How are the Chinese made CRKT brand knives?

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TheEdge01

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Apr 3, 2015
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Hey guys, I'm looking for another everyday carry knife for SD and doing minor tasks at work. Right now I carry a Kershaw Sleek and it seems to be a great knife but I am looking to upgrade. I found a CRKT brand knife priced at $69 that I was interested in but the fact that it was made in China was a major turn off. I have never owned that brand before, but it looked good and felt solid in the hand. If they are good knives I will probably go back and buy it. I know there are other brands out there but i really like the looks of this one. Are they good solid knives or would you pass it up?
 
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Not sure where my two CRKT were made. I have the Ken Onion "Wave" and a "Slip Kiss".

As for Chinese made knives, I have several. Rough Rider, Buck, Colt, and Marbles (all traditionals). Fit and finish on all are excellent. NO blade slop in any direction. The blade steels take and hold a wicked shaving sharp edge. (Rough Riders, Marbles, and Buck are all stainless. I have a couple stainless and a couple carbon steel bladed Colts)

I'd say buy it. Others who cannot stand anything not made in the USA (yet they like Cold Steel's Tacticlol knives ....) will advise you not to buy, since they are unable to overcome their bigotry and prejudices.

I look at it this way: The CRKT knives made overseas have the same guarantee as those made in the USA (ditto for the Buck knives) if there is a problem, it gets fixed. They do not put their name on junk.
 
I got no problem at all with origin. China puts out great stuff if they want to. Trustworthy companies, like CRKT, give them reason to. They wont stake their rep on junk.

Not the biggest CRKT fan anymore tho. Their early stuff was wicked, but soon became gimmicky and insultingly built with the lowest possible level of acceptable materials, yet priced at a premium.

Loved my apache, side hawg, kasper/polkowski fixed, m-16, mirage, and some others, but havent seen one in forever that even remotely justified the cost/benefit ratio.

They had potential. But anymore, one can do waaaayyyy better for the price.

Thx.
 
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The only CRKT knives I own are the Razels (have three made by them) and all are China made. Work knives for me. Nothing more. The thing that bothers me about CRKT is that they almost try to hide the fact that the knife is made in China. You really have to look for the country of origin and that bothers me. Have no use for them overall other than what I already own.
 
I equate CRKT with SOG and Boker Plus in many regards. They have some very interesting designs (some more than others) but the price is high for the materials used on many of their models. I own numerous CRKT knives, and have only bought one that had issues. Unfortunately, in that case, their customer service "solution" was to tell me that they didn't have the parts available to fix the issue and that I would have to take it back to where I bought it. Luckily for me, the retailer I'd bought it from exchanged it for a flawless replacement without issue. Hopefully, the knife was ultimately destroyed, because it was quite simply unsafe and never should have passed through QC. That's where I find issues with Chinese knives more than any other: obvious flaws that should have been spotted and addressed.

I do occasionally carry a CRKT Ripple, and I have a couple of their fixed blades (Ultima 7, SOTFB M60 drop point and tanto models) that I especially like, but Kershaw offers a lot more bang for the buck, has (in my experience) better customer service, and more practical if slightly less exciting designs.
 
I felt the price on my large folding CRKT Razel a bit steep at the time (early this year). But that was a knife I had been looking for a while and apparently had been discontinued. So, I held my nose and bought the thing for about $10 more than I though it was worth because I had specific plans for using that one. It works well for precise scraping and I do not loan it to my crew ever. Still haven't used it enough yet to need sharpening.
 
I currently have two Chinese CRKT folders: a Stubby Folding Razel and a Tighe Rade. The Razel is solid as heck. No issues. The Tighe Rade is very comfy and smooth operating. The blade isn't perfectly centered on the Rade, but it's not too bad. There's also a wee bit of vertical play, but that seems par for the course with low-priced button locks and isn't unique to the Rade. Overall, I think they're pretty decent for the price. I've heard great things about their new Chinese made Ken Onion Hootenanny, too. I may pick one up soon. :thumbup:
 
I don't own any Chinese CRKTs, but I'd be lying if I said I don't occasionally consider picking up a Fossil.
 
IMO, as a whole they are some of the better "cheap" Knives available...

I own a folding free range 3"+, a lake 111z 3", a Pazoda 3", and a Kasper Crawford dragon fixed 4.5". And and pleasantly pleased with all of them.
 
Inazone said:
I equate CRKT with SOG and Boker Plus in many regards.
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Even pre-China manufacture, I've had nothing but sucky quality from CRKT in folders. I own a number of Boker Plus knives that are vastly superior in every way from CRKT of 5-10 years ago, let alone now. I only own CRKT fixed blades, knowing they're effectively disposable; for the price, Mora and Hultafors cost less with vastly better quality.
 
average gimp said:
Even pre-China manufacture, I've had nothing but sucky quality from CRKT in folders. I own a number of Boker Plus knives that are vastly superior in every way from CRKT of 5-10 years ago, let alone now.
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Just to be clear, my main point of comparison between CRKT and Boker Plus is the designs (mostly cool) and cost for materials, country of manufacture, etc. I question whether the 440C on Chinese Boker Plus models is "real" 440C or 8Cr-series Chinese steel, and whether it is or not, their prices are high enough for me to explore a lot of other options. Same with CRKT in many ways, and SOG too, at least in my experience.

