Which steel in CRKT folders?

S

sasu

Joined
Apr 28, 2007
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Is there a way for me to determine which steel the blade is made of in these CRKT folders I just purchased?

6783K Crawford/Kasper Black: 420J2 or AUS6M.
M16-13Z: AUS4 or AUS6M.

The current catalog says 420J2 and AUS4, but a couple of years back they were both AUS6M. How can I tell which "year model" I bought?

Thanks in advance.
 
A question asked often and I don't recall ever seeing a clear answer up until very recently when CRKT finally listed the steel for all their models.

Seems that all the M16 Zytel knives are now AUS4.

The Black Crawford/Kasper seems to be anyone's guess.
But those have become available for so little money that it hardly matters.
 
Hmm... should've bought the M16-13M,P, or F models. They all have AUS8 I believe and I've had mine for about two years and it's my favorite EDC beater.

If you like the 13Z... try a "better" one in the future.

.02
 
I truly wish one of the higher ups from CRKT would read these posts and realize.....

Stick with the same steel CRKT ! we do not mind paying a little more $$ for better steel ala Aus8.

Seems like they go out of their way to confuse people.
 
They're not selling their wares where people demand higher quality products. No one has started a big campaign to tell them to use quality steels.

Personally, I have decided that I want a real Carson folder. The M16 series are very good knives, and I've been thinking of getting a M16 titanium 13 for a beater, but I'm more interested in a few customs right now. Interested in looking at this M4 when it comes out in the hood.
 
rebeltf said:
I truly wish one of the higher ups from CRKT would read these posts and realize.....

Stick with the same steel CRKT ! we do not mind paying a little more $$ for better steel ala Aus8.
Click to expand...

I am sure the higher ups at CRKT are listening the their bean counters instead of reading these posts. IMO CRKT has pegged their niche market towards that group of knife buyers who aren't necessarily "steelheads" and just want to buy something to cut with.

Yes, for just a bit more these same folks could buy something made by Spyderco or Benchmade, and end up with a much, much better product.
 
FWIW all the CRKT M16 ti models have AUS8 IIRC, also imho the F&F is better on the ti models, probably better than any other CRKT............

i have had 2 ti M16s and really liked them both.
 
I also like the M16 CRKT's in AUS 8.

The Ti, the "classic" aluminum, and the new ones in black.
I actually haven't seen a difference in the fit and finish on them, they're always excellent right out of the box.
 
The Crawford/Kaspers use a special kind of steel called "good." Same as a lot of other CRKT products. "Good" steel takes and keeps an edge, sharpens without a lot of bother, and doesn't stain much if cared for properly. Add to that quality construction, and often giveaway prices at places like Smoky Mountain, Knifeworks, or Knifecenter, and what else is there to know? Are there better steels and knives out there? Sure. For more money. Just like Rolexes compared to Seikos. Rolexes are great, but Seikos are awful darned "good." Just like those CRKTs. It just depends on what you're after.
 
Good points all.

Here's my deal though , I own more CRKT's than any other brand , Spyderco comes in second , because those are what I can afford.

I really , really like many of CRKT's designs and have really only had QC or F/F issues with a couple of them , nothing that a little time and elbow grease did not fix mind you.

I just do not want to see them go down the road of further 'cheapness' to the point where their knives are horrid.

For instance, I am sure 420J2 is not that horrible of a steel and is probably decent enough for most tasks but for a few bucks more why not offer ( and continue to offer) Aus8 , 440c , or even some of the more finer steels for those who can drop a few extra bucks.

I think most CRKT fans would prefer that they do not offer their knives in 10 different steel flavors , I'm exagerating of course but you get the point.

Gets darn confusing to the collector/user like me. :D
 
No doubt - during the past few years, CRKT did keep substituting lower and lower grade steel without any notice to anyone. (In many if not most of their knives.)

But for 2007, I've got the sense that CRKT has been paying attention to their customers' demands to know what kind of blade steel they're getting.
From looking at their website from time to time, and also from seeing the new knives they've released this year.
They're very clear now on the specs for each knife.

So while I took issue with them for using "mystery steel", I now give them credit for having apparently reversed course.
 
I like CRKT knives because they have a good balance of price and quality.

I can buy lots of them (e.g. I have 5 M16s, 2 M21s) and not worry using or losing them. They do what a knife is supposed to do and they look nice. I also like the light weight of the M16/M21 design and the Carson flipper is really neat.

I was asking about the steel because the shop I bought the two latest CRKT folders from said they are AUS6M. The current CRKT catalog says 420J2 and AUS4 for the same models, whereas www.archive.org tells me these folders were in fact AUS6M in 2005. How do I know if the knives I bought were really made in 2005? The pamphlets that came with the knives seem to be dated 05 and 06.

In practice I will probably not notice such a difference in steel.

Thank you for confirming there is no way of knowing what steel CRKT has used on a particular individual knife.
 
I call them and asked, and the lady told me there was a supply problem with AUS 6 and AUS 4 so they went to 420J2.
So some that were AUS 6 and AUS 4 are now 420J2.

AUS 8 stayed.

But they do grade their knives by price, so the Aluminuim M16 are AUS 8, but the Zytel EDCs are AUS 4.
But you can see that from the price, a difference of $20.
 
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