The CRKT Squid is a small folding knife — a Lucas Burnley design with a stonewashed blade a hair over two inches, a stainless frame lock, and a price that usually lands around $25. One has been riding in my pocket since 2017. Nine years later it is still the knife I reach for every day, and it has earned a GoodKit recommendation about as thoroughly as a product can.
Just the Right Size
The Squid gets the size exactly right. It is compact enough to drop in a pocket and forget about, but there is enough blade and enough handle to do real work. The shape is the other half of it — a short, wide blade and a rounded handle that just feels good in the hand. Some knives you have to adjust your grip around. This one you don't think about at all.
Nine Years In
The blade steel is 8Cr13MoV — a budget steel, and I don't care. It holds a good edge, and when it eventually needs a touch-up it sharpens easily. Nine years of daily carry and it still takes and keeps a working edge without complaint.
The action has held up the same way. It opens smoothly, and the frame lock still locks up secure with no wiggle. Nothing has loosened, nothing rattles, nothing needs babying. It just keeps being a knife.
The Knife I Pick Over the Expensive One
Here is the part that says the most. I own a few other knives, including a very nice Böker Plus Panchenko design — similar size, beautifully made, and a lot more money. And when I am heading out the door, I grab the Squid every time. When the cheap knife beats the expensive knife in the only test that matters — which one you actually carry — that is the whole review.
The Bottom Line
Around $25 for a knife that has given me nine years of daily service and counting. It joins a running theme around here — like our plastic calipers, it is the affordable tool that outperforms the fancy alternative in real use. Great product, easy recommendation, and a GoodKit pick.
