- a promising first attempt!
Classic lines but still modern. That's roughly how CRKT chooses to describe Bamboozled on their website, and I can certainly agree with that. The bolster gives a timeless look and likewise, the fact that the blade is completely hidden in the handle when the knife is closed and that it is a little cigar-shaped like some old slip joints. More modern are the clip, the flipper, and the materials used.
Overall, I thought this was a nice-looking knife with features on paper that made it worth testing.
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| CRKT Bamboozled |
Incidentally, Bamboozled is Ken "Kenny" Onion Jr's first collaboration with CRKT. Or with any knife manufacturer at all if I understood it all correctly. His father, Ken Onion, is more than well-known among knife enthusiasts not least for many knives from both Kershaw and CRKT who made production versions of his custom knives.
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| Ken Onion Jr and CRKT is a collaboration that turned out well |
Twitter version: Bamboozled, a debut with some heft. Ken Onion Jr and CRKT have created a likable EDC knife in their first joint effort.
Blade
The blade is a drop point even though it doesn't drop very much but approaches a straight blade in shape. But it is also what gives the pure classic lines. That means a fairly long straight edge to work with and a good tip.
The finish is a satin that passes without being extraordinarily fine. But in return, blade surfaces wear over time and this finish can handle a bit of abuse without looking too awful.
The length of the blade is around eight and a half centimeters, which means that Bamboozled is not one of the smallest knives. There, the appearance is a bit deceiving. The blade, on the other hand, is quite slender with a height of 19 mm and it is matched by a thickness of only 2.7 mm. It is slightly thinner than usual and very well chosen. Especially as it is combined with a high flat grind. It provides better basic geometry than many other knives in the class.
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| The blade shape is simple and elegant but deserves a better edge |
The steel is certainly a step up from CRKT's usual 8Cr steel without being anything to brag about either. But the D2 that we are talking about here is at least well-established, not to say old, which brings with it the good thing that the formulas for how it should be hardened and heat-treated are also well-known. The downside is that it is not completely rust-resistant. But I don't live either by the sea or in a jungle so that particular feature is not decisive in this case.
You can say a lot about factory edges. I know some reviewers claim that you shouldn't care if the knife is sharp or not when it comes from the manufacturer. That's because it should still be sharpened and perhaps reprofiled immediately. I don't agree with that because I think I know that the "average" knife buyer if there is one, doesn't think like that at all. They expect a sharp knife with a good edge right from the start. Not least we in Sweden are spoiled with it because we are used to Moraknivar. They may not be perfect but they are sharp when you buy them.
That being said, this knife barely gets a pass. Firstly, the bevels are not even between the two sides but have different heights and angles. Second, Bamboozled measures 0.5-0.6mm behind the edge. That's too much for a folding knife.
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| The steel is D2 and the blade is flat ground |
Even so, the knife cuts quite well. This is, of course, because the geometry is otherwise capable and profit from the full flat grind blade. One that was also kept under three millimeters thick.
Therefore, it is no problem to kill some cardboard and open packages with this knife. Nor is it intimidated by a tomato or piece of cheese at the picnic. Even better, the simple shapes of the handle and the shape of the blade make it easy to carve a little as well. Overall a good knife for "EDC" or everyday tasks although it could do with a new edge.
Handle
When choosing to make simple handles like this, there are some pitfalls to avoid. That has been done in this case. Mr. Onion has studied and researched his product before it ended up with CRKT. An example of this is the shape of the flipper tab, which must not bend backward and gnaw on the index finger. Something that was not at all unusual in the flipper knives' childhood. Another thing is the transition between the lock bar and the handle, where there must be no sharp edges or corners.
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| The handle has sides of G10 and a bolster of steel |
What you get instead is an efficient cigar-shaped handle in a classic style. This means soft lines with a handle that swells ever so slightly towards the middle and has equally quietly arched sides. The material is G10 and the bolster is steel. The handle sides are heavily sanded, almost polished, so don't expect as much grip from the material as it can be in its more extreme forms.
The sides are then screwed into a steel frame with two screws. Then there is another set that holds the bolsters in place along with the domed and larger pivot screw. What is needed to disassemble the knife is a T6 driver for the smaller screws and a T8 for the pivot screw and clip. But be aware that there are springs and other fun things to consider if you take the Bamboozled apart.
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| In addition to looking good, the handle also functions well to work with. As far as the size allows, that is |
The handle fills the hand reasonably well without being enormously large. The length is relatively big by eleven centimeters. That surface can also be used to the full because there is nothing to force the hand in one direction or another. The thickness is 1.3 cm and the height is 2.2 cm.
The nicely angled and rounded rear end of the handle deserves a comment. It rests softly against the hand when placed there. In fact, most of it feels soft to the hand, and that makes Bamboozled comfortable to work with.
