Minimalist Bowie

The CRKT Keramin is a great little fixed blade. It’s compact enough to wear as a neck knife but still gives you a secure grip and a lot of control. The blade comes sharp, the fit and finish are solid, and it feels like a much more expensive knife in hand. For a well-known brand, the price is very approachable, making it an excellent entry point if you’re curious about karambit-style knives or just want a reliable small fixed blade for everyday tasks.

This is a great knife. Very compact, unique design that Ive really grown to love, and this thing arrived RAZOR sharp. Sliced straight through paper. I’ve used it quite a bit already and it hasn’t lost any sharpness. Its handle is very small but it’s shaped in a way where you can still comfortably grip it with long fingers. Definitely buying more CRKT knives!!!

Love this little neck knife! It fits in my hand perfectly and comes very sharp right out of the box. I am so happy with it. I’m a cook so it works great for many little tasks and stays in the sheath under my apron. It’s convenient and handy to use. I recommend this highly.

I had been looking for a good little neck knife for some time when I happened to find these minimalist knives designed by Alan Folts. I couldn't make up my mind about the blade but finally opted for the Bowie with no regrets. Strikes me as a bit more versatile than the Wharncliffe, even if the Wharncliffe does have an aesthetic appeal. But this is a mighty fine little knife. The sheath fits it snugly and I don't worry about the knife coming loose even when it hangs upside down. A word of caution though. You can get this puppy out with one hand if you use your thumb for leverage against the open end of the sheath. Just make sure you're doing so with your thumb facing the thick side of the blade, and the best way to do that, a way you could do it with your eyes closed, is to always make sure your fingers are saddled in the grips first before you pry it loose with your thumb. But you knew that already. Probably. Heck of a way to get a look at the inside of your thumb, what with all the imaging technology available these days. Not that there's any more risk of that with this particular knife. But I digress. The grips are wonderfully made to saddle the shape of my first three fingers and provide a sure hold. Bear in mind this is a small knife, and the handle only spans about three quarters of my palm. If you have small hands it might run all the way across, but then your fingers would sit loosely in the contours. It strikes me as a little knife made for a medium to large hand. It's not a fighting knife, but would work in a last-ditch pinch. You could remove the tether and slip it in your boot. I put it in my pocket and it fit nicely and was less obtrusive than the folding blade I normally carry. A word about the tether though. It isn't break-away. Get that caught in some machinery, or in the wrong hands, and you'll be full of regrets. I'm trying to think of a way to put a little weakness in it somewhere so that it will give if necessary, but not so much that it gives when I pop it free of the sheath, which does require a bit of force. Also this thing is light, as if you can't tell from the specs. I forget it's there. And the blade is pretty stout, maintaining the full thickness of the tang not only halfway up its backside, but also along its bottom, right over where your index finger sits. One final thing, when I got it, I noticed that the contours of the sheath made it look like it was the sheath for the tanto model, and I thought, *&%!, they sent me the wrong sheath. But then I got online under google images and found several pictures of the Bowie with its sheath and they were all like that. Enough said. But don't get just one.

