CRKT Heat Treatment

M

Mechanical Advantage

Joined
Nov 1, 2017
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64
Okay, so I've got an S35VN Pilar, and I love it. The shape is prefect, both aesthetically and ergonomically (for me, anyway). I will admit that it needed a little TLC to clean it up a bit and take care of some fit-and-finish issues, but I was prepared for that.

But what I'm hearing a lot is how bad CRKT does their heat treatment, especially with this S35VN. Now, I've only used it for some pretty light-duty tasks so I haven't really noticed. But is their steel really that bad? What about their D2? I know it can happen - I've heard reports of how soft ZT'S steel was on the 0909. But is this the case with CRKT, or is it people just bandwagoning against them due to their poor quality control?
 
They do tend to run everything softer than what is ideal for the given steel... but I really don't know how low they are. There was a large post about tested hrc values on some folders (which I can't find right now) which I believe included some crkt's

if anyone recalls this post/link - please put it up here?
 
The data pool for hrc doesn’t have CRKT samples on it, yet. I’m surprised by that, since one of the people involved is kind of a fan of CRKT by way of being fascinated with mechanisms.

While the protocols followed by production companies may be in line with what Crucible suggests, the care involved in doing it well varies. There are a number of ways in which the same basic outline can produce different results. For example, hold time once peak temp is achieved can be a factor. One company may hold it at temp for extra time to ensure consistency. Another may hit the temp and pull the steel more quickly, which may mean that the steel hasn’t hit peak temp across the full batch or sample. That is just one example of many.
 
Banter 247 said:
The data pool for hrc doesn’t have CRKT samples on it, yet. I’m surprised by that, since one of the people involved is kind of a fan of CRKT by way of being fascinated with mechanisms.

While the protocols followed by production companies may be in line with what Crucible suggests, the care involved in doing it well varies. There are a number of ways in which the same basic outline can produce different results. For example, hold time once peak temp is achieved can be a factor. One company may hold it at temp for extra time to ensure consistency. Another may hit the temp and pull the steel more quickly, which may mean that the steel hasn’t hit peak temp across the full batch or sample. That is just one example of many.
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This. Nothing CRKT has done in the past indicates to me that they would bother to take the time and care to properly do a consistent and well-executed heat treat. If they don't bother with making the rest of the knife well, why bother with a good heat treat?

Even if they did, they could intentionally target a lower hardness than is normally desired for optimum edge retention.
 
CRKT has never been known for quality heat treatments. I wouldn’t be surprised if the HRC of their S35VN was in the middle 50s.

I mean, we’re talking about a company that put 1.4116 Krupp in a $120 folder. Edge retention is not anywhere on their priority list. CRKT is a vanity brand, and everything they make is for the show of it.
 
I've had bad experiences with CRKT steel, so much so I won't buy another even though I like some of thier designs. This was on the lower end stuff fwiw.
 
Crkt do terrible heat treatment

That s35vn was just to move units cause people want to buy "s35vn" regardless if it performs worse than anyone else's.

Hopefully one day curt will get a sample and use his xrf gun to test it and hrc test its hardness too. Then hopefully send it to outpost 76 on YouTube to test its performance.

If someone wants to donate one i can point you in the right direction to send it.

But all signs point to crkt are just awful.
 
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I don't really dislike crkt, even like how they bring interesting designers designs to market but their prices most times make me cringe for what one gets.

also their heat treat have never been what I consider industry leading. they are usually softer and reprofiling has always been too easy per steel compared to spyderco, buck, as examples. in my experiences with more than a few.
 
Mo2 said:
Crkt do terrible heat treatment

That s35vn was just to move units cause people want to buy "s35vn" regardless if it performs worse than anyone else's.

Hopefully one day curt will get a sample and use his xrf gun to test it and hrc test its hardness too. Then hopefully send it to outpost 76 on YouTube to test its performance.

If someone wants to donate one i can point you in the right direction to send it.

But all signs point to crkt are just awful.
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Kurt, Gerald, and I are in an ongoing chat with a few other guys. I’ll see if any of them have one to hit.
 
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I have 2 crkt knives that are in the higher pricepoint(hisshou and fe7) and hisshou is perfectly made and fe7 was unevenly ground and slightly bent out of box, so quality is VERY varied with them.
 
dirc said:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/crkt-knifecenter-hootenanny-not-actually-s30v.1439456/

if they still just outsource all the work to various unknown mfgs in who-knows-where, is it really any surprise that qc and ht issues continue?

I'm glad I don't own any crkt, it's too bad because I actually do like the look of the pilar ...
as soon as kershaw does one, I'm in ; p
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They do. And problem threads are numerous, with some very egregious fails. The one you and I linked being at the top of the list.
 
From experience (Edited: 15, not 20+ different models, over the years), CRKT runs their steel softer than other companies. Kershaw uses the same Cro-Moly alphabet soup steel on their value-tier knives, and gets 2-3 times the edge retention out of it.

About one out of every five CRKT knives will not hold an edge. That's across all of their models, from the most realistically priced, to the most optimistically priced.

Owning Columbia River knives is like owning a Volkwagen Beetle: you like them for what they are, but you can never forget what they're not.
 
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I'm curious to know how all those who claim CRKT has soft steel because of bad heat treatment determined that fact?

Or are they just repeating inaccurate rumors. Anyone can say anything they want, but that doesn't make it the truth.

I'm sure CRKT folks have heard these claims and if they want to stay in business and make a little money they are taking them seriously like any good business would.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
I'm curious to know how all those who claim CRKT has soft steel because of bad heat treatment determined that fact?

Or are they just repeating inaccurate rumors. Anyone can say anything they want, but that doesn't make it the truth.

I'm sure CRKT folks have heard these claims and if they want to stay in business and make a little money they are taking them seriously like any good business would.
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I'm betting the people with experience here make their claims based on using and sharpening their knives. Seems logical, no?

And soft steel isn't nearly crkt's biggest problem in my, and many others opinion.

Crkt doesn't listen to the knife community. Making a quality, long lasting, and problem free product is not their business model and nor are those who really care about such things their target customer. And that is fine. They are in the business of making money and clearly found a way to do it that works for them. If crkt wanted to do things so enthusiasts would by them more and criticize them less, they would. Again, we aren't their market. Putting out a very limited and very expensive knife every once in a while won't sway the enthusiast, especially when your $700 crkt gets recalled.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
I'm curious to know how all those who claim CRKT has soft steel because of bad heat treatment determined that fact?

Or are they just repeating inaccurate rumors. Anyone can say anything they want, but that doesn't make it the truth.

I'm sure CRKT folks have heard these claims and if they want to stay in business and make a little money they are taking them seriously like any good business would.
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This raises a valid point, imo. While I’m certainly not perfect, I do try to make it a point to avoid offering an opinion without basing it on best available information.

Having not seen specific data suggesting a trend for CRKT heat treatments, I won’t say what they do/don’t do.

There are two sides to the coin, though. We can’t say for certain that the rumors are inaccurate, either.

I hope to see some of them tested soon. I’ve been encouraging the group to test as much common use steel as possible so that we can have a more clear perspective on what is being delivered to consumers.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
I'm curious to know how all those who claim CRKT has soft steel because of bad heat treatment determined that fact?

Or are they just repeating inaccurate rumors. Anyone can say anything they want, but that doesn't make it the truth.

I'm sure CRKT folks have heard these claims and if they want to stay in business and make a little money they are taking them seriously like any good business would.
Click to expand...
I said exactly why I felt that way in my post.....did ya read it?
 
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