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CRKT’s Iconic Tactical EDC Knife Now Boasts Premium Blade Steel and a Unique Deployment

The latest reimagining of Kit Carson’s legendary design features both heritage-honoring touches and conversation-starting tweaks.

Close-up of a CRKT folding knife blade with black textured handle scales on a green background.CRKT
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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Fun fact: Right now on the CRKT website, you can find more than 30 variants of the brand’s classic tactical EDC knife, the M16.

Such a smorgasbord of spinoffs of a silhouette that first appeared in 1999 is a helluva tribute to late designer Kit Carson’s legacy.

Folding butterfly knife with a stonewashed silver blade and black handles featuring textured grip and a pocket clip.
The M16 Balisong comes in two variants: one with a tanto blade and one with a drop-point blade (above).
CRKT

Even among all that variety, however, the newest edition might be the biggest showstopper of all. 

In addition to a super steel blade, the fittingly named M16 Balisong drops the mic with its deployment mechanism.

Butterfly effect

Right off the bat, I should point out that the M16 Balisong comes in two variants distinguished solely by their blade shapes: the M16-02BALI has a 3.37-inch tanto blade and the M16-03BALI has a 3.38-inch drop-point blade.

While this knife has employed many blade steels over the years — from D2 and AUS 8 to 8Cr14MoV and 1.4116 — the new edition gets the super-est of super steels, MagnaCut, coveted for its rare blend of toughness, edge retention and corrosion resistance.

Tanto-style folding knife blade with CRKT logo and black handle partially visible.
The drop-point and the tanto (above) both brandish nearly 3.4 inches of premium MagnaCut Steel.
CRKT

The M16 has also seen several locking and deployment methods — including liner locks and crossbar locks, flipper tabs and thumb studs — but it’s never seen anything like what CRKT has introduced here.

Because, as you have no doubt deduced by now, the new kid on the block is an honest-to-goodness butterfly knife.

Closed black and silver butterfly knife with textured grip and a pocket clip.
The semi-skeletonized handles are made of tough titanium, which helps keep the overall weight to a feathery 2.5 ounces (for the drop point) or 2.6 ounces (for the tanto).
CRKT

If you’re anything like me, your first thought is, wtf are they thinking?

But watch CRKT customer service manager Rob Steinkamp flip these things around — one variant in each hand — in the demo video and your second thought will likely be, damn, that’s cool.

Butterfly knife with a stonewashed silver blade and black handles on a white background.
In addition to honoring the M16’s history, the dual hilt improves grip and protects your digits.
CRKT

While this wild reimagining might not be for everyone, it is worth noting that it nods to its history in meaningful ways and offers thoughtful touches that make it safer for butterfly noobs.

Made in Colorado by Live Sharp Industries, the knife features waffle-textured pivots and sturdy titanium handles with holes and hollowed-out details that reference the original’s look and feel.

Black butterfly knife handle with circular cutouts and metal screws on a white background.
Whether the blade is deployed or enclosed, a sturdy metal latch holds everything in place.
CRKT

Meanwhile, the blade’s base boasts a traditional M16 dual hilt complete with jimping. It provides a bit of extra grip during detail work and also helps protect the fingers from sliding up into the blade.

One more user-friendly touch? The latch is aligned with the bite edge of the blade, helping you ID the “safe handle,” which is also where the streamlined, removable clip resides.

Availability and pricing

The CRKT M16 Balisong is available in two variants — the M16-02BALI (tanto blade) and M16-03BALI (drop point blade) — for $300 each.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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