Unpack: CRKT's Kith and Razelcliffe

 

Receiving and unpacking knives is one of my favorite activities.

I just got two from Columbia River Knife and Tool and they are both winners.  The first knife is the Razelcliffe, designed by Jon Graham and the other, the Kith, designed by Ken Steigerwalt.

The top is the Razelcliffe and the bottom the Kith.

The Kith is a locking folder with a 3-inch blade ground from 8CR13MoV stainless steel.  It is a good knife steel, especially for a working knife.  Compared to D2 (you'll see why later), D2 tends to have more edge retention and hardness than 8Cr13MoV but is more expensive and less corrosion resistant.

The Kith utilizes a front lock set in the 3.75-inch glass-reinforced nylon handle.  It is relatively lightweight at 2.3 ounces; I get mail heavier than that.  I like the handle, but the contrast in the black handle is not from pigmentation but surface geometry. 

Unfortunately, the gray handle spots are just different reflectivity

It's a good length for many basic jobs at a campsite, fishing, in the office, or preparing the yard for winter.  The Kith has an MSRP of $40.  You can't go wrong at that price for a working knife.

 

Years ago, I had a Razel with a stag handle from CRKT.  I last saw it in the pocket of an Australian heading home to their anti-knife culture.  I hope he made it.  It was a very cool knife.

The Razelcliffe, let me suggest it would make a very icey club knife.

The Razelcliffe is also very cool.  The 2-inch blade is made from D-2 steel (see, I said we'd get back here).  D2 isn't quite stainless, but I never see rust on any D2 knives I own.  A little oil takes care of all my problems.  D2 takes and holds a good edge and can be resharpened with basic stones.  The Razelcliffe utilizes a frame lock and IKBS ball-bearing pivot.  That is very cool!

The G-10 handle is 3.25 inches long, and the knife weighs 3.3 ounces. 

The MSRP is $48, a reasonable price for a step up in cool factors. 

I've always thought CRKT over-engineers their knives.  You get a lot of knife for a reasonable price.  That’s invaluable in a world where you pay for a name.

 

SixLeaf Knives

 My friend Derrick introduced me to SixLeaf Knives.  After handling and opening the knife, the question, "Where did you buy that cutie?" was not politeness.  I really wanted one.

Actually, I ended up buying three!

He found it on eBay.  You have to win your auction, and SixLeaf will ship you one from Yangjiang, China.  Yangjiang, I am told, is moderately famous for making knives, scissors, swords — anything that cuts.

I won my auction, and despite the warning of how long it could take (46 business days!), it arrived in a couple weeks.  I liked it so much that I bid and won a second one.  It arrived just as quickly.

Prices can vary because you're bidding against someone who thinks they want it more than you. 

Let’s take a look at it.  The matte blade is 3.25 inches long and 0.125 inches thick at the spine.  The blade is a drop point with, for all practical purposes, a flat grind.  The steel is D2, hardened to Rockwell C 60.

Good looking knives.

I like D2 steel.  It is seeing a resurgence in the knife world.  It’s almost stainless, so it takes a little care to prevent rust formation.

The 4-inch handle is titanium with linen Micarta scales.  This keeps the weight of the knife under 2.9 ounces.  The lock mechanism is a frame lock, and to compensate for titanium's softness, a small steel insert makes contact with the back of the steel blade.

The knife is designed to open with a flipper, and the blade flies open on KVT ceramic ball bearings.  These are used by companies like ZT and others. 

A 3.25 inch blade is, for most parts, a perfect size for EDC.

Is it perfect?

No.  The clip isn't reversible.  The knife arrives set up for right-hand, tip-up carry.  That's my preferred carry mode, but it is not a universal standard. 

Closed, there is a little height difference where the frame lock meets the frame.  Just enough of a difference you can feel it when you rub your thumb over it. 

The frame lock engages very nice, with quite a bit of contact with back of the blade

And if I’m picky enough, I would point out that when open, the frame lock separates slightly from the Micarta scales.

I like the linen Micarta scales.  They look and feel nice.

