CRKT’s Two New Veteran-Designed Knives Are the Ultimate Vice Versa

The Du Hoc Deadbolt and Xolotl Fixed each take a page from the other’s book.

Published December 4, 2024

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Gotta hand it to ya, CRKT. You really threw me for a loop this week. I was checking out your new releases and I could’ve sworn I’d seen those two at the top, the Du Hoc and the Xolotl, before.

Both of these knives emerged from CRKT’s Forged by War program, through which the brand invites veterans to try their hand at designing purpose-built knives and tools.

Then I took a closer look and all became clear. Y’all pulled a real switcheroo here. The Du Hoc is now a folding knife and the Xolotl is now a fixed blade, the exact opposite of their original incarnations.

This pair is impressive in its own right, and the origin story is pretty compelling too.

crkt du hoc and xolotl side by side — The Du Hoc Deadbolt and Xolotl Fixed are both products of CRKT’s Forged by War program.

Turnabout is fair play

Since we’re switching things up today, let’s start with that origin story. Both of these knives emerged from CRKT’s Forged by War program, through which the brand invites veterans to try their hand at designing purpose-built knives and tools.

Founded in 2016, the initiative enables those vets to receive a commission on the designs, with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity of the vet’s choosing.

The Du Hoc was designed by Austin McGlaun, who served with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq and named it after his uncle’s D-Day landing at Pointe du Hoc, part of the critical Normandy invasion during World War II. His charity of choice for this knife is Idaho Backcountry Veterans.

The Xolotl was designed by Michael Rodriguez, one of only two Americans to ever graduate the Irish Army Ranger Wing Sniper Course. He named the knife after the Aztec god of fire and lightning, and his charity of choice is the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation.

du hoc folded — Unlike the original Du Hoc, this one folds up for easy pocketing.

Getting into the physical details of the knives, the new Du Hoc is a fascinating reinvention, as it converts a sizable fixed-blade karambit (a style with thousands of years of history) into a smaller, more convenient folder. “Smaller” does not mean “small,” however — the D2 steel blade on this thing is still 3.62 inches long.

The assisted opening blade deploys via a flipper or thumb stud and, as the name suggests, is secured by a Deadbolt lock.

The new Du Hoc has an overall length of 9.53 inches, a closed length of 6.5 inches and weight of 8.4 ounces. The handle is made of sturdy, grippy G10, which is only enhanced by the thumb ring.

xolotl off side — The blade on the Xolotl fixed is nearly an inch longer than the blade of the original.

The Xolotl, meanwhile, heads in the opposite direction, transforming from a folder into a fixed blade and growing in size. Made of SK-5 steel, the 4.53-inch spear-point blade has a dagger grind that is sharp on both sides, with Veff Serrations on one side that enhance its rope-cutting ability.

The overall length of this new Xolotl is 9.88 inches, it weighs 5.7 ounces, its handle is also G10 and it comes with a handy thermoplastic sheath offering multiple mounting options.

While these knives are quite different from their predecessors and even more different from each other, they do have two things in common: They’d make chopping vegetables a lot more interesting — and getting through airport security a lot more difficult.