CRKT Ignitor series

American Handgunner, July-August, 2009 by Roy Huntington

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Oh, another knife, you may say. But wait--there's more! I've always liked CRKT's stuff. It's affordable, innovative and always offers good value. Some of the designs are "way" out there, and others are simply solid, everyday working knives. The Ignitor is somewhere in-between. While at first glance it's a ho-hum folder of the popular tactical variety, there's more under the hood.

The entire series has an assisted opening feature, but with a twist. There's a built-in safety to keep the blade closed in your pocket (ouch ...), and it can't be opened unless you do a deliberate movement, pushing the button on the end of the opening stud. Then, you bump the stud outward and the blade opens smartly. There's a stainless steel pocket clip you can take off, which is good since this flat knife rides nicely in a pocket too. There are models with coated blades, black scales, green and black scales (all of G-10), serrated with the cool-looking (and functional) "Veff" serrations and all the blades are 8Cr14MoV stainless steel. The modified drop-point design is user-friendly and probably one of the best blade shapes for general knife work.

These are simply well-thought out designs, with enough features to make sense. And at around $59.99 (give or take a penny), solid value for today's hard-earned dollars, www.crkt.com