Customer Reviews

Columbia River Knife and Tool's 2012 Ringed Razel Chisel and Bellied Razor Edge Blade

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I give 4 out of 5 only because it is not made with Paul Bos heat treated S30V steel. However considering the price difference between the CRKT and the actual Graham Bros. razel this is a bargain. I have owned my CRKT ringed razel for about a month and have used it for varied reasons from prying staples off a barbed wire fence post to slicing through a block of smoked cheddar. I work in heavy construction, (bulldozers, etc.), and I will find many uses for this knife over the years. There are other reviews where some people bitch about the finish of the handle and the kydex sheath. If you are using this as an every day tool instead of staring, and petting it like an attention depraved psycho, then you won't care about the finish. The kydex sheath works like it should but I will eventualy get a leather one. All in all, it's a handy knife. Recomended.

I've had my ringed Razel for about a week and I like it with some minor caveats. First the good stuff, it's sharp! With the kydex sheath mounted inside a pocket you have to be extra careful putting that knife away as you can easily miss the opening and get your thigh, or cut the pocket edge or corner, or your fingers as you pull it out (don't ask). To that end, I spent two hours and made a custom leather sheath. (You can see it in the photos section. Plans here: [...] ) Even so, putting the knife into the new sheath, it's pretty easy to cut the leather. In fact I used the knife to trim up the sheath and cut it out and that worked great, so why should I be surprised that it would cut the sheath going in?

Why buy this Razel vs the others? Cost and size. The Columbia River Knife and Tools 2011 Stubby Pocket Razel Chisel Razor Edge Blade has a bit smaller handle and a shorter blade, a nice knife but too small for my hands. Columbia River Knife and Tool's 2013 Razel SS7 Chisel with Bellied Razor and Veff Serrated Blade is really too big for a utility knife (and having the back edge sharp is really not useful in the shop). The Graham brothers also make custom Razels ([...]) some of them are over four hundred dollars! While they may be worth it, I'd have a really hard time justifying a purchase of a utility knife at that rate. The steel used by C.R.K.T. company is good if not great and seems to hold and edge.

Now performance, how does it really rack up? Well as a chisel it works, but for real wood working I prefer a real chisel with edge that is flat on one side and beveled on the other. Stanley 16-316 1-Inch Chisel Wood working chisels can be held by the sides and not cut your hand. The Ringed Razel does have a nice sharp blade and I did use a few light taps with a wood mallet to clean out a mortise hole and it worked pretty well, but having a knife "V" grind edge vs a chisel point made it harder to not dig too deep into the material. As a gasket scraper I'd be hard pressed to use any knife that I paid real money for. A good stiff putty knife like Hyde Tools 01140 1-1/2-Inch Stainless Steel Stiff Putty Knife, Black and Silver works really well, and is way less money. As for pulling fence staples, nothing beats a pair of fence pliers Irwin Industrial Tools 2078901 10-1/4-Inch Fencing Pliers with ProTouch Grips again, I'm not likely to put the corner of a knife under a staple and pull unless I've got no other choice. The Ringed Razel blade is thick at 0.18 inches but the edge is not likely to stay sharp and that thickness is along the spine not along the blade. Stripping wire? I prefer a Irwin Industrial Tools 2078309 8-Inch Multi Tool Stripper, Cutter and Crimper with ProTouch Grips if I have much to do. Otherwise with thin wire I end up cutting right through the insulation.

As a knife? It's a great work knife. Cutting leather is a breeze. Trimming a bit of wood, easy. Cutting cord? You betcha like butter! Bending while cutting? Not on your life. This knife is one thick hunk of steel.

What separates this knife from those hand made versions? The shape of the main blade, has a convex belly (although one of the custom knives has this) and the tip is angled back, sort of a reverse angled Tanto tip instead of squared off. For a utility knife, I prefer the straight edge, although the convex long edge does a good job of slicing meat and leather. The ring is totally round, which makes tapping cuts with a mallet a little harder, both on the mallet (less surface area) and to align the knife right, as the surface being round and the tip angled back makes it not quite align up the way a good wood chisel does. I'd prefer a squared off end. The tip edge is angled back, makes for an easy cut when you push back as it mimics your arm curve, but for chisel work, a squared off cut is better. And indeed the stubby Razel, and the stubby pocket Razel is ground that way. And the tip, probably should be a chisel grind instead of a "V" but for a push cut against cord or leather, knife "V" grind is better. But are those differences that worth the extra money? Not for me. I am hoping that the business relationship between the Graham brothers and C.R.K.T company is a good one, and that they make a version 2, which is closer to the custom knife, especially the squared off ring, but I wouldn't wait for that to happen if you are thinking about this knife.

