We’re big fans of the Razel line, with its razor-and-chisel style blade allowing for a whole host of utility that you won’t be able to do quite as well with other knives. It’s one impressive design. If you’ve been spoiled by assisted opening folders, however, you’ll probably find the thumb stud opening in their folding knife option a bit too old-school for contemporary convenience. The CRKT Razel GT changes that.
Just like the rest of CRKT’s Razel line, this iteration’s main feature is the uniquely-shaped blade, which has been purposely designed to be able to do the work of both a razor and a chisel in a pocket-friendly size. As such, you can use it to not just cut and slice, but scrape, pry, and shape a variety of materials, leveling up the things your EDC knife is able to do adequately. The primary change, however, is the new assisted opening, that lets you put a whole lot less effort in deploying the blade, allowing you to start on your tasks much faster than ever.
The CRKT Razel GT has a blade that’s shaped to serve as both a razor and a chisel, making it one of the few knives out there that are actually viable for everything from prying nails and scraping stickers to push-cutting objects in awkward places and cutting hoses alike. Yes, this is a real chisel-and-knife combo that can do function as both tools in a capable manner. It’s also quite the looker, with the unassuming boxy blade shape creating a no-nonsense visual aesthetic that feels unequivocally all-business and no frills. Basically, if you want a folder that can do more than the typical pocket knife, all while sporting an appealing masculine shape, this (or one of the other Razel variants out there) should easily make its way into your shopping list.
What makes this model stand out, of course, is the assisted opening, which requires you to simply nudge on the flipper a little bit to open it slightly. From there, the mechanism activates and takes over, swinging the whole blade open all on its own until it’s fully deployed. It’s fast deployment, too, one that will likely take you by surprise if you haven’t used a CRKT with the same tech before.
The CRKT Razel GT has an IKBS ball-bearing pivot that deploys the blade smoothly with very little friction, as well as a liner lock that holds it securely in place when deployed and closes easily with one hand once you’re done. The blade measures just 3.02 inches, so this is pretty small, with the whole thing measuring 7.56 inches when deployed and collapsing to 4.6 inches when folded. Construction is 8CR13MoV stainless steel for the blade, while the handle is cut in 6061 aluminum, so this is all-metal from end to end. There’s no clip, which shouldn’t be much of a problem, considering how small it is when it closes, although they did add a lanyard hole for hanging on a loop, strap, or keychain.
The CRKT Razel GT is available now, priced at $69.99.