A few years ago, Ken Onion introduced the knife world to Field Strip Technology with the CRKT Homefront. It was a quick and fairly easy way to break down and clean your knife in the field without any tools. You flicked a switch, turned a wheel and eventually the knife came apart into three pieces. We’re not going to lie. It took some practice, especially in remembering how to get the knife lined up and back together. For 2021, Ken Onion has revamped the technology to create a much easier-to-use Field Strip Tech Gen II , or as we like to call it, Field Strip for dummies (like us).
With Field Strip Gen II, there’s no wheel to spin and no special tricks. As CRKT says, “Slide the lever up to disassemble, easily releasing the knife into three components. Place the blade between the two handles in the closed position and slide the lever down to reassemble.” Yes, it’s that easy. We promise.
Note that Field Strip Gen II knives are manual flippers, and they do use the IKBS Ball Bearing Pivot System. Don’t worry. You’re not going to be digging around in the grass for two tiny ball bearing pivot rings when you disassemble your knife. The IKBS ball bearing pivot is permanently secured to the blade itself. You don’t have to move it or reseat it in the process.
The 2021 CRKT lineup includes two models with Field Strip Gen II tech. That includes multiple versions of the CRKT Bona Fide and the CRKT Cottidae.
The Bona Fide is an 8.2″ manual flipper that folds down to 4.7″. According to CRKT, “World-renowned designer Ken Onion made Hawaii home many years ago. So, to pay tribute to his deep love of the island’s rich culture and verdant landscape, he designed the Bona Fide™ everyday carry folding knife to suggest the shape of a traditional Hawaiian waʻa, or canoe.”
The Bona Fide comes in two different factory flavors. You can get it in OD Green with a black PVD coating on the 3.6″ 1.4116 drop point blade, or you can get it in silver with a satin finish D2 blade. Both knives are liner locks.
You can also find Field Strip Gen II in the CRKT Cottidae designed by Jesper Voxnaes. This 6.4″ manual flipper has a 2.6″ D2 drop point blade with a stain finish. The aluminum handle scales make this knife both durable and light. CRKT says, “Made with shop work in mind, the Cottidae /cot-e-day/ everyday carry folding knife is a compact, stout mechanic’s knife equipped to handle dirty jobs.”
We love that Ken Onion allows open source use of Field Strip Gen II tech within the CRKT family of designers. It’s very cool to see another designer’s vision of how the technology could be used.
Simply put. Ken Onion and CRKT made Field Strip much easier. Gen II is basically a two step process now. If you’re interested in getting the CRKT Bona Fide or the CRKT Cottidae, simply click the links within this article to find them.
