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"CRKT Ripple: Alien Inception" by Nutnfancy

nutnfancy
Published on August 19, 2012
Category: EDC & Lifestyle
Duration: 21:17

This review of the CRKT Ripple, designed by Ken Onion, highlights its suitability as a capable EDC knife. The reviewer praises its alien-like aesthetic, lightweight construction, and smooth ball-bearing pivot system. While acknowledging minor criticisms regarding the pocket clip, the overall sentiment is highly positive, positioning the Ripple as a strong contender in the sub-$40 category and a Hall of Fame EDC blade.

Tags

CRKT Ripple
Ken Onion Design
EDC Knife
Everyday Carry
Knife Review
Pocket Knife
Aluminum Handle
Stainless Steel Frame
Hollow Grind
Ball Bearing Pivot
Flipper Knife
Deep Carry Clip
AUS-8 Steel
HCr14MoV Steel

Quick Summary

The CRKT Ripple is a highly capable EDC knife designed by Ken Onion, praised for its lightweight construction, alien-like aesthetic, and smooth ball-bearing pivot system for fast deployment. Available with HCr14MoV or AUS-8 steel, it offers excellent edge retention and value, making it a strong contender in the everyday carry market.

Chapters

  1. 00:06Introduction: Alien Inception
  2. 00:12CRKT Ripple Overview
  3. 00:30Capable EDC Knives
  4. 00:38Best Knives Under $40 Playlist
  5. 00:42Hall of Fame EDC Blades
  6. 00:49Ken Onion Design
  7. 01:08Two Ripple Models
  8. 01:13Affordable Model (K415KXP)
  9. 01:24Ultra Marine Blue Model (K405BXP)
  10. 01:40Great Features & Minor Criticisms
  11. 01:51Not Tactical Blades
  12. 02:00EDC Utility Knives
  13. 02:07Competitive Offerings Comparison
  14. 02:25Ergonomics: Light & Thin
  15. 02:41Collectible & Gorgeous Appearance
  16. 02:57Steel Discussion
  17. 03:03Philosophy of Use
  18. 03:05Steel Types on Table
  19. 03:10Black Aluminum Model Steel (HCr14MoV)
  20. 03:25Preference: 8Cr13MoV vs HCr14MoV
  21. 03:40User of Steel Perspective
  22. 03:45HCr14MoV Properties
  23. 03:56Out-of-Box Sharpness
  24. 04:09Stainless Steel Frame Model Steel (AUS-8)
  25. 04:21AUS-8 Comparison to VG-10
  26. 04:37VG-10 Properties
  27. 04:46AUS-8 Coarse Carbides
  28. 05:09Fine Edge on AUS-8
  29. 05:13EPA Edge on AUS-8
  30. 05:19AUS-8 Steel Composition
  31. 05:38Cardboard Cutting Test
  32. 05:47High Hollow Grind
  33. 05:54Impressive Cardboard Cutting
  34. 06:01Edge Dulling After Use
  35. 06:08Resharpening AUS-8
  36. 06:16Paper Test
  37. 06:28Hardness Rockwell Scale
  38. 06:35HCr14MoV Hardness
  39. 06:40Favorite Steel Between Two
  40. 06:44AUS-8 Rust Resistance
  41. 06:54Blade Shape: Drop Point
  42. 06:59Unsharpened Swedge
  43. 07:01Precise Tip
  44. 07:13Gimping on Top
  45. 07:18Gimping Comparison
  46. 07:31Gimping Traction
  47. 07:37Satin Finishing on AUS-8
  48. 07:41Ken Onion Logo
  49. 07:51Finish on HCr14MoV
  50. 07:59Economy Blade
  51. 08:06Combo Edges Available
  52. 08:18Speed: Outstanding
  53. 08:24Ball Bearings Trend
  54. 08:26IKBS Pivot System
  55. 08:34Ball Bearings in Frames
  56. 08:44Perfect Blade Centering
  57. 08:49Extremely Fast Deployment
  58. 08:56Need for Ball Bearings?
  59. 08:59Teflon/Phosphor Bronze Bushings
  60. 09:09Ripple Speed: Fabulous
  61. 09:14Flipper Design
  62. 09:16No Thumb Studs
  63. 09:18Ambidextrous
  64. 09:23IKBS System
  65. 09:28Aluminum One Speed
  66. 09:34Cannot Fault Speed
  67. 09:38Lockup Strength
  68. 09:40Two Different Lockups
  69. 09:43Stainless Steel Frame Lock
  70. 09:45420J2 Stainless Steel Frame
  71. 09:51Aluminum Frame
  72. 09:52Captured Liner Lock
  73. 09:56CR13 Steel Lock Bar
  74. 10:03Locking Liner
  75. 10:06Engagement Surface
  76. 10:09Thin Liner
  77. 10:10Light Utility Blade
