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.