CRKT Knives Kiss Blade Kiss - Regular Edge

History:I bought my CRKT K.I.S.S. knife back in 1997. It has withstood 15 years of abuse and was recently resurrected (vicariously) by a YouTube video on sharpening a knife with a coffee mug (needed a beater knife to try it out). After it was sharp again I simply asked CRKT to send me replacements for everything except the two main parts (blade and handle) and now it's like I have a brand new knife. Note, this involves stripping the knife down, cleaning it out lubricating it and re-assembling it (which is very easy). I feel that a product that has lasted this long deserves for a bit of it's history to be shared. This was the first knife I bought for every day carry.The Knife:This is not the most effective cutting device and has received many negative reviews for this. I have several knives that cut better and have better steel. I bought this knife for every day carry because it is legal almost everywhere. At the time I was in college and wanted to have a descent knife on me but not get myself in trouble at the same time. It is fine for opening boxes, letters and the like. If the knife begins to have blade play just get a new blade stop screw from CRKT. They will give you the parts and ship them for free. There is a lot to be said for the simplicity of this knife and its design. It can be completely disassembled and re-assembled in about 10 minutes.

I bought the 24K gold plated version of this at a gun & knife show where the screws, thumb studs and belt/money clip are gold. It looks great. The thumb stud is useless for opening, it's near impossible because of the way the knife is designed and where it's located. The way to open this knife is to push against the blade and easily open it with one hand. Right on the angled part between the sharp edge and the ridge where the angle starts. Don't worry it's safe to do this because the blade is absolutely flat against the handle and won't cut you while it's closed.When you buy knives costing over $20, keep their steel in mind because it denotes sharpness, ability to take an edge, hardness and flexibility. This is 420J2 stainless, which is a lower-end steel (a slight step above 420 though).It's a VERY sharp tanto blade, which brings me to the CONS; it sort of feels like it might open in the pocket. I haven't carried it this way so I'm not sure, but it's just..I don't know. And they mean what they say about not torquing the blade because I tried to cut a cable tie and the blade started wobbling just a tiny bit after that when it's open. Another thing is that the frame lock isn't solid and you might easily press it while tightly holding the handle and close it on your fingers if you're not careful, also the metal handle gets sweaty and it's perfectly straight so no stabbing anything with this. Get this blade for it's beauty and uniqueness, not for it's practicality. You have to be VERY careful with it and it should be used for only the lightest jobs.Average rating for an EDC knife in vanilla states; blade under 3", doesn't open with a wrist flick, the only problem is the lock. Check your city's laws, but this should be legal everywhere.