CKRT M16 AUTO-LAWKS

The CRKT M16 by Kit Carson has to be one of the longest-running tactical folders ever put into production.  We’ve seen them around for decades but this was our first go at one with the new Auto-LAWKS safety on the closure, so we figured it was worth a try.

To be absolutely honest, we found the opening a little finicky - the flipper is a little small so with our banana fingers it would sometimes hang up partway through opening.  It’s got a thumb stud so it’s not like you’re obligated to restrict yourself exclusively to using the flipper, but opening it does take some getting used to.

The Auto-LAWKS, on the other hand, is great.  It also takes some getting used to - our editor stared at the open M16 like a monkey in front of a giant black obelisk, hooting excitedly and unable to conceive of a technology so advanced until someone explained the feature to him.  But it makes the knife impossible to close without making a conscious decision to do so, and particularly on a liner-lock knife, that’s a terrific feature.  If you’ve ever used a liner-lock to tip-drill and come close to amputating your index finger, or even if you haven’t, you’ll appreciate the Auto-LAWKS, intense capitalization notwithstanding.