Bob Kasper, the late writer and combat instructor, designed the basic outline of the C/K Dragon after ten years of study into the principles of extreme in-close fighting developed by Dr. Gordon Eric Perrigard over fifty years ago. These techniques use automatic conditioned reflexes with minimal body movement. The knife is considered as part of the hand.
Bob sent his sketch to award-winning custom knifemakers Pat and Wes Crawford of Crawford Knives in West Memphis, Arkansas, who developed the handle scales. As Pat Crawford says, "This knife is all business. I hope it will become a part of Bob's legacy to the professional martial arts community."
Like its namesake, the C/K Dragon bites (with the tapered tip), claws (with the long Wharncliffe cutting edge), and strikes (with the pommel) its adversary. We at CRKT have engineered our production model to be as close as possible to the Crawford custom Dragon, which has proven popular with law enforcement and military operators.
The 4.50" full tang blade has a tapered Wharncliffe grind for great penetrating power. It is made of exceptionally tough 9Cr18MoV high-chromium stainless steel to stand up to the worst abuse.
The handle features a deep finger choil and textured G10 scales with deep diagonal grooves for optimum grip with gloved hands and under wet conditions, aided by deep friction grooves at the thumb. At the pommel, a pointed metal hammer tip is useful for window breaking and other tactical impact needs.
True to Bob Kasper's concept, this is a knife with perfect balance that truly feels like part of your hand. Mass is centered at the palm, and the tapered blade tip makes the Dragon feel like a much smaller knife.
CRKT's designed a lightweight Kydex sheath with a patented* multi-position clip, which can be attached for vertical or horizontal carry on belts, webbing or equipment. Using the MercHarness¢, it can be carried comfortably under the arm. There is also a hole at the butt of the knife for a lanyard or fob.
Despite its tactical intentions, we have found that thanks to its weight, balance, grip and long precision cutting edge, the Dragon makes a very functional and versatile knife in the shop, too. Enter the C/K Dragon.
Hello All! I got my Dragon as payment for a modest (obviously) debt that a friend owed me. I own dozens of knives from the usual litany of quality companies/makers: Boker, CRKT, Kershaw, Emerson, Hinderer, SOG, Schrade, Cold Steel, and on and on. I am an avid EDCer, and this knife was immediately, upon receipt, added to my EDC, which also consists of a Fenix PD35 (2014 Edition) and (at the moment) a Kershaw/Hinderer Thermite, a Threeper Kreeper multi-tool from Third Eye Tactical, and a Tactical Pen. The overall length, while almost 10 inches, does not generally get in the way. It can be a bit of a pain for the purposes of getting into and out of a vehicle, depending on your location and mode of carry (personally I carry mine IWB at 3:30), however the THREE BIGGEST UPSIDES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Feel-The deep index finger choil with a forward grip also serves to provide an equally excellent presentation speed and ease in a reverse "icepick" hold. Additionally, the G-10esque scales are both light and 'grippy' enough to serve their function. Regardless of how you hold it, it feels like an extension of your hand, just how it should. Thickness-This knife, sheath included, is VERY thin. This thin-ness translates into it being exceptionally concealable and overwhelmingly useful in a variety of situations as it does, indeed, disappear. Blade Shape- An admitted fan of most any wharncliffe, this particular Wharncliffe, in keeping with Crawford-designed standards, has both excellent cutting and penetrating capabilities. The blade itself is quite thick, with a modest taper. However, it is as a whole, full tang and very very strong. BIGGEST DOWNSIDE- The sheath itself is not bad, but the attachment system (the overall biggest complaint of the knife in most places) is indeed mediocre. I make it work, however. It is not terribly adaptable, but for my mode of carry it fits well, and I haven't even seen the need to take one of the many Tek-Loks out of the drawer and screw it on, though the Tek-Lok is compatible. However, in order to make the included belt-clip does need to be very tight in order to function which can dull the blade's edge from repeated un-sheathing and re-sheathing, but again you can very easily touch it up with a sharpstone. OVERALL OPINION: this knife is slim, light, natural-feeling, with high penetration capability and a fast draw facilitated by the design. The biggest downside is the sheath's belt-attachment system, but even if you can't make it work for you, a $10 Tek-Lok (available here on BHQ as well as many other retailers, though BHQ is the cheapest in my experience) will fix that right up. Whether you're looking for a fighter to rig onto your plate carrier, an EDC tool to make disappear on your waist, or a knife to conceal under a suit coat/jacket with a MerchHarness, this is an excellent choice.
The Dragon is an affordable knife that still performs very well. I practice historical fencing, including the use of knives, and this is a great carrying option as a self defense knife for me. It's very thin, very light weight, has an easy draw, and fits well in the hand with both an overhand and reversed grip. I personally wear this knife attached to my belt on my right hip with the hilt forward for a quick reverse grip draw. Being worn like this, the knife doesn't get in the way of normal activity. It doesn't dig into the side when sitting in a chair. It usually will not get tangled up in a seat belt or get caught on things because it sits close to the body. I really only have one problem with this knife and it is with the attachment options for the sheath. The sheath retains the knife very well, but with the clip that comes with it, you can't reasonably attach it to anything. Unless you wear a shoe string as a belt you would be hard pressed to get it on anything other than a molle bag or carry vest, which I think is the intention. I've resorted to switching out the belt clip that came with my CRKT Obake between the two, for the knife I want to carry that day. If CRKT would use a pretty much identical clip on the Dragon as they do with the Obake, then this sheath would be perfect for me.
Looks good, sharp, broke off the tip, even though I was careful.Simply not stout enough for me to consider reliable out in the woods.Would probably be a good knife for filleting or cleaning fish. I am very hard on my gear and backpack alone, frequently , won't trust my life to this.It may very well be great for fighting, It certainly will cut a person easily.
I like the knife, but not the sheath! I did not receive the multi-position clip, nor does the sheath retain the knife properly. Also none of the common copy stuff that usually comes with CRKT knives was in the box! I wonder if I got a return that someone did not properly check out before putting back on the shelf! Also, why is it when I try to give a knife fewer than five stars, five stars are still displayed?!!
I stabbed it into some plastic and the entire tip broke off, I was so blown away i threw it on the street for whoever to find. Ergonomics it felt stiff like you have to adapt to it, but the handle felt like good quality. And the blade looks beautiful. It would last you through one knife fight, but if you hit a bone you would have trouble going for the second guy.
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