Photos One Piece Knife > Aviator

James Longstreet

James Longstreet

Joined
May 1, 2014
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This is my most vintage CRK at the moment. The "Aviator" from the One Piece Knife range. It was born in 1992 and already made in the states. As you can see, it is numbered and it has the so called hex cap. Both, the numbering and the hex cap, were stopped somewhere throughout the starting years in the states, after having moved over from South Africa.

You may also recognize the black color. Most of the OPK we see have kind of grey/anthrazite color tone. Also the surface looks/feels more like a paint/varnish compared to younger OPK where the grey surface has more like a powder coating appearance. I talked to CRK customer service about it and they confirmed, that colors do vary, depending upon the period made, the batch of paint used and even depending upon the technician who applied the paint.

I am very pleased that I was able to find this piece in mint condition, without any wear off for instance at the handle or at the cap, which happens easily even with unsued OPK, just from handling, storage, transport and things like that.

Check out some pics.

OPK, Aviator, 01

OPK, Aviator, 02

OPK, Aviator, 03

The "number of the beast" :)

OPK, Aviator, 04

This group pic of the 1992 Aviator, together with a 2001 Tanto I and a 2009 Mountaineer I illustrates the color difference over the years:

OPK, Aviator, 05

This is my current complete OPK group:

OPK, Group, 03

Cheers,
Stefan
 
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Beautiful pics as always Stefan!
 
Just received my Aviator recently and it is special to me as a former pilot and skydiver. Never had to cut away a chute but it would have come in handy if that had happened.
 
We need a pictures of your CRK Fixed blade like we have for folders..

A couple of you guys have nice fixed blade collections
 
Great pics Stefan.

Can you clarify that this label is correct- "This group pic of the 1992 Aviator, together with a 2001 Tanto I and a 2004 Sable IV illustrates the color difference over the years:"

I think that the knife pictured is a mountaineer, not a sable.
 
You are absolutely correct. My mistake. It is the mountaineer. At the group pic the sable is next to the mountaineer. I will correct it above. Thanks!
 
Stefan, what does it say on the opposite side of the Aviator? According to Anne, "By the time we left in March 1989, we had made 930 - yes, it was an insane six months before we left!" If yours were US made and with them starting at one, it means they got to #400 in about two years.

Re the SA made Mountaineers Anne wrote "The last Mountaineer number was 574 dated February 8, 1989. Back then the knife was simply Mountaineer - it was only when we introduced the 5.5" models that they became Mountaineer I (4") and Mountaineer II (5.5")."

I have a number of the older SA made one-piece CR knives and the early ones have a much smoother appearance than the later ones before Chris and Anne left SA. Some of my collection
IMG-20161222-WA0017_zpsksvnj5es.jpg


I've also noticed the coating is different between the SA and US made knives - obviously they've used a different process.

This is an early 1984 made Mk III (predecessor of the Mk IV) and a variation as Chris fleshed out the One Piece Concept - only 89 were made. I also have its birth card, which was a bonus for me. Its coating is different and so is the checkering on the handle.
IMG-20161008-WA0020_zpstvbsbpek.jpg
 
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The early Mountaineers also had a thinner blade with a longer clip. Chris hand ground them to be a more utility slicer. The later mountaineers had a shorter Aviator style clip and where slightly thicker ground.

Great collections folks:)
 
Great collection and amazing pictures! Do you know for sure the aviator has its original coating on it? I understand CRK recently changed their coating so if you send in a OPK for spa service, it won't be gray anymore, but will come back black-ish like the aviator in the first picture. I ask only because I inferred you just recently acquired this knife and also because you mention the finish is flawless which as you state is rare because sheathing and basic handling tends to remove small amounts of finish and this is flawless. Either way it's a beautiful and amazing knife!!
 
WCC said:
Stefan, what does it say on the opposite side of the Aviator? According to Anne, "By the time we left in March 1989, we had made 930 - yes, it was an insane six months before we left!" If yours were US made and with them starting at one, it means they got to #400 in about two years.