  78. 10:16Strength Needed
  79. 10:19Cardboard Cutting & Stabbing Tests
  80. 10:21Ripple Did Fine
  81. 10:26Adequate Lockup
  82. 10:29Stainless Steel Frame Lock Elegance
  83. 10:35Elegantly Executed
  84. 10:38Weight Discussion
  85. 10:41Lightning Holes
  86. 10:47Number of Lightning Holes
  87. 10:53Stainless Steel Version Weight
  88. 10:58Black Aluminum Version Weight
  89. 11:02Blade Length
  90. 11:07Smaller Blade Version Weight
  91. 11:13Wow Well Done
  92. 11:17Kershaw Cryo Comparison
  93. 11:23Weight Done Correctly
  94. 11:31Aggressively Milled
  95. 11:34Alien Looking
  96. 11:39Strong Enough
  97. 11:42Lock Bar Engagement
  98. 11:50So Far So Good
  99. 11:52Future of the Knife
  100. 11:54Long-Term Test
  101. 11:56Hope for Good Things
  102. 11:59Durability
  103. 12:03Handle Retention
  104. 12:05Detent
  105. 12:07Outstanding Detent
  106. 12:11No Tenacious Cuts
  107. 12:14Shake Out Upside Down
  108. 12:15Good Balance
  109. 12:18Lockup Excellent for EDC
  110. 12:21No Wiggle
  111. 12:30Three Versions
  112. 12:32Tight Handle Construction
  113. 12:37Ergonomics
  114. 12:39Feels Good in Hand
  115. 12:41Choil
  116. 12:44Gimping Top Side
  117. 12:46Ergonomic Flow
  118. 12:48Back of Hand
  119. 12:51No Sharp Corners
  120. 12:53Radiused Shoulders
  121. 12:56No Hot Spots
  122. 12:58Most Comfortable Knife
  123. 13:00Stainless Steel Frame Transmits Temp
  124. 13:02Out of Doors
  125. 13:08No Change
  126. 13:11Lanyard Hole
  127. 13:13Lanyard Use Cases
  128. 13:20Backpacking
  129. 13:21Fluorescent Lanyard
  130. 13:25Lost Knife
  131. 13:30Ergonomic Summary
  132. 13:33Squared Away EDC Blade
  133. 13:35Gimping Reminder
  134. 13:36Clip Design Criticism
  135. 13:40Not Perfect
  136. 13:43Forced Tip Down Carry
  137. 13:48Clip Not Swappable
  138. 13:51Stuck With It
  139. 13:53Clip Runs Proud
  140. 13:56Away from Handle
  141. 13:58Aluminum Version Clip
  142. 14:02Sticks Above Handle
  143. 14:05Variances
  144. 14:09Biggest Issue: Flared Out Clip
  145. 14:14Not Modified
  146. 14:18Show on Table
  147. 14:19Doesn't Stick Out Far
  148. 14:21Tested Carrying
  149. 14:24Several Weeks
  150. 14:26Obnoxious Clip
  151. 14:30Clip is Strong
  152. 14:31Hard Stainless Steel
  153. 14:36Plenty of Tension
  154. 14:40Deep in Pocket
  155. 14:42Deep Carry Pocket Clip
  156. 14:44Tip Down
  157. 14:46Buried in Pocket
  158. 14:48Mostly Good Thing
  159. 14:51Removed Clip
  160. 14:55Milled Clip
  161. 14:59Nutnfancy Modification
  162. 15:01Squared Away Clip
  163. 15:04Very Low Profile
  164. 15:08Lift Up on Thicker Fabrics
  165. 15:11Not Scratching Cars
  166. 15:15Minor Thing
  167. 15:18Polished Mirror Clip
  168. 15:22Thematically Blends
  169. 15:27Prefer Black Anodized Clip
  170. 15:31Overall Pretty Good
  171. 15:33Durability
  172. 15:36Ball Bearing Durability Concern
  173. 15:41Dirt and Grit
  174. 15:43Suspect Bad Things
  175. 15:46Complicated Design
  176. 15:48Not Taken Apart
  177. 15:51Pivot Screw
  178. 15:56Torx Construction
  179. 15:59Pillar Design
  180. 16:01Clean and Elegant Design
  181. 16:04Take Apart
  182. 16:06Ball Bearing Pivot Concern
  183. 16:08Keep an Eye On
  184. 16:09Learn Over Time
  185. 16:11Get Data
  186. 16:14Ball Bearing Pivot Points
  187. 16:17Gets Pitched
  188. 16:21Durability Excellent
  189. 16:23Value Options
  190. 16:30Steel Version Price
  191. 16:33Snapshot in Time 2012
  192. 16:36About 80 Bucks
  193. 16:40Not Inexpensive
  194. 16:44Tiny Coating
  195. 16:46Ultramarine Tiny Coating
  196. 16:49Hand Polished
  197. 16:51Reveal Stainless Steel
  198. 16:56Contrasting Alien Look
  199. 16:59Like it a Lot
  200. 17:02Aluminum Blade Coating
  201. 17:04Anodized, Not Tiny Coated
