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CJRB Turns to Fans to Help Refine Latest Design

December 16, 2021

CJRB Cutlery, the budget-focused sub-brand of Artisan Cutlery, has been showing off an in-the-works model they intend to bring to SHOT Show next month. Although the big show is right around the corner, there are still details about this one that have yet to be settled on – including the name.

The CJRB line consists mostly of designs from the crew at Artisan, and this latest is no different in that regard. It reminds us of the Tigris, a previous CJRB release with a cleaver-style blade. This prototype tweaks its blade just enough that we’d call it a modified sheepsfoot rather than a cleaver. Putting the semantics to one side, it offers conventionally useful edge geometry: a curving belly and very low, but still workable, tip. Opening methods are a couple of old standbys: you’ve got a flipper (like the Tigris), but also an opening hole in the blade. No physical prototypes have been shown yet, but in the renders we can see that the blade is marked as having AR-RPM9 steel – which is what we would have guessed anyway. AR-RPM9 is the proprietary, budget powder metallurgy steel Artisan created specifically for use in its CJRB line.

On the handle the similarities to the Tigris continue. In terms of broad strokes design, the profile similar; but with a more pronounced curve with an acute “crook” in the middle. The scales are 3D machined with a squarish, geometrical aesthetic, and made from two colors of G-10. One color serves as a backdrop, the other as an inlay-like relief. Early renders also showed off three models with actual inlays, of wood and carbon fiber, although again, what we see get actually produced may differ.

An early render with a wood inlay

Artisan/CJRB like to include their fans in the knifemaking process. In the past, we’ve seen them put prototypes up for sale, and this time they’re letting fans get in on the action even sooner, soliciting feedback about elements of the knife design. Multiple major changes have been made in response to this feedback, including the addition of the aforementioned opening hole. They’ve also been asking for help naming the new knife and fans have come up with a cavalcade of potential monikers for the incoming blade, although nothing has been settled on yet.

As mentioned above, the prototype is going to be produced in time for SHOT Show, which takes place in the latter half of January. No price or release date has been given at this time.

Knife in Featured Image: CJRB Prototype

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