CRKT released two new models into their Forged by War series this week. Both of these drops see FbW designers returning to established models to bring them into an entirely different format.
Xolotl Fixed
The folding knife version of Xolotl hits shelves in 2020. Designed by Michael Rodriguez, it was a tacticalized take on traditional switchblade profiles, rendered in modern materials and with modern mechanics.
Now we have this fixed blade counterpart to that knife. If you guessed that the most notable change here is the switch to full tang, non-folding construction – well, you’d be right! However, the Xolotl Fixed also got a pretty hefty increase in blade length, measuring 4.53 inches to the folder’s 3.64. It is also a true dagger ground blade, with two live edges at play. Finally, the blade steel is altered to suit the new use category, going from 1.4116 on the folder to SK-5 carbon steel here on the fixie.
Du Hoc Deadbolt
Meanwhile, Austin McGlaun’s Du Hoc model moves in the opposite direction, transitioning from fixed blade original (released in 2019) to a folder format equipped with CRKT’s pivot-based, Flavio Ikoma-designed Deadbolt locking mechanism.
In a further pleasing inversion from the Xolotl Fixed, the Du Hoc Deadbolt is smaller than its 5.1 inch-bladed fixed blade brother. Its blade – retaining the same exaggerated hawkbill shape – is 3.6 inches long, which keeps it pocketable but certainly still a robust and capable tool. Also carried over from the OG is the karambit-style finger ring on the back end, albeit accompanied here by a loopover pocket clip.
Both of these knives are available now, less than two weeks out from Veteran’s Day.
Knife in Featured Image: CRKT Xolotl Fixed
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