CRKT CEO Liner Lock Knife Black GRN (3.1" Satin) 7096

This is another knife that per dollar is a lot of knife. This is a top notch "office" or "executive" knife -- also a must have for serious collectors.

I had ordered this knife off another site and it never arrived. I didn't give up and finally pulled the trigger from here and I love it. The look and feel of the knife are great plus the action is like magic when it flips out just right. Some people will say tip down is a no go but really shouldn't be a deal breaker in my opinion.

A really sleek knife that's fun to use. Opening took me a little bit to get used to due to how slim the whole knife is, but once you get it down it's really fun to use.

I have gotten this one for myself, and as gifts. It's light, easy to carry, and whether I use it in my shirt pocket, (sometimes inside my suit) it's not noticeable. Feels like you're carrying a pen. Handle feels great & the blade does its job around the office.

I really enjoy this knife as a gentlemen's knife and find that it is extremely low profile in the pocket as it cannot be deciphered as a knife or a pen. This is a great suit knife and I often carry it in my breast pocket for the reason it looks like a pen. The recessed thumb stud action is very smooth and flips out very fast to the point where flicking my spyderco almost felt sluggish after handling the CEO. I really like the slim profile of the knife as well as the large amount of cutting surface of the blade. The lack of jimping anywhere or the knife is not a big deal to me personally as I do not see this as a hard use knife that will be getting dirty/wet or being used with gloves. Thus, it is quite comfortable in hand. My only issue with is it with the liner lock. The liner lock is recessed and flush with the liner but does have a little ramp where your finger is presumably meant to be placed. However, I find that the simplest way to access the lock to close the knife is through the hole where the thumb stud sits when closed. You kind of have to stick a part of your thumb or finger in the hole to reach the lock but the corners on the inside of this hole are kinda sharp and can become irritating if before you get used to it. Overall, great profile and aesthetic for proper attire.

This knife is fun to play around with especially as a desk knife as others have said. It is surprisingly solid construction but takes a bit of time to get used to opening. I doubt the events or people wearing the clothes you'd need to put it in a breast pocket would do it in those environments. I debated putting it in my white coat, but decided it would be better to be safe than sorry!

I bought this knife to keep at my desk to open packages and whatever else I need to cut. The small size is about that of a shortened Sharpie and is perfect to sit in a pen holder. The build of the knife is solid and opens nice and smooth with a good hold on the lock. I fell like this would be great for a EDC knife too for it's looks and small size.

I love it, the deployment, the profile, the blade shape. All I want is a nicer steel and scale material... I want the Blade HQ exclusive (def on the email list)... But I mean D2 and black G10? That's all I need okay lol

Love the look and feel! very sleek and sexy! Also a nice sharp and pointed blade!

Terrific looks with good action. Does take a bit to get used to the position of the thumb stud. Razor sharp blade that looks and feels great. Slim profile and light weight makes it good for shirt pocket carry. Great EDC for the money.

Super fidget friendly knife. The ball bearings glide the blade right out once you learn the flick. Deep carry clip is truly deep carry. Is my go to knife for the office.

It's beautiful to look at, good small size knife. Not that easy to open.

Looks like a mini samurai sword that fits in your pocket. Definitely goes well with at suit and tie.

Used this knife while wearing slacks for work for a few months. Knife is very slim and light, but feels solid. Also, the very thin blade profile turns out to be great for IT work, such as cutting very small zip ties in very cramped locations and just general box cutting.

Enjoying this knife a lot. Beautiful, slim and lightweight.

A little janky to deploy. If it had a flipper tab or (even better) a front flipper, it would be perfect.

Great gentleman's knife. Sleek, slim, and feels great in hand. It was a bit difficult to open at first but you get the hang of it after a few tries. Very pleased with this purchase!

I like this knife but find it very hard to open.
The geometry of the thumb button to the pivot is too close. no leverage. I need two hands to open it.

Great knife. I’ll have to admit, I’ve never thought about having a shirt pocket knife. But, now I have one. The description called the CEO a gentlemen’s knife. I’d say it’s also a ladies knife. Will fit discreetly in a purse, or... I liked it so much I immediately bought another one.

Like others have said it takes some practice to master opening this knife but once you get it, you'll love it. Beautiful knife and great quality for the price. Slim and easy to carry.

With just a little practice it is easily deployable. Light, slim, just a great EDC. Love the blade profile and how easy it blends in. It will see a lot of use!

In all candor, I have neuropathy, arthritis, and carpal tunnel in my right hand. Given that, I have not yet mastered one hand deployment of this very nice knife, but I will! Once I do, I'll revisit with a 5 star rating. I do much better with a flipper, a la Ken Onion, but I haven't found one yet with this look, which I love. I would gladly pay a premium price for such a knife in a premium steel. Any suggestions?

