Review of CRKT Lightfoot Urban Shark

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polaria
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 12:36 pm

Review of CRKT Lightfoot Urban Shark

Post by polaria »

I got this knife more than ten years ago and it has been something I’ve sporadically carried to work and on my free time. Sometimes I’ve carried it for months before putting it back to drawer to test another toy. Once my friend was leaving to work in backlands of China for several months and as he was packing he noted that he needed to get a pocket knife with him. Knowing that he is not a knife enthusiast I just took this one off my pocket and handed it to him, saying “you can give it back once you come back”. Several months later he did and noted that it had served him well. Which is no wonder, since it has served me pretty well too.

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The materials of the knife are zytel plastic on the handles and 3 inch long AUS-8 steel blade, liners and lock. The whole of it comes a bit under 4 inches closed and a bit under 7 inches open. There is also a pocket clip (which is a definite plus for me, I love pocket clips in knives) which is not only pretty and well finished, but attached with three 1,5 mm torxes if you want to remove it. In the bottom of the handle there is a good sized, well finished hole for the lanyard that comes with it. I’ve never used it but kept it there just in case I ever need a spare bit of lanyard… well, at least it travels everywhere with the knife.

It’s a standard side opening liner-lock, with no spring or assist so you actually open it fully under your own power. However, there is a clever little detail to it. The blade is kept quite a bit apart from the handle liners by a pair of small nylon circles fitted around the pivot that lessen the friction when the blade is opened or closed. This is an important detail since it makes the opening and closing of the blade very smooth and also completely silent. When you open the blade it just floats open under your thumb until you hear a very tiny and soft clicking sound of the liner lock. The small nylon fittings are also shaped so that when you close the blade it softly snaps into place and holds there very well. I just love the action on this knife. Its so smooth and enjoyable to use.

Liner lock

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You can see how much room there is between the blade and handles here:

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Now, the blade itself is a thick and well-sharpened piece of AUS-8 that is pretty bitch to sharpen but, luckily, holds the edge extremely well. It is also very sturdy and although I haven’t used this knife as a crowbar I have no doubt that the blade wouldn’t hold. It is possible that extensive crowbarring with it could damage the nylon fittings and thus make the action less smooth, but having not tested it I can’t say that it automatically would.

All in all, this is pretty much my “go to” carrying knife and I’ve been extremely happy with it over all these years so I can recommend it to everyone with any interest or need for pocket knives.

Too Long, Didn’t Read Version… or, all the important questions:

How is the action?

Very smooth and enjoyable due to clever little nylon fittings on the inside of the liners.

Is it pretty?

Depends on your taste. I think it is.

Does it fit with my iPhone?

Yeah, it does.

Is it sharp?

Out of the box it was razor sharp and held the edge well. The steel is very hard, though so you need time and diamond to resharpen.

Can I open a wooden ammo crate and then cut open the soft-metal ammo containers with it?

Yes.

Does doing it ruin the blade?

No.

What is the single best thing about the knife?

The action.

What is the single worst thing about the knife?

Sometimes you might want a longer blade than the 3” this is.
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