Ken Onion Facet Re-Releases in Two Premium Flavors

Heads up: CRKT just released a pair of limited edition models today. This time the Ken Onion-designed Facet received a pair of themed special variations. These two Facets are not just collectibles, however, bringing some performance-enhancing materials to bear as well.

The Facet is a CRKT sophomore, having joined the lineup just last year. It comes from the mind of knife legend Ken Onion, who hardly needs an introduction. The Facet is an Onion-ized take on streamlined modern EDC concepts, with a 3.3-inch reverse tanto blade married to a slim, slick, simple handle profile.

Before we get onto the material changes, it’s important to know what the orignal Facet was made from. It was a model that adopted D2 blade steel, the semi-stainless standby that is fast replacing things like AUS-8 and 8Cr13MoV in many budget focused knife lineups, CRKT’s included. The all-stainless steel handle meant there was a frame lock on the off-side scale, and there was an assisted opening mechanism under the hood – appropriately enough, given that Onion made a splash by bringing the assisted opener to the production knives in the first place, many moons ago.

These special edition Facets are made by LionSteel in Maniago, Italy, so you won’t be surprised to see that the blades are made from M390, the super steel of choice for manufacturers in that region. M390 brings a noticeable increase to edge retention compared to D2, but also much higher rust resistance, with enough chromium to earn it a full stainless designation.

Then, we see the handle scales replaced with titanium – not plain old bead blasted titanium however, but fully decorated, clearly-themed scales. There’s the Facet Rivet, whose aesthetic echoes the utilitarian construction of World War II military vehicles. That’s a theme that Onion has played with before, but he broke in an entirely new direction with the Facet Viral, which has a zombie theme, complete with an petri dish (or maybe brain?) -style pivot screw. The titanium construction shaves off nearly an entire ounce of weight, by the way; these Facets weigh 3 oz. even compared to the 3.9 oz. original.

There are 500 pieces of each special edition Facet, and they’re available now. For each one you buy, you have a chance to win one of 150 challenge coins with matching themes, designed by Ken Onion’s son.

Knife in Featured Image: CRKT Facet Viral

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