This is an excellent product, and that goes for the whole Folts Minimalist lineup if the other models are anything like this one. First off, understand that this is a small blade. It is easy to throw the scale off for yourself when viewing pictures where it is not held in a hand, but it is definitely small. However, it was designed to be this way, so if you go into it knowing this, you're a lot better off. I was still surprised with its size when it showed up, but not disappointed. The small lanyard tied to the end is a beneficial thing to me, as I feel it would be a bit strange having my pinky finger wrapped around air. The small cord is just enough substance to give your grip a more secure feel since the handle doesn't extend to your fourth finger. It isn't anything like 550 paracord, just a thinner weave of small nylon cord, and that's the only purpose I can see it serving here. The blade came quite sharp on mine, and the recurve shape of the blade belly makes cutting things go a lot easier. The blade kind of feeds itself through as you work. When you first receive the knife you may notice some of the material from the inside of the sheath coming out on the blade's surfaces as you extract the blade from it. This went away after the first several removals and replacements, and my only recommendation would be to make sure you take your time inserting and removing the blade from its sheath. The sheath holds the blade very securely, with no play, and the blade extracts easily when you intend to remove it. Do keep in mind that there is no kind of guard for your free hand at the mouth of the sheath, so if you are taking the knife from its sheath in a way that requires both hands, grab it at the closed tip so your hand is totally clear of the blade, otherwise you are likely to cut yourself pretty well. There is jimping on the top of the blade for your thumb to have a steady grip, and it works very well at that. The nylon cord that comes with it for tying around the neck is not 550 paracord, just a casing that looks like paracord and another length of narrower nylon cord inside it. Replacing it with a ball chain or real 550 paracord is easy enough if you desire to do so, and also allows you to better place the knife for where you want it to fall when carried around your neck. As it is, the length of cord supplied feels a little short. It also comes with a belt loop that attaches via small screws and spacers through two of the grommets in the sheath. I have worn it under a slim dress shirt and had no obvious signs showing that I had anything there other than the cord being visible at the back of my neck, so it could have been a necklace as far as anyone knows. Carrying it on one's belt is a more obvious thing, but with how small this is it should fall within the regulations of most places. One simply has to be smart and use good judgment with things like that. My removal of one star was not so much against the knife itself, but more about what came with it. The cord is a bit cheap, though it gives a convincing paracord look and feel. I was a bit concerned with the inside of the sheath seeming to get worn away when I started using it, but as I said, this has apparently stopped, so it may not be a major issue. The sheath also seems to collect dust and bebris easily, so you may want to blow air through it and wipe down the parts you can reach once in a while. They're all small concerns, but I felt they added up enough. Overall it is an excellent knife at a great value. It's perfect to have around for everyday carry, more of a tool (and maybe a last ditch self defense item), and while you won't be chopping down trees with it, there is a lot you CAN do with it where a 10-inch superhero of a survival knife is simply not necessary.

Great knife perfect size. I'm a big man and the handle was a good fit. Sharp out of box. Came with adjustable neck sheath and adapter if you want to wear it on belt. Great purchase.

Most excellent quality small knife. Versatile, concealable, very handy all around. I have one in almost every pack and EDC bag I own. Thanks CRKT!

It works as advertised. You know what type of steel you are getting for this price and I'm happy with it. Works fine for opening my few little packages and mail. I've been wearing it this past week and it's really comfortable around the neck. Light enough that you really don't think about it. Sheath could have been better it it was a taco style one. Cuts fine.

Excelente opción para edc, muy práctico y portable.

Mal was anderes. Hatte es bisher als Neck Knive beim Paddeln genutzt, da es da am schnellsten erreichbar ist. Angenehm leicht zu tragen, liegt trotz des kurzen 3FingerGriffs gut in der Hand und ist ab Werk schon sauscharf. Auch gut am Gürtel vertikal und horizontal tragbar. Bin sehr zufrieden

Que puedo decir de esta hermosura, viene muy filosa, es muy ligera, tiene un agarre excepcional, queda perfecta en la funda, es muy discreta, su estética es de 10. Puede ser usada para defensa aún con su pequeño cuerpo puede infringir mucho daño, para edc es buena opción aunque es pequeña.

Le design est réussi, le couteau tient très bien en main malgré sa taille réduite et assure une prise forte et confortable. C'est un défaut récurrent des couteaux de cou, la prise en main est souvent trop faible à cause de la longueur réduite du manche si l'on doit forcer pour couper, en l'occurrence, cela n'est pas le cas; la prise en main est meilleure que sur tous les autres necks knifes que je possède. La lame est tranchante dés la sortie de boite, adaptée pour des petits travaux EDC ou pour la défense personnelle, trés précise au niveau de la pointe pour les petits travaux du quotidien. Peut être porté très discrètement à la ceinture ou au cou sous une chemise, la finition est excellente et sans défauts.

L étui n est pas un Crkt … il ne tient pas