M21-04G

Yeah, I know you think I'm crazy for calling it a EDC Knife if you've ever actually seen it, but I ordered it knowing it would be big with the intention to use it as EDC anyways. I am a somewhat big person at 6', but its due mostly to my hands. They're huge in comparison to most at a size 10 pinky ring and 16 for middle and ring fingers. As you can see, a large knife is for me! =] Well, I ordered this knife and it got to my doorstep in two days here in the Greater L.A. area and boy was I surprised. This truly is a big mans knife. Most would use it for a pack knife while camping, but not me. I've had this knife for almost a whole year now and it is a super knife. Out of the box, I WAS able to shave my arm hairs with it, but that didn't last long! I used it the next day in my stage production class and found myself cutting rope, carving luan plywood, and even digging with this beast. At $36 bucks, I wasn't afraid to kill this knife within a week, given, it did the job, but alas, it is still kicking a whole 10 months of that hell later! A little sharpening here and there and it will never disappoint. The blade is a mid-high carbon content stainless steal, so if (or in my case, when) the initial coating of protective stuff goes, it will get a little discolored in high humidity and even rust under prolonged exposure. (nothing a rice stone cannot handle.) I am only writing this now because every time I check the price it has been well over the $[..]I paid for it, and now its not! I need to get a spare because all my work mates want to steal it!. It is quite the conversation piece as it lacks the subtlety of a cheap 3'' knife while packing a lot more class. Anyone who has had any authority over me has challenged its street legality, but here's a lil proquo. In CA, there is NO length limit as long as it is not a gravity, switchblade or balisong knife. LA city has a loosely enforced length limit of 3'', but anyone with a reason to carry it need not worry. its basically a anti-hoodlum knife law. workers and professionals heed none of that flac. what the highest rated comment said about this knife needing some modding may be true for most, and, although i loooooove the auto-lawks, WILL need a little sanding on the release liner. The serrations on the liner didn't make me bleed, but through constant use for the first week, I did get a light callous on my right thumb. The whole knife is still as solid and almost as stiff as the day I bought it too. No wobbles at all. I abuse the living hell out of this knife, battoning wood included, and I've never had to tighten a single screw except the clip screws every once in a while. This knife is as good as any fixed blade I've used, including ka-bar bk series knives! I keep this within reach at all times from protection to safety to whittling and then some. In my eyes, a knife of this caliber is a tool and, although it would make a terrifying weapon, should be considered nothing more than a tool in responsible hands. I carried this knife for the last 5 months of my high school career before I graduated without any heat. This very knife may very well have saved my life too. One night on the freeway, I was in a 60-0mph rear-ender style crash and I was able to leave the car after the seat belt broke and locked up to tight for the release to work beause this knife was in my pocket when I needed it. I just ran the blade under the belt and poped it off. My car was rear ended not moments later just as I exited the car. Did I mention I love this knife?!? Thank you CRKT! P.S. for the holidays: Any blue collar worker would use this knife like a wonder omni-tool in a heart beat, so if you know anyone that you love and cherish, give the gift that keeps on cutting and prying and slashing and chopping. They will never stop thanking you. Though I might suggest the smaller 3'' version to those with smaller hands. Best of luck to all and happy holidays! edit as of Friday August 19th 2011: I am back again to buy yet another one of these knives, as i finally lost the last one i had. (i actually cried, as it was the one that very nearly saved my life and had become part of me.) times are hard right now as i am between jobs, but this knife is so affordable, that i bought me a new one anyways. thank you again CRKT for having such great service and products. Update 5-18-2016: So I am ordering this knife again, but luckily, it's because I am gifting it. My brother had purchased the M21-14G and though almost identical, he found that those veff serrations weren't to his liking. So now, I'm going to buy him one of these for his upcoming birthday. SHHHH DONT TELL HIM! In other news, my knife is still doing great. It looks like garbage because it has been an EDC knife for five years, and you cannot even read the model or maker info on the side of the blade due to wear, but it still has a good temper and I can still home it to a fine edge. I'd say the ~$36 I paid years ago has more than been made up for. I love this knife, and even after I retire it, I'll keep it sharp and well oiled for old times sake. And when I do retire it, I'll just be getting another one of these.

I've owed this knife for just under 2 years and carried it daily. As the other reviewers have said this version is large. So for those of you out there who would love to carry a sheath knife but don't want the bulk or strange looks this is the folder for you. First off the design and construction are great. I've owned coldsteel, buck, gerber, spyerco, and benchmade folders. They were all fantastic knives and you can't go wrong purchasing any one of them. The reasons I love this particular knife are the spearpoint blade design, auto-lock, the relatively mild stainless steel, and the price. The blade design is very tough and utilitarian. It's good for carving, slicing, and mild prying. It has a very strong tip for punching through tough material. I really like the additional safety of the auto-lock. Others have complained that it's hard to close with one hand but I haven't had any problems learning how to do this. The steel is mild compared to AUS-8. For me it's a good compromise. You can keep a very sharp edge on this knife without it being overly brittle. Ofcourse this means you have to sharpen it more often but it's also faster to sharpen. The steel is maintenance free and you don't have to worry about rust. Now we come to price. For the cost, you can buy 3 of these for one good benchmade or coldsteel. Having lost both a coldsteel and a benchmade, I can tell you that I actually got sick to my stomach. I don't have to worry as much with the M21. It's every bit as good as it's competitors at a third of the cost here on Amazon. As for production quality issues, I've not seen any. I own three variants of this knife and I just ordered another smaller version of this one to have as a spare.

