Chasing trends and changing times.

BMCGear

BMCGear

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
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Seeing the 2021 new product lines are just making me realize that each year knife companies throw several designs out in hope that something sticks. Sometimes they really do and those knives become iconic after being made for years but other times they're discontinued within a year or two. The Bugout is an example of one of those knives.

I feel like the knife industry is at point where it doesn't really know where to go. Knives have been made in various plastics, resins, metals, etc. for years now. As I watched several big companies taught their product line this year there was nothing in those lineups that really screamed innovation or iconic. It just looks like more of the same. Maybe a new steel to the maker (which is probably under heat treated).

I used to get really excited around 1st of the year, Shot Show, and Blade Show but now I realize that something can only be reinvented so many times until it becomes stale.

As I sit here holding my 31 it's not perfect but aligns more with what I value. It's a timeless design, features some innovation, and is a tool made to be used and cared for that I can pass on to my family one day. I will save money this year carrying this knife vs. buying a half dozen production knives because they're the latest and greatest.
 
Benchmade's release video comes out in 10 minutes! I wonder if there will be anything interesting.

Your thoughts resonate with me. My perspective this year is to carry the knives I currently own rather than chasing the next best thing. The Southern Grind Spider Monkey is in my pocket for the month of January and then February I plan to carry the Spyderco RockJumper.

I did however, jump on the Beer and Sausage bandwagon this week o_O
 
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BMCGear said:
Seeing the 2021 new product lines are just making me realize that each year knife companies throw several designs out in hope that something sticks. Sometimes they really do and those knives become iconic after being made for years but other times they're discontinued within a year or two. The Bugout is an example of one of those knives.

I feel like the knife industry is at point where it doesn't really know where to go. Knives have been made in various plastics, resins, metals, etc. for years now. As I watched several big companies taught their product line this year there was nothing in those lineups that really screamed innovation or iconic. It just looks like more of the same. Maybe a new steel to the maker (which is probably under heat treated).

I used to get really excited around 1st of the year, Shot Show, and Blade Show but now I realize that something can only be reinvented so many times until it becomes stale.

As I sit here holding my 31 it's not perfect but aligns more with what I value. It's a timeless design, features some innovation, and is a tool made to be used and cared for that I can pass on to my family one day. I will save money this year carrying this knife vs. buying a half dozen production knives because they're the latest and greatest.
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I agree. I quit accumulating knives about 10 years ago. Never considered myself a collector because there was never any rhyme or reason as to what I bought. I remember when everyone was going crazy when the first xm-18's came out. I thought to myself, yes they look like fine tools, but how many 1 titanium scale/ 1 g10 scale knife with a 3.5" blade of s30v do I actually need?

Same with my fixed blades. Why do I need every 7-9" FB with every type of grind available. Or how many black handled, black bladed benchmades with the axis lock? It is just sharpened steel.
 
CRK is like dark chocolate.
Sometimes you need something with a different flavor. ;)
 
That’s one of the things that I’ve always liked about CRK, while other companies are trying to capture more of the market with a different look, CRK marches to the tune of their own drum. They have been consistent with what makes them recognized as well built knives. Even with the 31 and the changes it’s gone through which some people don’t like is still the basis for CRK.
They just work.
 
I think we are at a similar point right now and I can relate very much to what you are saying. However, we should recognize that others have been here before and others will in the future. Models and designs may seem stagnant right now, but there are more than ever. We may be bored with S35vn, but steels are getting more innovation and variety... and a new CRK CPM offering is dropping for the first time in many many years. I'm at a place where I agree with your thoughts, but also feel like this is where I am at, more than where the industry is at IMO. This is the circle? Time is a loop?? Will I be collecting only traditionals a decade from now??? Right now I have three 31's and I'm looking for my 4th :)
 
abbazaba said:
I think we are at a similar point right now and I can relate very much to what you are saying. However, we should recognize that others have been here before and others will in the future. Models and designs may seem stagnant right now, but there are more than ever. We may be bored with S35vn, but steels are getting more innovation and variety... and a new CRK CPM offering is dropping for the first time in many many years. I'm at a place where I agree with your thoughts, but also feel like this is where I am at, more than where the industry is at IMO. This is the circle? Time is a loop?? Will I be collecting only traditionals a decade from now??? Right now I have three 31's and I'm looking for my 4th :)
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I can't get enough of my 31.
 
