THE CRKT KASPER: A WHOLE LOT OF KNIFE FOR $20
My wife is going to have to hide my money from me. Between guns and knives, I am going to be sleeping in a van down by the river before it is all said and done. But I could not turn this little baby down. I've always been a fan of Columbia River Knife and Tool. They provide good quality knives at an inexpensive price.I found this particular knife for approx. $20.00, and it is worth every penny. Called the Kasper, this blade compares on the level of the Kershaw Tremor in size and weight. Weighing in at about 7 and a half oz., it's got a little bit of weight to it, but it's not excessive for carrying, or it hasn't been for me.It's got the quality heft of knives that are 30 bucks more.The handle is a black zytel material, and has a non textured semi smooth feel. It's not slick, but it has not true textured gripping. I can't say that's really a downside, it just is what it is. I like the shape of the handle, it fills your hand, and the back of the body has good jimping. Blade material is AUS 6M , 55-57 HRC, coming in at about 3 7/8" in length. It has a standard liner lock, and I find it pretty easy to manipulate. Dual thumbs studs on either side of the blade make it simple to actuate. I don't like that the pocket clip cannot be changed, but that tends to be on a lot of knives these days. Some people poo-poo this blade due to the fact that it is made in China,I'm not crazy about that either. But it's getting harder and harder these days to find anything made in the US. Yes, Benchmade's are still made in America, but if I lose a $100 Benchmade in the woods, I might just break into tears. If I lose a $20 CRKT in the woods, yes...I will still be annoyed but not heartbroken. CRKT makes a good product at an affordable price, and this is a great knife for the money. Grab one up if you can.
Totally agree on the CRKT steel. It may be Chinese steel, but it does the job just fine for 95% of the people that would use it. Good balance between durability and ease of care/sharpening and cost. I'm a HUGE CRKT fan. Ever since my old M16 I have been hooked on them and more than happy with CRKT's and the prices are always good. Yeah, I'd love a $100 knife, but the difference between a $40 CRKT and a $100 other knife is so minute, just isn't necessarily. Like driving a Lamborghini in the US with no autobahn, Just pointless excess for nothing.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I've got a plethora of knives, but the CRKTs run neck and neck for quality with my high end knives. Their Desert Cruiser and their Lake 111's are also personal favorites of mine, and I'll probably do a review on both of those as well. Thanks for the comment Docwatmo! You are the official first!
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