This is a great low cost knife with a high degree of sophistication. It looks the part and it has a nice action. With very little practice you will be flipping the blade open one handed as if it is assisted. On close inspection the fit and finish gives away its lower price point. A great value If you don't suit up everyday.

Very slim and sleek in the pocket and the blade flies out with ease from the IKBS system, you just gotta make sure your using the right angle when deploying the thumb stud. I think this is a very nice alternative to the actual custom which is out of my price range, however still a wonderful budget blade I would’ve gave it 5 stars but the cheap steel prevented that from happening All in all even an upgrade to D2 would put this in 5 star rating IMO. Also if you don’t mind tip down carry then this shouldn’t be a problem cause unfortunately that is the only option for this knife.

Flicks out really nice once you get the hang of the angle. Nice and thin. Almost like a modern stiletto. Good weight and balance. Fairly light, but balanced.

The shape, the size, the deeeep cary clip! I really like this knife! However... It really should have been a flipper. That thumb stud is hard to master and harder on the thumb. Once you get it it works good but a flipper would have been the icing on the cake! About those scales... Love the carbon fiber, it looks so sexy and classy! But why not FINISH the scales! They have such abrupt and sharp edges. Please smooth it down and make it finished. I lost mine three days ago so Im buying another one this weekend. Almost forgot, I wish it would hold an edge a little better as well. But still worth buying again.

Great price value and high quality. I'll buy more to give as Christmas gifts.

I was lucky to get a CRKT CEO Knife, when the new stock came in. Soon after, they were sold out, again. I love the knife, smooth opening, blade is concealed in the handle until deploying with a ball bearing system that makes opening the blade, as smooth as silk. Slim profile can be mistaken for a large pen. Long sharp blade is up to the tasks you take it through each day. I can see how this knife won an award at the latest Knife Show! Plus, always great service!

as title reads, overall nice, but one flaw. there's no back spacer, so if you--SOMEHOW, FOR WHATEVER REASON--have the weird pocketed in a position where your hand has to reach behind the knife, you might cut yourself, and not realize it, until there is blood present. the opening may also be a little awkward at first, but you'll figure it out.

Otherwise, the construction, quality, fit and finish are top notch. Good to know the blade arrives sharp (lol), but CRKT might want to consider a backspacer.

Rated 3stars just so those interested know...

Favorite thing about this knife is carrying it in BDU style pants with slotted pockets sits in the corner without sticking out or binding up. The pocket clip could use to be on the other end and would be nice if it could be swapped as it's current position is preferable when carrying in a coat/shirt pocket. Deployment takes practice as the tension is on the high side but in my opinion opens faster than it would since the blade is light. Overall function and quality is quite a bargain for the price

The CEO is a great little knife. I just got it in the mail(only took 2 days). It fits just right in my scrubs or my polo's arm pocket.

The grips have a slight texture and the blade opens easily. I wish it was assisted, however it opens with minimal finger force. The lockup is solid.. The blade is sharp enough for all daily tasks that this knife is purchased for. I would buy again.

Light, slim, nice design. Opens smoothly and locks well. Unlike other reviewers, I was unimpressed with the edge mine came with. The thinness of the blade causes the thumb stud to get in the way when sharpening.

I really like that it can fit in a shirt pocket like a pen, but it is way too tight to open and is a no-go for Left-handers. The stud could be a mm or two longer as well. Even difficult for a right-hander. Great blade, nice form factor, but needs work on the lock and stud.

a very nice design however the clip is on the wrong end making it clumsy to hold... just remove it... the sharp edges of the lower end cap are very uncomfortable and require filing or grinding to smooth... the thumb stud is overly sharp and needs a drop of UV cured plastic coating...
after these changes it actually seems quite useful as a pocket EDC...

This knife arrived sharp. The scales feel good in the hand. It's thin...about twice the thickness of the Uniball F-301 pens I carry every day and about a 1/2 inch shorter. It fits nicely clipped in my shirt pocket and it blends right in and no one knows it's a knife (as far as I know).
Action: I've had it for about a month and it's still pretty stiff, but loosening up gradually. The position of the thumb-stud, the cut out in the scale it fits in and the position of the clip on the other side require some getting used to. I have wide (fat) fingers. Getting a grip on the clip with my pointing finger and middle finger while flicking the stud at just the right angle to open the knife is a learned skill. Not a natural motion for me. Once the blade released it opens quickly and smoothly as if spring assisted. But getting it to release from the closed position is sometimes difficult.
Releasing the liner-lock to close the knife is a one-hand operation provide my thumb nails are long enough to move the lock. When I trim my nails short, but thumb won't move the lock and have to use two hands to close it.
I'm sure it will continue to loosen up over time. I'll be using it as one of my EDC blades. CRKT always makes well designed quality products.
If I lost it, I would buy another (if they were available).

