Lee
New Bedford, Ma

Jul 28, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

My New Favorite

I chose the 8cr13mov steel for the ease of maintenance and corrosion resistance. I've been searching for a gentleman's-like knife for a while and this was a perfect choice. "Elegant" was the word that came to mind when I first held it. A very light but also very tough and sharp blade. No flaws and perfectly sharp ootb. No complaints at all.

James
Topeka, Ks

Aug 28, 2021

Pros: Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Pocket Clip

An excellent choice

Solid. Sharp. I admit to bias in this review… because of these “firsts:” First review of a knife; First D2 blade; First knife I’ve spent this much money on. For me in my personal knife journey, this was a big boy step, so when I say it’s “the best I’ve ever owned” remember that it must be viewed with a “this a new guy to the knife world’ understanding. And this guy has only experienced a dozen Leatherman Tools, and a dozen sub-$50 folders. Good tools and good knives all, but not this good. There are those who would deny that CRKT makes knives “that good.” Well, when the stars are right, they can. Biggest knock, no left-handed love here. This is for righties, which will disappoint some. I find I don’t mind that too much, but you should know its right leanings. It takes practice to learn how to deploy reliably. I’d never operated a spyderco knife, so this design forced me to learn to right-handed spidey-flick. Easy enough after a bit. Natural, even, and kind of cool. Still, not lefty friendly. I’ve not yet figured out a left handed deployment method, but I figure it’ll come to me. Slow roll opening with the thumb might be possible if you have slender or pointed thumbs. I don’t, so no luck there (mid- to large-sized hands). The knife’s fit is glove-like, snug and firm. I love the finger choil, making a fully locked-in grip possible. The blade takes a fine edge and retains it easily with the Ken Onion Work Sharp Blade Grinding Attachment. The blade’s sharpness surprises me, because it looks wider but slices quite fine. Rather than look for more new knives, I’m tempted to buy another 1-2 of these instead, to keep around for rainy days or gifts.

Magicdad
SoCal

Aug 17, 2021

Pros: Ease of Opening, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Among the kings of $50 EDC knives

The Pilar 3 D2 is just a great EDC knife in every way. There are perfectly valid reasons why retailers are running out of inventory, and those reasons are the positive feedback mentioned here and elsewhere, which I can only reiterate. It's among my heavier knives, but not prohibitively heavy. It sits very nicely in the pocket, and is a pleasure to use from there. This is one of the mainstays in my 50 (and growing) knife collection.

Jschuch
wausau wisconsin

Feb 03, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Does not disappoint!!!

I have been very impressed with CRKT for years with their ability to build a quality knife at a decent price. I fell in love with the original Pilar a few years ago, and have been eagerly awaiting this new Pilar III to come out. I just got it a few hours ago, and so far, I love it!! Feels great in the hand, very easy to open, blade is wicked sharp, very well manufactured and sits great in the pocket! The brass back spacer looks great and is very comfortable to hold. If I did have a complaint, it would be the lack of jimping on the top of the blade, but that's just my personal opinion. I wont hold it against CRKT. Very impressed so far and thankful for Knife Center for such great service and fast shipping!!!

Mark
Connecticut

Mar 24, 2021

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

So smooth!

I have been using this as my EDC. This is perhaps the smoothest knife I have every used...and I work in a the knife department of a large nation-wide outdoor store. It is smoother than any Benchmade or Spyderco I have handled. I have a Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight...which is a great knife... but the Spydie Flick is much smoother with the Pilar. Blade is perfectly centered and the D2 steel is one of my favorites. Yes, you can pay a lot more for and knife, but for 50 bucks this is one of the best. If you want one CRKT for your collection...this is it!

Bill
Henderson, Ny

Jan 31, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Good value!

You get a very capable knife that’s well made for the price. The original Pilar variants didn’t appeal to me so this is my first & the first CRKT I’ve bought in years. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality to cost ratio. Really don’t find a flaw with the knife beyond the detent being kinda light on my example. Still deploys reliably with a thumb, index or middle finger flick the latter of which lands your index finger nicely into the forward choil ready for use. Slices quite well being satisfyingly thin behind the edge and notably sharp for a factory edge. Comfortable in hand too. Pocket clip works fine & the screw heads are flush with the fold over portion so there’s no tearing up your jeans. All in all I’m quite pleased for the cost.

