Customer Reviews

Columbia River Knife and Tool M16-01KZ 3-Inch Zytel Folding Knife with Autolawk and Spear Point Razor Edge Blade, Black

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pros:

-CRKT quality

-All black

-Light

-Small, disappears in pocket

-Clip is small and doesn't advertise

-Sharp out the box

-Spear/Drop point blade

-Stabby

-Nice grip feel for such a small handle

Cons:

-Safety feature is slightly annoying to close

-Made in China

-CRKT does not stamp the type of steel on this model (explanation below)

-AUS4 steel on my blade (but current blades are produced with 8Cr15MoV steel)

-Screws come loose without Blue Loctite

I have grown to love the design of this knife because of the pros mentioned above. At first I didn't really like it though. I was having a hard time with the LAWKS safety feature, until I read the instructions (duh). Now, it's not much more difficult than a regular liner lock without the LAWKS.

Here's a simple tip to make this knife (and any knife) more rugged. Remove each screw (using a Torx bit), apply a drop of Blue Loctite, and reattach the screw. I actually do this with every pocket knife I carry, just to be sure the screws won't come loose on their own. With the right tools, it's a quick and painless upgrade.

Regarding the steel, CRKT has produced this knife in AT LEAST three different types of steel, including AUS 8, AUS 4, and 8Cr15MoV (the current production as of 11/24/11). The fact that CRKT doesn't stamp the type of steel makes it nearly impossible for the average knife customer to determine the type of steel. As an example of the confusion, I recently asked an eBay retailer how he could tell what type of steel his knife was (retailer had listed the blade as 8Cr15MoV). The retailer actually had to end his listing because, after some research, the retailer had discovered his knife's blade was actually AUS 4 steel.

The only way I have found to get information on the steel of a particular blade is to look at the literature that comes with the knife. Unfortunately, you can easily imagine the problems that arise there. I contacted CRKT and asked how I could identify the type of steel of my blade. CRKT admitted they don't stamp the type of steel. So, they basically admitted the average customer can't tell for sure.

My blade's steel is AUS 4 steel, according to the literature in the box. This steel sucks in theory, but my blade has stayed sharp after light use. Perhaps CRKT has prepared AUS 4 such that it's acceptable for a blade in real life. Again, the current blade production from CRKT is 8Cr15MoV steel, which is supposed to be pretty good. Unfortunately, I'm a little skeptical about buying this knife through Amazon because, in my experience, Amazon is not always totally accurate with their descriptions. The knife sold here may actually have the old AUS 4 steel blade. I hope that wasn't too confusing!

1/3/12 Update: This seller changed the description to AUS 4 steel for the blade.

I make knives, so I'm picky about knives. This is well made, holds a good edge, and is mechanically sound. The one handed opening is smooth, but requires enough pressure to start that I have no fear of accidentally opening it.

Awesome knife. Very safe. Extremely sharp and well made. I hope you will consider purchasing this incredible knife with the great opening action and safe locking protection.

over all this is a well built and solid knife and has a beautiful blade, but two issues keep it from perfect.

first the cumbersome lock is hard to close with both hand much less one

second the hinge is so stiff it will not open using the thumb studs on the blade, you MUST use the tab on the back of the blade

This is my very first pocket knife. I'm no expert but I can say that the blade is sharp out of the box (cuts paper but won't cut a strand of hair). The opening mechanism is fairly simple. I can't imagine how someone can open this knife on accident. The auto-lawk feature is really nice. Very light weight. There were some complaints from other people about closing this knife. I must say you must have pretty bad finger dexterity to not be able to close it safely with one hand. It does take some getting use to but it's not very hard.

I bought it at BIG 5 for $15. I thought it was a really good deal. Haven't had the chance to really use it but thumbs up for first impression.

I have owned two of these knives. The first one was broken by an over-zealous friend using it to pry fence wire open. Duh! The second was missplaced or stolen, not sure. However, on the second one the three little screws that hold the belt clip in place had all come loose to the point where I lost one and no matter how tight i made the other two they would eventually keep coming loose as well leading me to believe I may have lost it somewhere. Over all the blade stays sharp and it open easily for one handed use. I like the sturdy safty lock and two handed closer system. I will buy another one to replace the lost one.

The good? Came with a really decent edge on the blade from the factory. Light weight, exceptionally easy to open when desired (with nominal accidental opening risk), feels decent in the hand, excellent size, and a usable pocket clip.

The bad? Clipped to my jeans pocket, the fingertip opener makes short work of grinding into the leather cover of my steering wheel and other surfaces rubbing against the exposed opener tip. Closing the knife is a bit cumbersome, but not enough to lose sleep over, does get easier over time as the mechanism breaks in a bit and one gets used to the action required.

Not sure if much can be done about the clip as placing on the opposite end of the knife would be in the way of gripping the knife. I now simply carry the knife in my pocket unless I'm out in the woods. Not as convenient but it beats shredding stuff against the opener.

Picked mine up on SAC, and it was a super bargain. Still a good buy here.

Would buy again.

I bought this knife to try out the brand, and was not disappointed. The lock is nice, though you have to break it in a little to make it easier to close, but I never had any problems with it not working. There was no give in this knife, no wiggle when testing it, both new and used, and no doubt that it would hold under pressure. Backpacking with this knife was great because of its lower weight, and the black blade meant no glare back in your face when in use.

The clip on this knife is great, with just enough room to get your pants pocket into it, but not so much that it wiggles off easily. Size is great, not too big, definitely not too small. The edge of the blade didn't get dull quickly, and even after months of use still was sharp.

I actually lost this knife recently, and am purchasing another one while I look for the old one since this is my every day knife that I carry. Best that happens, I find the old one and have two, worst that happens is I don't find the old one, and at least have one to use. I highly recommend this knife to anyone.

I bought these as a gift for my father-in-law and he loves them both!

Our family now almost exclusivley orders CRKT products because of their attention to detail and workmanship!

This knife is my go2 knife that I carry around with me everyday. The solid construction of the knife has a nice natural feel in your hand and very quick deployment with the stud on back. The pocket clip works very well too. This knife is very very sharp, which is very nice! I havent run into a problem yet with this knife for moderate everyday use!