Columbia River Knife & Tool
Encyclopedia
Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) is an American
knife company established in 1994, and currently based in Tualatin
, Oregon
, United States. The company's president and sales executive is Rod Bremer and the finance executive is Peggy Bremer. Though based in the United States most of its products are manufactured in China
and Taiwan
.
. The company did not truly take off until the 1997 Shot Show
when the K.I.S.S (Keep It Super Simple) knife was introduced. The small folder, designed by Ed Halligan was a success. Within the opening days of the show the years worth of the product was sold out. They sold at 4-5 times original production numbers resulting in a tripling of production efforts.
On October 3 of 2000 US Customs seized a shipment of 80,000 CRKT folding knives worth more than $4.3 million. All 50 models seized had always passed every Customs test in prior situations. The shipment had cleared Customs on September 29 but on October 3 an inspector decided that the knives acted like switchblade
s despite the fact that none of them fit within the definition set forth by the U.S. Switch Blade Knife Act of 1958. On October 17 a letter was co-signed by Oregon U.S. Congresswoman Darlene Hooley
and Senator Gordon Smith that petitioned the head of Customs to aid CRKT. Because of their action there was a Federal inquiry of the US Customs actions that had to be answered within thirty days. On October 20 the company was once again allowed to move their product. However this was not before losing over $1 million in sales and spending over $30,000 on legal fees.
The company produces a wide range of fixed blades and folding knives, multi-tool
s, sharpeners, and carrying systems. CRKT has collaborated with a multitude of custom knifemakers such as Ken Onion
, Kit Carson, Allen Elishewitz, Pat Crawford, Liong Mah, Steven James, Steve Corkum, Michael Walker, Ron Lake, Tom Veff, Steve Ryan, and the Grahm Brothers.
AutoLAWKS folders are essentially standard locking liner folders with an extra safety feature. The Lawks
system was developed by Ron Lake and Michael Walker
. There is an extra piece of metal that keeps the lock in the locked position once opened. There is a small piece of metal with a circular cut out mounted on the pivot pin in between the locking liner and the handle scale. The small disk shaped piece has three protrusions. There is a small flange that sticks out at a right angle to the rest of piece, opposite that is a finger stud, and next to the stud is an attachment point for a small spring. When the knife is opened the spring rotates the piece so that the flange is wedged between the handle scale and the lock preventing the lock from being dislodged. To close the knife the stud must be pulled away from the blade rotating the disk so that the flange is out of the way of the lock. While the stud is depressed the knife is closed in the same manner as any other liner lock.
The Outburst is the companies proprietary mechanism for their assisted-opening knives
. These knives are standard pivot joint liner lock or frame lock folding knife. Inside the knife there is a spring tab that catches the tang of the blade as it is manually opened. Once the blade reaches thirty degrees the spring takes over and quickly snaps the knife open.
The Lock Back Safety mechanism, also invented by Ron Lake, is similar in function to the LAWKS mechanism. It is a lockback folder with a switch that can prevent the locking bar from being depressed. Inside the handle there is a small rod with a flange near the butt of the handle. The other end is connected to a switch near the pivot end. When the switch is pulled back (away from the pivot) the lock functions as a regular lockback. When the switch is closed the flange on the rod slides under tip of the locking bar at the butt end. This prevents the depression of the bar and the blade from unlocking. When the knife is closed the system functions the same way to lock it closed or allow it to open.
Veff-Serrations were developed by Tom Veff, a sharpener and knife maker, and are exclusively licensed to CRKT for production. The Veff-Serrations differ from standard ones in that they are large and set at an angle of 60 degrees whereas most serrations are small and arranged 90 degrees from the cutting surface.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
knife company established in 1994, and currently based in Tualatin
Tualatin, Oregon
Tualatin is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located south of Tigard...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States. The company's president and sales executive is Rod Bremer and the finance executive is Peggy Bremer. Though based in the United States most of its products are manufactured in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
History
CRKT was founded in 1994 by Paul Gillespi and Rod Bremer. Both individuals were formerly employed with Kershaw KnivesKershaw Knives
Kershaw Knives is a multinational corporation that designs and manufactures a range of knives, including kitchen cutlery, pocket knives, and outdoor knives...
. The company did not truly take off until the 1997 Shot Show
SHOT Show
The ' is an annual tradeshow for the shooting, hunting, and firearms industry. It is the biggest event of this type in the world together with IWA & OutdoorClassics , also taking place annually. "SHOT", besides being a general reference to shooting, is an acronym for "Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor...
when the K.I.S.S (Keep It Super Simple) knife was introduced. The small folder, designed by Ed Halligan was a success. Within the opening days of the show the years worth of the product was sold out. They sold at 4-5 times original production numbers resulting in a tripling of production efforts.
