This Eye-Catching, Affordable Pocket Knife Includes a Rare Detail for Its Type

To lighten its load, CJRB’s new Capstone Prototype employs a trait more common to fixed blades.

Published August 21, 2024

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As any seasoned bladesmith knows, there are a number of ways to shave weight from a knife. You can use lighter materials, such as carbon fiber and titanium. You can streamline the handle, removing inessential sections. Or you can use introduce a “fuller,” strategically hollowing out part of the steel without sacrificing strength.

There is more to the Capstone than initially meets the eye, as it packs some winning functional features into its 73-dollar package.

That third approach is on on display with the latest wallet-friendly pocket knife from CJRB Cutlery. While the technique originated with fixed blades for practical reasons, they’ve begun to surface on folders for aesthetic ones, and you sure can’t miss the execution on the new Capstone Prototype.

CJRB Capstone Prototype

$73.32 at CJRB Cutlery

CJRB Capstone Prototype

Along with its angular silhouette, the Capstone’s fuller quickly catches attention. Emerging from the trapezoid-shaped hole near the handle, it’s that long indentation along the top of blade, on both sides. Though the detail is largely ornamental, it does impact the overall weight, which tips the scales at exactly 4 ounces.

That said, there is more to the Capstone than initially meets the eye, as it packs some winning functional features into its 73-dollar package. The pocket clip is reversible, the handle is made of reliable G10, the deployment action hinges on a ceramic ball bearing, and the blade is held in place with a liner lock.

cjrb-capstone-prototype-black-handle — From an aesthetic standpoint, the fuller pairs nicely with the cut-outs in the Capstone’s angular G10 handle.

Measuring 3.43 inches, the formidable-looking tanto blade is made of AR-RPM9, a proprietary steel commissioned by Artisan Cutlery, CJRB’s parent company.

It’s essentially a powder version of the kind of steel used in many Victorinox knives, though the overall quality is higher, and this knife should prove proficient at everyday poking and cutting jobs.

Get to know CJRB

Unfamiliar with the brand? That’s understandable, as it only launched in 2019, as basically the budget sub-brand of Artisan Cutlery, founded just a year earlier in YangJiang, China.

The name is an acronym for China Jiang Ren Blade — jiang ren is Pinyin slang for “artisan” or “craftsman.”

cjrb-capstone-prototype-pocket-knife-folded — This green-handled variant is already sold out, but the black and grey handled options are still available.

Generally well received by industry observers and Redditors alike, CJRB is yet more evidence of China’s rise in the knife game. Civivi also hails from China, as does another affordable brand we’ve had good experiences with, Vosteed.

It is particularly notable that Artisan/CJRB employs a steel produced exclusively for its own use. That’s pretty dang rare in the knife world. Yes, even rarer than a fuller on folding knife.

Availability and pricing

While the version with the Stone Wash blade finish is sold out, the CJRB Capstone Prototype with Black PVD blade finish, with black and grey G10 handles, is available now for $73.32. Act fast, as supplies may not last.