Frankly, for an under $50 knife (It's an auction.  Your price may differ.) you can't beat a SixLeaf.  I like them so much, I gave my wife one!

Three to Go

I just picked up a little hawkbill folder called the Isonzo from MKM and it’s pretty cool.

MKM stands for Maniago Knife Makers a consortium of knife makers in Italy.  I followed the Google links and ended up at CONSORZIO COLTELLINAI MANIAGO.  They are a group of 46 small cutlery companies all located in Maniago Knife District.  They have been in the market worldwide since 1960. The company is headquartered in Maniago itself, around 70 miles from Venice.

The Isonzo was designed by Jesper Voxnaes, a custom knife maker out of Denmark.  Italian laws are different and businesses can be organized differently.  This 'brand' is a collection of four of the top knife manufacturers in Italy working together to consolidate and strengthen their commercial contributions to foreign markets.  I suspect this allows each company to use excess capacity to their advantage in foreign markets.

The knife sports an aluminum spacer you can use as an oversized lanyard hole.  This is always an excellent idea working over water or deep snow.  The short 2.25 inch blade is made from Bohler N690 stainless steel and has a jimped thumb ramp for precise control.   The blade smoothly rotates open on ball bearings.

Bohler N690 is a high carbon martensitic stainless steel.  The vanadium (V) forms incredibly hard and fine carbides that pin iron grain boundaries in place and resist deformation, increasing the steel’s strength.

C          Si         Mn      Cr        Mo      V         Co

1.08   0.40       0.40   17.30     1.10    0.10     1.50

You can open the Isonzo with either the flipper or the elongated thumb hole.  The blade is locked open with a secure stainless steel liner lock.  It opens with an elongated thumb slot or compact flipper tab and is secured with steel liners in the grip. The non-slip handle is made from synthetic fiberglass reinforced nylon with a textured surface and an ergonomic shape, offering a secure grip even when wet.

The closed knife is carried tip up and the wire clip is reversible for left or right-hand carry.  All in all it is a sweet knife.   The Isonzo comes in a variety of blade shapes serrations and handle color, but I’m excited about the increased cutting power of a hawk nose blade and the blue color.

The suggested retail price is $99 but most manufacturers have a MAP or minimum advertised price.  You can find this knife on “sale” for $85.00. 

https://www.knifecenter.com/series/mkm-maniago-knife-makers/mkm-isonzo-folding-knife

Ash Viper Stockman 

This is part of Roper’s knife line dedicated to rough stock rodeo events.  Ask any cowboy, these events involving bucking bulls and horses and you need a strong grip to take the ride.  The Ash Viper sports a rough saw cut handle, stainless steel bolsters and a D2 blade.  Drop one in your pocket and you can almost feel the cowboy in you.  (The over sleeve says 1065 carbon steel, but the website says D2.  Go with the website.  The over sleeve is generic.)

Roper Knives is one of several brands owned by the American Buffalo Knife and Tool Company, a family owned company out of Sweetwater, TN.  While hardness isn’t mentioned, I suspect they have an RHc of around 56 to 58. 

The handle is sawcut G10 and houses a 3-inch clip point, 2inch spey blade and 2.25 inch sheepsfoot blade .  The liner is brass. 

D2 steel is a high carbon, high chromium tool steel with extremely high wear resisting properties. The high percentage of chromium gives it mild corrosion-resisting properties so a wipe with food friendly oil is a great idea.

I like the feel and the weight of the knife.  I’ve seen Roper in high end catalogs and in fine stores.  If you like stockman patterns and you like slip joints you’ll like this knife.  You can find it for $24.00

https://www.knifecountryusa.com/store/product/228408.228413/roper-0001cbr-ash-viper-stockman.html

 

Rough Ryder Knives is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. And they have changed their name from Rider to Ryder.  It may have something to do with the condom brand Roughrider or not, I’ve always wondered.  For their 25th anniversary they have picked up their game and I’m impressed with the quality of the knives.  Will they keep this quality?  I don’t know.  But I’d buy while they are available.

