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Are you looking for the best CRKT knife? If so, you’re in the right place. CRKT is one of the most recognized brands on the market regarding knives. So if you’re a fan of the brand, you’ll love what we’ve got put together. We’ve put together a list of the five best CRKT knives on the market. So if you’re in the market for a knife that will work out great for EDC purposes, you should check out the list below. Before we get to that, let’s talk about the purposes that these knives serve and how you choose one for your personal use.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for CRKT Knife
- OUR TOP PICK: CRKT M16-14 Special Forces Tanto Knife
- RUNNER-UP: CRKT Minimalist® Bowie Fixed Blade Utility Knife w/ Sheath
- BEST BUDGET OPTION: CRKT Squid™ Black Stonewash Folding Knife with Frame Lock
Comparison of the Best CRKT Knives
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What Purpose Does a CRKT Knife Serve?
If you’re not familiar with CRKT knives, don’t worry. You’d be quite impressed with some of the things that these knives can do. Whether you carry one every day or just use it for a couple of purposes, you have a knife that is dependable, tough and does a great job doing what it’s designed to do. Here are a few purposes a CRKT knife serves:
Every Day Carry
First off, we start with one of the chief purposes--every day carrying. Each day, you might be faced with a situation that could be as trivial as seeing a thread hanging from your shirt. So you deploy the knife and quickly cut it off. Sometimes, you could be in a survival situation where a knife will come in handy. Whether it’s cutting down the brush for temporary shelter in the woods or if you just need something to cut open a package with, carrying a knife every day for those “just in case” moments is always a great idea.
Rescue Situations
Tying into EDC use, these knives are sharp enough to help you get through any rescue situation. A prime example is if you’re a paramedic, you’ll probably need something more reliable than shears to cut through clothing to perform medical procedures that must be done in the quickest amount of time possible. These can also come in handy if you’re in a survival situation yourself where you can get yourself out of a dangerous incident without any further injury or risking anything serious.
Useful While Hunting
If you hunt and successfully kill your target of choice (small or large game), you’re going to clean it out. Most of the time, you’ll need to clean it out in the quickest time possible so you can prevent the meat from spoiling. A great CRKT knife will make a great sidekick for hunters. Especially when hunters can cut the extra weight and drag less of it back to their truck.
How to Choose a CRKT Knife
Knowing how to distinguish a great knife from something that is considered unreliable and crappy is what you’ll need to do when finding a knife. Granted, not all CRKT knives are all the same. They each have some features and characteristics where one will differ from another. If you need to choose one for your use, you should pay attention to the following:
Price
If you’re on a budget, there’s a good chance that you’ll be looking at the price tag first. But it should not be the only reason why you purchased it. Quality and performance should always play a role in your purchasing decision. Also, you should not sacrifice quality for the sake of going for cheap.
Go for Higher Quality Materials
Higher quality materials will often yield the best chance of a knife lasting a long time. As with the case with knives, you should find blades that are durable and can be sharp enough to cut through most materials. For example, stainless steel and carbon steel are two of the best materials that make the best blades. However, they should be well maintained regularly to ensure you get the best longevity possible.
What Sort of Purpose is it For?
Are you using it for every day carry? Is it for just hunting? Choosing a knife will depend on your intents and purposes. The more specific your intent is, the better chance you’ll find a knife that will fit you best. While most knives are best for general purposes, some do excel at one application (i.e.--tactical situations).
