CRKT BladeLOCK™ (Michael Walker)

[Akirwan]

I am a novice when it comes to knives. I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of knives and their diferences. I need a good durable knife that holds an edge well and is easily opened with one hand. I liked how easy CRKT BladeLOCK™ (Michael Walker) opened but wanted to get the group's opinion of what they would recommend.

Thanks for your help.

Adam Kirwan
aokirwan@yahoo.com

 

[Bugs3x]

Greetings, Adam. Welcome to the forums!

The CRKT Bladelock is a fairly new knife. It is interesting that you found it easy to close, because some forumites have reported problems either opening it, or at least remembering to push down on the thumb stud. Perhaps because you don't have a lot of muscle memory locked into more standard thumbstuds it wasn't so hard for you to learn.

One problem has been reported about the Bladelock -- that they leak oil/lubricant out of the thumbstud/area. Apparently a few trips to the dry cleaners was necessitated by such leakage.

CRKT has the reputation of a company that gives about as much "bang for the buck" with their knives as any. Many of their knives are collaborations with custom makers, and they are CNC made in Taiwan. The two biggest knocks against their knives are that they tend to use a relatively low grade steel in AUS6 in many of their knives. The other is that virtually all of their knives are liner locks. Many folks here are pretty negative about liner locks due the greater potential that they will fail than say a lockback, or frame lock, or the Axis lock from Benchmade or the Rolling lock from REKAT. Yet, liner lock sales continue to dominate the market, and I've yet to read of an amputated finger from one.

I've been a big CRKT fan for quite a while. One of their discontinued knives, the Apache is part of my daily carry rotation. There are a few Apaches left at Smoky Mountain Knife Works at closeout prices. The APache 3 is pretty small, and I'm not sure they have any of the large Apaches left. They did yesterday have 1 or 2 models of the Apache 2, which is a decent size. The Apache is so thin that it appears smaller than it really is. I also am very fond of the CRKT LUS, the Lightfoot Urban Shark. I'd think about the larger one.

I carried an M16-14 for about 18 months. I love the flipper. It is a very big knife. There are some smaller M16s, that might suit you really well. Oops, almost forgot -- SMKW has some Mirage wharncliffe blades on closeout also. I ordered some yesterday.

If I might, I'd like to suggest that you consider Spyderco knives. For several bucks less than the Bladelock, you can get the Native FRN. FRN is the same as Zytel, a mold-injected glass packed plastic. Very durable stuff. The Native has a blade of CPM440V (or SV60) steel. This is one of the longest edge holding steels on the market. The design is very ergonomic for most -- not all -- and it is designed to choke up on the blade for fine cutting. The Native should serve well in a self defense role, should that ever prove necessary.

Having said all this, should have just asked you to describe in as much detail as possible what you see as the primary uses to which you'll put your knife. Migraine has me very fuddled.

Use the search thread on this or the general forum to check out knives that you're interested in. We just changed software, so you might well need to check out the most recent archives.

Good luck.

 

[Buzzbait]

CRKT gives a heck of a lot of bang for the buck, but the BladeLock is one of the few CRKT's that I'm not a fan of. Bugs pointed out the major issues with them, and he is very much correct. It seems like a good knife at first, but little things begin to bother you over time.

If you want something that stays sharp for a long time, as opposed to something that sharpens easily but doesn't hold an edge as well, you might want to consider something with a steel better than CRKT's AUS6. I personally don't have a big problem with AUS6, but it does require more sharpening than some other steels.

If you really want a large, ergonomic, high quality, durable knife, that will give years of dependable use, I'd save up some cash and look in the $100.00 range. That additional $50.00 goes a long long way in the knife world, opening many possibilities in terms of steel, handle material and locking mechanisms. Knives like the Spyderco Military and Benchmade 710 are hard to beat at any price.