Re the SA made Mountaineers Anne wrote "The last Mountaineer number was 574 dated February 8, 1989. Back then the knife was simply Mountaineer - it was only when we introduced the 5.5" models that they became Mountaineer I (4") and Mountaineer II (5.5")."

I have a number of the older SA made one-piece CR knives and the early ones have a much smoother appearance than the later ones before Chris and Anne left SA.

I've also noticed the coating is different between the SA and US made knives - obviously they've used a different process.
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Thanks for providing some additional information. The opposite side of the Aviator says "Made in USA".

BC:

Birthcard

Great vintage OPK collection you are presenting us! Thanks!


bvo85 said:
Great collection and amazing pictures! Do you know for sure the aviator has its original coating on it? I understand CRK recently changed their coating so if you send in a OPK for spa service, it won't be gray anymore, but will come back black-ish like the aviator in the first picture. I ask only because I inferred you just recently acquired this knife and also because you mention the finish is flawless which as you state is rare because sheathing and basic handling tends to remove small amounts of finish and this is flawless. Either way it's a beautiful and amazing knife!!
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Well. How shall I know at 100% if I am not the 1st owner? I mean there is always a chance that people are fooling you. No question. I bought it from an collector who owned it for over 20 years and it was sitting in a cabinet. So I can believe that or don't. CRK customer service said:

"Yes, we have used different coatings through the years for the one-piece knives. In fact, the variances could be caused by a number of things including different batches of paint and even different technicians application techniques. Based on the photos you provided, it is likely that the black color of the Aviator is original, however there is no way to know with 100% certainty unless we were to see the knife in person at the shop."

I will not take the risk of shipping the knife to CRK and back to Germany, just for ...... for what? Having them scratching a piece of the black color off the blade in order to execute chemical analizes? :-) Just kidding.

I mean these are old knives and the fact that you find mint pieces from time to time should not make us automatically suspicious. Out of above group of 6 OPK, just the Tanto I has some minor wear off at the grip and the cap. All others are in flawless condition and non of them has seen spa service up to my knowledge
 
James, re the coatings, I have seen variances within the same year of manufacture. So Anne is spot on.
They are great knives and seem to be quite collectable. I know some guys here go nuts for them. :)
 
GermanyChris said:
Are there any of the OPK's that are common enough to be bought as a user?
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Hi Chris,

I think that depends on how much you're willing to spend on a user. People frequently spend $500 on mid-tech knives as users, heck, even some versions of inlaid sebenzas are around $500. And if you look around, you can find some OPK for that price point of low $500s! So in my mind, as long as it's price enough that you feel comfortable using it, then it's a user!!
 
A number of them can even be picked up close to $400. Since even the unused ones usually have wear just from putting then in and taking them out of the sheath , using any of them is no problem. Lower prices can be found on those missing original birthday cards and boxes.
 
bvo85 said:
Hi Chris,

I think that depends on how much you're willing to spend on a user. People frequently spend $500 on mid-tech knives as users, heck, even some versions of inlaid sebenzas are around $500. And if you look around, you can find some OPK for that price point of low $500s! So in my mind, as long as it's price enough that you feel comfortable using it, then it's a user!!
Click to expand...

peterbright said:
A number of them can even be picked up close to $400. Since even the unused ones usually have wear just from putting then in and taking them out of the sheath , using any of them is no problem. Lower prices can be found on those missing original birthday cards and boxes.
Click to expand...

400-600 would be fine but it seem like everything I see is in the 800+ range. There is obviously no panic hurry so I'll just keep an eye on ACK and the exchange.

Thanks gents
 
I have a 1992 aviator that I received through a storage unit of a navy service member who passed. It is in mint condition. I don't have a box or birthday card just the pamflit that has the order date as April 1992. I'm trying to sell the knife. But haven't been able to find much on the value or where to go to find an interested party. The number stamped on the left side of the blade is 390.
 
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