The Seismic will go way down in price for starters...some just can't sit on their hands and remain a little patient when a new knife comes out.But to be fair you're talking about MSRP...not dealer's asking price.
CRKT isn't really that kind of knife manufacturer. Look at their old models from Taiwan and they explain the brand's approach more clearly.You'll see a lot of Zytel scaled knives and some with a G-10 fabric like texture put on.Plenty of aluminum bodied knives.Heck you'll even notice the Commander and 14K Summit line used Zinc for scales.Most models used Teflon washers but a few had a bronze one thrown in.Aside from the LAWKS/Auto LAWKS there were different designers were contributing specific lock designs to their knife designs.Besides the technology...well...they were a standard user brand like Gerber or Schrade really.They just had better design sources to pull off nicer work with standard materials.
Just my opinion but it's more productive for CRKT to develop a new mass production/widely versatile design friendly lock design than it is to be a titanium and carbon fiber trend brand.Their LAWKS patent is expired which is why you don't see new models bearing it.CRKT is a user knife brand...they got on the map from Wal-Mart distribution in the late 90's/early 2000's.They expect their knives to get scratched up,dirt stains on the G-10,and enjoy the comfort and jimping.
CRKT's blade steel has never been top notch stuff even dating to their AUS-6...it wasn't lousy steel to the average person.It sharpened up to a razor edge quickly and held it's edge to a moderate level of use.Some may praise the use of 8Cr13MoV over the AUS-6...I say that Chinese steel's 0.25% nickel content makes it more prone to roll versus the 0.50% nickel content in any of the AUS Series steels.4 hours of yardwork and hacking limbs that wrist and twist action alone can't accomplish and I'm not smiling on my M16-03Z in 8CR13MoV from the touch up it needed vs. my old Marzitelli Prowler in AUS-6.
And here I am wishing they'd go back to Taiwan manufacturing and take on Japanese steel again.CRKT may not have had the flashy look of today.But I do collect some of their old stuff back from my late teens to early 20's that they released and they had pretty good user knives that looked more adult and not childish.Look at stuff line the Bud Nealy Pesh Kabz,Peter Marzitelli Prowler,Pat Crawford Falcon line,Pat Crawford/Kasper Fighting Folder (not the large...the shortly lived medium sized version),Pat Crawford Point Guard line,Michael Walker's Blade LOCK Series,and the Mirage Series.Aside from the popular M16 line by Kit Carson there's a lot of people that overlook the aluminum/G-10 inlay M18 models in AUS-8 steel.They didn't have the steel grade in mass production to compete with the defunct REKAT Knives back then,but CRKT was the next best thing combining technology and tactical designs.