This knife amazes me on several levels. The location of the thumb stud and the direction of force required to open it makes it feel assisted. Every time I open it I am blown away at how fast that blade swings out. It does take some getting used to due to it's size; you have limited real estate to put your fingers where they are out of the blade's path. It's slimness allows you to slip it into a shirt pocket and it disguises as a pen. Awesome texture on the scales. You also get a lot of blade length in a small package. Classy. Incognito. Beautiful. Just give it a better blade steel.

Finally got mine this week! This knife is exactly as I expected it. Super lock up, super smooth deployment (once my large hand found the best way for me to engage the thumb stud best) and super stylish. I read the reviews about this knife being terrible to deploy and still chose to get it. It takes a short moment to get the hang of it but once you do its oooh soooo sweeet. Fit and finish is superb. Just a well built knife, that is perfectly suited to sit on your office desk or in your suit pocket. It's no bigger than the size of an average ink pen, which means it is super lightweight as well. This knife is my first purchase of a CRKT blade....and it wont be the last. THANK YOU BLADE HQ FOR THE QUICK DELIVERY AND ALWAYS WONDERFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Update 5/5/19: been using this knife everyday for light duty tasks (boxes, plastic shrink wrap, envelope opener etc.) Still has a great edge on it and wont be leaving my EDC rotation anytime soon

This could have been a pretty cool knife. Deployment is just a total failure. Once again, they've got the liner lock tension WAY too high. This is pretty common with CRKT. As is, you'll destroy your thumb trying to open it, so I took it apart and relieved some of the tension. This helped a lot, but you still have to think about the angle at which you push out the thumb stud. Guess what? I don't want to have to think about how to get my knife open every time I need it! Just make it a front-flipper, already!

The CKRT CEO's fit and finish is spot on. Mine came perfectly centered with good lock up and the IKBS ball bearing pivot is like butter. Very svelte & elegant knife, however, to echo the other reviews, I feel it should have been a flipper as the thumb stud is a bit difficult to engage. Very Kwaiken-like but thinner. All in all, once deployed, a very classy blade. The perfect Gentleman's knife.

A very nice office knife, elegant and classy with a good price

Pros:
- it is small and thin, not larger than a pen, thus excellent for office
- the blade shape is very cool, perfect for small tasks
- the glass reinforced nylon handle is quite grippy, despite its overall small size
- the pocket clip can work well on a shirt pocket too
- the relatively low price

Cons:
- the stiffness when you open it. It is quite hard to open one hand with the tiny thumb stud there, especially if you have larger hands - this really should be a flipper!!
- I had to file the corners of the lower part of the handle to make it a bit rounded and not hurt my hand

Overall a very cool folder, like I said I wish this was a flipper - 4/5 stars

Pros: really convenient pocket carry especially in my work shirt. Takes sharpening really well. Once deployed sits nicely in my hand (L to XL I’m gloves)
Cons: Tough open. I’ve resorted to a two hand open which is really sad for a knife this size. Difficult one hand opening with tip-down carry discourages a lot of carry from me. I like where it’s heading it just hasn’t gotten there yet.

If you work in an office and want a discreet pocket knife that does not look out of place, this is it. The GRN handles are beautiful. Slim blade is great for opening letters. Goes in and out of the suit or shirt pocket fast and easy. Definitely got to get use to opening the knife, but when you do its quick and satisfying. Would say it would make a great business gift or groomsmen gift.

This is a must have knife especially for some one who goes to a lot of formal gatherings or works in an office. I bought the knife mainly to have something i can carry more openly at my work place. Most of my flippers are aggressive in appearance an i always felt uncomfortable bringing it out at work to open things. This knife is a perfect fix for that.

The only con is that the thumb-stud is a little hard to use but gets easier with time.

