Brad Grim
mosul, iraq

Jun 24, 2011

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

Cons: Handle Feel

best knife for that price. love crkt

Being deployed, i use this thing every day. it holds its edge for quite a while. the serrate loses its aggressive teeth pretty quick but still cuts better than most serrated edges even after. my favorite thing about this knife is that it'll flip open right out of your pocket; just gotta move the clip to the other side. i can have this blade out and ready faster than i can with my switch blade.

Rick
TN

Apr 18, 2012

Pros: Ease of Opening, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Weight

the most sturdy folding knife I've used so far. No blade play at all.Serrations are really sharp, but the tips kind of round out after use.

Silvano

Jan 28, 2010

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

Cons: None

Blade per veri intenditori.

Da pochi giorni ho il coltello.Bellissimo e cattivo nello stesso tempo.Il peso, l'impugnatura, il bilanciamento perfetti.In mano lo sento molto preciso,il filo della lama straordinario.... Complimenti alla CRKT...

Shawn Durden
Santa Cruz Ca.

Jun 02, 2011

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

Cons: None

No complaints. Very good knife. This knife comes very sharp so be careful.

Mark C
Somers Point NJ

May 25, 2015

Pros: Weight, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Very happy with the product well worth the money

Pkmd
Houston, TX

Nov 25, 2009

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

Cons: None

Great Design

Carson design is excellent. Strong knife for hard use.

T. L.
Olive Branch, MS

Dec 31, 2009

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

Cons: None

Exceptionally well made rough use knife.

This knife was the first CRKT product I purchased, on the recomendation of one of my son's friends. This knife was rezor sharp out of the box, and I tested it chopping small tree limbs (1 to 3 inches), cutting paracord, and tearing down boxes etc. and was very impressed. I did change the edge angle slightly to prevent burring, but otherwise the blade holds it's edge well and the blade coating wasn't effected by the use. The combination of the flippers and the blade weight allow for fast opening and the lockup is vert tight. Because of the Auto-Lawks mechanism, closing the knife one handed takes a little practice, however I've become very proficient with it. I was so impressed with this knife, I bought another one for my son, whose with the Army's 101st. Airborne Division and an M21-02 and an M21-12 for my EDC knives. I've subsequently purchased several other CRKT products and am impressed with the quality. I noted in a previous review, one owner couln't find a tool to remove the belt clip. There are two options for removing the belt clip, owners can buy the CRKT Get-a-way Driver knife maintenance tool which will fit all the Torx screws on the knife or call CRKT customer service and they will send them a Torx wrench and spare belt clip free of charge. However if you choose to carry the knife tip up, heed the caution against tip up in pocket carry. This is a great kife and obviously I've become a real fan of Columbia River Knife and Tool, who produce solid knives at reasonable prices.

Steve
Chandler, AZ

Oct 07, 2009

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

Cons: None

CRKT M21 Carson Special Forces Black G10 - Beefy! Bold! Bad!

It's my favorite knife in my collection.

Robert
Tooele, UT

Jun 11, 2012

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

Cons: None

Awesome

This is an excellent tactical knife. In tip up carry, it opens right out of the pocket. I have found tip down to be safer. I use it for EDC. The blade sharpens easily after heavy use. The lock safety is a little tricky when closing...you'll get used to it.

Ravin Dave
Oronogo Mo

Feb 18, 2010

Pros: Ease of Opening, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Pocket Clip

great Knife!!!

I wear dress pants in a corp office every day. The knife is not too big! So quit worrying about it. It snaps open with the flip of a finger very easily and locks very solid (no wiggling around) the grip feels nice in your hand and you can definitly hang on to it. The pocket clip is a little tight but not a problem. Best 50 bucks I have spent in years. Very solid construction

S.T.Y
San Francisco, California

Nov 12, 2010

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip

Cons: None

great tactical knife

This knife excels in tactical purposes. I teach young adults self-defense within close quarters, and they usually ask me, "What is the best defensive knife for around $50?" I always recommend this knife. The veff serrations eats right through leather and denim. The handle is large enough to be used as an impact weapon. And most importantly, the pocket clip can be positioned "tip-up", so when drawn from a pocket, the hilt acts like an Emerson Wave feature. 5/5

Alex
Ohio

Jul 21, 2016

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

Cons: Pocket Clip

Nothing short of excellent

All I can say is that this is an all around excellent knife. The blade sharpness is like a razor. I sliced it through a water bottle and it went through it like it was nothing. Definitely worth the money. The only problem I have is the pocket clip is a little awkward and it's a little hard to clip to my pocket

Capt.Tom
metairie,louisiana

Oct 09, 2009

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

Cons: None

a useful tool

a good outdoor tool ,above average cutting and chopping for a folding knife. might be a little large for some people for edc.

