CRKT Onion Hi Jinx 2014 Blade Show Knife of the Year Winner
Posted by Clayton on Jan 30th 2014
The newest CRKT/Ken Onion masterpiece has come in the form of a high end flipper knife with a lot of class. The CRKT Hi Jinx is not only their highest price model ever, it also debuted at the 2014 Blade Show and took home "Overall knife of the Year." I got to get a close look at it and I must say it is worthy of the title.
Ken Onion is a highly decorated custom knife designer with years of awards and patents to his name. He spent years with KAI and even developed the Speedsafe assisted opener that is found on many Kershaw Knives.
The Hi Jinx is based off of Ken's old Scallywag custom and features concave scalloped handles made from 6AL4V Titanium. At 8" overall it is beefy but perfect for edc use, sitting at a comfortable 4.78" closed length with a rock solid integrated frame lock. The first thing I noticed about the Hi Jinx is it's weight, pretty heavy. It doesn't bother me but I could see it bothering some.
The CRKT Onion collaboration boasts a 3.3" Böhler Uddholm’s Sleipner steel satin finish drop point blade with a standard edge made in Italy by Lion Steel Knives, a higher end quality manufacturer attached to other brands like DPx and Spyderco. Hi Jinx opens in typical Onion fashion with a flipper that rolls out on IKBS ball bearing pivot system for buttery smooth action. According to EdgeObserver.com, Sleipner is comparable to D2 steel and they do an excellent job of reviewing the Hi Jinx here.
The CRKT Hi Jinx is definitely a knife you want in your pocket at all times and it has a look that makes it business casual. Made in Italy, the Hi-Jinx weighs 6 ounces and rides nicely in the pocket with a reversible stainless pocket clip, tip up only. This knife is not for everyone and at $500 MSRP, ($300-$350 most stores) I can easily see why. I will say if you have the means and are a collector you might wanna grab one of 525.
Specs
- Overall Length: 8″
- Blade Length: 3.3″
- Closed Length: 4.7″
- Blade Steel: Sleipner
- Blade Style: Drop Point
- Blade Grind: Flat
- Blade Finish: Satin
- Blade Edge: Plain
- Handle Material: Titanium
- Weight: 6 oz.
- Pocket Clip: Right Hand, Tip Up
- Opener: Flipper
- Lock Type: Frame Lock
- Designer: Ken Onion
- Made in: Italy