CRKT M60-16NK

Review by Phil
Elmore

The
Columbia River Knife and Tool M60 knives have always been large-framed,
full-tang fixed blades with “tactical” written all over them. The
big M60-16NK is no exception. This heavy, overbuilt stabber and
chopper, with its Americanized tanto blade, exemplifies the
military-inspired demographic it was created to address. It’s
official specifications are as follows:

Blade Length: 6.125 inches
Blade Steel: AUS 8 with Black Titanium Nitride Coating
Handle Material: Textured Black Zytel in Hexagonal “Operator’s Pattern”
Weight: 10.6 ounces

The blade is chisel-ground, and
cutting performance is on par with a large, chisel-ground, tanto-shaped
blade. That is to say that it’s all right as long as the blade is
kept nicely sharp, but it has no “belly” for slicing. It
penetrates fairly deeply (and the knife is heavy enough that you can
really get your muscle behind it). It chops well, too. The
heavy butt of the knife is well-suited to reverse striking techniques.
The partially serrated section of the cutting edge serves no real
purpose that I can see in day-to-day chores, though it’s good for
snagging free-hanging line or for catching fabric.

The hexagonal “operator grip” provides
very good traction. The handle itself is a little small for my
large hands; I would have liked just a little more handle length.
It was comfortable, though, and hand-filling. In repeated
chopping I started to feel the guard and butt bite into my hands.
I did quite like the grooved thumb ramp, though, which gave good
control of the tip of the knife for fine work. There’s a lined
lanyard hole in the butt, which can come in handy during field work
(especially for securing the knife to a branch or for freeing the knife
when it is stuck in something else.

The drop-leg, plastic-lined Cordura
Nylon sheath fits well and rides comfortably. The knife is held
in the sheath by two rudimentary snap-equipped straps (one of which can
be removed). There are quick-release plastic buckles for the leg
straps (although I had to unthread my belt to put the sheath on it — a
quick-release attachment for the belt loop would be welcome). The
drop-leg segment of the sheath can be removed completely if you prefer
a higher-ride position on your belt line. The thigh buckles are
also removable. There are two grommets in the end of the sheath
for leg tie-down cords; there is also a large secondary pouch that
could hold a folding knife, a pistol magazine, or a sharpening stone.

This is a fixed-blade fighter masquerading as a field utility knife. It does neither job perfectly,
but should prove to be a good compromise between the two. When
you attempt to make a knife that does more than one thing well, that’s
the balance you have to try to find, and I think CRKT has done that
with the M60 model. >>

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CRKT M60-16NK

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