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- Jan 12, 2013
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Testament to Chris Reeve's beginnings as a machinist, the One Piece Knives remain marvels of manufacturing. I have only one OPK, a Mountaineer 1, and have not put it to any use, so this post is more about the wonders of their manufacturing perfection, than it is about their usefulness as a field tool. Having said that, the knife feels great in hand (full four-finger grip), is a little heavy for it's size, and with the reasonable hardness (55-57) and the A2 steel, I assume it would take a beating without much complaint. The Mountaineer 1 is one of the smaller OPK models, similar in size to an Aviator, but without the sawback and with a single guard. I have yet to decide whether to take this knife to the beach and make a fire, or just endlessly fondle it 
.
so on to the pictures......and my argument that a CRK OPK is one of the most perfect singular (excluding the cap) pieces of metal one can hold in one's hand.
First up, the edge grind! Wow....this grind is amazing....totally straight, even, matching both sides. Whoever sharpened the edge of this knife cared a great deal about the result. BRAVO CRK!!
The blade has a very nice and useful sharpening choil, the guncoat coating is even and impeccable, and all the sharp corners on the protrusions are nicely removed with subtle small flat grinds. The plunge grind on the blade is awesome (note the nice arc between the plunge grind and the flat side of the blade). The hollow grind on the blade, 'CRK perfect' as expected:
The logo on these knives is punched into the surface, not engraved:
Have a look how the knurling transitions to the smooth area. Perfectly, perfectly even all the way around the handle in the photo below. That is not easy to achieve.
Jimping is fantastic!:
The traction knurling is amazing. I don't know what it would be like to work with this knife for hours (likely would chew up bare skin), but the traction is amazing in the short term, and it looks perfect. I like how the gun-coat carries on inside the knife:
The aluminum cap is a wonder in it's own right (note the neoprene O-Ring for waterproofness, and the perfection of the transition between knurled and smooth surfaces. It is interesting that the appearance of the knurling on the aluminum cap and the hardened steel handle are identical. It likely took some figuring to make the machining match between the very different metals):
Never seen a nicer swedge (perfectly even both sides) and probably never will:
The rounding of the handle-to-blade transition has no machining marks. Very nicely finished:
Feels great in hand!
So, there is some debate in my mind as to whether the extra weight, and odd balance, of these one-piece knives is worth it, just to have a hollow handle, or if the smarter survivalist would just get a well balanced, full tang fixed blade, carry a waterproof pouch in their pack, and be done with it. I must agree with those that say carrying your fire-starting or fishing kit inside your knife handle is foolish, because if you lose your knife, your doubly screwed, but it would still be fun to have some matches and cotton balls in there I suppose. What is not up for debate in my mind is that these knives show a true mastery of metalwork from one of the world's great knife makers and innovators. I am proud to have added an OPK to my collection and congratulate CRK for having produced so many examples of these fine knives. It's quite something to hold and behold, and may prove to be a trusty user if I get the courage up to thump on it.
Thanks for having a look!
.so on to the pictures......and my argument that a CRK OPK is one of the most perfect singular (excluding the cap) pieces of metal one can hold in one's hand.
First up, the edge grind! Wow....this grind is amazing....totally straight, even, matching both sides. Whoever sharpened the edge of this knife cared a great deal about the result. BRAVO CRK!!
The blade has a very nice and useful sharpening choil, the guncoat coating is even and impeccable, and all the sharp corners on the protrusions are nicely removed with subtle small flat grinds. The plunge grind on the blade is awesome (note the nice arc between the plunge grind and the flat side of the blade). The hollow grind on the blade, 'CRK perfect' as expected:
The logo on these knives is punched into the surface, not engraved:
Have a look how the knurling transitions to the smooth area. Perfectly, perfectly even all the way around the handle in the photo below. That is not easy to achieve.
Jimping is fantastic!:
The traction knurling is amazing. I don't know what it would be like to work with this knife for hours (likely would chew up bare skin), but the traction is amazing in the short term, and it looks perfect. I like how the gun-coat carries on inside the knife:
The aluminum cap is a wonder in it's own right (note the neoprene O-Ring for waterproofness, and the perfection of the transition between knurled and smooth surfaces. It is interesting that the appearance of the knurling on the aluminum cap and the hardened steel handle are identical. It likely took some figuring to make the machining match between the very different metals):
Never seen a nicer swedge (perfectly even both sides) and probably never will:
The rounding of the handle-to-blade transition has no machining marks. Very nicely finished:
Feels great in hand!
So, there is some debate in my mind as to whether the extra weight, and odd balance, of these one-piece knives is worth it, just to have a hollow handle, or if the smarter survivalist would just get a well balanced, full tang fixed blade, carry a waterproof pouch in their pack, and be done with it. I must agree with those that say carrying your fire-starting or fishing kit inside your knife handle is foolish, because if you lose your knife, your doubly screwed, but it would still be fun to have some matches and cotton balls in there I suppose. What is not up for debate in my mind is that these knives show a true mastery of metalwork from one of the world's great knife makers and innovators. I am proud to have added an OPK to my collection and congratulate CRK for having produced so many examples of these fine knives. It's quite something to hold and behold, and may prove to be a trusty user if I get the courage up to thump on it.
Thanks for having a look!
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