 

[Akirwan]

Thank you for your help. I checked out your suggestions and love the Smokey Mountain Knife Works site. They were out of the Apache II which did look very good (the price was just $19.99). The Mirage wharncliffe blades also looked good and are only $9.99. Both of these blades were AUS-8. The Spyderco Native had a higher quality steel blade, as you mentioned, and the price was over $80.00.

I also saw the CRKT Grey Ghost Mirage, which has an AUS-8 stainless steel partially serrated blade. The price for this knife was only $14.99.

I am buying the knife for both utility and self-defense purposes (Muggings are up where I work), though I hope the later use never becomes necessary. Do you think the CRKT Grey Ghost Mirage would suit my purposes? If so, the price is sure right.

Thanks again for your help.

Adam Kirwan
aokirwan@yahoo.com

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

I just bought one this weekend. Very interesting design. On my model, the action is very smooth and the blade locks solid with no play in any direction. Closing the knife takes a bit of practice, but once you get used to it, it can be manipulated easily. This is definately not my idea of a defensive folder and not designed for rapid deployment. It is however, a great design for utility use. The knife handle is very comfortable and does not have a lanyard hole, however, there is a pin at the top end of the handle beind the Zytel spacer which can be used to tie a lanyard like on the Microtech LCC. The fact that the blade is locked when closed means you don't have to worry about it opening up in your pocket like a few tip up carry knives do. Alot of folks have mixed feelings about CRKT's use of AUS-6M steel, but for the price it is really a bargain when you consider what a custom Walker Bladelock will cost. All in all it's a very cool knife but I'd like to see a version with a drop point blade and perhaps different colour scales.

"the man in the back has a question."

 

[avpshadowman]

umm, i never handled a blade lock, but it looks like a nice knife when i saw it in a cabinet

you might want to try an axis lock, its a well designed locking mechanism, and there are a number of different knives with it from benchmade. you may want to look at possibly the 730 or 710. Either way, although it could cost up to 2-3 times as much as a blade lock, it makes an excellent knife.

Daniel

 

[Sergiusz Mitin]

Akirwan,
CRKT Mirage Gray Ghost is very nice knife, very solid and well made. This is one of my favorite CRKT models. To buy it for $15 seems true bargain for me. Not sure I'm orientating in American actual prices well but I think a lot of Europeans could envy you
Here we have discussed this knife some time ago, may be interesting for you.

 

[Bugs3x]

Hey Adam -- I'm at least partially confused by something you said in your second post here. That is the $80 price for the Native. Also, sorry about the Apaches being out of stock. They had been in stock earlier yesterday. In fact, I was kicking myself because I hadn't ordered the serrated Apache II when I ordered some of the Mirages.

Am not sure where you looked that up, but that is way more than they cost. I just checked Knife Outlet: http://www.knifeoutlet.com/

They have the FRN/plastic handled Native for $50. Bayou LaFourche didn't carry the FRN ltwt model but had the SS handled model for $59. I may not have said this in my first post, but SMKW has terrific closeout prices, and some of their regular prices are competitive, but many of them are also a fair amount higher than the average web vendor asks. I didn't check Skylands Knives. They often have good prices as well--guess should say usually.

Also, the SS handled Native has a steel not so highly regarded as that which comes with the lightweight model. A lot of people don't care for FRN/Zytel handles. They are light, and if they're thin enough, they bend a bit. Guess I got lucky because I bought a Gerber LST with Zytel around 15 years ago, and it looks virtually new after about 12-13 years carry. I think one has to try very hard to break good quality FRN -- Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon. I am one who appreciates knives with some heft to them also, but am not a SS handle fan. Simply too slick for me. So, in Spydercos, I have 3 of the lightweight models, and love them.

One other knife you probably should check out -- if I didn't mention it before. THat is the Benchmade Griptilian. Has the Axis lock -- either best or second best lock on the market. And, apparently has good size, and 440C steel, if I recall correctly. Have seen them for sale for $57, and I think I read that they can be had for $50 somewhere.