Jim N.
Detroit

Jan 23, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

If you only buy one CRKT knife for your collection...BUY THIS ONE!

My primary collection and fondness is built around Buck Knives. But I wanted to add just one knife from several other companies, CRKT included. I was originally going to order the CRKT Tuna, but then I saw KC offer the Pilar III as a new 2021 release. With this new blade shape on the Pilar from previous editions, the D2 steel, and the sharp brass accent, I went with the Pilar III. And am I ever glad I made this choice for my lone CRKT knife. This little knife is a tank with buttery soft opening, excellent lines, deep pocket clip, and solid lock up. Trust me...if you can only grab one CRKT, make it this one. You are welcome.

M1mic
Idaho Falls, ID

Jun 04, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening

Cons: Pocket Clip

FINALLY a decent CRKT knfie

Let's face it. CRKT has cool designs but tend to lack on the execution front (I know, I know, they are usually trying to hit a budget friendly price point on their knives). Jesper Voxnaes designs are always so elegant. No exception with the Pilar III. Even though I can only get about a 3 1/2 finger grip on the handle (wear an XL size glove), the finger coil is super large and allows you to choke up on it for a firmer grip for better blade control. The action on mine was gritty out of the box, but after taking it apart and oiling it up, it is drop-shutty as all get out. Since there is no flipper tab to stop the fall, it is kind of on the finger guillotine side if you don't watch it. Excellent knife especially for the price.

Cp
Virginia

Jun 08, 2021

Pros: Pocket Clip, Overall Quality

Cons: None

A fine knife, but doesn't quite live up to all the hype

This is a perfectly fine knife, but I really don't see what has everyone gushing over it. The detent is very stiff which, combined with the narrow thumb hole, makes one handed opening more difficult than it should be. This knife I made for middle-finger flicking more than thumb-flicking, but it takes quite a bit of break-in before that will happen reliably. CRKT could have done a much better job when tuning the detent. The ergonomics, while good, aren't the heavenly-level of perfection people claim. The forward finger choil is very comfortable, but the cutout in the handle puts your middle and ring fingers in a position where you need to make the decision of either having the middle finger in a comfortable spot, leaving the ring finger in an awkward spot at the rear edge of the cutout, or moving your ring finger back 1/2 inch to a comfortable position, which awkwardly stretches out the distance between your middle and index fingers. For larger hands, this may not be as much of an issue. The blade thickness and edge geometry make it so that this isn't the best slicer. It will do the job, but not nearly as effortlessly as something with a thinner grind. However, if heavier duty tasks are on the schedule, this knife would probably fit the bill quite nicely. On the plus side, the blade shape is good for a wide variety of tasks. I would have preferred they kept the sheepsfoot design, but there is absolutely nothing objectively wrong with the shape of the Pilar III blade. The G-10 and stainless steel have a robust and high-quality feel. The pocket clip works perfectly, leaving only the brass lanyard hole peeking out above your pocket. This is a knife the falls squarely in the category of "good", but any Top 10 or Best of the Year claims is certainly an over-reaction.

Lee
Green Valley, Az

Jan 27, 2021

Pros: Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Lock Ease of Use

More traditional in style than the original, but nicely done!

The original Pilar is a great design. However, its weight and smooth SS frame were not optimal for me. Didn't think I'd try it again so skipped the second version even though it improved on grip and weight. However, when I read the specs on the Pilar III I decided to give it another try. Although the original design has a lot of character, I think this Pilar is the most generally useful for typical everyday situations, and the D2 blade is a real plus. A concern for me with CRKT has always been fit & finish. My copy has zero f&f problems, and in addition the blade is perfectly centered with symmetrical edge grinds. Another nice feature is the countersunk screws in the pocket clip - makes pocketing very easy. One thing I would caution buyers about is opening the blade. Don't think you're going use the hole to open it with your thumb unless you're a gorilla. The only easy way to open it is with a middle finger flick, and that works very well. Would have liked a little easier access to the lock bar, but all in all, I think this is a winning effort and I recommend it for a quality build in its price range.

