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COLUMBIA RIVER KNIFE AND TOOL (CRKT)

First up we are going to talk about the CRKT M1614DSFG. The reason we are starting with the M16 style is because, in it’s many incarnations, it is reportedly one of the best selling tactical knives to military personnel.

There are many good, and a few bad, points to this tanto knife. I like the size, it’s bigger than the regular M16 and it has good balance. It is heavier so you may want to keep that in mind if weight is a concern. It is razor sharp out of the box, fast to deploy, and comes with CRKT’s autoLAWKS safety locking system that is a safeguard to keep it from closing on your hand. The other thing I really like about this folder is the 4-position pocket clip that you can move to your favorite carry position, left, right, tip up, or tip down. These are also some of the best affordable folding knives as they are in the 45-60 dollar range.

Ok, that’s the good, so here’s the bad. A small drawback to this knife is all the holes in the handle. I’ll admit, I like the way they look. They have a classic retro airplane rivet look to them that appeals to me. However, these holes attract lint and dirt, and I can see them filling up with mud in a wet weather situation so keeping this knife clean is going to be an issue. The autoLAWKS system, while keeping your hand safe from the blade closing on it, is kind of a backup to the liner lock on this knife. You have to flip down the autoLAWKS to disengage it to close the knife and it takes some getting used to. Especially if you’re wearing gloves.

One other thing to remember is that CRKT knives are counterfeited a lot and the counterfeits look and feel real but they are made with inferior products. Be careful where you purchase your knife that you’re getting the real thing.

Finally I want to address the serrations on the blade of this folding knife. I’m not a fan of the Veff serrations. I have to agree with several other reviewers I’ve seen that the serrations are just too thin and fragile. Too many people have reported too many problems with them bending and chipping for me to order a knife with them on it. I’ve also seen them first hand on my buddy’s My Tighe and his were bent and chipped. I think they look really cool but I would take standard serrations that work over these.

My personal preference for a folding knife in this style is the M1614D. It has most of the same features as the above knife and it has the standard serrations on the blade. It does only have one flipper though, not two. My issue with the second flipper is that it catches on things I’m trying to get out of my pocket but I have to say I love the fact that the M1614DSFG has a true hilt.

For the price range that these folders fall in, all things considered, both of these knives are solid excellent choices in a tactical folder. Yes, I have issues with the serrations, but if the serrations aren’t something you think you’ll use much then I certainly wouldn’t let it hold me back from buying this knife.

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SPYDERCO

Next up we have the Spyderco Military G-10. As the story is told by Spyderco, This knife came about after someone asked Spyderco’s owner Sal Glesser, “If your son were going into the military what folding knife would you send him with?” His answer to that question is this knife.

The blade is my favorite, CPM-S30V and it comes razor sharp and ready to go to work. The other thing I really like is the texture they put on the G-10 handle. It’s just rough enough that it doesn’t get slippery when it gets wet and not so rough that if you carried it inside your waistband it would be uncomfortable. This knife is also nice and light weighing in at just 4.2 ounces. You can get it in a carbon fiber handle with Crucible Steel’s CPM-S90V exotic alloy blade that weighs just 4.0 ounces as well.

As incredible as this military tactical folding knife is, there is one thing you need to consider before you purchase it. This is a LARGE folding knife, perfect for a bug out bag. The overall length on this big boy is 9 1/2 inches and even closed it’s still 5 1/2 inches long! That means you’re going to have to take into account how deep the pocket is that you want to carry it in.

One final cautionary remark about this knife, there is a number of people out there that have cut themselves learning how to open it. Remember… let’s be careful out there.

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KERSHAW

I recently bought a SpeedSafe equipped Kershaw Blur with an S30V blade. I love this knife. The rough texture of the trac-tec inserts really help you keep a good grip. This thing was razor sharp right out the box and when you open it, it has a satisfyingly solid “thwack” sound.

I really like the no-nonsense thumb studs. They have a ribbed pattern cut into them and you place your thumb on the flat part of the thumbstud to push the blade open. Very effective and very secure feeling.

When researching this knife before I bought it, I read some reviews that said they felt that the pocket clip was too tight. I can verify that it is pretty tight, and with the rough texture of the inserts I can see it tearing up the pocket on my jeans with repeated use. I’m hoping that with use it will loosen up a bit.

This knife also comes with a tanto style blade and with different styles of handles. But these have blades made from Sandvick 14C28N steel not S30V.

I’ll be posting an update on this knife the more it gets used in a real world environment so stay tuned.

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AL MAR KNIVES

The Al Mar Sere 2000 knife is an excellent choice in a tactical folder. The original design of this knife was done by AL Mar and Col. Nick Rowe in the early 80′s for the U.S. Army’s SERE school.

These came out several years ago but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who owns one of these and doesn’t love it. They may not be as flashy as some of the newer knives, but they still have some excellent features, such as:

• Smooth action with one handed opening
• Solidly built
• Deep pocket clip with right or left carry
• Dual thumbstuds
• Razor sharp out of the box
• A VG10 Steel blade made in Japan

It is a liner lock style, it weighs about 6 ounces and has a blade length of 3.6 inches.