I own a large collection of knives, several hundred in fact. Having used them daily, some for years; and believing that they are as much a matter of being dressed as wearing pants . I can say Crkt makes great production knives. They are made on cnc machinery and the fit and finish are uniformly good from one knife to the next. I have several of the carson (lic) M16 M21 and M4's I love the design. The M16 in the shorter spear point is lighter at the point, and as such opens with less authority. the M21 has more weight out on the end of the blade so this isn't a problem. These knives are strong and can handle about any abuse you can dish out. I will not carry any other liner lock, I have had too many fail. Now as for the blade; You simply can not buy a knife that will hold an edge under heavy use for under $150 I suppose this is because so many people use their knives for prybars screwdrivers etc The steel in these knives is fairly soft , you can hone it very sharp but expect to resharpen it often. The same applies to buck gerber case cold steel sog and so on. All of these companies use the same steel, and temper it the same way then draw it so it is soft enough you won't snap the blade prying with it. This model comes without the annoying serrations, so sharpening is quick .The edge is also ground symmetrically unlike the serrated models that are ground on one side like you would sharpen a chisel. I am not sure what all the chatter is about this being such a large knife, its just a 3& 3/4" blade no larger than any other lockblade folder with a similar blade length, and narrower in cross section than most. The Lock on the liner lock is simple enough to operate and shouldn't take any reasonably intelligent over a few trys to master. The short version,. its a well made knife, much better than most in todays market Maybe a little large for a letter opener but not for a utility or skinner

I really wish I could give this knife 5 stars. I'd give 4.5 if I could. It is very well made: not a bit of wiggle in the blade when opened, feels good in the hand. The blade is strong and beautifully shaped for work. As other reviewers have said, this knife is large for a pocket knife. It might not be comfortable for those with small hands. But for me it's just lovely. It will be part of my EDC - not as a pocket knife, because it is a bit large for that, but in my Maxpedition EDC shoulder bag. I will keep it there as a heavy duty utility knife, for jobs that my multitool and my Swiss Army Knife can't easily handle. I have just two complaints that keep this knife from getting my highest rating. The first is sharpness. It was not really "Razor Sharp" out of the box. It was sharp, but not as sharp as I like them. It took a brief touch-up (not much, but a bit) with a stone before it would actually shave hair off my arm. The second problem is more serious. I'm sorry, CRKT, but I HATE your "AutoLawk" system. I know, safety is key, but you've gone through safety and into usability with AutoLawk. I'm sure I will eventually get comfortable with it, but I shouldn't have to. It's not my job, as a customer, to change my habits in line with your design decisions. The AutoLawk system is a plain nuisance IMO, and I hope you change it. That aside, I still recommend this knife.

Great balance. Nice weight. Large enough for my hands. Durable. Quality you can feel. My only complaint is the lock bar seems just a tad on the skinny side. But I don't really see that it will be an issue. More of a personal preference. I carry a buck 110 and I think it was time for something more quickly deployable and larger. This definitely fits the bill. I am a fan of ckrt from this very 1st purchase. Not usa made but the quality is there. Very sharp out of the box. Definitely a value. Most favorite folder I've ever owned. I was looking at cold steel counter point and they only had the 3 inch blade which was not sufficient for my needs. I'm am glad I found this bad boy. Update after having the knife for a short time. The little red thumb safety fell off when I didn't notice. Luckily CKRT will send out replacement parts free of charge but this is still concerning to me. If something can just fall off that easily then I'm not too sure how much I can trust the rest of the blade.

I bought this knife June 3 2022. Today is 11/28/2025. It’s held up flawlessly since then. I carry it every single day and USE it. I never had a problem with the mechanics or blade. I did do basic maintenance as you should with any tool. Stripped it completely down, cleaned and lubricated everything. Great knife for the price. Blades easy to sharpen and holds its edge fairly well. I have no complaints on this knife and would recommend it again and again.

Great edc knife, solid black handle provides non slip grip and the drop point blade on it, allows for just about any use if you know what your doing. The double lock allows for added safety and take away the worry that your knife might close on you. Its about a 3 and 3/4 inch blade and the cutting area is the same. Little pricey but when your looking for a knife, you pay for what you want. I just this knife for many different things and I haven't broken it yet.

And I bought this now three or four different times. It's either because somebody has used it or borrowed it and not giving it back or I've lost it. I love this knife! Its well made. For the price its a good quality knife and very dependable. I didn't think I would like to double Locking System but you get used to it and it'll save you from cutting yourself. I keep all my knives extremely sharp and It keeps a good edge