Yes, they are made in China, the home of the coronavirus.  I'm not concerned with the politics of off shore production or the evils of communist China. If these are your reasons not to buy Rough Ryder then nothing I could say will change your mind.  I will say I find the quality and appearance amazing for $22.00

The trapper style knife has a reverse frosted clip point blade and polished spey blade.  Both are 3.12 inches long and are separated by a brass liner.  The bolster, as well as the pins and shield, are nickel.  The closed knife is 4.12 inches long and I really like the ram’s horn scales.

The blade is listed as 440A stainless steel.  That’s a little of a disappointment, but don’t let that stop you.  440A is a high carbon martensitic stainless steel that possesses good strength, moderate corrosion resistance, and excellent hardness and wear resistance.

The typical chemical composition is

C  0.6 – 0.75%

Cr  16-18%

Si  1%

Mn  1%

You can find it at https://www.smkw.com/rough-ryder-rams-horn-trapper with a great price.

Doctor, Doctor!

 

What knife do you carry during the Covid-19 pandemic?

There are a lot of options to choose from.  I’m going with Steel Will’s Plague Doctor!

The Plague Doctor is a tactical level knife from Steel Will

Steel Will offers three levels of pocket knives.  First is their EDC.  Up a notch is their Outdoor line followed by their Tactical line.  I don’t know the difference.  I’m cynical enough to know “Tactical” products are usually black and cost more.

The Plague Doctor is a product of the fertile mind of the mysterious designer Vaeringi.  At least he is mysterious to me.  I was unable to find a first name or any kind of bio. 

The knife is a frame lock, with G-10 scales available in OD green and black.  I went with green G-10.

Who says photos don't lie?  The lighting conditions produced a black blade and not the silver satin steel blade it should be.

The blade is made from D2 steel, a high carbon, high chromium die steel and is the highest carbon alloy tool and die steel in production.  The steel contains 1.5% carbon, 12% chromium, 0.75% molybdenum and 0.9% vanadium and a smattering of other elements.  It is the chromium and vanadium that is of interest.  Both form hard, tiny carbides that pin the grain boundaries, and provide strength and edge retention.  The chromium forms a thin, tough transparent metal oxide that protects the steel from rust.  D2 is right on the edge of being stainless, so it benefits from an occasional wipe with oil.  D2 was popularized by Jimmy Lile and later by Bob Dozier.

The knife blade sports a flipper that rotates to form a deep guard for the index finger.  The top of the blade has a riser with jimping providing a friction surface for your thumb.  A depression in the handle feeds your thumb into the jimping. 

There is no opening stud on the blade.  This knife was designed to open with the flipper.  Not enough of the closed blade is exposed to grasp it and open the knife slowly and politely.  Politeness be damned, it’s a fighting knife.

The clip is reversible, but not interchangeable.  Steel Will gives you a second Clip.  All you need is a T-6 torx and a drop of loctite.

I went with the OD green because it wasn’t black.  There is a fine texture on the G-10 to help with grip but not so much you’ll sand the inside of your pocket.  Steel liners support the scales and one side forms the liner lock.  The lock takes a pretty solid bite out of the back of the blade.  The blade pivots on what appear to be bronze washers.  I’d put tiny drop oil on them too.

Let’s summarize the knife specs:

• Blade Length: 3.43" with a cutting edge that’s 3.54"
• Closed Length: 4.96"
• Overall Length: 8.31"
• Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel
• Blade Thickness: 0.14"
• Blade Style: Drop Point flat grind
• Handle Material: OD Green G10
• Handle Thickness: 0.51"
• Weight: 5.4 oz.

The liner lock engages its full thickness on the back of the blade.  The steel liners make this a solid knife!

You can get you own Steel Will Plague Doctor for just under $80.00 at

https://steelwillknives.com/our-knives/tactical-series/plague-doctor-f16m-02.html

It’s a lot of knife for a reasonable price.

Steel Will is a division of Sports Manufacturing Group (SMG), an American company located in Huntington Valley, PA.  The knife was manufactured in China and despite my feelings about China due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is a quality knife.  I would have no trouble carrying this to a knife club meeting or taking it off the pavement.