In terms of QC, I would rate Boker Plus over CRKT, no question.
 
I have a CRKT Swindle which I'm pretty sure is made in China, it's a solid knife, smooth action, no issues with it. I think if the knife is from a reliable brand, it usually doesn't matter where it's made.
 
I've had several China-made CRKTs that were great: Squid, Hootenany, No Time Off, Swindle, Carajas, etc. Also, some Taiwan ones that are great: Eros, Eraser, Ripple.

I used to look down on CRKT knives as "beneath me" but I have since seen the error of my ways. A lot of their stuff is really awesome.
 
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I'll echo some of what others are saying and add my experiences. They have interesting designs with some of the top designers. They do have some issues though. The fit/finish and QC and execution is hit or miss. They also price some knives far to high for what you get especially compared to competitive options and with knowing their might be issues.

Grownstar mentions the fossil. I have thought about it many times as well. The problem is that it is far too expensive for a Chinese made 8cr knife especially given the company's reputation for problems. The country of origin is not the issue. The problem is the company doesn't demand quality from their manufacturers yet they demand a higher price tag than other companies for a similar and often lower quality product. I have had too many CRKTs with issues to pay the price they are asking most of the time. Of course their are exceptions.

Honestly, there are better quality knives for the money. Look at the options from Ontario like the Rat 1 or Utilitac II. Spyderco has their Chinese line with the Tenacious and others. You want American made? Kershaw has some models that are under the price of that CRKT you are looking at (Piston, knockout, etc...). Hell, the CRKT drifter is made for them by SRM and you can get that for $5 cheaper directly from SRM. For knife nuts there are just better options.
 
I've several models of Chinese made CRKT knives and have no issues with any of them. Good knives and a good price.
Rich
 
I am a huge fan of chinese knives when they are quality. I cant say that I feel the majority of CRKT products made in china qualify. Mind you I am not a knife snob. In fact I only own one knife that actually wasnt made in china at the moment. But I still feel you can get more for your money. IMHO they simply ask too much money for what you are getting. Issues I have had or seen range from handle screws that cant be tightened without pinching critical moving parts to wonky sharpening and off center grind lines. Combine that with prices at the pinnacle of what should be possible for what you get and I just cant get excited about anything. To me CRKT is kinda like a designer name brand. They offer products designed by celebrity knife makers and you pay a premium for the tie in to that maker and fancy looks. The only knife I would buy from CRKT was actually the one they had lionsteel make for them. In the late 90's and early 2000's I think CRKT really did represent value. These days I feel they are for the guy who really doesnt care about having a good knife but rather wants a knife that looks like he cares. But even then its a great looker at 5-10 feet away so that effect is all but lost in hand.
 
Many people feel that 69 dollars is serious money for a knife. For that kind of cash (or just a little more) you should be able get a great knife from a company with a great reputation. You can do much better with the money you have to spend.

Used to be a big fan of CRKT and recommended their products often. I carried their knives through most of my military career with good results and I rarely felt under knifed. Then I noticed CRKT started changing the specs and they lowered the grade of steel in their blades. Same model of knife, same price, poorer steel. Yet, I still handed over my greenbacks for their knives. The knife would feel the same as my old one but I found myself touching up the blade more often. Then the prices started to climb. More money for less knife.

Overall, I can not recommend them any more. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate CRKT and they have had a few products that I think are decent. Some I love. I like the Swindle and one of my all time favorite knives is their discontinued Prowler model. I just can't give them a blanket seal of approval like I used to.

As a company, Kershaw is leaps and bounds ahead of CRKT. At least in my opinion it is. In a way, you would be taking a step backwards if you bought a knife from CRKT. There are a lot of companies that offer budget knives that are much better than what CRKT has to offer. Many of them are a lot less money too.

In the past, CRKT has proven that they can produce a great quality knife at a decent price point. For some reason though, they just don't do it.
 
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I agree on the exaggerated price tag of most of their knives. I also think they offer unique designs and interesting collaborations.
if you're looking for a CRKT folder suitable for SD (please don't start with the discussion "a knife is not appropiate for SD blah blah blah") I recommend checking the Otanashi Noh Ken and Shizuka Noh Ken folders. A bit expensive if compared to other chinese knives, but wicked sharp, strong, hefty and reliable. Longer blade than most chinese folders.

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Perfectly able to handle most utility tasks (cardboard, boxes, zip ties etc.) and food prep. Really.
Tell us what you finally choose!
 
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