and it’s very deep carry. But it is hard to remove from my pocket because way too much of it comes in contact with the scale, and it is made of some really pliable metal (I don’t know what). I was simply pulling it out of my pocket at a funky angle, and the clip bent open severely. I was able to get it back to shape, but this is a major issue that needs to be fixed. Since mine is going to live in the truck, it’s not a big deal, but if this were something that I carried everyday, I think that I’d have to figure something else out for a clip.
So, overall I’m very happy with my purchase. It’s definitely the best knife that I’ve owned in this price range. If CJRB/Artisan could fix the few flaws, and offer some more color options, I think that this is a solid budget friendly option that many people would enjoy.
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