Dave G
Joplin Mo

Jun 10, 2011

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

Cons: None

geart tool

I am notoriously hard on things. And was really hard on my first one. (this is my second)....the first one was just fine. no problems with it. I gave it to a missouary friend of mine. THe sereated teath are great for ripping through brush and hacking up a deer to pack it out. I have pounded on the back side of the blade with chunks of wood to shop things in half and it took it fine. I have used it to hack up a few gar. IF you have ever cleaned gar you know the abuse your knife will get when you cut through the scales and the bones. IT held a good edge and the sereations worked great. In short I love this knife and carry it all the time. It isn't too big. I wear it with my dockers everyday. For the price I honestly can't see the point of buying eanthing else.

Tim
Honolulu Hi

Apr 26, 2010

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

Cons: None

Columbia River M21 Carson Special Forces Black G10 Handle 3.875" Combo

this is one of the finest knives I have ever had,it is unbelievably sharp from the box, it has great feel in my sum what large hands and the locking mechanism gives me allot of confidence, I have had blades close on my hand before and it won't happen with this one. I am going to buy 2 more for my daughter and son en law, they are in security in the navy. again great knife.

4Dogs
Minneapolis Mn

Sep 02, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Tough

G10 grips are great, lock is outstanding although it takes a bit of practice to close it one handed. The Veff serrations cut rope like butter. The flipper works amazingly well on a blade this big.

Partenion
Europe

Oct 12, 2009

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

Cons: Handle Feel

new design

The design is excellent and it is very light. It has a sharp blade so it is not a game to use it.

Kate
Texas

Feb 14, 2012

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

Cons: None

Awesome

Got it for my boyfriend and he loves it!

Tom B
the Netherlands

Sep 08, 2015

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

Cons: None

best buy

I have both blades ,the one with the aluminium handles and this one. this one is only slightly superiour to the other. the only difference is the structure on the g10 handles. The aluminium handles have more of a quality feel to it, and this one will never slip out of your hands. It is your choice. I could't choose ,so I didn't.

Brian R.
Raleigh, NC

May 30, 2012

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

Cons: None

Excellent buy!

LOve the weight, balance, edge sharpness, overall quality...using it for both self-defense and general purpose.

Cjo
Austin, TX.

Feb 04, 2010

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

Cons: Lock Ease of Use

CRKT M21 Carson Special Forces Knife Review

We started giving these out for anniversaries and birthdays at our company. The staff absolutely loves them. The overall qaulity of the knife, its great looks and espeically the sharpness of the blade are excellent. As the prodiuct information states this is a large knife. Highly recommended.

Greg
New Mexico

Jan 19, 2014

Pros: Ease of Opening, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Excellent

I have this knife and about 10 other CRKT knives. I use it everyday for outdoor work, rope cutting, firemaking, making tinder, etc...The lock system almost guarantees a fixed blade. I have pryed ( I know, don't judge) stabbed gutted, etc.. and the knife is virtually flawless. the tips of the Zeff serrations wear down, but the serrations can easily ne sharpened. Why spend $125+ for other brand?

Rasbazz
L.A.,Ca.

Oct 19, 2009

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

Cons: None

Great design and construction, solid locking blade mechanism, razor sharp and holds it very well. Looks great.

Skipp
houston,tx

Jan 10, 2017

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

love this knife

nice big knife without being overly big,it is intimidateing,feels great in my hand.ware it for protection,one friend said it's bone chilling.....