Mike
Ewing, Nj

Mar 23, 2021

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

A bit more traditional

The CRKT Pilar III moves away from the stout appearance of having a modified sheepsfoot to more of a traditional knife with a spear-point blade. Overall, it feels good in the hands, but the finger choil on the handle is a bit too deep for my taste. Using the secondary finger choil lets you wrap all four fingers around the knife, which is a positive for me. I appreciate the use of D2 steel rather than the "mov" that is used on other versions. The Pilar III feels well balanced in the hand, although it is slightly heavy at nearly four ounces. It flicks open fairly easily from below using your middle finger, or you can pinch the flattened oval and push the blade open for a less-aggressive approach. Closing the blade doesn't take a herculean push on the lock bar. The brass backspacer attractively balances the black G10 scales on one side and the stonewashed gray steel on the other. The tip-up right-side-only pocket clip allows it to sit fairly deep in the pocket with just the lanyard hole showing. Overall, I think this is a very nice knife and priced just about right.

Ian T
Arcata, Ca

Aug 31, 2021

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Lock Ease of Use

I love it but some things could be improved

I love this folder. The design really spoke to me as most of voxnaes designs do. A vouple things i would change though. There is no detent ball ramp on the tang of the blade to make the transition of the fram lock onto the blade tang smoother. Because of this closing the knife is always a treacherous task. I have sliced into my finger multiple times because the detent ball will get stuck on the blade tang untill you give it a little more pressure. Then it rockets closed and if you have a finger in the way when it does you have a problem. I can see that the manufacturer does this to cut cost and keep the price down on the folder but i would honestly pay more for this design with that issue fixed. Other problems are the branding and serial numbers on the blade. I really like the finish on the blade so its kind of dissapointing that crkt didnt minimize the marketing on the blade. The serial number could have been hidden and everything else could be rearranged and made more visualy appealing. Last problem is the detent tuning is a bit too strong. Takes too much pressure to break the detent and deploy the blade. This may just be a preference thing because most of the vox designs i have handled have had this exact issue so idk. All of these issues still dont make me regret the purchase. All of these things can be fixed by an amature like myself with a dremmel and some sandpaper.

Jason
OH

Sep 10, 2021

Pros: Ease of Opening, Pocket Clip, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material, Lock Type

A great design but with a flaw

To start with I will say I really like this design a lot. I have about two dozen pocket knives and this one quickly became one of my favorite EDC carries (before the big flaw developed). The size and shape are great, the finger choil is very comfortable. It is a strong and durable blade, and mine was super sharp out of the box. The bearings are some of the best I've experienced with an amazing glassy-smooth action. Finally the pocket clip is one of the more comfortable clips I've had. There are some cons to cover. The blade has a very strong detent and you pretty much cannot use your thumb to deploy if your hand is anywhere near the lockbar on the back. However, on the flip side it is a fantastic middle finger "spidey" flick knife and super fidgety when used that way. This is just a drawback of the frame lock design. Some other criticisms, the blade is probably thicker than it really needs to be even for hard-use. Some jimping would be nice to have on the spine, and I don't really care for the lanyard hole design. It was a bit gritty when I first got it but it cleaned up very easily. There is an overtravel stop, but I don't think it is particularly effective where it is placed. Finally, I agree with another commenter about the need for a detent ramp. There is a pronounced catch on the detent ball when closing, and I think compensating for that by over flexing the lock bar may have contributed to the issue mine developed. So finally the big flaw: lock rock. I'm not sure if the steel being used on the frame is just too soft or something else is going on, but over the course of about two months of mainly fidgeting the lockup has developed a significant level of rock. At first I was able to correct the rock by increasing the tension on the lock bar, but within another week it would loosen back up and it has reached the point where there is just no way to increase the tension any more. I started at about 50% lockup, and now it is at like 95% and the edges of the steel look worn. I wouldn't say it is necessarily unsafe to use given the thickness of the blade and frame; I doubt it will slip and close unexpectedly especially while holding it. But it definitely bugs me and makes me not want to carry it. So final thoughts: I think this is a great design with some material limitations. I would gladly purchase an upgraded version of this blade with some better materials and maybe a lockbar insert. Or perhaps redesigned with a different lock style. I may look at some of the other higher end Voxnaes designs in the meantime.