Drifter

This knife is everything you would want in an EDC. It has enough heft to to feel good in the hand, but light enough to vanish while clipped to your pocket. The blade has an elegant shape and is razor sharp right out of the box. In my opinion, this knife represents a lot of quality for a relatively low price. This is my first CRKT purchase, but will likely not be my last.

I have had two of these knives. Bought most recent one two and a half years ago. It's my every-day pocket carry, and I use it every single day for a wide range of tasks. It fits perfectly in a right-front fifth pocket on typical jeans. The clip is very solid. The thumb screws on the blade make it very easy to open the knife one-handed. The thumb spring in the body locks the blade open very safely, and is also easy to activate with the holding hand to fold the knife one-handed. I have used the blade on many materials, including cutting things on pavement or stone. It holds its edge very, very well. When it has gotten dull, I have sharpened it up with a hand-held sharpener (steel and teflon for rough and fine sharpening) and it sharpens back up very nicely. The blade has not chipped anywhere. I have used it in wet and/or dirty/muddy settings and, while I of course clean, dry, and oil it after such, I am happy that to this day it has not a single visible spot of corrosion anywhere. For the money, this knife is fantastic and I'll keep buying them (this is my second one only because I lost my first one). I have given this knife as a gift and not regretted it. Frankly, I'd consider this knife a bargain for twice the price. One note: if you intend to use this knife for fighting, it doesn't have a huge thumb-guard; but I bought this knife to use it daily, not for knife-fights. Very highly recommended overall: an excellent everyday knife at a very budget-friendly price.

As far as I am concerned, the best EDC knife you can get! It's simple, tough, the clip is awesome and tough, the knife easy to clean (sandblast it if I have to) and it is simple to adjust the pivot. Good balance of sharpening ease vs. edge retention vs. toughness. Fast one hand deployment and locks solid. As an artist and as a craftsman, I've put this knife through the worst for a few years and it works as good today as when I bought it. The smooth stainless sides can be a little slippery when wet, but I think it's well worth it for the clean-ability and toughness of the knife. [NOTE: this knife is very different from the plastic-sided model, in the way it locks and in the way the clip attaches.] Great knife!!!! EDIT: I want to note that I have carried this knife and used it several times a day for about five years now. This is a thing close to my heart. I attribute most but not all of the beauty of this knife to it's designers. Every once in a while there is just a lucky coming together of design, materials, construction and user, and my relationship with this thing has been just that. This isn't a thing to wow you or instantly feel like the best thing on the planet, this is a tool to merge with and to beat on and then care for and then repeat for many years. Have you ever seen a tool from the stone age, that looks so beautiful and refined and delicate that it doesn't seem possible that anyone ever used it, but at the same time it shows the wear of a lifetime of use? Thats what I think of when I think of how much this thing has been through, how many times I used it to pry something apart or remove staples or used it as a screwdriver or wrenched on the pivot with all my strength or used it as a pipe cutter or a bottle opener or to push stripped screws out of something or as a punch or a hammer, sandblasted it to get resin off of it, used it to cut open bottles of battery acid, and how the thing is so slim and sleek and how I still keep it sharp with ease because it won't chip or break or get dents in the edge too easily. (I have seen lots of spyderco's and kershaw's do just those sort of things.) And still it opens with ease, clicks closed or locks open with no play even after all that. A very lucky little knife, and a lucky man I am to have one. People will like different things, the right hand clip is one potential issue, and who knows what else, but this is just one of my favorite things that makes me happy when I think about it.

