The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed for artisan brands. Among these is Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT), a manufacturer of hand tools. The company was founded nearly 30 years ago with the intent of making a knife that was just better.
Throughout its existence, CRKT has focused on innovations in hand knives. Whether it is no-tool take-apart tech, rapid blade deployment, or threaded grasp, CRKT finds a way to evolve and adapt.
Among their re-imagined tools is the one that brought them the popularity they have today: the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Super Simple) Knife. After showcasing the tool at a local convention, the company had to triple production to keep up with customer orders.
The company is headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon, just south of Portland. Its annual sales are around $25 million.
CRKT is a leading knife brand in the US and globally. This small-start company is still nestled in the rainy PNW. But is this where they are also manufacturing their knives? Let’s unlock this info and find out.
Verdict: Are CRKT Knives Made in the USA?
Only some CRKT Knives are made in the USA. Most of their knives are made in China, Taiwan, and other countries.
The vast majority of the company’s products are made overseas in China. Some are also produced in Taiwan, Brazil, or Japan. However, CRKT does carry a small line of items made here in the USA. This collection includes five products.
You can easily find American-made CRKT products on their website, as they feature this category for shopping. You can find this page on their website by clicking the Menu button, as shown below.
Some of their US-made knives are created in collaboration with other knife, blade, or steel companies. On most products, they describe the knife designer with a link to the professional’s bio and all of their designed CRKT knives. This is interesting information and plays to the fact that people like to know where their purchase is coming from.
Following information from the Redemption Crossbar Lock:
Unfortunately, if items are not made in the US, no country of origin is listed on its product page. Despite offering a good amount of detail on who designed the knife, they aren’t all that upfront about where the knife was made.
You can assume that if the product is not advertised on the Made in USA portion of their website, it is indeed not made in the USA.
By offering a Made in USA section on their web shop, CRKT clearly views this feature as a selling point. As one of the top knife manufacturers in the US, we’d like to see a wider selection of their American-made products and clearer labeling of their imported goods.
Popular American Made CRKT Knives
- Redemption Crossbar Lock
- LCBK Crossbar Lock
- Bugsy Fixed
Popular CRKT Knives Not Made in the USA
- Woods Chogan T-Hawk
- M16-04KS Tanto
- Provoke Aluminum
