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CRKT Homefront Folding Hunter  Most of us carry folding knives on a routine basis, using them for everything from opening boxes and letters to cleaning fish and game animals. We like our folders, as they are convenient to carry and do the job when called upon. However, they have one problem in common. They are difficult to clean when we get them covered with grease, dirt, blood and, well, you get the idea. Blade Magazine Hall of Fame member Ken Onion, of Kaneohe Hawaii, has been making and using knives (in all conditions) for years. He decided there had to be a way to design a folder with "field stripping" potential. It took him awhile, but he finally developed the patent pending "Field Strip" innovation. It took over ten years to develop and refine the Homefront knife that could be disassembled when the knife is in a closed position. This tool-less feature permits one to take the knife apart in the field, clean it completely and reassemble it for full use in a matter of minutes. No more will you have to worry about your folder getting gunked up. (If you have the Homefront, that is.) The process of disassembly is so simple, it makes one wonder why it took so long. It looks simple when you see it, but (prior to Ken's design), no one in the business had accomplished it. (Like Columbus and the egg. -Editor) "The user pushes the front release lever away from the blade and then spins the turn release wheel on the rear of the handle away from the pivot shaft. Once the user feels the handle release, the handle pieces can be pulled up and away from the blade. This provides three main pieces that can be cleaned, oiled, or polished easily. Reassembly is as easy as reversing the procedure."  Ken designed the knife to have a unique World War heirloom appearance, from the mimicking of a tire tread on the handle to the bayonet style flipper, the star on the blade pivot and the tank jimping on the backstrap that blends with the "gear-wheel" at the back. This knife is a wonderful piece of art, as well as a functional tool. Features and Specifications
For the record, with its high hollow ground, the 3.5 inch, modified drop point blade on the Homefront is typical Ken Onion. That grind of Ken's makes his knives ideally suited for dressing and skinning game animals. In fact, his Skinner (K700KXP) is the best we have ever used. We cannot begin to tell you how many folks have tried to trade or buy it from us. We have a feeling that the Homefront knife will not be the only knife that Ken engineers with his field strip technology. There is already a black, tanto blade, Tactical version (K260KKS) with GRN grips. Although the CRKT Homefront has a relatively high MSRP, you can find the Homefront folding hunter for around $75 online. It is worth every penny. |
