Customer Reviews

Columbia River Knife and Tool's M16-12Z Zytel Serrated Edge Tanto Blade Knife

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an awesome knife.
The Columbia River Knife & Tool company makes quality products at a fair price, and they have a lot of fine tools.
But the M16 series of knives is my choice for EDC, "every-day carry". I have a CRKT M16 clipped inside my front pants pocket literally any time I'm wearing clothing. I've carried these knives for about six years now. I prefer the 3.5" version for carrying on my clothes, but my wife likes the 3" as a more "ladylike" size.

What makes this knife so special? Why's it so cheap if it's so good?

This knife is made from stainless steel. I have horribly abused my knife and I find that occasionally, I need to take it apart and clean the gunk from under the perforated Zytel scales. It rusts a little, from sweat and from being exposed to a marine environment.
The particular stainless steel they use, unlike most stainless knives, will take and hold a good sharp edge. If you're a sharpening fetishist who is constantly sharpening your knife so that you can shave with it, this isn't the knife for you. If you want a knife for dealing with all the cutting tool needs in your normal daily life, this is perfect.

The best feature of all is the "Carson Flipper." It's that little nub visible on the blade-side of the knife. When the knife is closed, you can open it with one hand, by placing your index finger on the Carson Flipper, and flicking the knife open. It takes about 30 seconds of practice to perfect, and it's smooth and positive. I have had MANY people look at me funny and accuse me of having "an illegal switchblade" when they see me open my knife. . . one second the knife is closed, the next I'm holding a blade. No muss, no fuss.

If you buy this knife, I recommend you obtain the correct Torx drivers needed to service the knife. I'd also recommend you use "blue" Loctite to keep the scale screws from falling out, and you'll want to Loctite and tighten down the screws that hold the belt-clip. You'll need to adjust the tension and lubrication of the main screw (you can use a dime for this) until you get it how you like it.

I've bought several of these knives. I lost one (it may have "grown legs"), I "retired" one that was looking battle-worn, and I'm now on my third. I've bought these knives for friends as gifts. I even sent one to my lover who was serving in Iraq at the time.

You could spend several hundred dollars on a fancy pocket knife. Don't bother; get a CKRT M16-Z and you'll have a faithful companion tool until you wear it out twenty years from now.

This is a great EDC knife. I've had it for a few months now (transitioned from a Spyderco Rescue C14SBL). Greatest thing about this knife is that it deploys so quickly and with a very reassuring click. I asked a State Police officer I know if it was legal immediately after deploying it in his presence, he told me "No". I asked him why not and he explained that it was spring loaded and therefore illegal. I then let him examine the knife and he realized there is no spring involved and the blade is just very well balanced so he retracted his ruling of 'illegal'.

Second best thing about the knife is that you can easily close it with one hand, which is something that was more of a challenge with the C14SBL. You need to be careful otherwise you'll find out how sharp the blade is, but with a little practice there's no problem here.

The blade itself is an AUS 4 SS with a bead blast finish. It's not as elegant as the polished SS of the C14SBL, but the function is the important thing and it functions just fine, thank you very much. The action of the blade deployment is smooth and the Zytel handle with its rounded edges sits well in the hand. I did find that the screws for the clip started getting loose soon after I purchased the knife and immediately bought the correct Torx tip (T6 for the clip, T8 for the handle) and blue Loctited all the screws. This has been the only problem with the knife and it was easily resolved.

The last thing I'll say about the knife is that it has what CRKT calls the "AutoLAWKS" system which means that in order to fold the blade, you must pull a small red-headed lever with your index finger, which then allows you to slide the liner lock to the left with your thumb and fold the knife closed with your index finger. I've read some reviews where people hated the system and defeated it. I like it because it provides an extra level of security against the liner lock failing (which I have had happen to me with other liner lock knives).

This knife is nicely put together and should serve for many years without fail. If lost or severely damaged, it can be easily replaced for very short money. Given that some knives go for upwards of $100 and even $200 or more, it's nice to have a dependable knife that won't break the bank should it get lost. Furthermore, CRKT seems to be a company with great customer service that stands behind its products.

Bought this knife today. Very solid and heavy. The grip is a plastic-like material but it doesn't feel cheap at all. The quick flip open feature is pretty nifty and the lock is a great addition for safety as well. The clip works really well, it is also removable by taking out 3 small hex screws if that's how you want it. The blade is really solid and heavy with half serrated and the tanto end of it. This knife could take a bunch of abuse and still cut through anything. Plus if something does break on it the knife has a warranty on it. This is pretty much a $75 knife at a $30 price. Good buy.

I really liked the knife when i got it... when i got it, it was razor sharp, but after a while, it got dull VERy fast... what i cut with it? fruits. mangos specifically. (why? cuz i get hungry) i dont find anything i dont like abt it other than the sharpness that can be fixed. but the clip gets annoying sometimes, i think they make a more comfortable clip to hold with the handle...

