CRKT M.U.K. (Marine Utility Knife)

A Fishing Knife, Not a Multi-Tool

Tom Veff designed this one to a brief he wrote himself, and CRKT published it in his words:

"I fish a lot, and wanted a fishing knife that was truly useful. Not a multi-tool that did an 'okay' job at a lot of things, but not a 'good' job at any one thing... And it should be affordable so if it accidentally goes overboard, it won't ruin your whole day of fishing."

Veff came to it as a meat cutter, a professional knife sharpener, and the designer of CRKT's patented Veff Serrations. Every feature on this knife answers a specific problem on a boat.

The Offset Handle

The handle sits at an angle to the blade, which gives you knuckle clearance when you are cutting bait or slicing fish flat on a cleaning table. Grooved polypropylene with four finger choils, so it stays put when your hands are cold, wet and slippery -- and in a bright colour, so you can find it in the bottom of a boat or a tackle box.

The Rounded-Back Blade

The spine is rounded rather than squared, which reduces the risk of cutting into entrails while cleaning fish. The cutting edge is straight through the forward section so it cuts cleanly down against a board.

Veff Serrations

The concave serrated section is CRKT's patented Veff pattern -- flat-topped, with no sharp point to snag, which is why Veff calls them non-stick. They are what you use on nylon line, netting, and anything fibrous that a plain edge skates across.

The Thumb Grooves -- and the Scaler

The row of grooves along the top of the blade is a friction surface for your thumb. It also works as a fish scaler. There are more grooves at the butt and at the index-finger choil.

The Steel, Stated Plainly

The blade is 2Cr13 at 51-53 HRC. That is a budget martensitic stainless, close to AISI 420, and it is worth being straight about what that means: it is very corrosion resistant and it resharpens with almost anything, but it will not hold an edge like a premium steel and it is not meant to.

That is the correct trade for this knife. It was designed to live in salt spray and to be cheap enough that losing it over the side is an annoyance rather than a loss. CRKT's own marketing calls it "high-carbon stainless"; at this grade and hardness that is a marketing phrase, and the spec above is the real answer.

Discontinued

CRKT part CR3011W is no longer in production.

Condition

New in box, with all manufacturer-included items.