CRKT E-Lock Bronze Folding Knife
Among most knife Collectors, CRKT has the image of being an entry level brand that uses entry level cutlery steels, and affordable materials in the production of their knives. That may be true to some degree, but CRKT sells a lot of knives, and has some great designers collaborating with them. One of them is Allen Elishewitz.
After parting ways with Benchmade, Allen Elishewitz teamed up with CRKT to produce his knife designs and make them affordable to the masses. Benchmade does not have a very good reputation for respecting custom knifemakers that it collaborates with, but CRKT does, and it seems that Allen has done a lot of work with CRKT designing and releasing new peices. One of the first peices that they produced together is this E-Lock Bronze folder. This is the first of the E-Lock folders that Allen designed for CRKT.
The E-Lock was well received, but not with quite the same enthusiasm as locks such as the Axis lock from Benchmade, and now CRKT no longer produces any more folders using the E-Lock. However, it is an interesting lock and gives you something different to add to your collection.
The E-Lock Folder has a 420J2 stainless steel frame, with Bronzed aluminum overlays, which house the E-Lock mechanism. The Aluminum overlays even have lines on them, immitating Allen’s beautiful Guilloche patterns that he does. The CRKT Starlight folder also has these types of immitation Guilloche.
The partially serrated blade is AUS-8, which is not a bad steel, but certainly not the best either. It is fairly short at 2 7/8″ and hollow ground. The thumb studd is an Allen Elishewitz design with the stepped grooves on it to facilitate easier opening.
I find this knife a bit small for my tastes, as it is hard to grip and open at the same time a little bit, however it would be perfectly fine as a gents knife. The pocket clip is of the deep variety allowing concealed carry. Backspacer is FRN, and has holes in it to give it a dressed-up look.
In general, a very well designed knife, with an interesting lock and pleasing aesthetics. Functionally it is very usable and the AUS-8 steel is pretty decent. Blade and overall size is on the small size, but still acceptable. The all metal construction gives it a more upscale feel than the CRKT stuff that has FRN scales.
Blade Length: 2 7/8″
Overall Length: 6 3/4″
Handle Material: Aluminum
Liners: 420J2 Stainless Steel
Blade Steel: AUS-8