Review of the Best CRKT Knives
The following is a list of the five best CRKT knives that are currently on the market as of this writing. While you go through each one, you should take notes on any of the characteristics and features. This way, if you find one that fits your description for the perfect knife, then it might be the winning choice. Let’s begin by taking a look at the “best overall” choice for CRKT knives:
Best Overall:
CRKT M16-14 Special Forces Tanto Knife
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
A lot of recent buyers were satisfied with the knife. Most of them were able to cut through materials or even whittle wood right out of the box. Aside from the sharpness, they were quick to notice that this knife is a lightweight, but super tough knife that can handle heavy-duty activities.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The blade is made from high-quality steel. The serrated blade makes it easy to cut through a lot of soft materials like clothing or even animal skin. The Tanto blade itself is quite strong and thus can take on even some of the most difficult to cut materials that most knives fail to get through. Ideally, this would make an excellent EDC knife. But it can excel in emergencies where you’ll need to get yourself out of harm’s way (or if you’re a paramedic that uses a knife to cut through clothing to perform a medical procedure)
Who Will Use This Most
This knife can be best used by those who are either in an outdoor environment or working in an occupation where you need to cut through soft materials as quickly as possible for a certain purpose. Either way, this knife is sharp enough to cut and will give you a long time of faithful reliability when you need it most. If you take good care of this knife, it will take good care of you.
Bottom Line
The CRKT M16-14 Special Forces Tanto Knife is something that you’ll have handy for any given situation. So it would make sense if you used it for EDC purposes. Don’t be shocked if you are still able to use it a few years down the road.
Runner-up:
CRKT Minimalist® Bowie Fixed Blade Utility Knife w/ Sheath
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
New users were impressed with the classic Bowie design on this knife. They also found the knife to be exceptionally sharp and perhaps the best for outdoor use. One user said that he’s used it to clean his fish and also uses it for situational uses like opening a package.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The Bowie knife design is one of the major reasons why the knife itself stands out. It might as well be a mini version of the famous knife itself. Another reason why it stands out is that it comes with a protective sheath that is made from glass-reinforced nylon. This is the kind of material that is tough as nails and can handle a blade that’s quite sharp. Some other sheaths like those made from some soft materials may not be suitable because they may cut easily.
Who Will Use This Most
This knife will probably work in your favor if you’re in an outdoor situation. Whether you’re gutting out fish or your latest small or big game kill, you’ll want a knife that will cut through something like animal skin like butter. This might be the sharpest knife that the CRKT brand has to offer. So if you’re looking for something that will cut like nothing else, you’d be insane to pass up the opportunity to give this knife a closer look.
Bottom Line
The Minimalist Bowie Fixed Blade Utility Knife is sharp like a tack. It’s the kind of knife where it can serve its purposes outdoors. If you want a knife that will work great for whittling, cleaning, and cutting through the rough stuff, this may be exactly what you’re looking for.
Best for the Money:
CRKT Squid™ Black Stonewash Folding Knife with Frame Lock
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
New users were quite happy with this knife. One user said that he was impressed with how compact and concealable it was. He said that it’s the perfect EDC knife not just for its size, but also for its ability to cut through pretty much any soft materials that he could think of. Most users have relied on this knife in outdoor, rescue, and even situations where they needed to open up sealed packaging.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This is considered to be the “pistol” of all the CRKT knives. It’s worthy of such a title due to its concealability. At the same time, it serves as an excellent EDC tool that you can use at any given moment when it is necessary. Same way with concealed carry pistols. But we digress. The knife has an all-black finish that adds on an aesthetically sharp, but durable look. It won’t scuff up easily, nor will it wear down easily like some pocket knives. The blade is sharp and it can cut through most things pretty easily.
Who Will Use This Most
There will be a lot of users who will rely on this knife for various purposes. So it depends on the intents and purposes of each user. But the most popular uses include rescue situations, cleaning out fish or game, or even whittling wood for that warm campfire that you’re looking forward to setting up later for roasting marshmallows or open flame cooking.
Bottom Line
The CRKT Squid Black Stonewash Folding Knife is perhaps one of the more affordable CRKT knives on the market. If you want something that has a simple design and is nice and sharp right out of the gate, you might find this knife to be quite useful. It might also be the perfect knife for the complete newbie as well.
Best CRKT EDC Knife:
CRKT S.P.E.W. (Small Pocket Everyday Wharncliffe) Fixed Blade Knife
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
As expected, most recent buyers were looking for a knife that was sharp, reliable, and worked for EDC purposes. They found one with the S.P.E.W knife and were quite happy with it for a few good reasons. They reported that the blade was quite sharp from the get-go. It could cut through soft materials and carve up wood like butter. One user said he even relies on it for his whittling projects. They also reported that the knife itself is super-tough and easy to maintain regularly.