Opening and Lock
As I said, CRKT makes a thing of the knife being assisted. That is, it has a spring that helps with the latter part of the opening movement. You have to take care of the first one yourself. Incidentally, it is the small but significant detail that distinguishes this type of knife from stilettos in the sense of the law.
The initial movement is accomplished via a flipper. In addition, a nice one that is both fairly discreet and also drilled out, which gives a more airy appearance. The combination of a decent flipper, spring-loaded blade, and ball bearings make this a fast-opening knife.
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| The flipper fin is discreet and hollowed out. The latter is a detail that makes the knife feel more worked |
As mentioned, the blade runs on IKBS ball bearings. Its value or non-value can be debated, like springs in knives, but if they exist, they should work well and they do here. What I have against them is mostly that they complicate cleaning, which becomes very clear if you happen to get sand or other crap in them. But in return, it is usually not a practical problem if the user takes care of their knives.
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| A liner lock made of steel |
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| The lock bar is not quite easy to get to given the design of the knife |
There is a liner lock for security. In this case made of steel, which is quite natural both given the price point and that it is the same material found in the frame. On this knife, the lock works great. Simpler and not quite properly trimmed versions of this type of lock may exhibit tendencies for the lock bar to slide against the blade base if force is applied from the wrong direction. But this lock passes such a test without complaint. Neither does Bamboozled show any play in any direction. Thus a well-constructed lock.
It's not too overwhelming to close either. No top marks either as the design of the knife means you have to poke the soft parts of the thumb tip into the blade slot to access the lock bar.
To Carry
Bamboozled is apparently a very cigar-shaped knife. The flipper is small and not sharp either and the weight of the knife is slightly over a hundred grams. It makes for a knife that works great as the pocket knife it is.
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| The clip is of the "deep ride" variety but not too deep, which is good as it feels less against the hand |
Then the combination of a fairly smooth G10 and the design of the clip means that the knife is easy to pull and put away which is a important detail in a good everyday knife. It is often small quick cuts that the knife is used for. Pull it out, cut a piece of string to tie up the damn rubber plant with, then tuck it away again.
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| The clip is made of steel |
In the pocket, the knife rides safely and invisibly with the help of a so-called "deep carry" clip. Very little of the knife is visible when it sits there. The material of the clip is steel and the shape is simple but well thought out, which gives good function. Especially as it doesn't feel very much against the hand when you use the knife. This is largely due to not going all the way with "deep carry" and placing the clip at the far end of the handle. It usually causes problems by creating hot spots. So not in this case.
Another good detail with the clip is that they recessed the clip on the G10 side and used screws with flat heads. It gives more space under the clip for fabric.
It can be noted that the clip is not movable, so left-handed people have been ignored.
To Conclude
This particular knife doesn't seem to have caught on in the internet knife community. I say this considering that a Google search yields exactly zero reviews of this knife from CRKT and the same is true if you give YouTube a shot. So this is an unusual text apparently.
This is despite the fact that the knife not only offers a nice look but is also a debut for an interesting name, with representative number two from the Onion family.
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| The Bamboozled is an excellent EDC knife that could have been even better with a few small improvements |
Overall, I think the Bamboozled has something on the plus side that makes it both an interesting and fairly good EDC knife.
But then there are some dark clouds on the horizon. One such is the damn assisted opening. Usually, I'm not as allergic to them as many reviewers may be. There is usually a division between the average knife buyer and enthusiasts, I have understood. That's why the springs exist, they sell well according to the manufacturers.
But this time I cut my finger quite badly at one point because of it. The reason was that to fold the knife, the blade had to be closed the last bit with a little force to overcome the spring tension. And when the handle is this slim and the entire blade goes into the knife, the fingertips end up close to the blade notch during the process. This time the little finger got too close and I pressed the blade over the tip of my finger.
You have to learn not to do that, of course, but on this knife, the spring is not needed at all. But I guess a lot of people like the "stiletto feel" when the blade pops out.
Then I believe that the knife should benefit from better sharpening and less steel behind the edge.
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| CRKT Bamboozled makes one wonder what else can come from this collaboration |
Otherwise, however, I am quite positive even after owning this knife for a while. The materials are not too shabby, for being CRKT maybe should be added and also the manufacturing quality is decent. In other words, the debut of collaboration between CRKT and Onion Jr is not bad at all. Bamboozled is a stylish knife and also quite practical.
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| Columbia River Knives and Tool |
Specification:
Length Overall: 198 mm
Length Folded: 113 mm
Weight: 105 g
Blade Length: 85 mm
Blade Thickness: 2,7 mm
Blade Steel: D2
Handle: G10 with steel bolster
Lock: liner lock
Produced by: CRKT, made in China
/ J - not bamboozled
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