I originally purchased this knife for myself, but after using it discovered that my son would enjoy it as well. Recently I was working out in the field and needed to cut some rope in order to secure items on my vehicle. I usually carried a small pocket knife, but I now had this one with me. It made easy work of the rope and allowed me to secure everything down and get back home. I can see this knife as a mainstay in my everyday use. It is a very sturdy build, the blade maintains a good edge and the operation is simple once you get use to it, and putting it back is a snap.

just kidding i didnt really. It has been my EDC (every day carry) knife for a long time. it has surved me very very well. 1 sugg. i make is when u get it open up the knife, and remove the 2ndary lock. its a pain. it halds a very very good edge, and the screw to tighten the blade. u dont hav to use a tool to tightn it, u can just use you finger nail. overall i lov it. buy 1. even if it was 50$ i would still buy it. i recently retired my crkt m16 and switched to a boker kalashnikov auto. thats another good 1 to look into for 25-45$.

You know those pocket knives that are truly beautiful and feel like they were custom made by a master craftsman to fit in your very own hand? Great knives, aren't they? Too bad the CRKT M16-12Z is not one of them. In fact, it is just about the farthest from that kind of knife that you can get.

This is one UGLY knife. It's made in the currently popular 'tactical' style. Black perforated handle, grey bead-blasted steel, etc. Looks kind of like an assault rifle if it magically turned into a pocket knife. It actually looks more like a box-cutter or a Stanley knife than an actual pocket knife.

The handle design really sucks. It is uncomfortable to hold and the holes up and down both sides of the zytel scales mean that your knife's inner steel liner is going to get ugly rust stains if you are using it in damp or wet conditions, particularly in the holes under the pocket clip where it is hard to wipe dry. Why could they not have made the scales solid zytel? The weight lost by perforating the scales is negligible. I see no reason for the holes other than to enhance the 'tactical' look. This knife feels really awkward in your hand. The pocket clip, the gimping, the perforations, the angles and small size of the handle add up to make holding it an uncomfortable experience.

The Auto-Lawks system is utterly redundant. The liner lock itself is enough. There is NO WAY the liner lock will fail unless you press it down very forcefully, which you cannot do accidentally. The Auto-Lawks is like wearing a belt AND suspenders. You do not need it and it gets in the way. It's a real hassle closing this with the Auto-Lawks on. Fortunately my Auto-Lawks is no longer "Auto" and does not deploy on its own, so I can choose to engage it or not and I usually do not.

The Tanto blade was designed to penetrate the armor of Japanese Samurai warriors. I can't speak for everyone, but to my knowledge I have never met any of those guys in my life, and if by chance I have, they were not hostile and I had no need to penetrate their armor. I do, however, often need a good cutting edge at home, camping, or on the job, and the Tanto design blade, while sharp enough, lacks the curved belly that really facilitates cutting. Eventually I intend to grind the angular Tanto shape into a curved drop-point. You have to use the lower 'point' of the blade to cut with. I already have a couple of ugly nicks in the blade there. The Tanto blade design has its place, but an EDC utility knife is not it. This knife is not really big enough to use for self defence, either, so the Tanto design is just Mall Ninja frippery here. The blade also does not hold an edge that well. I seem to be constantly sharpening it. It seems like if you even breathe on it too hard it goes dull.

The thumb studs at the hilt of the blade are as redundant as the Auto Lawks. The thumb studs are really just there to help brace the blade in the open position. If you can open this knife with the thumb studs alone, you've got better thumbs than me. Fortunately, there is a neat feature on this knife that I will speak of later that renders thumb stud opening obsolete.

I have had no problem with loose screws on the pocket clip or scales or anyplace else. Everything is really tight. No blade play whatsoever in either the open or closed position. The only failure has been the Auto-Lawks, which still works, just not automatically, which I actually prefer.

Now you may think I dislike this knife... Well, I admit I have had better. If I had to give up this knife or my 20+ year old Chinese Buck folder clone (probably better or on a par with the quality of genuine Buck knives of today), this one would be history. However, there is a feature on this knife that I truly LOVE, and that is the Carson Flipper. It's like having a switchblade or spring assisted knife with no springs to get messed up, and most importantly, no trouble with the law. It takes a very short time to figure out the proper angle and force needed to flick this knife open with a satisfying metallic CLICK every time. I would love to get a better looking, more ergonomic self-defense sized knife with a Carson Flipper. It's the most important innovation in knife craft since they dropped knapped flint for metal, if you ask me.

Overall, I would buy this knife if you can get it for $25.00 or less on eBay. As long as you keep it clean and sharp it will be an OK EDC work knife with a great flip opener. However you could get just as useful a knife (albeit without the Carson Flipper) from a no-name Chinese maker for under $20.00 The 3 stars I am giving are mainly for the Carson Flipper, which is a marvelous innovation indeed...

To sum it up, this knife is kind of like that girl in University that you used to keep around as a backup for weekends when you couldn't score with a real babe. Nothing much at all in the looks department, kind of awkward in general, but she knew that one little trick in the sack that kept you coming back for more.

I bought this knife as a birthday present for my boyfriend and he LOVES it.