CRKT Made a Super-Affordable EDC Knife for the Way We Actually Live

Visit any suburb, and you are bound to spot plenty of rugged 4×4 SUVs capable of serious off-roading … that rarely tackle more than the occasional gravel-strewn trail. 

That’s just one example of how, in the face of prosperity, we Americans just can’t help doing less with more, as though conspicuous consumption were built into our DNA.

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We knife enthusiasts are sometimes no better, as our snazzy titanium handles and MagnaCut blades are often way overqualified for such mundane tasks as package opening.

If you, like me, are ready to drop the facade and embrace a more utilitarian approach to your EDC, look no further than CRKT’s latest affordable release: the perfectly named Box Key Slip Joint.

Box buster

It should escape no one’s notice that this thing is designed by Richard Rogers, one of the most versatile knifemakers working today.

CRKT

After all, the guy designed the CEO, a slim $40 knife that won Blade Show’s Best Buy of the Year in 2019, and the Persian Frame Lock, a flashy $275 knife that won Blade Show West’s Best Factory Imported Knife in 2024. Dude has range.

With the Box Key Slip Joint, he’s kind of getting back to his original award-winning roots — and then some.

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See, this knife is even more stripped-down than the CEO is — a $38 slip joint with a 1.24-inch chisel-shaped blade made of budget-friendly, edge-retaining 12C27 steel and a total weight of just an ounce.

In other words, it’s exactly what you need to make short work of any cardboard package that comes your way — what many of us use our knives for 90 percent of the time anyway — and no more. 

Stealth superstar

Even with such a seemingly simple silhouette, Rogers’s award-winning design chops can’t help but come to the fore.

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Just look at the blade, with its full-length groove just under the spine, which minimizes weight while easing two-handed deployment.

You can’t see it, but there’s also a tuned detent keeping the blade firmly closed, combining with seated ball bearings to ensure a solid half-stop at 90 degrees and a full stop in the open position. 

CRKT

Meanwhile, the wide clip is flexible enough to ride securely in everything from thin dress pant pockets to thick carpenter pant pockets — and also doubles as a money clip. 

Lastly, there’s a lanyard hole, enabling the knife to ride discreetly on your keychain, ready for yeoman’s work at a moment’s notice.

Availability and pricing

The CRKT Box Key Slip Joint is available now for $38.

CRKT

CRKT Box Key Slip Joint

• $38 at CRKT

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