Knife Review: CRKT Razel GT Spring Assisted Knife

The CRKT Razel GT Spring Assisted Knife

The CRKT Razel was designed by a mechanic to be able to truly be our go-to EDC knife. While it seems like the typical EDC knife has already been designed and chosen, the CRKT Razel is going to challenge that. While the most unique part of this is the blade shape—which is chisel shaped, the rest of the knife is just as quality. The Razel utilizes the IKBS ball bearing pivot system for a smooth deployment and the handle is made out of aluminum giving strength and sturdiness. The blade shape is unique, so it makes sense that someone would be wary about trying to use this as their go-to EDC. But there’s nothing bad about it; it’s going to get the jobs done and get them done well. Read on to understand just why this unique knife is such a great option.

The Unique Blade:

The blade on the CRKT Razel GT is really where the knife differs from any other knife. It is crafted out of 8Cr13MoV steel. This is a budget steel, but it is not a budget steel that is also going to make you budget the quality as well. Instead, while it does keep the cost down, and while it cannot compete with super-steels, you are going to get some serious bang for your buck. 8Cr13MoV steel is not going to let you down. For starters, this steel has high levels of hardness, which means that it is going to provide the blade with great edge retention. In fact, although it is a low-range steel, the levels of edge retention that this steel provides is that of a mid-range steel. The edge retention is especially important with the chisel shaped blade, because it is not your typical curved edge, where a dull blade could still provide you with a decent number of benefits. However, the pairing of the blade shape and the steel mean that you won’t have to worry about the blade dulling when you need it throughout the day.

The next benefit of 8Cr13MoV steel is that it is a stainless steel that has more than 14% chromium in it, which is going to give this blade high levels of corrosion resistance. Corrosion resistance is important in any blade, but it can feel especially important in your EDC. This is because your EDC is the knife that you are going to be constantly using, and you aren’t going to want to have to worry about immediately cleaning and drying your knife to keep it 

looking and working well. Even though this is a great EDC, the Razel GT has really been designed to do anything and everything, so if you were using this CRKT knife as an outdoors or camping knife, the quality would still be there consistently.

Next, 8Cr13MoV steel is a great option for an EDC because it does offer good wear resistance. This means that you are going to be able to use this knife for longer periods of time with lower maintenance. The steel does offer decent toughness, especially for the price of the steel, which will keep the overall cost of the Razel GT down. All in all, the steel is quality, especially when paired with every other detail that this knife has.

The blade has been finished satin, which is a very classic finish. This is a classic finish because the luster or reflectiveness of the steel is going to fall in the middle of the spectrum. The satin finish is also easily maintained as it is not a super polished finish. Overall, the satin finish provides the Razel GT with a classic, simple look that allows the chisel shaped blade to be the star of the show. That was the exact right call by CRKT and Jon Graham.

On to the star of the show: the blade shape. I know, I know. When it comes to EDCs, you typically see drop point blades or clip point blades. Occasionally, a company will get a little wild and choose a different blade shape. The CRKT Razel GT decides to break that mold. Instead of your common blade shapes, this knife boasts a unique chisel blade that really does allow you to take on your world.

The shape of this design is as follows: the spine of the blade is completely straight, extending out of the handle when the knife is opened. The belly of the knife is not really a belly either, but rather, a sharpened straight edge. The tip of the blade is also not necessarily your typical tip that you picture, but straight, so that the blade is almost completely rectangular. At first, it might seem that not much can happen with this blade, but that’s where you’re wrong. The blade can slice, because of how well the 8Cr13MoV steel takes an edge. Plus, it can push cut, and scrape. That’s not all though, this blade shape can do all of that and really anything in between. Like CRKT said, this was designed by a mechanic, which may lend itself to the lack of point. Without a sharpened point, there can be no accidental piercings on you or whatever task is at hand. Plus, the shape is great for the shop and even the office. While this is definitely not your typical EDC blade shape, the Razel GT can honestly do just as much as your standard designed EDC.

The Handle:

The handle on this CRTK is made out of 6061 aluminum, which is the most common type of aluminum that is used on knives. There are a couple big advantages to an aluminum knife handle. For starters, it is not super expensive such as titanium, but it can hang similarly to titanium. This is a super durable material for knife handles, which means that paired with the blade material and qualities, the Razel is going to be able to take a serious beating. Honestly. This is another reason why this knife is such a great, unexpected EDC. The handle is tough, it is corrosion resistant, and it is strong. All of these are important qualities in your go-to knife, because they translate to a more durable, reliable knife, one that is lower maintenance, and one that you can honestly feel comfortable using. Finally, aluminum is a great material for this handle because it is lower weight.

