CRKTObake Everyday Carry Fixed Blade Knife with Sheath: Stainless Steel Plain Edge Blade, Cord-Wrapped Stainless Steel Handle, 2367

Some how I thought the pattern on the blade was painted on (just light gray paint over a dark gray steel blade). Actually the blade is mirror polished then acid etched to form the dark gray areas.That’s a whole new world from some paint on a blade. it is high quality and durable. Good job CRKT !The wrapping that forms the handle could not be any nicer. It is just great !Firm and durable and lots of grippy surface without being harsh or prickly. I like it a lot.The knife has a bit of heft and weight to it due to all the steel in the handle area so it feels like a serious knife / tool rather than feeling cheep and light.The edge is sharp enough and well formed; usable out of the box. Again, way to go CRKT.As far as the sheath goes and being hard to pull the knife out of it; I am quite used to these kinds of knives and sheaths and find the best way to pull the knife is to not so much pull on the knife but to push the sheath off with our thumb. Then it is a synch and not the least bit difficult. To get the hang of it start with the knife upside down / edge up and not on your belt. There is a large area of the sheath on the edge side that it is easy to push your thumb against. Don’t worry about contacting the blade edge with your thumb there is a fair amount of handle down in the sheath that your thumb will drop onto when the sheath pops loose.Once you get the feel for this kind of knife draw then you can push your thumb against the rim of the sheath opening on the side of the knife to draw the knife with the edge down. it works quite well once you get used to the idea.My sheath is just right from the factory as far as how much retention it grips the knife with. You want to be able to run down a rocky hill and not have the knife jump out of the sheath. Or carry the knife upside down as a neck knife without there being any possibility of it falling out. In other words it should really snap in there firmly which mine does.If you think the sheath is stupid hard to draw the knife I would recommend getting another sheath made. If you are stubborn, as I am, as a last ditch effort one can heat up the sheath with a heat gun and spread the opening open with some kind of wooden wedge etc and leave it in there until the sheath is cool to the touch. This takes a surprising amount of heat so keep heating and wedging until the plastic suddenly becomes pliable. This stuff isn’t just your ordinary plastic it can resist a fair amount of heat and just sit there and take it. I know this from adjusting other brands of similar fiber reinforce plastic sheaths.Bottom line I have zero complaints about my new knife. For the price it is an astounding product. I wish the people who made it got paid enough (though I fear they didn’t) ; they did a great job.

If your into Japanese style blades this is a must need for the collection.

This knife is obviously designed around concealed everyday-carry. Why do that with a fixed blade instead of a folder? The only real reasons are because it's cool, it's different, and it can save you a little pocket space.I was super interested when CRKT released the Obake, but after handling one at Wal-Mart, the tip of the blade was extremely sharp--so sharp and thin that I just couldn't trust it not to break. The Obake basically is a prison shank. It looks cool and is definitely concealable, but the design isn't all that practical in my opinion.Then CRKT came out with this and it's sister: the Akari (same exact knife with opposite side sharpened). It's a redesign of the Obake for utility tasks instead of defense, which is what I wanted all along. It has a wider blade, a nice drop point profile with a slight recurve. Durability is no concern because there's lots of metal around the tip.I have small hands for a man, and I think the handle is the perfect size. Just big enough for my pinkie to have a home. The grip is fake lime-green rayskin (real rayskin is ridiculously expensive) with a hardened layer of paracord on top. The paracord is so hard and rigid that it doesn't even feel like paracord at all, it actually feels like metal. The texturing is very aggressive, which I feel is needed since there are no finger choils. There's a slight bend in the handle and that's it, so it relies on texturing for a secure grip.There's no jimping. The edge comes extremely sharp. Mine had a little oil on the blade when I got it. Any sharper and it would almost be considered a razor. Blade is just under 3", a good size for EDC.The sheath is the most secure one I've ever seen. You really have to pull this thing hard to unsheath it, which is intentional due to it's in-the-waistband design. Some people say it's too tight. I think it's just right for what it is. Really like the carry method as well. The lanyard goes around your belt, then you just tuck the sheath wherever inside your waistband. You can adjust it or cant the knife at any time. I wear it at about 4 o'clock with a backward cant.I love the Japanese aesthetic to the handle. Most people probably like the acid-washing on the blade since it looks Damascus, but I personally think it's a bit gimmicky. Overall it's exactly what I wanted. Lucas Burnley clearly knows what features were needed given the design space for this knife, marrying a practical drop point and perfectly sized handle with a neat carry method. Keeping the whole thing under 3 ounces is great.Specs:Blade Length: 2.83" (71.88 mm)Blade Edge: PlainBlade Steel: 8Cr13MoV, 56-58 HRCBlade Finish: Titanium Nitride w/Etch PatternBlade Thickness: 0.14" (3.56 mm)Weight: 2.7 ozHandle: Cord-Wrapped HandleStyle: Fixed Blade Knife w/SheathOverall Length: 6.25" (158.75 mm)

It’s a really nice knife for the money. Sheath is nice and feels good in the hand. I did not like the clip system but I just switched it to an ulti clip.