I want to say that the CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) Xan knife under review in this article is “symmetrical” but that’s not quite true. However, the design simply flows from the tip of the blade to the butt of the handle. It’s a little bit hard to explain, but once you pick up this folder, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. This folder was designed by Darrin William Sirois, a former Spec Ops guy, and it is surely is “tactical” if ever there was a tactically-inspired folding knife.
Those who have followed my knife articles for any length of time will know that I prefer a folder with a blade between 3.5-inches and 4.0-inches in length. That sized blade just seems to balance in my hand a lot better than shorter blades or even longer ones – at least when it comes to folders. That’s not to say I don’t have a use for, or like shorter blades – such is not the case. I like all of them! However, when shopping for a pocket knife for myself – and I do change pocket knives a lot, I like a blade in the above lengths.
The Xan, is made in Taiwan, for those who are interested, and CRKT has been having their knives made there for many years. I won’t give away any factory secrets. However, someone from the CRKT headquarters is frequently in Taiwan making sure that everything is being run the way CRKT wants it run, and that no shortcuts are being made. It is a labor of love for CRKT, to bring us the finest cutlery they can, at the best and most affordable prices – being made in Taiwan, really keeps the prices down, and we can expect some great deals and outstanding cutlery at the same time. And we are talking Taiwan — Free China, not the Mainland People’s Republic of China. What’s not to like about this kind of deal?
The Specs
Some specs are in order on the Xan: The blade is 3.67-inches long, right in that length that I like so much and it is made out of 1.4116 stainless steel. While I’m not familiar with this stainless steel, from my testing, it seems like a winner in my book, and I do test knives for sharpness, as well as how easily it is to re-sharpen a knife, and how long it holds an edge. And I even do some testing against the elements at times. Keep in mind that stainless steel can still rust – it just rusts much more slowly. The blade is plain edge, and has a bead blasted finish to it.
The Xan has an overall length of 8.50-inches when open. Folded, it fits easily in your pants pocket. And, it has a two-position pocket clip – for tip-up or tip-down carry – very nice, indeed. The handle front is one layer of black carbon stacked G10 base, and the back of the handle is 32012 bead-blasted stainless steel. I don’t know how CRKT put the carbon fiber over the black G10 base, however, it is a flawless method, and during my testing, the two different materials never showed any signs of coming apart.
CRKT used their Outburst spring assisted opening, to deploy the blade – fast and smooth – really smooth. Just apply some pressure to the thumb stud and the Outburst takes over and opens the blade fully! And, the blade is locked open using the frame lock method – a very solid lock for a folder. As you can see from the photos I took of the Xan, the design just flows – again, easier to see, than explain…it just feels as if the knife is part of your hand when you deploy the blade. Spring-assisted knives are banned in some states and localities, so check your laws before you order one or buy it in a store.
The pocket clip – that’s needs a little bit of a comment. I like the way that it is upswept, makes it easier to clip it to your pants pocket again. However, I think the clip is upswept more than I like it to – it tends to catch on things if you brush up against them. So, I like how easy it is to clip this folder back in your pocket, but dislike that it “catches” on things – I suppose I could take the pocket clip to a grinding wheel and trim it down a little bit – time will tell!
I usually show off various knives I get for testing and an article, at the local gun shop. However, since the virus came along, I don’t go in any stores or shops, even my dentist and doctor are hounding me to come in for an exam. However, I have high blood pressure and diabetes type 2, and I’m at double risk of dying from the virus if I were to catch it. So, I didn’t show this folder to the employees or any customers at the shop since I’ve had it. However, my oldest daughter loves a good folder, and so does my wife, and they both had nothing but positive things to report back to me on.
My Tests
I actually do test a lot of knives around the kitchen, even folders, to see how they perform on different things, and the Xan really shone when it came to cutting veggies, fruits and meats. And, it was easy to clean up as well – a moment under the kitchen faucet got it cleaned and like new. My homestead isn’t all that big — just a tad over 3.5-acres, but there are always little chores that I attend to. I leave the bigger chores to a friend of mine, who is always happy to help me out. Seems like something always needs to be cut or trimmed, and a folder in the pocket usually takes care of that. One of my test items is the always blackberry vines, and these things are super tough to cut through, so it takes a really sharp knife to do this – the Xan, had no problems butting those things in half, with a single swipe of the blade.
Some whittling was in order, to make fire starter material, and the folder really had no problems making tinder for a fire. And, as always there are the never-ending cardboard boxes that the local delivery companies bring my way, and some of those boxes are really tough to cut through – my daughter has a woodburning stove next door in our tiny guest house, and cardboard makes a great fire starter. What we don’t use, goes in the trash – and it has to be cut up small enough to go into a recycle bin for the trash man.
If you’ve never tried cutting through poly rope, give it a try someday. It is super strong stuff, and if your knife blade isn’t sharp – I mean, really sharp – it will simply slide off of this stuff. A partially serrated blade works best, but if you only have a plain edge blade, it has to be quite sharp. We had no problems slicing through this material with the Xan.
One good way to test a lock on a folder is to throw it against something – hard – like a tree. Do this several times with some lesser folders, and you’ll readily see what I’m talking about – the lock with loosen-up in a few throws – not so with the Xan!
The CRKT Xan, retails for $89.99 – however, you can find a lot of CRKT products online, discounted quite a bit. However, if worse came to worse, the full asking price is one heck of a deal. You are getting a near-custom folder, for less than a hundred bucks – and don’t forget that CRKT has a lifetime limited warranty on their cutlery – I have used their warranty in the past – no problems at all.
Whenever my girls ask me what I want for Christmas, Father’s Day, or any special day, I tell them something that goes “bang” or cuts – simple as that. And, this would be a great gift for someone you love, and it won’t break the bank.
If possible, shop around – maybe a gun shop, big-box store, or someplace that carried the CRKT line and if they have a Xan there for you to hold, you’ll see what I’m talking about – it just feels like a natural extension of your hand. And, as my wife just said “it’s pretty, too” – and a quality knife that has everything you want, that is good looking as well – what’s not to like?
I don’t “endorse” products, but this Xan, comes as close to an endorsement as I’ll ever make. Many years ago, I had some companies offer to pay me to endorse their products when I tested them. That didn’t happen – I’m very old school – you can’t buy an endorsement from me. If a product is good, then I’ll report it in an article. If something is junk, you probably won’t see my name on an article. I don’t have the time to do articles on junk products – my time is too valuable for that. So, check out the Xan and I’m betting good money, you’ll like it.