On October 3 of 2000 US Customs seized a shipment of 80,000 CRKT folding knives worth more than $4.3 million. All 50 models seized had always passed every Customs test in prior situations. The shipment had cleared Customs on September 29 but on October 3 an inspector decided that the knives acted like switchblade
Switchblade
A switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
s despite the fact that none of them fit within the definition set forth by the U.S. Switch Blade Knife Act of 1958. On October 17 a letter was co-signed by Oregon U.S. Congresswoman Darlene Hooley
Darlene Hooley
Darlene Kay Olson Hooley is a former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon who represented the state's . A native of North Dakota, she spent eight years teaching high school before entering politics when she was elected to the West Linn, Oregon city council in 1975...
and Senator Gordon Smith that petitioned the head of Customs to aid CRKT. Because of their action there was a Federal inquiry of the US Customs actions that had to be answered within thirty days. On October 20 the company was once again allowed to move their product. However this was not before losing over $1 million in sales and spending over $30,000 on legal fees.
Products
Multi-tool
A multi-tool is any one of a range of portable, versatile hand tools that combines several individual functions in a single unit...
s, sharpeners, and carrying systems. CRKT has collaborated with a multitude of custom knifemakers such as Ken Onion
Ken Onion
Ken Onion is an American award-winning custom knifemaker based in Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA who invented the "SpeedSafe" assisted opening mechanism for Kershaw Knives...
, Kit Carson, Allen Elishewitz, Pat Crawford, Liong Mah, Steven James, Steve Corkum, Michael Walker, Ron Lake, Tom Veff, Steve Ryan, and the Grahm Brothers.
Patents
CRKT owns fifteen patents and patents pending. These include the AutoLAWKS (Lake And Walker Knife Safety) locking mechanism, the Outburst assist opening mechanism, Lock Back Safety (L.B.S.) mechanism, and Veff-Serrated edges.AutoLAWKS folders are essentially standard locking liner folders with an extra safety feature. The Lawks
LAWKS
The Lake and Walker Knife Safety system is a patented addition to folding knives using the Walker Linerlock, designed by noted Knifemakers' Guild members Ron Lake and Michael Walker. The safety comes in two versions: original LAWKS and the Columbia River Knife & Tool company's patented AutoLAWKS...
system was developed by Ron Lake and Michael Walker
Michael Walker (knifemaker)
Michael Leon Walker is an American custom knife maker and sculptor based in Taos, New Mexico. Walker is the inventor of over 20 different knife mechanisms including the Walker Linerlock which he secured a trademark for in 1980...
. There is an extra piece of metal that keeps the lock in the locked position once opened. There is a small piece of metal with a circular cut out mounted on the pivot pin in between the locking liner and the handle scale. The small disk shaped piece has three protrusions. There is a small flange that sticks out at a right angle to the rest of piece, opposite that is a finger stud, and next to the stud is an attachment point for a small spring. When the knife is opened the spring rotates the piece so that the flange is wedged between the handle scale and the lock preventing the lock from being dislodged. To close the knife the stud must be pulled away from the blade rotating the disk so that the flange is out of the way of the lock. While the stud is depressed the knife is closed in the same manner as any other liner lock.
The Outburst is the companies proprietary mechanism for their assisted-opening knives
Assisted-opening knife
An assisted-opening knife is a type of folding knife which uses an internal mechanism to finish the opening of the blade once the user has partially opened it using a flipper or thumbstud attached to the blade....
. These knives are standard pivot joint liner lock or frame lock folding knife. Inside the knife there is a spring tab that catches the tang of the blade as it is manually opened. Once the blade reaches thirty degrees the spring takes over and quickly snaps the knife open.
The Lock Back Safety mechanism, also invented by Ron Lake, is similar in function to the LAWKS mechanism. It is a lockback folder with a switch that can prevent the locking bar from being depressed. Inside the handle there is a small rod with a flange near the butt of the handle. The other end is connected to a switch near the pivot end. When the switch is pulled back (away from the pivot) the lock functions as a regular lockback. When the switch is closed the flange on the rod slides under tip of the locking bar at the butt end. This prevents the depression of the bar and the blade from unlocking. When the knife is closed the system functions the same way to lock it closed or allow it to open.
Veff-Serrations were developed by Tom Veff, a sharpener and knife maker, and are exclusively licensed to CRKT for production. The Veff-Serrations differ from standard ones in that they are large and set at an angle of 60 degrees whereas most serrations are small and arranged 90 degrees from the cutting surface.
External links
- Columbia River Knife & Tool (official website)