I’ll be adding to this list as I test out other knives, don’t forget to check out our Top Picks For Combat Survival Knives as well!

I recently received a question from a reader of this site on what type of steel the blade of the Gerber LMF II that he bought was made. I sent an email over to Donda at Gerber and got a great response from her. I didn’t realize that the steel had been changed permanently from the Sandvik 12C27 SS to the US 420HC. Also Donda points out at the bottom of her response that you need to check the packaging to know what type of steel your Gerber LMF II has because it’s not stamped anywhere on the knife itself.

By the way, you can find the Gerber 22-01400 LMF II Survival Knife – Coyote Brown knife here.

Hi Caddotx,

Thank you for contacting Gerber Blades.

***NOTE*** January 2006 – December 2007 this steel type was comprised of Sandvik 12C27 SS.

***NOTE*** January 2008 – April 2008 the steel type was temporarily changed from the Sandvik 12C27 SS to 440A U.S. SS.

***NOTE*** May 2008 – current: Production had not resumed with the Sandvik 12C27 SS due to complications with material availability, but switched to a more closely matching steel, the US 420HC.

Carbon

: Present in all steels, it is the most important hardening element. Also increases the strength of the steel but, added in isolation, decreases toughness. We usually want knife-grade steel to have >.5% carbon, which makes it “high-carbon” steel.

Chromium

: Added for wear resistance, harden-ability, and (most importantly) for corrosion resistance. A steel with at least 13% chromium is typically deemed “stainless” steel, though another definition says the steel must have at least 11.5% *free* chromium (as opposed to being tied up in carbides) to be considered “stainless”. Despite the name, all steel can rust if not maintained properly. Adding chromium in high amounts decreases toughness. Chromium is a carbide-former, which is why it increases wear resistance.

Manganese

: An important element, manganese aids the grain structure, and contributes to harden-ability. Also strength & wear resistance. Improves the steel (e.g., deoxidizes) during the steel’s manufacturing (hot working and rolling). Present in most cutlery steel except for A2, L-6, and CPM 420V.

Molybdenum

: A carbide former, prevents brittleness & maintains the steel’s strength at high temperatures. Present in many steels, and air-hardening steels (e.g., A2, ATS-34) always have 1% or more molybdenum — molybdenum is what gives those steels the ability to harden in air.

Phosphorus

: Present in small amounts in most steels, phosphorus is a essentially a contaminant which reduces toughness.

Silicon

: Contributes to strength. Like manganese, it makes the steel more sound while it’s being manufactured.

Sulfur

: Typically not desirable in cutlery steel, sulfur increases machine-ability but decreases toughness.

Vanadium

: Contributes to wear resistance and harden ability, and as a carbide former (in fact, vanadium carbides are the hardest carbides) it contribute to wear resistance. It also refines the grain of the steel, which contributes to toughness and allows the blade to take a very sharp edge. A number of steels have vanadium, but M2, Vascowear, and CPM T440V and 420V (in order of increasing amounts) have high amounts of vanadium. BG-42′s biggest difference with ATS-34 is the addition of vanadium.

Due to inconsistencies with the Sandvik 12C27 and quality concerns; the decision to move forward with the U.S. 420HC was determined to be the best choice and closest match to the Sandvik 12C27 SS. The U.S. 420HC not only exceeded overall performance but also met our high volume and quality production requirements.

Please note that the blades are not stamped or etched as such. The product specifications will be specifically marked on the accompanying packages. The differences between all the steels used, are so closely matched, we believe you will be sincerely challenged to find any performance differences at all.

Unfortunately however, the only way to tell which steel your LMF might be comprised from is the packaging. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Donda Burnett

Customer Service Representative

Fiskars Outdoor – Americas

Gerber | Brunton

I’ve been wanting to post an update on the Gerber LMF II knives. These are some of the best survival knives available and if you take a look around this site you’ll see several pages and articles we’ve dedicated to this great knife. I personally own the Gerber LMF II Survival version of this knife and since there are a couple of features to this knife that don’t get much recognition, I thought I’d show them to you.

First up is the safety knife. The ASEK and the Survival versions both come with a safety knife. This is a separate knife that comes with it’s own sheath and the first picture below is the safety knife. You may not see much of a need for this knife but I’ll tell you that I reach for it more often than my LMF II. I’m constantly doing something with paracord or rope around the camp and this knife is EXCELLENT for the job of cutting some type of cord. You can certainly do it with the LMF II but it’s a little overkill for paracord. Because of the design you can lay it on your leg as you kneel down to tie something, or shove it quickly into a pocket. It even has extra blades in the handle, although mine are still sharp and I haven’t had to use them yet. I highly recommend getting the ASEK or Survival versions over the Infantry due to the fact that the Infantry version does NOT come with a safety knife.

The other feature I’d like to point out is on the leg straps. If you look closely at the picture you’ll see what looks like gray stitching. That is actually rubber that is stitched into the strap to help keep it fixed on your leg. This works great when I have my LMF II strapped to my calf. And remember, the Infantry version only comes with ONE leg strap, not TWO. Here’s a couple of pics for clarification.

You can find the Foliage Green Gerber LMF II ASEK Knife By Clicking Here and the Gerber LMF II Survival Knife Here.