Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) recently introduced its latest knife, the Acquisition. Initial appearances suggest the Acquisition is a combination of fine craftsmanship, unique features, and high-quality materials. CRKT offers the Acquisition in two models: one with a fixed blade and a second with a folding blade. The uniquely designed grip scales are unique and offer users the potential of a particularly good grip when in the elements or even with a bloody hand.
General Information – Aquisition
The aggressively designed channels on the Acquisition were particularly designed for users if mud, blood, and weather are commonly encountered during use. Designer Pat Crawford of West Memphis, Arkansas, is most known for designing tough knives with self-defense purposes as their primary use.
Since Crawford’s knives are particularly designed for messy work, it makes plenty of sense to have a grip design that will channel fluids away from the user’s hands, providing a sturdy grip under the most intense uses. This is the first grip to truly address bloody or muddy conditions since we reviewed the CRKT Ultima knife a couple of years ago. The Ultima was one badass knife, especially since it was one of the first knives to come out with the Veff Serrations. The lines on the handle seemed form-fitted to my hand, and several readers agreed.
These tough, glass-reinforced nylon handles are very durable to sustain the abuse of a working knife, but lightweight and tactile to keep the knife easily wielded and comfortable during use. There is a fore-finger groove at the front of the handle for additional positive grip.
The pommel of the Acquisition exposes the rear end of the one-piece solid steel handle/blade. The top edge comes to a rounded point capable of breaking glass or other striking functions, and there is a lanyard hole should the user prefer a quicker carry method over the sheath.
The 4″ blade is made of Chromium-moly steel with a black powder-coat finish. This gives the Acquisition a subdued look while providing additional corrosion protection as well. The Acquisition comes in a fixed blade and folder option to meet the personal preferences and needs of the user, though I personally prefer the fixed blade version. The rear of the spine has about an inch of serrating designed to provided extra grip for the thumb for heavier projects. Though not specifically designed for cutting, it is possible these serrations could work through the material as well.
Though the Acquisition is labeled a “tactical knife”, users have many more uses and could use the Acquisition as a dependable everyday carry. The Acquisition is covert enough for concealed carry, strong enough to handle many backcountry business opportunities, and can tackle almost any EDC needs as well.
The CRKT Acquisition sheath is just as versatile as the knife itself. There are grommet holes lining the edges allowing the user to mount the sheath to a pack, vest, or plate carrier with paracord. The sides of the sheath have belt loop cuts for direct attachment to the user’s belt. Finally, the sheath has an optional strap that attaches to the back of the sheath and then provides a quick loop and hook feature for belts. This final feature may also allow a slightly angled carry method as well.
Features
- Modified drop point blade
- Plain razor cut
- Serrated spine for extra grip
- Glass-reinforced nylon grips with channeling
- Fore-finger groove for positive control
- Glass-break pommel design
- Lanyard hole option
- Locking liner (folder option)
- Sheath with grommets for two different belt carry options
Specifications
- Overall Length: 8.188 inches (both styles)
- Blade Length: 4.012 inches (fixed), 3.326 inches (folder)
- Material: 8Cr13MoV (fixed), 8Cr14MoV (folder)
- Hardness: 56-58 HRC (fixed), 57-59 HRC (folder)
- Thickness: 0.150 inches (fixed), 0.146 inches (folder)
- Blade Finish: Black Powder (fixed), Black oxide (folder)
- Blade Edge: Plain
- Weight: 4.5 ounces (fixed), 6.1 ounces (folder)
- Folder Locking Mechanism: Locking Liner
- Handle Material: Glass Reinforced Nylon
- Handle Length: 4.176 inches (fixed), 4.855 inches (folder)
- Carry Method: Polymer Sheath
- MSRP: $59.99 (fixed), $79.99 (folder)
Final Thoughts
The CRKT Acquisition appears to be another winner for the knife company turning heads for over 20 years now. In my opinion, CRKT can attribute much of its success in retaining master knife designers and then giving them the freedom to innovate. The Acquisition is a perfect example of this.
The Acquisition could be an excellent duty knife, in both fixed and folder formats. The fixed blade option is lengthy and would require consideration on wear locations to meet policy. However, I could see incorporating the grommets for a boot carry, or even a vest strap mount inside the duty shirt. Wearing on the duty belt may require creative mounting, but might work slightly covered by the radio or magazine pouches. The folder is much more easily fielded.
The Acquisition tackles real-world needs for serious self-defense or “tactical” knife. However, the knife is sleek and subtle enough to be a trusted EDC knife as well. We’ll let you know our hands-on opinion in the comments section.
Update: Since this article was written, CRKT discontinued both versions of the Acquisition knife. The fixed blade knives are all gone. A good alternative for a fixed blade knife is the CRKT SIWI.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Regular readers of BlueSheepdog know several of the writers own and use CRKT products. The author of this article owns nearly a dozen CRKT products and has found each to be well made. CRKT does not pay for advertising on BlueSheepdog and we are not in any negotiations to start. CRKT did not pay us for this article. Neither the author nor the site has any financial interest in CRKT or any knifemaker.