Provoke Compact

This is an amazing knife, and when it came down in price to to the $120 and change that I paid for it, I knew I had to have one. And while the blade steel itself is nothing special, (D2) the overall construction and execution is out of this world. It deploys quickly and intuitively, and has a rock solid lock-up. On top of that, the way it deploys makes it literally impossible for the blade to fold back over your fingers under any circumstances, because it retracts AWAY from your fingers, rather than towards them, making it just about the safest folding knife I have ever seen. And the pocket clip is absolutely genius, although it does need a bit of breaking in as it fits so tightly to the handle. Another thing is that because of it's design, if you position it towards the edge of your pocket it can be deployed like a knife that uses the Emerson Wave technique, wherein it will already be fully deployed and locked by the time it clears your pocket. But no matter how you deploy it, the opening mechanism is extremely fast, and I would put it up there with almost any automatic knife I've ever used; it's that blindingly quick. My only knock on the knife is the small release mechanism that takes a bit of getting used to. But don't let anything stand in the way of your purchasing one of these, because I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. And as far as being a conversation piece is concerned, everyone you show it to will be amazed.

I purchased a larger variant of this knife a year or so back and it was too heavy to every day carry compared to my other EDC knives. I don’t want to feel a knife in my pocket. It should blend in. Fast forward and I compared weights of the different models before I purchased this variant. It’s a ton lighter while still having a serious blade and solid engineering. Arrived razor sharp. I’m pleasantly surprised by the finishing and machine work. Everything is smooth, there’s no blade play, and I love how just the motion of moving the palm of your hand a little downwards pops the blade open. Very fast action once I lubed the connection points and opened/closed it about 1000 times. It was super stiff with some “graininess” prior to my break-in. Practical for self defense, opening boxes, and a lot in between. My primary complain is: the blade lock release button is very hard to press in to close the blade back up. It’s hidden in this small crevice and takes a lot of finger tip effort to release it. Also, it tried opening and closing it with lightweight tactical gloves and there’s no way to get a gloved finger in the release groove. Hopefully it’ll get smoother and easier with more use. Overall, I’m glad I got it. It’s fun, sharp, and solid quality and workmanship. Makes for a great fidget if you don’t mind sore fingertips.

Just a really cool knife and well made!

Well made, smooth mechanism.

Great compact knife, use it a lot

This is the Goldilocks of my 4 morphing knives. The quality of the fit and finish is excellent. The folding mechanism is well tuned and it locks up very well. Its extremely sharp and will hold an edge. The way it opens and closes makes it very safe. Closing it requires some effort and practice but that is a good thing. It cannot close on your fingers, and the loop prevents you from dropping it

I love CRKT knives. I have more than I'd like to admit. This knife though is one of my top three favorites. Great as a belt knife or folding pocket knife. I also paired it with a Kydex sheath and use it as a necklace knife. I highly recommend it. One word of warning: the locking mechanism is very stiff when it is new. If took some wearing in before it could be a one handed operation.

For those saying the Provoke breaks this sheath, check if they are using the regular size Provoke or the Compact Provoke. This only fits the "Compact" version. The sheath fits quite well. For me, the retention is too strong, but that can be easily fixed with a little sandpaper or time and wear. The clip is a bit finicky to attach, but not too bad. One issue, if you tighten the screws down enough, the poke out and have rough edges that would wear on your clothes or belt. Otherwise, a nice Kydex sheath for the COMPACT Provoke.