In October, CRKT surprised the knife community by revealing their new for 2018 lineup months ahead of schedule. And, even before we’ve had a chance to start our SHOT Show 2018 Knives Newsfeed coverage next week, the company has already made their products available for purchase through dealers like KnifeCenter.com. The massive industry event is the standard launching pad for new knives from most of the biggest brands with dealers often placing orders on the SHOT Show floor in Las Vegas.
“CRKT is known for innovation and not just in our knives,” Douglas Flagg, Vice President of Marketing & Innovation at CRKT, tells us. According to Flagg, the new release schedule follows the practice of other major Oregon-based companies like Nike and Adidas, who have streamlined production processes and downtime between reveal and delivery. “We’ve significantly reduced the delivery time between announcing the new products and actually shipping them.”
Last year some new CRKT products didn’t hit the market until the March-June window, many months after their first announcement. “Market forces demand earlier cycle entry to secure interest and opportunities,” Flagg explains. “E-commerce has revolutionized the market and this innovative step is a reaction to the new reality. If a specific knife design peaks your interest, you should be able to instantly make the purchase.”
Here’s our guide to the new knives to help you jump in on this first batch of 2018 CRKT products.