CRKT

The US company CRKT is one of the most renowned knife manufacturers in the world. For over 25 years, the designs of founder Rod Bremmer have delighted knife enthusiasts worldwide. The manufacturer is known for its attention to detail and the many practical innovations that have been brought to market in recent years. These include the FireSafe system, the OutBurst-Assist, and the Deadbolt Lock.

The Story of CRKT

The year is 1994. Paul Gillespi and Rod Bremer are employed at Kershaw Knives and decide to start their own company together. CRKT was born. But it would take another three years for the two to really make a name for themselves. At the Shot Show 1997, they introduced the so-called K.I.S.S. knife. The abbreviation stands for Keep It Super Simple and it definitely lives up to its name. To this day, the pocket knife is one of the company's most famous and popular models. A few days after its introduction, the knife was already sold out, and total sales were five times the original production figures.

In the following years, CRKT focused on expanding its product range and has since offered a wide array of fixed-blade knives, folding knives, multi-tools, sharpeners, and carrying systems. With well-known personalities such as Ken Onion, Harold "Kit" Carson, Pat Crawford, and Liong Mah, the team also consistently brought in prominent support, which significantly propelled the company's success.

CRKT's Innovative Power

Today, CRKT holds over 15 patents for a wide variety of opening mechanisms and blade designs. The most well-known is probably the so-called Outburst, a specially designed opening mechanism for CRKT knives. Knives with this mechanism are essentially normal liner or frame locks, but there is a spring tab inside the knife that catches the tang of the blade during manual opening. Once the blade reaches a 30-degree angle, the spring engages and quickly snaps the knife open.

The lock-back safety mechanism should also be familiar to many knife enthusiasts. This is an additional protective feature for knives with a lockback, preventing the latter from being unintentionally opened. This is controlled by an additional switch, which ensures that the lockback mechanism can be locked or released.