I fell in love with the look of this knife as soon as I saw it on knife banter. Came beautiful as ever, but I knew I was going to have trouble opening it. The very thin handle makes it very difficult to get a good grip on the knife. The recessed thumbstud is also hard to get your thumb on. Trying to get the best position on it, and constantly trying to find the right angle to push the blade out chewed my thumb up real bad. You need to use the side of your thumb and push out at a diagonal 45 degree angle to get the nice roll you want on a ball bearing knife. Big handed people I recommend a different gentleman folder. But if you are willing to put in the time, it is a beautiful knife and you won't be disappointed.

love this knife, looks great, came sharp as hell and surpisingly comfortable in the hand. A bit more slim than I expected but thats my own fault for not reading the specs more.
Pros:
-looks and feels great
-sturdy
Cons:
-takes some getting used to to deploy
-not left hand friendly
-because of its slim design the liner lock is a bit tough to use

Just got this knife and it’s beautiful, great blade shape but if you are left handed like myself this may be a hard knife to deploy. I have many thumb studs but this one is a little stiff. I still have to get used to using my right hand with this knife. If this had double sided studs it would be a 5 star in my opinion

This is a handsome knife. Reminds me of the Kwaiken with its blade profile and basic handle shape. I agree with the previous reviewer as to how nice it would be to re-orient the clip for tip-up carry but based on the knife’s target market and intended role I understand why they positioned it where they did.

As others have indicated, this knife was very difficult to open via the thumb stud right out of the box. Overcoming the detent took far too much effort and the lack of handle real-estate made it difficult to keep the fingers from getting in the way. A few dozen cycles, however, and it’s become much more reasonable. Also, try positioning your thumb at the 5 o’clock position in relation to the stud and ‘flick’ your thumb as opposed to trying to control the opening. Once it’s moving it deploys like ‘buttah...’

Excellent knife. Even better than expected. Super sharp blade. Blade is centered perfectly. No wobble or flex at all in the knife despite how sleek it is. Also, its sexy as hell. Don't hesitate on this one.

This knife is a very good knife for in the office. It's slightly beefier than a pen, but not by much. So it could easily be passed off as a fancy pen so they couldn't have picked a better name for the knife.

As someone else said, the detent is pretty insane right out of the box. It was impossible to open with the thumb stud at first. However, the more you work with it and break it in, the better it becomes. Still slightly tricky, but it's getting better.

As with pretty much all CRKT knives, the price was bang on. Very reasonable price for what you are getting.

This knife is an excellent value, particularly at the price point.

Out of the box, the detent was scary-stiff, and so was the lock bar. I thought that I might need to return the knife. But both smoothed out quickly, within a few dozen workings of the action. The blade now deploys with quick snap, just by overcoming the detent--and no wobble, well-centered. The edge grind was slightly uneven, forgivable at this cost.

And the knife was shaving sharp, right out of the box. I don't see the immediate need to haul out the Wicked Edge system to hone it further. The blade width is narrow, which may make it difficult to use that system anyway.

The knife is designed to be carried tip- down, discretely in a shirt or suit jacket pocket, where it resembles a writing instrument. Its slender, less-threatening 3-inch blade makes it more suitable to an executive/office environment, The knife itself is lightly constructed, making it useful for opening envelopes/small packages, cutting tape or string, etc.

The knife has been specifically designed and marketed as a shirt pocket accessory. As such, it makes sense to configure the pocket clip for a tip-down carry. Indeed, the sleek glass-reinforced nylon handle scales have a tiny bevel under the clip, to allow smoother insertion of the knife into a shirt pocket without catching on the edge of the fabric--very CEO-friendly.

That said, I believe that the manufacturer unnecessarily engineered itself into a marketing corner by not making the clip reversible for tip-up carry. The symmetrical form factor easily lends itself to this user option.

That was my reason for the half-star point deduction. Because the manufacturer co-opted this decision away from the user, this knife does not quite get there...

I wanted a discrete knife to carry in my suit pocket for the office and this is perfectly "suited" for the job. Pun intended. The knife is very lightweight, easy to deploy, and has a functional blade shape for cutting packing tape, apples, or being used as a letter opener. Above all, I like how concealable the CEO is. It could easily be mistaken for a pen. If I need a blade for any hard use, I would grab any other knife in my collection, but for daily tasks in the office, this one is great!

This knife is great for around the office but not for hard use. The blade is great for puncturing, The thumb stud is a little hard to get used to. Overall great knife that you can put in your pants or shirt pocket to have during a meeting or other events that do not require a large knife.

Love this knife for working in an office environment. The more and more I look at this knife the more I find things I love. The milling pattern on the GRN handle material is awesome. The blade and tang fit the profile of the liners perfectly when closed. Deep carry clip. Really smooth action after breaking it for a few hours and some nano oil. The only drawback is the 8Cr13MoV steel. However, I didn’t buy this to be a hard working knife so it doesn’t really bother me all that much. With that being said I would pay an extra ~$25 bucks for this if there was a D2 steel version. Knew I had to have this after watching the Knife Banter video when CRKT showed this off. Thanks Blade HQ and CRKT!