CRKT HOMEFRONT WITH FIELD STRIP TECHNOLOGY

FOG HORN

2017 Twobirds Flying Publication

CRKT Homefront with Field Strip Technology Ken Onion Design

CRKT Homefront with Field Strip Technology

2017

CRKT HOMEFRONT – with Field Strip Technology By: Sal Palma

Knifemakers, or more accurately bladesmiths, are artisans and expressionists. It’s easy for me to imagine them living and working in the communes of Sausalito or the Height – Ashbury in San Francisco. They’re not simply artistic, as can be seen from some of the exquisite work of French bladesmith and Parisian Bastien Coves’, they’re also metallurgists, smelters, welders and engineers. Ken Onion of Kaneohe Bay, HI, fits all those descriptions. A former U.S. Marine, Ken was inducted into Blade’s Cutlery Hall of Fame. He invented the SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism for Kershaw Knives and is now credited with numerous designs produced under the CRKT label. If you see a hollow ground blade with a sweeping belly and a touch of recurve, chances are it’s a Ken Onion design. Ken now has another industry first design, under the CRKT label, the Homefront with Field Strip Technology. CRKT’s Homefront is an exceptional EDC folder. Everything on this knife is top of the line. Its 3.5 inch blade is made of AUS 8 steel with and HRC index of 57-58. It is a slicer from the ground up with a gorgeous sweeping belly and a slight

recurve. I used it to slice up some canned ham when Hurricane Irma rolled in. It saved the day I’ll tell you! Hollow ground blades are, at least for me, a soso decision. The hollow ground blade gives you a razor’s edge you can shave with, BUT edges tend to break when called upon to perform heavier work. Ken’s choice of blade steel tempers to sufficient hardness as to mitigate that risk; however, I still prefer the flat ground profiles for a working knife. This is simply my preference much like saying that one prefers an oaky Chardonnay over one less seasoned. Be assured that Homefront will admirably perform any EDC task you can throw at it.

Ken Onion included a bayonet lug style flipper that deploys Homefront’s beefy modified drop point blade smoothly and with all the authority of a Gunnery Sargent. He also did something that I found interesting, when he added flutes, port and starboard, along the blade spine. These are not blood grooves and my theory on blood grooves is that they’re like racing stripes Copyright 2017, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved

CRKT Homefront with Field Strip Technology

on a car, they don’t make the car any faster but they add to esthetics. In Homefront’s case, I believe the grooves are a combination of Ken’s artistic expression and practical consideration of lightening an otherwise very muscular blade. Homefront’s beefy blade, with a thickness of .133 inches, is stout to be sure. So, removing some of that metal, to lighten the blade, is probably a good way to allow for easier operation and subsequent deployment using a flipper. It also helps to move its center of gravity rearward on the handle. Homefront is balanced so its center of gravity is about ¾ of an inch aft of its axis point. Generally speaking, a handle can make or break a pocket folder and Homefront’s is extremely well implemented. The 4.7 inch, 6061 machined aluminum handle sits very comfortably in the hand and is very supportive of a variety of grips. Ken used tank gimping along to top of the handle for a very secure grip.

2017

So far I’ve described what is unquestionably an excellent pocket folder built with excellent craftsmanship and materials, but that’s not its most exciting feature. My joy stems from what I see as a revolutionary design concept, the Field Strip Technology. The common performance sapping condition encountered with even the most competently designed folder is the accumulation of dirt. It’s a given that every available nook and cranny will collect lint, sand and mud. Accumulations of these substrates will lead to lock failures, rough operation and even axis failure or wear and deterioration. So, we all know that cleanliness is next to godliness but taking apart your pocket folder is sometimes impossible but more often a pain in the derrière. Good news, Ken Onion has saved the day with his Field Strip Technology.

In addition to providing a comfortable and secure grip, the handle is tasked with a couple of other functions. First, it provides the pocket clip attachment point. The clip itself is excellent and slides easily over clothing without damaging the garment. It also allows the knife to sit deeply into the pocket. My only disappointment with the clip is that it is not reversible. Second, the aluminum scales provides the foundation for Ken’s innovative field strip technology.

The Field Strip Technology is a slick, easy to use mechanism that allows you to completely breakdown your pocket folder to clean and lubricate all of its components. The operative word here is easy!

CRKT Homefront with Field Strip Technology

There are three components that I need to cover in this review. The first is the knurled wheel located at the rear of the knife handle. Its function is clamping the two handle scales together. Rotating the wheel in a clockwise direction separates the scales, and a counterclockwise rotation clamps the scales together.

2017

Occasionally, looseness of the blade at the pivot point creeps in. This is characteristic of all pocket folders so designers provide an adjustment to tighten the blade at its pivot point to eliminate any wobble, the Homefront is no different. That adjustment is located on the opposite side of the pivot point clamp. This adjustment has nothing to do with the Field Strip Technology. Do not over tighten the pivot point should your blade wobble! That sounds almost X rated.

The second component is the pivot point clamp shown below. Its function is to clamp the handle scales at the pivot point. It does not affect pivot point tightness.

Ken and CRKT did something that I thought was the personification of enlightenment, they etched instruction on the inside of one of the scales.

These two components are the only fasteners used to breakdown or reassemble the knife.

In closing, I’d like to describe CRKT’s Homefront pocket folder using the words of a fallen CPO CRANK: “it’s slicker than cat shit on linoleum.” I give it a great big BUY rating. Sadly, Ken and

CRKT Homefront with Field Strip Technology

2017

CRKT will likely have to deal with more knockoffs than the corner 7-11. Do check out this EDC folder, with Field Strip Technology, it belongs in your pocket. -

SP

Manufacturer Specifications -

Blade Length 3.502" (88.95 mm) Blade Edge Plain Blade Steel AUS 8, HRC 57-58 Blade Finish Brushed Steel Blade Thickness 0.133" (3.38 mm) Closed Length 4.728" (120.09 mm) Weight 4.8 oz Handle 6061 Aluminum Style Folding Knife w/Locking Liner Overall Length 8.313" (211.15 mm) M.S.R.P. $150

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