CRKT M4-02 EDC Folding Pocket Knife: Assisted Opening Everyday Carry, Satin Blade, Thumb Stud, Liner Lock, G10 Bolster, White Bone Handle, Pocket Clip

I've bought the M4-02 (bone/G10) about a month ago and have carried it every day since and I gotta say, I love this knife. Absolutely love it. It looks great, feels great, and functions wonderfully. For comparison, my previous EDC knives have been the Kershaw Leek, Kershaw Dividend, and the SOG Twitch II and while the M4-02 is certainly thicker and heavier than those, it just feels the best. The bone/G10 has a great tactile feel and the weight feels like you got a real knife in your hand. Saw no issues with the fit and finish. No problems disengaging the liner lock (the fatal flaw with my Kershaw Dividend). I had no problem flicking the blade out. In fact, once you get a feel for it, its very easy and satisfying. If anything, the action of the blade flicking out may be a bit aggressive for some. The size is just about perfect for an EDC, even with my over-sized mitts. Fits in the 3rd pocket diagonally just fine, though, like I said, its a bit thicker than what I'm used to. If you want slim, go for the Leek. My one issue with this knife is the thumb stud. The grippy bit is unnecessarily coarse and sticks out rather far. It may not be kind to my jeans in the long run. But that is a minor issue for me. I like this knife so much that I am very tempted add the other variations to my collection. My other EDC knives may not see use for quite some time. EDIT: I loved this knife so much that I got the other two variants, the wood and the antler handle versions. The fit and finish varies dramatically. The wood handled version, the metal lining was not polished flush with the scales in certain places. Not a big deal, but this was not an issue with the bone handle version. The antler version had to be replaced due to the liner lock not locking correctly upon deployment (which was fortunate because I wasn't too happy with the particular scales on the knife, aesthetically speaking). I received a replacement and the blade/lock functioned perfectly and the scales looked better, though I did noticed that the shape of the scales was dramatically different, as far as how the edges were rounded off. The previous version had much more of a beveled/rounded off shape where the new one was much more square. So its a bit of a 'luck of the draw" as to what you will receive.

This is a really nice looking knife but it had a few flaws that needed attention right out of the box. After a little work this went from a 3 star to a 5 star review. First: The liner metal had very sharp edges. If you opened the knife and ran your fingers over the opening where the blade is stored when folded you'd find the edges so sharp they could have cut skin under the right circumstances. Second: The blade took some effort to swing open with the thumb screw. And when slowly closing it you could feel resistance where metal rubbed on rough metal. Both issues were easily fixed after buying a T06 Torx drive and removing the blade from the handle. There are some bronze washers that are on either side of the blade pivot hole that were supposed to make movement smooth and even but I found the washers to have rough surfaces. Using a Dremel tool with a polishing pad I simply polished the sides of the washers plus I polished the blade every place it contacted metal. The sharp liner metal edges were smoothed with a thin file that I ran over the handle very carefully. The result is a knife that is not uncomfortable to hold and is much easier and smoother to open and close with one hand. BTW this knife is a bit heavy at 3.6 ounces. Compare that to a 2.8 oz SOG Flash 2. But the balance is nice and the whole thing feels more solid and refined compared to the Flash 2.

Nice little knife, but a bit clunky in a back pocket with slacks. Fine with jeans. Surprisingly nice blade and action on opening. No lock when closed, but never had it pop open on me, so does not seem like a problem. Like the bone handle and blade shape. It's actually a nice looking pocket knife. Blade thick enough for good utility. Certainly a good value for the price, though I must say my Kershaw Ken Onion Leek cost a couple of bucks less and wound up being my EDC over the CRKT M4-02 because the Leek is so much thinner in a pocket. On the other hand, the CRKT M4 blade looks like it would stand up better to abuse than the very thin Leek blade. Made in China, but apparently to exacting CRKT specs. Definitely does not look or work like a "cheap" knife. No compromise that I can see in this knife's quality control.

I love the clean look of this soon to be a timeless classic. The Good: Clean Look, Sharp as heck out of the box. Great flawless simple design for open assist. Very tight mechanical locking mechanism. Fits a variety of hand sizes well. It's well made using screws to assemble, not glue and rivets. Belt clip fits nicely on your pocket, to pocket carry. The Bad: I bought three of these. The first was flawless The Carbon fiber and Bone graining was spectacular. It opened effortlessly, a perfect keepsake. While in Manhattan during X-mas it was confiscated from me. I bought a second one as a replacement. It looked like the handle was made from a bleach bottle. Was is it even bone ? It seemed the scales were not properly aligned or finished with care. The thumb stud was recessed by the handle and impossible to get your thumb behind. Thus it was very hard to use to open assist. It was tight and slow to open needing adjustment. I kept this for awhile remembering how good the original one was. How could two of the same knives be so different? Eventually I sent it back and ordered a replacement with fingers crossed. The third one came and is as good as my first. Bone graining is natural making it unique, and it's everything the first knife was. The Ugly: CRKT needs to tighten up their Quality Control. 67% is not a passing grade in my book. If I had received the second knife first, I would have sent it back and not reordered and changed my mind about the company. I have ordered 5 Knives by CRKT and this is the first one I was unhappy with. So it's hit or miss, but the Hit is a great knife! Amazon is a great customer focused company that stands by the products they sell. Shout out to Amazon!

It was slightly smaller than I had expected (compared to a SOG flash 2). But the quality was great. No blade play and really easy to deploy. Feels great in my hands. Gimping on the handle spine and liner lock make it easy to use for detailed work. The only negative I found is that it didn't come very sharp. I know most enthusiasts will tell you that you should put your own edge on a new knife anyway, but I've had Spydercos and Bucks come from the factory scary sharp. Anyway, it sharpened up easily enough... harder metal took a little more effort to sharpen, but no big deal. The handle components fit together seamlessly. And it's lighter than I expected, when I've got it in my pocket I forget it's there. Easy clip too, which is movable and removable.

The design is nice and the blade is good, but I have some issues with opening this knife. It has a flat spring that helps to open the blade and keep it closed, but this causes it's own issues with single handed use. When trying to get leverage to push up on the thumb studs I get one of my fingers in the way of the blade opening completely so I have to finish opening it manually anyways and it's such a jolt that you run the risk of sliding your thumb up the blade when it finally decides to open. Go with something easier to open if you want a one handed option.

I received this knife today and it meets my expectations so far. The bone scales were flawless, the black bolsters also had no defects. The assisted opening spring works great and the knife is sharp, sharp enough that I nicked the tip of my finger just by having the finger within an inch of the blade (at least that is my claim). So, my initial impression is that I love the knife. If the knife does not continue to live up to my first impressions, I will amend my review. My only suggestion for an improvement would be to allow the pocket clip to be positioned at either end of the knife. I would prefer to be able to remove it from my pocket ready to use without having to reposition the knife in my hand.

Very nice. Blade looks bigger than the handle. But is not. Blade is 3 &3/16 ish inch. Very nice looking knife. The bone/black g10 handle Looks great. Super attractive. Also offered in wood. The blade is a clip point. Is centered. Very nice looking blade. Honestly I forget the steel type..,it's not anything extravagant. But it's good. Not Crap. Opens super quick. Faster than my benchmade torrent. Overall is a very attractive knife. No blade wiggle. Super solid with a very quick assisted opening. Blade AND handle r very pretty. Buying the same 1 two more times as Xmas gifts. Super nice. Mine is near perfect.