CRKT Michael Walker Blade Lock, the return of the Master

The knife we present here is a collaboration between Colombia River Knife & Tools and Michael Walker, one of the most influential master knifemakers of the last half century. He has more than twenty patents on blade locking systems to his credit (including the very popular liner lock) and on this model, called Blade Lock, he proposes a positive mechanism that keeps the blade locked in the open and closed positions.

Michael Walker is one of the historic names in international cutlery design. Born in 1949 in New Mexico, Michael has been designing knives since 1975. In the space of 50 years, he has revolutionised the world of custom and industrial knifemaking, both with his intricate custom "Zipper" (multi-piece blade) knives and by inventing and perfecting over twenty blade-locking systems, most notably the liner-lock, in 1981. Although the system had been applied before, Walker codified it and made it easily industrialisable, allowing it to be applied to mass-produced knives. Michael Walker has been a voting member of the American Knifemakers Guild since 1985 and was inducted into the Cutlery Hall of Fame of the American Blade magazine in 2004.

The CRKT Blade Lock echoes the typical aesthetics of Michael Walker's custom folders, characterised by complex – sometimes intricate – and meticulously detailed lines, and in this case dominated by the contrast between the rounded lines of the cogwheels surrounding the pivot and the multi-layered G10 scales featuring a squared checkering. The cogwheel teeth are also echoed on the heel and back of the blade, giving the knife a very charming "steampunk" style, reminiscent of clockwork mechanisms from the Victorian era. Also original is the system for fixing the G10 scales to the stainless steel plates, which is done by means of a row of four Torx grub screws at the front plus one at the back. Overall, each scale is secured by five screws.

The Blade Lock's locking system is ingenious in its simplicity: what appears to be a simple thumbstud on the back of the blade actually operated a spring-loaded tab which, when pressed, allows the knife to be deployed and then closed again, acting as on any thumb pin-opening knife. The system requires little trial and error to master and proved to be very smooth and precise, as one would expect from a Walker design, even if operating the thumbstud requires some force. On the other hand, it is an effective locking system, and it is good to know that it does not disengage without a firm press.

The blade of the CRKT Walker Blade Lock has a sheepsfoot profile with a plain edge and is made of 14C28N stainless steel with a length of 74.30 mm and a thickness of 3.45 mm. 14C28N is a martensitic chrome stainless steel developed by Alleima (formerly Sandvik) specifically for professional cutlery applications. Among its features are excellent edge retention, good corrosion resistance and easy resharpening. The finish is satin, and the markings are inconspicuous and sharply made, as one would expect from a gentleman's knife – effective but not flashy.

There is a lot of metal in this knife, and in the end you can feel it, because the CRKT Blade Lock stops the  scale needle at 116 grams, which in the pocket you feel a bit. To help carrying, the Walker Blade Lock is fitted with a classic, non-reversible stainless steel clip that allows tip-up carrying, i.e. with the blade tip pointing upwards.

The crafmanship and centering of the various partes is impeccable and a credit to the designer's name. The level of CRKT manufactured in China has always been rather high, and the examination of this umpteenth model confirms this. As far as the packaging is concerned, we find the CRKT standard respected, with a cardboard box printed in green containing the knife in a plastic bag and a leaflet with some tips for using the knife.

Do we really want to find fault with it? Precisely because of the particular blade lock system, which is completely asymmetrical, it is not suitable for use by left-handed users. In any case, forget about using the CRKT Blade Lock for spins, evolutions and tricks to impress your friends. The weight, the force required by the mechanism and the proportions make it unsuitable for this purpose; it is a knife, not a spinning top, and this is obvious. Even users with extra-large hands might have some difficulty in handling it, because it is rather small, but for everyone else the Walker Blade Lock will certainly be a great source of satisfaction. Last but not least, it is an excellent "conversation piece", perfect for sparking endless discussions between knife enthusiasts. The retail price is $94, but if you look around you can find it for a few bucks less. In any case, this is a fair price for a really well-made, original knife with a very elaborate look. We – as you may have guessed – really liked it.

To find out more please visit the CRKT website.

CRKT Walker Blade Lock technical specifications and price