CRKT Minimalist Bowie - 16/20 – Try it out!

Mar 23

Mar 23 CRKT Minimalist Bowie - 16/20 – Try it out!

CRKT Minimalist Bowie

Score: 16/20 – Try it out!

BLUF: Small, unobtrusive, with great ergonomics. Not large enough for some challenges, but decent for daily use and some field craft. If it were made of better steel and were about an inch larger – it’d be perfect.

Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) has been in action since 1994. My first experience with this company came from the reenlistment NCO at 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He was handing out small spear-point locking pocketknives that had the SF logo laser etched onto them (that particular knife was the M16-01KS and it was awesome).

CRKT is proudly American – founded in Oregon in the United States – and they have a pretty snappy tagline, “Confidence in hand.”[i] They work with a plethora[ii] of designers to create some very pretty and very functional knives. This particular knife – the minimalist Bowie (Designed by Alan Folts[iii]) – has a family of like knives – the Tanto, Keramin, and Wharncliffe to name a few.

1. Functionality (8/10):

a. Blade (1/2): The very fist thing to know is that this little bowie is made from 5Cr15MoV – which is good and bad (see notes below in durability.) It’s hallmark is high chrome content. The actual blade of the knife is 2.12in/5.38cm, with a defined clip point and flat grind – finished with a bead blast. Blade width is .10in/.25cm – thick enough that I would trust this to leverage or forcibly break some tough objects without destroying the knife[iv].

b. Handle (2/2): The handle scales are made from polished resin infused fiber. They are smooth to the touch, and could have used a little roughening or checkering[v] to assist a solid grip, but the grooved finger choils of the knife makes this unnecessary. The scales are attached with what look like either Torx[vi] or Polydrive[vii] bolts – and could be removed with the right tools – but they are not thick enough that you would have to if you wanted to mount the blade for other uses.

c. Lock or Tang (2/2): I am partial to a full tang, as it allows for the most force possible to be used when cutting (depending on the steel used in the blade), and in emergency purposes allows for a wide variety of ways a knife can be used. This particular knife could be classified as a rat tang[viii], or skeletonized tang as it has been cut with deep finger choils – but it is still one solid piece.

d. Emergency uses (1/2): I wouldn’t feel too bad having this on me in an emergency situation. My only wish would be this knife but a few inches larger, and made of heartier steel – but you could still use this for a lot of field craft. Utilizing it to clean small game, breaking down tinder or kindling, carving for some tools, and even creating cordage. I don’t see myself able to baton or do much chopping – but this would be better than most pocketknife options.

e. Concealability (1/1): This type of knife is generally known as a neck knife[ix] – so called because it is small enough that you can maintain it on a lanyard around your neck (there are a lot of opinions about them[x]). Doing so makes it easily concealed, unless wearing something tight. The knife actually comes with it’s own glass-reinforced nylon sheath and para-cord, as well as a belt loop. The loop was too small for the width of belts I use – but it’s a nice option.

f. Ease of deployment (1/1): As it stands, there is no lock to set, and no other action to take aside from drawing this knife from it’s sheath (retained by a small lip and friction). If under clothes, some practice would be good – but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to grab and pull.

2. Durability (3/5):

a. Construction (1/1): Overall construction is excellent – it’s hard to mess up a piece of steel with some scales drilled into it. It’s well designed, looks good, and feels good. I only wish they had used higher quality steel!

b. Edge (1/2): 5Cr15MoV is on the “lower end” of steels[xi]; it does not hold an edge for long when used, but the upshot is that you can sharpen it quickly. A full breakdown of the steel content can be found on page six of this footnote[xii].

c. Hardness (1/2): 5Cr15MoV has an HRC of 55-58[xiii], and misses the fine middle ground between being too hard and too soft. On the up side, it’s more flexible and resists breaking, while being easy to sharpen. It’s not likely that you’re going to shatter this blade – it’ll bend a good bit first. The use of 5Cr15MoV was likely a cost saving solution for such a small knife.

3. Price (5/5): This is a great little knife, with a great package for what you pay. With a different type of steel the cost wouldn’t be worth it – but you’re getting a lot for what it is. It is advertised for general field duty, and is not oversold as a one tool fits all survivalist piece. As an every day on hand blade it fits nicely. In addition, you get a sheath, and a belt loop – listed for $29.99[xiv] on their own site.

Steel1Actual, 20180323

[i]https://www.crkt.com/company/about

[ii]https://www.crkt.com/knife-design/designers

[iii]https://www.crkt.com/knife-design/designers/alan-folts/

[iv]https://www.crkt.com/catalog/product/view/id/623/s/minimalist-bowie/category/93/

[v]https://www.gunsandgunstocks.com/documents/51.html

[vi]https://web.archive.org/web/20070102194628/http://www.textronfasteningsystems.com/PDFs/torx.pdf

[vii]http://www.brugola.com/en/products/polydriver

[viii]https://www.knife-depot.com/learn/knife-tangs/

[ix]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neck_knife

[x]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIy94jcg52o

[xi]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oKiuh9d1yI