There is so much to like about the CRKT Drifter. It is a really nice size (IMHO), it has a really nice cutting edge from the factory, it is very lightweight, and it just simply feels good in the hand. There only one thing I don't like about this knife and that is why it is 'almost perfect'. That is that the pocket clip can not be changed to 'tip up' configuration. The tip up part is partially personal preference but the functional negative is that the thumb stud has been known to catch on my pants and start opening the knife as I slide it into my pants. In a tip up position, that wouldn't happen and has never happened on any of my other knives. As far as the quality of the knife, it is fantastic. It opens smoothly and quickly and cuts like butter. For comparison, I have also purchased the Tangram Amarillo and as you can see in the pictures they are almost identical with only a couple differences. The Drifter (as mentioned above) utilizes thumb studs to open the knife, does not have a reversible pocket clip and is strictly tip down when in the pocket. The Amarillo uses a flipper tab to open the knife, has a reversible deep carry pocket clip and is strictly tip up when put into the pocket. It is also marginally heavier because of the use of a little more steel under the G10 scales. As for similarities, the pictures should speak for themselves (even the scale texture is almost identical). At less than $10 difference, these two knives are direct competitors and you would be hard pressed to go wrong with either of them (depending on your preferences).

I purchased this as a gift for a friend who had shown an obvious need for an EDC knife and was slowly warming up to the idea of carrying. After looking at numerous lightweight sub 3" EDC options, I decided to be conservative and get a CRKT Drifter. It was half the price of the next knife on my list. For a first-time knife, I decided to rule out some other assisted-opening options. I was gobsmacked at the quality of the knife upon unboxing, and after spending a few days with it deploying it to smooth out the action (highly recommended...it comes out of the box quite stiff), I may have to stifle a tear when I hand it over to him, it's that good. Initial sharpness is sufficient. It passes the paper cutting test. Perhaps not as impressive as a knife costing 20x the price (another recent purchase, mentioned later), but satisfyingly good. The G10's grippiness is ideal. Just right for a confident hold, yet not too grippy to ruin clothing. The knife only comes in a tip down configuration, which seems to be universally condemned right now, but I greatly prefer it here. It helps fill the hand when deployed and allows for a far better grip on the distal handle edge where a secure grip is always more difficult to achieve...especially on a compact knife. The clip is on the tight side out of the box. I would advise bending it out a bit if it doesn't loosen through use, and also to sand away some of the G10 beneath it in order to save your clothing. Sadly for lefties, it's right-side carry only. The blade-shape is even better looking "in person", with the only concern being a subtle but eye-pleasing rear up-sweep that might give people buying at this price point a slight problem when re-sharpening. It's very similar in size to my old beloved 1st gen Cold Steel Voyager (at 1.6 oz.), which is no longer made. However, it seems FAR more robust in build and in handling, at a fraction of the cost of the old affordable Voyager, and giving up only a little under an ounce weight penalty. Milled liners would knock off a tiny bit of weight from the Drifter, but would have probably driven the knife up to another price point, something CRKT is always keenly aware of. The knife can be taken apart, another win (how many non-pinned knives are there available anywhere close to this price point?). For the past week I've had the Drifter, a new Spyderco Goddard Sprint Run, and a Microtech SOCOM Elite clip point (perhaps one of the very last ones available, alas) on my desk and I'll be damned if I'm not absentmindedly playing with the Drifter more than the other new blades combined. Worth 2-3x the price.

This is the BEST knife I have ever owned!!!! I own plenty of other more expensive knives from various fancy companies and I still carry the drifter everyday. Works great. Flips out easily. Fits in my pocket perfectly. Blade is quality. And IT IS INEXPENSIVE!!! That means I will actually use the knife as a tool for anything. Those expensive blades are hard to use because I am worried I will damage it. I don’t worry about that with the drifter. I am not worried about about ruining the drifter blade because I can afford another one. In fact I have a few drifters currently. Want to pry something? Use it to split small pieces of wood for a fire? Want to dig something out? Cut things you wouldn’t with a $300 blade! Yes, this knife gets used for so many things. This makes it the perfect knife in my opinion. All similar knife’s that’s cost a lot more are just extra. This is the EDC tool and weapon for self-defense. Also makes a great gift.

