CRKT Ryan Plan B

Back in the fall of 2003, I got this CRKT (Columbia River Knife and Tool) Plan B, designed by Steven Ryan. (Which is no longer offered.)

Like most of CRKT’s offerings, the price on this was very reasonable. I paid $25 CDN for it. They offer knives that are good quality, at an agreeable price. They aren’t Benchmade or Strider, but they aren’t United Cutlery by any stretch of the imagination.

I got it largely because of the ergonomics of the handle. The shape and size of it make it very comfortable in the hand.

The sheath is made of Zytel, with six grommets along the sides, three on each side that give some more flexibility to how it can be attached and carried. It has a clip that can be removed all together or be rotated 180˚ to be mounted up or down, depending on the users preference. It came with a ball chain so that it can be worn as a neck knife. Now the sheath is decent for the price point. It’s better than a lot of sheaths that some manufacturers supply with their knives. But I don’t think it’s good enough to be worn upside down as a neck knife. I tried it once or twice and it doesn’t have enough retention. You could however hang it with the handle pointing up. Carrying it with the handle up doesn't work too well though as the handle is heavier than the blade and sheath and will flop forward.

The handles are made of Zytel, and are covered in little inverted dimples. There is a line of scallops along the spine, and also at the tail. To my mind these could have been a little grippier.
The steel is AUS 6, which has a bead blasted finish, and I know nothing about the heat treating. The steel could have been better, the finish could have been better, and I doubt that Paul Bos was the one doing the heat treating. But all those options, just like a Kydex sheath, would have pushed it into a whole other price point.
This knife came as both a serrated and non serrated model. I found the serrations to be very serviceable, and did a good job of any cordage I cut with it.
One flaw that I noticed is that the tip looks to be off center ever so slightly, with one side of the tip being about 45˚ and the other being about 60˚. Certainly it isn’t a huge problem though.

I got this with an idea that it could serve as a general outdoorsy/utility knife. Sure, it can, but really the genesis of this is as a self defence knife. It can be gripped in a number of ways. The design is derived from the designers background in martial arts, and the name Plan B certainly alludes to the idea of a back up knife. For me personally knives are just useful utilitarian tools, and I really don’t walk around with a knife in the small of my back with the idea that I’m going to get into a knife fight. But I guess a police officer might find the need for a back up knife more pressing, and will be more the demographic this was created for.

The handles are easy to remove, and I suppose a good option if you wanted it to be especially low profile. I’ve also seen some nice examples of custom wood handles. While the handles are reputed to be Zytel, they make a sound more like metal when dropped. Odd.

For fun I wrapped the handle with cord.

Wrapping it with cord made for a handle considerably wider than the existing handle. This might be a desirable option for those with really big hands, or who just prefer a bigger area to grip.

All in all, pretty decent little knife. Not the most stellar quality, but certainly not the shoddiest either. It is designed with a specific use in mind, although it can certainly service more utilitarian needs as well.