Why it Stands Out to Us
The knife has a blade that is straightforward and sharp. Plus, it’s concealable enough for every day carry. So it’s the perfect EDC knife to have on hand for whatever your needs. You can use it outdoors or indoors. Either way, it’s right by your side when you need it the most. Plus, you have a tough-looking sheath that can keep the knife safe and secure without wearing or tearing apart.
Who Will Use This Most
This will be used by a wide variety of users ranging from campers to paramedics. It will serve its purpose as a whittling knife to some and a possible rescue knife for first responders who will forgo using sheers to cut through clothing since there is no time to deal with a tool that can snag on you at any given moment. If you want something that will give you a straight cut, this might be the knife for you.
Bottom Line
The S.P.E.W knife lives up to its name. Small enough to carry for everyday purposes, and useful at times when you need it most. It sets the standard for what an EDC knife should be like. Not all EDC knives are created equal. But some will stand a head above shoulders over the rest.
Best CRKT Folding Knife:
CRKT Pilar™ Folding Pocket Knife with Frame Lock
Pros
Cons
What Recent Buyers Report
Most recent buyers were quick to point out that the knife has easy unfolding and retracting ability that is hard to match. The blade locks up pretty good when it’s deployed and has an easy release for when you want to fold it back. As expected, it holds up pretty good for an EDC knife for most users.
Why it Stands Out to Us
This knife is made completely out of steel. The added finish gives it that extra durability from one end to the other. Plus, it is a simple low profile design that will make this one of the best EDC knives from the CRKT brand. On top of that, it is quite sharp and is proven to be useful in various applications.
Who Will Use This Most
This will be likely used by those who want a beginner EDC knife. If you want something that has a simple, straightforward design that will make the knife easy to use for any task, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything else quite like this. So it would be easy to use for whittling, opening packages, or even cleaning out your fish or freshly killed game targets.
Bottom Line
The Pilar Folding Pocket Knife is compact, easy to carry, and can stay sharp for a long time. But don’t forget to take care of it regularly to ensure that it will continue to provide you reliable long-time service. You don’t want a blade to go dull or rust on you, right? Of course not.
Pros and Cons of CRKT Knives
As part of investing in a new CRKT knife, it’s always important to know the common pros and cons that come with the territory of owning one of the five knives above. You must know about them so you know what to expect. They are as follows:
PROS
Sharp Right Out of the Box
Most pocket knives are usually dull and may need sharpening before initial use. The best thing about these is that they will already be sharp by the time you get started. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to forget about sharpening them. They should be sharpened once in a while to ensure longevity.
Great For Many Purposes
These knives are useful for most purposes. For example, they’ll be useful in the outdoors for when you’re either out camping or hunting. They also serve a purpose for paramedics and first responders as well. It could be cutting clothing or performing a medical procedure like a tracheotomy. Either way, a great CRKT knife does have its uses.
Simple Designs Make it Useful
Every CRKT knife has a simple straightforward design that makes usability easy. They’re so easy that they might as well be newbie-friendly. Because of this, they are often considered one of the best knives for EDC carry.
CONS
While Sharp, You May Get Cut Easily
It’s no secret that these knives are sharp. However, you have to be careful about using them. They may easily cut skin if it comes in contact with the blade. If you’re starting out with knives like these, you may need to wear gloves to prevent the likelihood of getting yourself cut.
May Not Be Appropriate for Some Sheaths
If you have a soft material sheath, it should be made from really sturdy materials. Otherwise, it may get cut easily because of the knife’s sharp blade. If possible, find a sheath that is made from hard synthetic materials like polymer.
Conclusion
The best CRKT knife is out there. You should find one that matches your ideal needs and preferences. Whether it’s for EDC use or outdoor activities, these are the knives that you’ll want to rely on for whatever purpose. One day, this knife may even save your life (or the lives of others). Find one that will stick with you in the long run and you will not be disappointed.