Good knife for the price

I would just like to start off by saying that this knife shipped and arrived very fast! I ordered it on Feb 4, 2014 and it arrived at the post office on Feb 6, 2014. WOW! Amazon prime's not kidding when they say two day shipping. Keep in mind that this package shipped all the way from Delaware to my home in Hawaii, that is completely across the country, in two days! Kudos to Amazon for the amazing shipping speed. I bought this knife as an EDC. For a few years now, I've been carrying an Ontario RAT I. The RAT is literally the best 30 bucks i've ever spent in my life. If you want a larger utility knife of great quality I suggest checking out the RAT. It is an excellent blade for the price and one that has served me well (unfortunately, I can't find it). I figured the RAT may be a little too big for EDC and I ought to get something a little smaller. Chances are that if you are reading this review you are in the market for an affordable EDC and are considering other options. Some other products to consider that are about the same size and price are: Ontario RAT model II, Kershaw Skyline, and ESEE Zancudo. This range of knives tends to be tricky waters to navigate through. You have the possibility of receiving an excellent knife that is worth more than what you payed for or you could possibly receive absolute crap. This knife definitely falls into the former category! Blade: the blade is very attractive. It is simple and elegant. As is evident in the pictures, you can see that the blade has a small recurve in it towards the rear. It is very slight and barely noticeable. It arrived paper-shredding sharp. Some of the other reviewers complained about theirs being dull. I think it is really a matter of luck. If you're lucky, you'll receive a sharp one. Even if you don't, chances are that you know how to put at least a decent edge on a knife (I hope). There are some good sharpeners as well as stones for great prices out there on amazon if you need them. The blade steel is 8cr14Mov. It is a decent steel that is comparable to AUS-8. The blade is a high hollow grind. It has the CRKT logo on the left side as well as the name "DRIFTER" laser etched on the right. The coating is Titanium Nitride. Deployment: The deployment is one of the best i've seen amongst non-assisted knives. It is very easy to flick out. You don't even need to move your wrist, only your thumb. I believe the washers are bronze phosphorous which help with ease of opening. Simply put, the deployment is excellently smooth and fast. Grip/handle: I love how the grip is a very simple design. I have never really liked super fancy weird shaped knives. This knife's handle is simple, conservative, and practical (you shouldn't expect something super fancy from a sub $30 blade. Surprisingly, the handle is G-10. This was the most shocking aspect of the knife to me. Most knives with G-10 cost $40 and up. Now, the G-10 isn't phenomenal (and I didn't expect it to be). It is not super grippy but not slick either. I mean, it would be nice if it provided a little more traction. The scales could be a better pattern. But hey, we're lucky it even has G-10 at this price point! Jimping: The jimping is great. It is just enough to keep your thumb from slipping but not too sharp as to destroy your skin. It is not rounded or crescent shaped like on other knives. Instead, it is squared off. Thumbstuds: Dual thumbstuds, nuff said. Construction: This is one solid knife. There is no flex in the handles whatsoever. The steel liner is nested within the G-10 which provides a rigid and durable construction. There is perfect blade centering. It is a post/flow-through construction conducive to easy cleaning and there is a lanyard hole for those of you who like to add that sort of thing (I'm not sure if the hole is big enough for 550 paracord). It looks a little small but I suppose you could squeeze it through. There is only one major thing that CRKT really messed up on that might be a dealbreaker for some: The pocket clip is a one position carry. There are no other places to attach it. It is right side tip down carry which many are disappointed by. The clip is VERY tight upon arrival. So tight that I had a hard time lifting it up with my fingers. This is what I did: I just bent the clip a little so there would be less resistance. I used a butter knife and just went under the clip and pried the clip to bend it a little. I am a lefty and it kind of bothers me that the clip is not re-positionable. I am kind of ambidextrous and can open and use the knife easily with my right hand. This may not be the same for other lefties, however. Bottom line: If you want an inexpensive (not cheap) knife that is nice looking and of great build quality then this knife is for you. If you want a great, light, small EDC, then this is the knife for you. If you want a top notch knife comparable to benchmade and something to pass on as a family heirloom, then this is not the knife for you. This knife is not big enough for bushcraft, self defense, or hunting. However, it is big enough for anything you would do everyday (unless you like, you know, live in the wilderness like a boss and hunt wild beasts). But, most of us do not live in the wilderness and hunt wild beasts! We open boxes, clamshell packages, cut cord, and other everyday things like that. Get this knife now if you want a superb EDC!