These knives have been designed to give you a choice between conventional opening or super-fast assisted opening, employing our patented OptiFast assisted opening mechanism. We call it OptiFast because the assisted opening mechanism is both optional, and also optimum in terms of simplicity and reliability. You initiate opening using the thumb stud or disk, and after 30°, OptiFast takes over, giving instant lockup. The OptiFast spring is held in place by a single set screw which allows you to remove or replace the spring in minutes. It gives a new level of choice in folding knives. The cutaway view below shows the OptiFast mechanism in place.

Award-winning Japanese knifemaker Koji Hara created this perfectly-balanced personal knife series especially for CRKT.

We were delighted when internationally-known Japanese knifemaker and American Knifemakers’ Guild member Koji Hara agreed to design a personal knife for CRKT. Koji is noted for his custom folders in exotic materials, and is especially known for his carving of the handle material into a classic terraced landscape that he calls his “Air-Step” design. Our goal was to apply Koji’s remarkable design sense to a small personal folder which could incorporate our patented OptiFast assisted opening mechanism.

Logically, we called this first CRKT Koji Hara series Ichi, Japanese for “one.”

For rigidity and strength, we used our InterFrame open build, with two 420J2 stainless steel liners. In a first for CRKT, we created layered injection molded scales of Kraton and Zytel, the latter with Koji’s terraced Air-Step design. The result is a small knife that gives good grip, fits the hand nicely, and is truly functional for a variety of work tasks.

The handle tapers neatly into a modified drop point pen blade with a high hollow grind made of high carbon stainless steel. An ambidextrous thumb disk allows easy one-hand opening.

Most of us can’t carry a Koji Hara custom collectible daily, but the Ichi is a friendly and affordable reminder of one of Japan’s premier custom knifemakers.