It's all about taste , and boredom setting in... my 1994 "P" is every bit the great knife my 31 is, and all points in between (there are many) . Unless you earn a living with a pocket knife, I suggest there is nothing lacking in a CRK .... IF it seemed like a good idea in the first place..I know they are not "perfect" , but I sure have enjoyed mine!
 
bart1 said:
It's all about taste , and boredom setting in... my 1994 "P" is every bit the great knife my 31 is, and all points in between (there are many) . Unless you earn a living with a pocket knife, I suggest there is nothing lacking in a CRK .... IF it seemed like a good idea in the first place..I know they are not "perfect" , but I sure have enjoyed mine!
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What I intended by this thread was really meant to say - CRK doesn't seem to chase trends. I used to but now I'm settling into CRK and realizing the newest and flashiest doesn't really beat tried and true.
 
BMCGear said:
What I intended by this thread was really meant to say - CRK doesn't seem to chase trends. I used to but now I'm settling into CRK and realizing the newest and flashiest doesn't really beat tried and true.
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This where I'm at. I mainly collect knives from a few makers now and they tend to be non flashy, simple, clean amazingly built knives. Pena, Laconico, Mayo, CRK. But, I have gotten into collecting CRKs because it's fun and I like the chase. There are also so many difference examples of Sebenza Regulars, 21s, Inkosis, Ti-Locks, etc, out there that it makes the hunt all that much more exciting.
 
I’m a user, wouldn’t consider myself a collector. Tried the safe Queen thing for a minute and it’s just not for me. I get it but for me 99 percent of my CRKs are workers. Also 99 percent of my work knives are CRKs. As Ajack60 Ajack60 said, they just work. For me they’re simple, well constructed, not flashy, no frills work knives. I honestly could not tell you the latest and greatest or new trends with knives. So many are discontinued by the time I hear about them. There’s nothing wrong with venturing out and trying new things but like BMCGear BMCGear said, tried and true is where I’m at. CRK has given me no reason to look elsewhere
 
I guess we're all enthusiasts to some degree for being on a knife forum in the first place. I don't care for new stuff all the time like the smart phone industry and prefer CRK's simple approach with its core line and less common knives like unique graphics.
 
I think CRK knives are kind of a good lesson and litmus test of where you are in your knife usage/collection/philosophy.

My Inkosi is my only CRK currently. It has nothing to do with how much I like it and everything to do with having $450 to spend on a knife and being close to a BnM to handle them first. That's why I'm glad I'm only a couple hours from Spark's shop. My Inkosi was the first time I cracked $400 on a knife, and honestly, while I will admit that it is in no way "perfect", I simply can't go back or enjoy a lesser knife. I don't mean for that to sound snobbish, but once you own something at the CRK tier, the stuff under it is just..OK. They are certainly great knives, but that level of fit and finish and attention to detail that does not rely on a flashy opening system or a super steel, it's just special.

I have found that I am NOT a collector of CRK. I won't own a dozen or even half a dozen. I still want a large Sebenza, a Zaan, and some fixed blade of some flavor, but I appreciate the fact that I only NEED buy one or two and have a clutch that will last me generations. Every knife I buy goes in my pocket. Every knife I buy gets used. I have found myself beyond the flashy and just appreciating a really well designed and hard working knife that puts effort into being a hard worker that is not designed to be disposed and that I can actually sharpen without diamond hones.

Honestly, short of a CS Voyager XL that I bought on a whim (and don't carry short of as camp knife), I haven't bought another folding knife since I purchased my Inkosi back in November of 2019. The only other knife that competes for actual pocket time is OTF. That said, if I could only own one knife for the rest of my life and was forced to use just that for pretty much any day to day activity, my Inkosi would probably be way, way up the list.
 
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