Navycop26
The Pacific Ocean

Nov 05, 2010

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

Cons: Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type

Excellent blade, very satisfied

I carry this as my daily use knife. Pros - As a sailor, I have used it several times already to easily cut line and other material with great ease. The serrations do not hesitate with even the heaviest of line, slicing through hawsers cleanly. The smooth opening is also excellent, allowing one hand to remain with the work and the other to ready the blade for use. I have yet to encounter any negatives, this is the fifth CRKT blade I have owned with no disappointments yet.

Kevin

Mar 12, 2017

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

Cons: None

I really like this knife

Bill
PA

Oct 10, 2009

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

Cons: None

M21- BLACK G10 HANDLES-COMBO EDGE

columbia river M21 SPECIAL FORCES 3.875 INCH BLADE. machining of surfaces and edge is very precise and uniform with excellent finish quality. the weight of this piece seems to complement the well defined edges of the G10 handle scales. knife is not a lightweight feeling design. the mechanical function is precise as well with extremely positive lockup when flipped open due to the inertia of the heavy blade. rock solid, zero play against the liner lock. blade appears to be 440c stainless (or the Chinese equivalent) and the conventional edge is very sharp. under magnification, the machine sharpened edge showed no flaws or irregularities. this steel tends to chip against hard surfaces like glass.(be careful) serrations are very sharp and uniform and deform a bit on first use, raising a burr on each point. interior radius of each serration is well protected and does not burr. blade coating is resisting scratches even when sharpening. blade edge angle on the new blade is acceptable. any thinner and the steel may show chips along the edge with impacts. the pocket clip cannot be bent easily and combined with the texture of the G10 handles it stays right where you clip it. the lock is difficult to unlock unless deliberate actions are performed with full finger strength. both locks show no slop in open or closed positions.

Frank
Puerto Rico

Oct 07, 2009

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

Cons: Weight, Pocket Clip

great TACTICAL knife

Excellent knife, bit big for a folder in my opinion, but the edge is perfect and the serrations are wide enough that sharpening them is quite easy. The only problems are that the knife is alot heavier than one might think and I have not yet found a tool to move the clip to a tip down position (the description is right about how it was not designed for tip-up in pocket carry). Finally, the thumb stud for one-handed opening is too flat/slippery to be used properly, it's better to use the hilt.

No_Avatar
Detroit

Dec 03, 2009

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

Cons: Pocket Clip

a lot of knife for a little money

This knife is outstanding for rough use. With its aggressive serrations, blade profile, G10 handles and true hand guard, it truly is a hard use folding fixed blade. The only caution I would throw out there to anyone considering it is that it's huge in your pocket, and tip up carry really is tough because the hand guard edges catch as you draw the knife out.

Denger Blades
Dublin, Ireland.

Oct 20, 2009

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

Cons: None

Perfect Balance

The overall feel and look of this knife is just great. I love the shark like profile of the blade and the promise it gives of being able to stand up to the toughest work. A very welcome to my collection.

James
North Parramatta, Other

Mar 25, 2020

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material

Cons: Pocket Clip

could be tactical but not SF at all

Fantastic idea but very poor execution. BTW handle shape is beautiful and it’s very nice to handle it in any way. Cross guard is also beautiful solution not just to protect but also to give a fast and smooth flip open action. But: 1. AUS 8; not so great as some other steels on the market (I’d pay far more for a quite better steel than AUS 8), 2. no sense at all to call “Special Forces” a knife with the blade serrations on the hottest spot you actually need, not mentioning that for the most of “SF” purposes you don’t need serration at all (actually you don’t want it at all); same could be apply for field sharpening (instead of being able to use just a one simple stone due serration you need one more extra tool eg. sharpening rod)… considering the field work, teeth on the top of serration will go off very quickly, especially Veff serration will lose it’s aggressive teeth pretty quickly (after every re-sharpening just faster and faster); no SF would want any of those happen to his knife. Also, having a few versions of M21 (14SF, 14SFG, 14G etc.) I have to notice that you CAN’T combine parts of one with any of others, even same versions seems as have a different measurements, sizes and length of liner lock, pivot hole… even pocket clip is different in size, shape and measurements as well as all of the screws. So if you think to buy a 2-3 models to make your preferred configuration you’ll be very disappointed. As I said, fantastic idea – very poor execution.

Luke.D
moose jaw

Sep 17, 2011

Pros: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip

Cons: Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type