CRKT Knives

A Feast of Folders

With model names like Squid and Tuna, custom knifemaker Lucas Burnley of Bend, Ore., definitely has a sense of humor, but when it comes to sales, his knives are seriously hot. Burnley’s collaborations are already in several iterations for CRKT, a sure sign of the popularity of designs. His Tuna Compact Frame Lock is a small pocketable EDC, what the maker calls “post tactical,” with flair aplenty and features out the wazoo. An anodized Titanium handle, upscale S35VN stainless steel blade, and Reeve Integral Lock frame are features of which customs are made, and the Tuna Compact can be had much more affordably. The folder’s blade dimensions are 6.53″ fully extended, 3.80″ closed, and the deep-ground Drop Point blade is 2.76″. There’s a pocket clip out back, and at 2.70 oz., the Tuna Compact is a very friendly tote.

The Squid is a small but stout bit of business that’s been upgraded to a push-button lock model. This type of blade lock has been gaining in popularity on production folders over the past year, and it makes for a cleaner, less cluttered design. A small “gents” size folder like the Tuna Compact, the Squid Button Lock, is sized at 5.70″ overall and 3.47″ folded. The Squid’s 2.27″ Spear Point blade is made of workman-like D2 Steel and is accessed via healthy ambidextrous thumb studs. Total weight is 2.60 oz.

The Bamboozled is a folder designed by the son of highly lauded knifemaker and longtime CRKT collaborator Ken Onion, who gave us the assisted opener mechanism. Ken Onion Jr. is carrying on his father’s tradition with the Bamboozled folder, his first collaboration with CRKT. This cleanly designed folder, 7.75″ fully opened, features a slick assisted opening mechanism that rolls out smooth and fast on a speedy IKBS ball-bearing pivot system. The D2 Steel blade is 3.31″ of fully ground Drop Point heaven and is deployed by a cutout, understated rectangular flipper. A liner-lock mechanism keeps the blade rigidly affixed when fully deployed. The 4.45″ handle has a Barlow-strength bolster with black G10 composite scales. Tan G10/Black steel plus All-Black versions are also available. Out back is a pocket clip for carry, and total weight for the Bamboozled is an easy EDC of 4.0 oz.