CRKT Heiho EDC Folding Pocket Knife: Assisted Opening Everyday Carry, Osoraku Modified Tanto Blade, Thumb Disk, Automated Liner Lock, G10 Handle, Reversible Pocket Clip 2900

The knife was a little smaller than the picture lets on, the entirety of its length fits my hand length when laid flat. I was surprised at its solid construction, the butt of the knife is spaced with stainless steel, differing from most open bottomed folding knives, which allows for light hammer work and prevents debris intrusion to some extent. The assisted opening function is not spring based, so I do not feel the need to leave the knife deployed when in storage to prevent a spring from wearing out under tension. There is absolutely no blade play, which from the title of this review you can tell makes this a solid tool. Loose blades are a commodity among assisted opening knives, due to their need to be fast when deployed, but CRKT seemed to find a balance of opening speed and joint strength when designing this knife. The blade on the knife is slightly off center, however. I noticed that from the back the knife cants to the left instead of the desired straight vertical, but almost all of my folding knives have had this flaw, and it does not really impede any knife function or utility, just a small detail noticed by a obsessive knife critic. The tanto blade works well for many everyday uses, and the knife can easily function, as it was designed to do, as a last ditch self defense blade. Remember, this is a more domesticated version of the hissatsu fixed blade fighter, so it blade design is combat based, but its strong needle point and slicing geometry make this a fine utility knife you would find no shame in carrying every day just to open letters... or stab a mugger. the secondary lock on the back of the knife can sometimes fall into place, so be aware if you have difficulty folding your blade. Overall, I am very impressed with this conservative and innovative knife. Plus it just looks cool.

Just bought this knife and have to say I love this little knife. It's a perfect pocket knife (being not too small or too big). Overall, the fit and finish are excellent, as is the overall construction. The all stainless steel frame makes this knife quite sturdy. And the blade is plenty thick for this type of knife. Amazon lists the blade material as AUS8 in one section, then 8Cr14Mov in another. I ended up going to the manufacturers website and found that it is the latter.I would have preferred AUS8. In my experience it just performs better than 8Cr14Mov. But that is just personal preference, 8Cr14Mov is still very decent steel for this type of knife. With the blade profile, handle shape and the characters etched into the G10 handle material, the knife has and overall Asian flair which is nice. and even though this knife is not that big, it has a nice weighty feel in the hand.The Outburst assisted opening system gave me some concern at first. I flinched each time I opened the blade because of the amount of pressure I had to apply with my thumb just to get the blade to move that initial distance before the open assist takes over. Because of the force applied, and once the open assist took over, my thumb would continue it's forward momentum and it kept feeling like I was running my thumb across the blade edge. The very first time I opened it I thought "crap! just sliced open my thumb" and had to check my thumb. Fortunately I didn't slice my thumb.Eventually I figured out that you don't open it the same way you would a manual open knife that uses a thumb screw/stud for one handed open. A manual knife requires your thumb to stay on the stud and continue applying pressure as it follows the blade until it opens and locks. With this knife, you catch your thumb under the thumb plate and 'flick' your thumb out. When doing it this way, your thumb stays away from the blades edge and the blade 'snaps' open very quickly. Had to practice for a few minutes and made my thumb sore, but once I got used to it it's nothing at all to snap this baby open and ready for action in a second.The LAWKS system is also nice. Just flick the little lever forward to lock the...well...lock. This keeps the lock spring from sliding over and out from under the blade pivot is too much force is exerted on the spine of the blade. This knife is nice to hold and look at and overall this is a great little knife and is one of my new favorites.

So let's address the one downside of this knife first: the safety system, or LAWKS. While I appreciate the effort, it makes quick one handed deployment difficult if not impossible for some people. It does provide some added strength and safety depending of which position you have it in. Just something to keep in mind if you plan on using this as your EDC. However...I don't even care. The knife is so good I'm willing to overlook the locking mechanism. Fully disclosure: I love CRKT. I alternate between them almost exclusively for my EDC knives. This knife is the perfect size and is probably the sharpest thing I've ever owned. The construction is extremely solid for a knife that's relatively small (I forget it's measurements, probably about 3.5") and light. As some have said, the release is a bit stiffer than some (myself included) would expect. I'm sure this could be adjusted if I could be bothered and while it's certainly not a deal-breaker, it's a bit of a surprise. Once the opening mechanism catches it fires off with some considerable force. On first use it's best to have a good grip until you get used to it.All in all this is a fantastic multi-use knife. It would make a good EDC (be mindful of the LAWKS, though) but where I think it really shines is as a replacement for a box cutter/razor. It's just as sharp and far more durable. I use mine primarily as a box opener or when getting packaging undone and for that it works brilliantly. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good all around knife.