  202. 17:06Handle on Aluminum Version
  203. 17:09Sharper Shoulders
  204. 17:11Not Pillar Constructed
  205. 17:13Zytel Backspacer
  206. 17:16Aluminum Version
  207. 17:18Weight Achievement
  208. 17:24Square Holders
  209. 17:3280 Bucks More or Less
  210. 17:36About 30 Bucks
  211. 17:40Outstanding Deal
  212. 17:43Competitive Options
  213. 17:45Love All Knives
  214. 17:52Outstanding
  215. 17:55Spyderco Delica 4
  216. 17:57VG-10 Steel
  217. 18:02Similar to AUS-8
  218. 18:072.6 oz, About $40
  219. 18:12Cool Colorations
  220. 18:14Full Flat Ground
  221. 18:16Precise Tip
  222. 18:18Great Backpacking Steel
  223. 18:20Excellent Option
  224. 18:23Spyderco Tenacious
  225. 18:25Blue Sprint
  226. 18:27Heavier: 4 oz
  227. 18:31Around $30
  228. 18:35Great Gimping
  229. 18:35HCr13MoV Steel
  230. 18:41Tenacious Knife
  231. 18:43Selling Spyderco
  232. 18:47EDC Hall of Famer
  233. 18:51Kershaw Skyline
  234. 18:54Made in America
  235. 18:56Duracoated
  236. 18:59Homemade Gimping
  237. 19:02Special Edition Skyline
  238. 19:06Sharpened on EPA
  239. 19:08Great Knife
  240. 19:12Very Lightweight
  241. 19:16Competes Favorably
  242. 19:1914C28N Steel
  243. 19:23Sick Coloration
  244. 19:26Black, Coyote Tan
  245. 19:28SOG Twitch II
  246. 19:30O8 Cryo Treated
  247. 19:34About $45
  248. 19:38Outstanding Option for EDC
  249. 19:41HOF Blades
  250. 19:41Ultra Fast Little Brother
  251. 19:44SOG Blink
  252. 19:48O8 Steel
  253. 19:53About $28
  254. 19:56Love the Blink
  255. 20:00Cannot Pick Favorites
  256. 20:02Says a Lot About Ripple
  257. 20:06New Kit on the Block
  258. 20:09Stacks Competitively
  259. 20:11Outstanding Blades
  260. 20:15Nutnfancy Project
  261. 20:17Bought Used Hard
  262. 20:19Loved for Years
  263. 20:26Alien Inception
  264. 20:29CRKT Ripple Review
  265. 20:33Minor Criticisms
  266. 20:36Speed Outstanding
  267. 20:38Ball Bearing System Outstanding
  268. 20:41Love the Looks
  269. 20:45Good Looking Blades
  270. 20:49Ergonomic Enough for EDC
  271. 20:52Great Edge Retention (AUS-8)
  272. 20:55Sharpened Nicely
  273. 20:55Great Rust Resistance
  274. 20:58Value Pretty Good
  275. 21:00Absolutely Smoking
  276. 21:03Aluminum One
  277. 21:06HCr14MoV Steel
  278. 21:09Recommended Sources
  279. 21:11Nutnfancy Review

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the CRKT Ripple a good EDC knife?

The CRKT Ripple is praised as a capable EDC knife due to its lightweight design, smooth ball-bearing pivot system for fast deployment, and ergonomic handle. Its alien-like aesthetic and excellent edge retention, especially with the AUS-8 steel, also contribute to its appeal for everyday carry.

What are the steel types used in the CRKT Ripple?

The CRKT Ripple is available with two primary steel types: HCr14MoV in the black aluminum handled version and AUS-8 in the stainless steel framed version. The AUS-8 is compared favorably to VG-10 for its sharpness, rust resistance, and ease of sharpening.

What are the main criticisms of the CRKT Ripple?

The primary criticism of the CRKT Ripple is its pocket clip design. It is fixed in a tip-down carry position, cannot be swapped, and protrudes from the handle, which can be inconvenient and potentially scratch surfaces. The clip is also noted for being very strong.

How does the CRKT Ripple compare to other EDC knives?

The CRKT Ripple is considered a strong competitor against other popular EDC knives like the Spyderco Delica 4, Spyderco Tenacious, Kershaw Skyline, and SOG Twitch/Blink. Its lightweight construction, fast deployment, and value, especially the aluminum version, make it a standout option.

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