The Knife Design That Broke People’s Brains 21 Years Ago Is Back and Better Than Ever

CRKT’s Snap Lock Folder returns with a steampunk aesthetic befitting its intricate deployment mechanism.

Published January 13, 2025

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Not gonna lie. From a pop culture standpoint, 2004 was kind of trash. Shrek 2 was tops at the box office, American Idol ruled TV and somehow Maroon 5 was taken seriously as a musical act.

But not everything was awful. After all, that same year, Blade Show’s Most Innovative Knife award went to an absolute banger: CRKT’s mind-boggling Snap Lock.

crkt snap lock closer look — While most of the new Snap Lock is black, the cam lever is easy to spot thanks to its golden hue.

While the knife has returned in various forms over the years, the latest incarnation just might be the best yet.

Action cam

It’s not easy to catch the eyes of Blade Show’s judges, but a unique deployment mechanism never hurts. The brainchild of the legendary Ed VanHoy, a North Carolina-based designer with many awards to his name, the Snap Lock truly shines in this department.

The cam action required to open and close this knife is unlike any other, and while the design is only 21 years old, there’s something about the old-fashioned intricacy of the two-step process that gives us serious steampunk vibes.

To open it, you use your thumb to press down on the cam lever (identifiable in the new edition by its golden hue) behind the blade. You then rotate the blade outward until it is fully extended and you hear/feel it click into place.

To close the knife, you press the cam lever down again to disengage it from its locked position, then swing it back into the skeletonized handle. When retracted, the blade is safely shielded by the handle and safe to carry in your pocket.

crkt snap lock off side folded — The blade locks closed securely, with the skeletonized handle preventing it from slashing your pocket.

The cam action required to open and close this knife is unlike any other, and while the design is only 21 years old, there’s something about the old-fashioned intricacy of the two-step process that gives us serious steampunk vibes.

(Black and) gold rush

Of course, those vibes are only enhanced by the new color treatment, primarily black with gold accents.

The 2.55-inch blade is made of high-carbon 420J2 stainless steel with a plain edge and a titanium nitride finish. The handle and cam are a matching black, while the lever, the pivot and the pocket clip screws are rendered in an eye-popping gold.

crkt snap lock off side — When the pocket clip is reversed, you rotate the blade the opposite direction, making this knife truly ambidextrous.

The open length of the knife is 6.25 inches, the closed length is 4.21 inches and it weighs 2.5 ounces. The light weight no doubt owes in part to the holes in the blade and the reversible pocket clip. A lanyard hole provides an additional carrying option.

Despite its two-step deployment method, the Snap Lock is relatively easy to press and swing into action to tackle everyday jobs like opening boxes, slicing apples and cutting up Maroon 5 CDs.