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CRKT Surprises with CEO Compact Exclusive

November 22, 2021

CRKT released another new knife today, and this time, it’s a sequel to a well-received 2019 model. The CEO Compact shrinks down Richard Rogers’s already slim design, and decks it out with quality materials to boot.

A quick refresher: the original CEO released in 2019, and CRKT positioned it as a full-size EDC with restrained dimensions for carry in even the classiest of environs. This conceit is carried forward fully with the CEO Compact – carried forward and emphasized. Rogers took down the blade length by about half an inch, from 3.11 to 2.67 inches overall. Getting under that 3-inch mark makes the CEO Compact a legal carry in more places without curtailing its capabilities for most users: the drop point shape should still do just about any common cutting chore you ask it to.

As was the case with some variations of the full-sized CEO, the Compact packs a notable steel upgrade over the baseline model. Good old S35VN is the choice here, offering strong performance all around. Unlike the full-size S35VN CEOs, however, the Compact does not have a thumb stud; instead, it returns to the flipper deployment of the original 2019 model.

The Compact is a marked reduction in size

The upgrades extend to the handle scales, which are made from marbled carbon fiber (again, like one of the full-size variants). The profile hasn’t changed much – like the blade, it’s just smaller. The steel liners underneath come clad in a copper anodization, and the reversible, tip up, deep carry pocket clip will be a familiar site to owners of the original CEO. And compared to that original model, the Compact brings the weight down by a not-inconsiderable amount, tipping the scales at just 1.7 oz. (compared to 2.1 oz.).

CRKT says that the CEO Compact will be here in time for the holidays. It will be available exclusively through their website with an MSRP of $115.

Knife in Featured Image: CRKT CEO Compact

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