The aluminum handle has been anodized black. The anodization process is a chemical process that changes the surface of the aluminum. This change creates a stronger, more durable, and more corrosion resistant surface. This means that the handle will be less likely to get scratched, and the corrosion resistance levels of the handle are off the charts. Higher corrosion resistance leads to less-maintenance, which I’m sure everyone can appreciate.

The physical design of the handle is also impressive. The look does match the appearance of the blade and features a few more angles than curves. The spine is mostly straight, although toward the butt it does curve down. The bell of the handle does have a slight finger guard, but that will be enhanced by the flipper, which we will talk more about in a different section. The butt of the handle also extends outward, which is going to enhance your grip, because your hand won’t slip off the tail end while you are using this. Finally, to enhance your grip further and to provide more to the aesthetic of the Razel, CRKT has added different grooves down the length of the handle. The top few grooves are on the spine side of the handle and extend halfway across the width. The middle groove extends across the entire width of the handle. And the bottom few grooves are on the belly of the handle, and like the top ones, extend only halfway across the width of the handle. These grooves look cool and will also give a little bit more texture to the handle, which will further enhance the usability of the CRKT Razel GT.

The IKBS System:

This is a spring-assisted flipper knife that utilizes the IKBS ball bearing system.

The IKBS ball bearing system is a system that removes the bulk of the ball bearing system, leaving only the balls. 

This removes a lot of the weight and allows the opening system to work much more smoothly, giving a faster deployment.

This is also a flipper knife, which means that to deploy the spring assisted mechanism, you use the flipper. The flipper is a small piece of the blade’s metal that extends out of the handle when the knife is closed. You pull back on this rectangular piece of metal, and it essentially flips the blade open, where it will lock into place. The flipper is a great mechanism for a few reasons. The first is that once the knife is opened, the actual flipper acts as a finger guard, because it extends out of the blade right where the finger guard is. This means that a knife with a flipper is going to provide an extra element of safety, as it will protect your fingers even further. The next reason that a flipper is such a great opening mechanism is because there is very little learning curve to it. Plus, as you flip the knife open, your fingers are not in the path of the blade. All of these details mean that the Razel GT is going to be a safe, easy knife to use.

The spring-assisted aspect of the knife simply means that instead of being a complete automatic, or a complete manual pocketknife, it falls in the middle. You have to manually start to open the knife, which is when the assisted mechanism will kick in and assist you the rest of the way. This has a couple of perks, because you don’t have the legality issues that the automatic does, but it is easier to work than a total manual.

The Pros and Details:

The blade measures in at 3.03 inches long with a thickness of 0.15 inches. This is a pretty standard sized blade for a pocketknife, if a little bit on the longer side. This length will provide plenty of cutting area even though there is not a large belly on the chisel blade shape. The handle measures in at 4.6 inches long, which means that the overall length of the CRKT Razel GT is 7.56 inches long. This is a great size for a pocketknife as it will fit comfortably in your pocket, but also will give you the length to actually utilize the knife in a variety of different ways. The knife weighs in at 4.3 ounces, which is a happy medium when it comes to weight.

The biggest advantage to the Razel GT is the unique blade shape. Although it may not originally seem like it is going to be as utilitarian as a drop point blade, it is. This knife was designed to do it all, and the blade shape ensures that you will be able to do just that. Be a trendsetter and trust that this blade shape is a great option.

Wrap-up:

The CRKT Razel GT assist open flipper knife, designed by Jon Graham, boasts a unique chisel blade that allows you to take on your world. This everyday carry deploys fast and is ready for a multitude of cuts. It can push cut, slice, scrape, and everything in between.

The tough and sturdy aluminum handle gives it strength and keeps it light. The assist open quicks and smooth with a simple nudge on the blade and the IKBS ball bearing pivot gives it a smooth ride.

“Designed by a mechanic crafted for the camp, the shop, the office, and everywhere in between.” The unique blade shape sets this EDC apart from all the rest in the best of ways. Be a trendsetter with such a great, new EDC blade shape and order your CRKT Razel GT from BladeOps today.