We’ve already reviewed a couple CRKT products, many of which were from either their Forged By War program, or directly from the mind of other veteran designers – like Darrin Sirois. As with the other products pushed out by Columbia River Knife and Tool – the SIWI is a big winner for us.
Mr. Sirois is a retired spec ops lifer, and a gifted knife maker. He’s designed, or had a hand in designing many blades we’ve reviewed here on SGPT – namely the Sangrador and RASP. This little blade, however, is one of my favorite of the trifecta.
While it doesn’t have the sanguine imagery or menacing lines of the Sangrador it’s still a formiddable knife. This particular knife is chunky, with a blade nearly 1/4 inch thick and a hefty handle that is scalloped glass-reinforced polymer. This handle gives the hand a good purchase, while still being concealable enough for EDC or backup use.
The blade composition itself is solid, clocking in at 3.3 inches with a clip point and powder coat, it seems ready to go and take a beating, and the SK5 carbon steel blade arrived sharp and mission ready. What I really like about this specific blade is the Tek Lok like sheath that comes with it. It will look very familiar to the shooters reading this, as many magazine pouches and holsters havr this sort of attachment. Given the myriad of lanyard holes on the sheath, and 9 screw points on the attachment device, you can carry this blade IWB, OWB, horizontal or angled. I personally have the most comfort when wearing this blade as configured in the pictures, IWB on the left hand side, ready to draw with the blade facing out. The knife locks up securely, and I especially like how this holster attches to the belt: you need to move the switch on the top, then slide it to open the gate. Moreover, as you can see, there are shims you use to accomodate this to your belt – be it 1.5, 1.75 or 2 inches in thickness.
Overall, its a fantastic knife for EDC or back up loadouts. It’s hearty, robust, sharp with the carbon steel blade, and versatile in it’s loadout options.
Pros, what we like: Great blade, .2 inch thickness and sharp carbon steel, with aggressive texturing on the handle. The sheath itself is a home run with great retention, and the belt attachment system is outstanding, allowing the user to run it OWB, IWB, horizontal or diagonal draw.
Cons, what we don’t like: Wearing it OWB does make it rather conspicuous, but IWB you can mitigate printing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Castiglione lives in Atlanta, and is an avid outdoorsman and competitive shooter.
His where-abouts include getting after it in his garage gym, practicing martial arts, hitting the trails, or running CrossFit and Strongman competitions for his non-profit, Barbells for Bullies, which holds fundraiser fitness competitions dedicated to aiding Bully breed rescues, dog rescues, or other non-profits with similar missions.
Related Articles:
Gear Review: CRKT Septimo Folding Knife
Gear Review: CRKT Rasp by Darrin Sirois
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