From KnifeNews.com
CRKT has just unveiled a new, US-made fixed blade to celebrate thirty years in the knife business. This is the Soldotna, an all-purpose outdoors blade designed by longtime CRKT collaborator Russ Kommer.
Certainly one of the coolest things about being friends with a custom knife maker is the chance that they may eventually make you a bespoke knife for a special occasion. The Soldotna can trace its origins to just such an occurrence: Kommer made a custom fixed blade for CRKT founder Rod Bremer, who intended to give it to his grandson for an upcoming hunting trip.
And you can definitely see the hunting knife heritage here. It’s plain as day in that 3.5-inch drop point blade, a profile configuration well-suited to the delicate nature of field dressing and related chores, but also a good fit for the larger gamut of light-to-medium outdoors cutting jobs.
I wrote about this one in the May 2024 Knife News Column (we had the name first!):
CRKT Celebrates 30th Anniversary with USA-Made Fixed Blade
As part of CRKT’s 30th Anniversary celebration, they are continuing their trend of releasing premium, American-made knives in partnership with companies such as Hogue, and in the case of their most recent release, Idaho’s TOPS Knives. They tapped designer Russ Kommer, long-time hunting and fishing guide, who has been making knives himself since 1997. The Soldotna, named for a town where Kommer and CRKT Founder Rod Bremer chase Ken River salmon, is a 1095 carbon steel fixed blade, with a 3.48” Cerakoted blade.
Like his prior CRKT collaborations, the Soldotna reflects Kommer’s decades of guide experience. It has a roughly bird-and-trout profile, with ergonomic Micarta scales for a sure grip when covered in water, fish slime, or blood. Overall length is 7.63”, and it rides in a bespoke leather sheath.
In addition to the stock Soldotna, which retails for $200 and will be available from retailers nationwide, there is also a $500 limited edition which will be exclusively available from the CRKT.com website. It features Damascus steel from Vegas Forge, heat treated in TOPS Knives owner Leo Espinoza’s personal shop, walnut handle scales, and is limited to a run of only 200 units.
Read the full article here