5.11 Knives

riversidedep

riversidedep

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Nov 27, 2007
Messages
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A coworker showed me a 5.11 knife the other day. Seamed like the quality was fairly decent. The blade said "Taiwan" on it. I was wondering if anyone knows who makes these knives for 5.11. Something about it seemed to say "CRKT" to me.
 
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I've wondered about them, also. Not seen much mention of them here on the forums.

Haven't held one to give it the personal eyeball test, but the materials (G10 scales, S30V or 154CM steels) seem very good. Look like pretty heavy duty knives.
 
Ive loved my tarani k-bit. they have some good products at decent prices, i love their k-bits in prticular.
 
I had an Investigator. Good knife, a touch heavy if wearing dress/suit pants. Didn't care for that secondary notch when you open and close. Good ergos, overall I liked it.
 
The 5.11 knives are a pretty good value. They are manufactured in Taiwan however they do use Crucible made 154 ans S30V. I agree the ergos are really good and the First Responder is one solid beefy knife. Its no manix, or sebenza or SNG, but it is very nice for the price.
 
I've got the (from the top) First Responder, Ten-Eight and Investigator.

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5.11 knives are not the fanciest or best looking folders, but they are built pretty solid.

The Ten-Eight is probably the best for EDC, with the Investigator coming in second. The First Responder is an absolute beast, that borders on needing a belt pouch rather than pocket carry.
 
I have to agree with diamdave about not liking the secondary notch/half stop feature. It kind of caught me by surprise when I opened the knife. I usually only see those on slipjoints. The blade on the one I handled was 154CM. Anyone know who makes them for 5.11? Since they are primarily a police/military clothing company, I doubt they started their own factory for knife production.
 
It's probably some random manufacturer in Taiwan, rather than ghost production by a name-brand major knife company. I like what they try to do, but for the price point I'd rather stick with a Benchmade Griptilian. Same steel, nicer lock, USA made. :)
 
riversidedep said:
A coworker showed me a 5.11 knife the other day. Seamed like the quality was fairly decent. The blade said "Taiwan" on it. I was wondering if anyone knows who makes these knives for 5.11. Something about it seemed to say "CRKT" to me.
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I don't know, the materials seem a bit "up-scale" for CRKT. I was thinking about picking one up myself, though, so I would be very interested in hearing some opinions on the brand, too.
 
the initial models were made by blade tech.

i don't know about current production, however they appear to be the same as the prototypes i saw and handled.

we had a rep bring out a bunch of products that were being added to their line about 3 years ago. mostly bags, but he also had the sunglasses, watches and knives.
 
I have one of these, gifted to me by my Mother in Law of all people. It is the 2007 anniversary model, and has been a good knife.

It is well constructed, and it takes and maintains a good edge very easily. I have been pleased with it overall.

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Chuck
 
I believe Blade-Tech and 5.11 are still sister companies. The 5.11 guys say that they put alot of effort into finding a factory in Taiwan that could produce the quality and reliability that they expected from a knife.

I have carried a 5.11 Journeyman Karambit almost everyday for over a year with no problems. The original U.S. produced version under the Blade-Tech name was awesome but the higher costs kept potential buyers away. I think the 5.11 / Taiwan connection works well for what you get for the pricing.
 
I handled a First Responder and loved the handle but didn't like how the blade's edge started a good ...1/4"?.. away from the handle, and that it's combo edge only. MOF, a local store had parted ways with 5.11 and were selling all 5.11 gear 1/2-off. The knives all sold in a day or so. I would've bought one at 1/2 the selling price.
 
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