Summary:

Pro: Inexpensive version of a very interesting custom knife.

Good for utility work.

Fits your hand really well

Con: Inside the pocket sheath, not really a great idea in practice.

Reverse angled tip vs squared.

rounded ring vs squared off.

convex beveled blade vs straight edge.

knife grind on tip vs chisel grind.

Recommend: Buy as a utility or camping knife. Or a present for the person in your life who works with tools, either as a hobby or a job.

I give 4 out of 5 only because it is not made with Paul Bos heat treated S30V steel. However considering the price difference between the CRKT and the actual Graham Bros. razel this is a bargain. I have owned my CRKT ringed razel for about a month and have used it for varied reasons from prying staples off a barbed wire fence post to slicing through a block of smoked cheddar. I work in heavy construction, (bulldozers, etc.), and I will find many uses for this knife over the years. There are other reviews where some people bitch about the finish of the handle and the kydex sheath. If you are using this as an every day tool instead of staring, and petting it like an attention depraved psycho, then you won't care about the finish. The kydex sheath works like it should but I will eventualy get a leather one. All in all, it's a handy knife. Recomended.

A great knife ! I own over 100 knives, and this has to be one of my favorites. I am very familiar with the Graham Brothers who first created this knife, as part of their custom line of Razel knives, but could never afford to spend $300 -$450 on one of their's. When I saw that CRKT was releasing a production model of this same knife, I could not believe my good luck !

It is extremely functional, very sharp, and holds an edge very well. Tons of folks ask me about it, as it is unlike anything else, shape-wise. Yet I can also pull it out in public without getting lots of weird (paranoid) stares, due to its' unique look.

Kydex holster fits nicely in your front pants pocket, with its metal clip. The shape of it seemed to be a bit odd, but I think they made it so it would easily fit inside your front jeans pocket.

Buy it ---- you"ll love it, and you"ll have a knife that is VERY different than what others have.

Great knife!

As a Heavy Equipment Mechanic, I know.

Well constucted,sharp and functional.

Its the most requested ( can I borrow your knife? )

i've ever owned. "No!"

Kydex sheath although was mad assbackwards...

Its a pocket or boot sheath.

To much knife for that...

I'm makin my owm kydex.

I love this knife! I Have no complaints about the knife. The sheath is a bit of a let down, but who cares. I really like the feel of the handle and the ring. The blade is super heavy/thick for a knife this size, mine came literally razor sharp. I cannot think of anything I don't like about it.

This knife is stout, sharp, and built solid as a rock. It has many useful features such as the ring on the handle and chisel like blade. It is not too large to carry every day on a belt, especially if you wear the uniform. The knife oozes quality and great craftsmanship. Also, it is a very eye catching design, many people will question you about it, be that a good thing or not...

This is a great knife with many uses, I collect and use knifes just about daily and this will be used more often then most in my collection. That means I will have to purchase another just so I have a pretty one around and will do so without hestitation. I had it in my hand only days (4 or 5)after placing my order and can only complain about the sheath, it works but I am not all that fond of the clip placement. Right handers have to pull it out backwards or weak handed.

The wife stole this from me, and keeps it in her office as an ultimate self-defense weapon. She likes the way it holds on her little finger, and cannot fold - it's solid.

So, the wife has selected this as an ultimate personal self-defense weapon. No higher tribute is available.

Oh, when I had the chance, I liked playing with it. Sharp, with a nice scabbard. I see the wife's attraction.

The little finger ring is novel, but not comfortable. Knife came dull and is difficult to sharpen. Knife will not hold an edge very well. Needs a better sheath, why must you get one after market, the knife should come with a decent one. Terrible to use while hunting because of the point, or camping unless your pounding into small trees to cut them down. It is too short and fat to be useful cooking or cutting in general. It is good for cleaning boot tread after field work.