Leatherman "Crater C33LX"

The Leatherman “Crater C33LX”




The “Crater” series knives by Leatherman are designed for maximum portability with minimal bulk in mind. They are a redesign of one of the original lines of folding knives and are slim, lightweight, knives that offer simplicity to the more complex at a very friendly price.

After receiving this knife I was determined to find the good and bad points straight away (knowing that going out into the woods with an unproven knife can lead to trouble).

Although I looked after it, I didn’t resort to a couple of days of just cutting thin twigs and a couple of bits of token material etc. I was rough and put it through its paces. It ended up being useful for jobs around the house as well.

Specs
1. 3.94 in | 10 cm (closed)
2. 2.6 in | 6.6 cm (blade length)
3. 2.38 oz | 67.35 g

Features
1. 60% Glass-filled Nylon Handle
2. Blade Launcher
3. Thumb Stud
4. Locking Liner
5. Removable Pocket Clip
6. 25-year Warranty

Tools
1. 420HC Stainless Steel Drop Point Knife with combo straight/serrated blade
2. Bottle Opener/Carabiner Clip

RRP £36.95
Distributers Whitby & co

This example from the Leatherman “Crater range” has a 420HC Stainless Steel Drop Point Knife with a combination straight/serrated blade. It is the first knife I have tried with a blade launcher and was impressed with the ease of opening /closing.



As the whole knife weighs in at only 67.35 grams it feels really light in the hand and when clipped onto the belt loop (my preferred method of carrying it) with the carabiner clip it is unobtrusive but secure.
It has a belt clip as well which I found to be a bit thin and didn’t feel secure enough for my liking. It also made holding the knife for long periods of time uncomfortable as it dug into the hand.



When carried in the pocket the clip managed to tangle itself up with the other bits and bobs so off it came which luckily it was designed to do. As soon as it was off the grip was very comfortable and although made from glass filled nylon it didn’t slip in the hand.
The blade itself has proven to be able to handle the numerous tasks I have set it to, including boring, skinning and finer work as well as heavy use like splitting kindle.



The serrated part is more than capable of dealing with webbing/cordage leaving a nice clean cut .It also can handle cutting thin bone (rabbit) leaving only the tinniest of burrs.



(A small portion of the work this knife has achieved clockwise from top left: Split kindle, Thick leather, Arm bracer, Nylon cord, Rubber, Webbing, Bored out cow horn, Beginnings of a buffalo horn cap, Extra pegs to go in the rabbiting bag, bored hole in an Ash stake, feathered stick).

It comes out of the box pretty sharp but a minute or so on the strop gets the edge to how I like it (very keen) and retains it edge for an excellent period of time with the strop handling most of the re edging.

The locking liner holds the blade very secure with no movement at all and also makes releasing the blade from the locked position easy. The thumb stud could be a little longer but that’s just a personal preference.

The carabiner clip /bottle opener uses a thumb tag to open it and when locked is held nice and secure, to close you push and fold it back into the handle where it sits out of the way. The bottle opener easily performs its role with no “squashing” damage to its end.



The one thing to make sure and do is to blow out any grit fluff etc from the handle every once and a while as this stops all the locking/moving parts from becoming “gritty” when in use.
After 2 weeks heavy use there aren’t any scuffs scrapes on the handle and only minor marks to the finish of the blade. There are also no loose parts and no rattling.



This knife is an excellent piece of kit to have. With it being light and compact it is also versatile, secure and solid. I was impressed that it handled all of the tasks I used it for without any glitches and think it to be well worth a space in the pocket (belt, belt loop) etc and I am more than confident to take it with me on my next outing.

CBJ