Knives and Tactical Pen
#Knives are something that every gun guy should own. You never know when you will need one. It could be for defense, or it could be for something as mundane as opening boxes. I was in the market for a new knife, so I decided to check out what #CRKT had to offer. I spent a couple of hours comparing the different offerings out of the CRKT catalogs. They have a great selection of knives. A cool thing about the CRKT website is that it gives you not just information on the knives but also information on the designers. I couldn't just pick a single knife, so I ordered two blades and a pen.
The first knife I ordered was the Raikiri. Dew Hara designed it in Seki, Japan. Although Dew is new to knife making, his father, Koji Hara, is a legend in the field. Dew took inspiration for the knife from Iaido swords. Dew named the knife after the mythical Raikiri sword that, according to legend, sliced a lightning bolt in half. The CRKT Raikiri won the “most innovated knife” award at this past year's SHOT Show. What makes it so innovative is the CRKT Field Strip technology. The knife can be field stripped without the use of any tools which makes the cleaning and care of the knife simple.
The operator just has to slide a lever on the Raikiri from right to left. Then the user has to merely to turn a small wheel at the bottom of the knife which causes a screw to loosen. These steps allow the knife to separate into two handle pieces and one blade. I loved this feature, and I can see why it won the Raikiri the most innovated knife award.
CRKT made the Raikiri with a modified Wharncliffe 1.4116 stainless steel blade with a satin finish. The blade is 3.759″ long with a plain edge. It is a sharp blade that is great for cutting, but it isn't the best for stabbing. CRKT made The Raikiri's handles out of cold-forged ADC12 aluminum. This low profile flipper felt OK in my hands. It wasn't the most comfortable knife that I have ever held, but it wasn't bad. The closed length of the knife is 5.112″, and the open length of the knife is 8.938″.
