Inspired by ancient chokuto swords and classic mohora-zukuri double edged tantos, with modern practicality in mind, this CRKT First Strike is unlike anything that Columbia River has ever made before. Custom knife maker Steve Corkum, based in Littleton, Pennsylvania, has been designing knives in the Japanese tradition for well over a decade. He takes many elements from the art of sword smithing, putting particular emphasis on straight lines and blending various pieces into a genuine collective feel.
His designs, produced by a company as prevalent as Columbia River, are truly refreshing. The 4 3/8-inch tanto blade is made from 400A stainless steel with a satin finish. Mr. Corkum calls the grind on the blade a convex zero edge, or an appleseed cross section, creating an edge much stronger than hollow or taper grinds. And this is a strong blade – almost one fifth of an inch thick, which goes on throughout the tapered full tang blade. The first strike has an overall length of 9 1/2-inches.
The traditional Japanese cord wrapped handle is resin impregnated with black ray skin underlay. Take that with the pommel, and you’ve got a terrific grip. A removable belt clip is part of the package with the First Strike, as well as a custom injection-molded Zytel sheath.
