CRKT Pilar — 2.4 inch sheepsfoot blade in 8Cr13MoV

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CRKT Pilar · Sheepsfoot
2.4″ blade · 0.15″ spine · 4.2 oz · ~1.17″ tall

Spine thickness, same scale

0.15″

Length and spine thickness drawn to true scale from published specs. Outline traced from the maker's side-profile photo.

CRKT

CRKT Pilar

EDC FolderFolding

The CRKT Pilar is a 2.4" sheepsfoot folder in 8Cr13MoV, flat ground. The handle is 2Cr13 Stainless, secured by a frame lock. Its blade is only 68% of its closed length, near the bottom of the 76 folders here — it takes up more pocket than its blade returns.

Blade: 2.4″
Weight: 4.2 oz
Steel: 8Cr13MoV
Price band: Budget

Best for

Everyday carry in pocket-knife-restricted areas

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Specifications

Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against knifeworks, smkw.

Blade length: 2.4″
Spine thickness: 0.15″
Blade shape: Sheepsfoot
Grind: Flat
Steel: 8Cr13MoV
Overall length: 5.94″
Closed length: 3.53″
Weight: 4.2 oz
Lock: Frame Lock
Deployment: Manual
Handle material: 2Cr13 Stainless
Country of origin: China

Why a sheepsfoot

A straight edge with the spine curving down to meet it, ending in effectively no point. It cannot stab, which is the point: it is the shape for cutting toward yourself, cutting on a surface, or cutting a seatbelt off someone without stabbing them.

Every sheepsfoot here →

About 8Cr13MoV

The Chinese value workhorse, roughly comparable to AUS-8. Fine on a $30 knife, unremarkable anywhere else.

Edge retention

1/5

Toughness

3/5

Corrosion resistance

3/5

Ease of sharpening

5/5

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All 8Cr13MoV knives

What owners say

Drawn from 159 owner discussions of the CRKT Pilar since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.

What owners like

Ergonomics beyond its size: one owner with large to extra-large hands names the original Pilar as the closest thing they have to a small knife that fits big hands, another calls its size and ergonomics perfect, and a third loves its pair of deep finger choils.
Years of service as a work cutter: one janitor has carried it every day since its release about eight years ago and calls it the right size for a box cutter, good for slicing, and small enough for a coin pocket.
Feels solid in use: one owner reaches for it over their Ridge Founder Series folder because it feels sturdier and the short blade suits more jobs.
Easy to bring back to sharp: one owner whose modded Pilar had sat unused says the 8Cr13MoV blade was hair-popping sharp again after a quick strop, and one hardness tester measured an 8Cr13MoV Pilar at 61.2 HRC.
A favorite budget knife to mod: owners show Pilars fitted with Flytanium titanium and brass scales, one added a custom brass backspacer, one Rit-dyed the red scales of theirs black, and another acid-etched and stonewashed their blade.
Cheap to try: one owner posted it in 2026 as proof that $25 still buys a decent knife, and another picked one up at a farm store.
A common first real knife: four collectors name a Pilar among their first knives, one says their collection grew from it, and another says it still holds a special place in their heart.

What owners flag

Heavy for a 2.4-inch blade: one owner's partner, who needed a sub-2.5-inch knife for work, liked everything except the weight, and the owner called it very heavy and cheap looking.
Edge holding falls short for all-day cutting: one owner who cuts plastic all day at work says their Pilar's edge retention is poor and they are tired of sharpening it once a week.
Sharp edges around the frame lock cutout bothered one owner enough that they asked how to file them down.
One owner's pocket clip broke off and was lost.
Bigger in the pocket than a slim folder: one owner coming from a Kershaw Leek found the Pilar bulkier.
Never felt the same as the Kershaw Cryo it replaced, for one owner.

Jesper Voxnaes designed the Pilar, and its 2.4-inch blade on a stainless frame lock shows up as the first or one of the first knives in several collections. People carry it as a coin-pocket daily cutter, a work knife and a modding project; one owner who moved on to Spyderco still keeps their modded Pilar, and a janitor who picked up a Leatherman Arc cannot give theirs up.

4.2 ounces behind 2.4 inches of 8Cr13MoV makes it dense for its size, and one owner's partner passed on it for weight alone. The practical reports are about the steel and the frame: one owner cutting plastic all day sharpens weekly, another says a quick strop brings back a hair-popping edge, one still dislikes the sharp edges around the lock cutout, and one clip broke off and was lost.

Against a Ridge Founder Series folder one owner rates the Pilar more solid; against a Kershaw Leek another found it bulkier in the pocket; and one owner who replaced a lost Kershaw Cryo with it says it never felt the same. Its case is a cheap, solid small knife with aftermarket scales and parts available.

Does the small Pilar work for big hands?

One owner with large to extra-large hands says the original Pilar is the closest thing they have to a small knife that fits their hands, and credits the design. Another praises its pair of deep finger choils, and a third calls the ergonomics perfect.

How well does the Pilar's 8Cr13MoV hold an edge?

For light use it is easy to keep sharp: one owner of an 8Cr Pilar says a quick strop brings it back to hair-popping sharp. For all-day cutting it struggles: one owner cutting plastic at work says their Pilar's edge retention is poor and they sharpen it weekly. One hardness tester measured an 8Cr13MoV Pilar at 61.2 HRC.

Is there a UK-legal Pilar?

Yes, CRKT makes a UK-legal edition. One owner was surprised how well it cuts given the thick blade stock, and another carries their UK edition in a small pouch setup where everything gets used daily.

Can I swap the Pilar's scales?

Yes, and owners do. Pilars show up with Flytanium titanium and brass scales, one owner added a custom brass backspacer, and one Rit-dyed the red scales on their Pilar black.

Would the Pilar make a good go-bag knife?

Owner reports point to durability: one has used theirs daily for about eight years as a box cutter, and another finds it more solid than their other folder. The trade-off is weight for the blade length, which put off one owner's partner.