Davis Aurini - Knife Review: M16-14ZLEK by CRKT
Aired: 2018-02-21
Duration: 05:51


=== An Extremely Sharp Blade (05:01) ===

[00:00:01]  Hey folks, this is my review of the M1614ZLEK folding pocket knife by the Columbian River Knife and Tool Company.
[00:00:19]  CRKT.com.
[00:00:23]  So this is a blade that I've been carrying with myself for a few months now.
[00:00:28]  To go through the basics, is it sharp?
[00:00:31]  Yes, it's sharp.
[00:00:33]  In fact, just earlier today, I don't know if you can see that right there.
[00:00:38]  I wasn't doing anything podesta related.
[00:00:40]  I was just cutting a little bit of plastic, and I accidentally slapped the blade into my finger, and that was enough to break the skin.
[00:00:47]  So yes, it's an extremely sharp blade.
[00:00:49]  It's got a stiffer metal than something like my Hanway Rhinelander over there, but that's appropriate for such a short blade for a folding pocket knife.
[00:01:02]  It also has the ridging right along there, the little saw blade, which you almost never use, but when you need it, it's extremely useful.
[00:01:11]  Seatbelt cutter, window smasher, both of these in case you're in a car accident.
[00:01:18]  And a feature that I rather like is it has a double lock mechanism.
[00:01:23]  So you see that right there.
[00:01:28]  To actually fold the blade closed again, you have to pull that back, then push this across, and it closes.
[00:01:36]  Now, it takes a bit of getting used to, but once you're used to it, it's no problem whatsoever.
[00:01:41]  The one thing it doesn't have, which I would have liked, is a spring assist opening.
[00:01:48]  However, as you saw, getting it open is no problem whatsoever.
[00:01:55]  Now the real question with blades like these, with the folding pocket knives, is not, is it sharp out of the store?
[00:02:03]  Or what is the blade made out of?
[00:02:07]  Because generally you will have good blades.
[00:02:11]  My concern when I'm looking at a pocket knife is what is the hilt made out of?
[00:02:16]  What sort of materials?
[00:02:17]  What sort of construction?
[00:02:19]  And now this is, I believe it's actually fiberglass and steel, but the material isn't the point.
[00:02:26]  The point is, I've been carrying this around for a few months, as I said.
[00:02:30]  It's still sharp, even though I haven't done anything to sharpen it.
[00:02:33]  And there is no give.
[00:02:37]  There is no play whatsoever.
[00:02:40]  So that's the thing with these knives.
[00:02:42]  The day-to-day grind, sitting down, standing up, getting crushed in your pocket, opening and closing, does that weaken the screws?
[00:02:49]  Does that weaken the hilt?
[00:02:50]  Because if you just have the blade and the hilt falling apart, you don't have anything.
[00:02:55]  And so I've had a few of these types of knives.
[00:02:58]  This is the best I've ever owned.
[00:03:00]  I'm very, very impressed with it.
[00:03:03]  And on top of that, and this was a nice little feature they included, the pocket bit right there, you can actually take that and move it to either end on either side.
[00:03:17]  You'll see that they have the three available screw holes there.
[00:03:20]  I just kept it where it was, but it's a very nice feature to have.
[00:03:24]  So the Columbia River Knife and Tool Company, who are they?
[00:03:28]  They are a group of amateur professionals.
[00:03:32]  Now, what do I mean by that?
[00:03:34]  If you look at the knife designs, at the people who design the blades that they sell, it's just a whole bunch of enthusiasts.
[00:03:43]  Okay, people that know steel, that know knives, and they're designing knives that would make them happy.
[00:03:50]  And then the company itself is very well organized, very professional, very nice website, good production qualities.
[00:03:59]  So it's got the excellence of the amateur and the professionalism of a major company.
[00:04:05]  And the best part, I think I picked this up for about $120.
[00:04:12]  So this is one of their older models.
[00:04:13]  There's a link to it below.
[00:04:14]  You might have trouble finding this one specifically.
[00:04:19]  And I'll tell you one of the things I do like about it.
[00:04:20]  It's got the flat edge right here.
[00:04:24]  And an interesting design choice.
[00:04:25]  If you'll notice, there's not much silver you can see there, but on this side, there's quite a bit because the edge is mainly on one side.
[00:04:36]  So you actually have a very, very tight little angle there.
[00:04:42]  You might not be able to find this particular model, but the craftsmanship that went into it was just absolutely top-notch.

=== Best Pocket Knife Review (01:03) ===

[00:04:51]  So if you're looking for a good pocket knife, and ideally one with the saw, the seatbelt cutter, the window smasher, because maybe you don't want to carry a knife for self-defense.
[00:05:03]  Maybe you want to carry a tool.
[00:05:08]  This is a great option.
[00:05:12]  Full disclosure, I did contact the guys over at Columbia River and told them I was going to be doing a review.
[00:05:19]  I wanted to see if they had an affiliate link.
[00:05:20]  They said we don't, but tell you what, here's a discount.
[00:05:25]  You can use it anytime between now and April.
[00:05:28]  So that very gentlemanly of them.
[00:05:29]  I don't know if I'm going to be using it.
[00:05:31]  Most of my knife needs are satisfied at present, but very gentlemanly of them.
[00:05:36]  I do very much like the knife.
[00:05:38]  I strongly recommend it.
[00:05:40]  And there is a link down below to their website, crkt.com.
[00:05:46]  Very easy to remember.
[00:05:47]  Go check them out.
[00:05:49]  Deus Volt, folks.