Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) just dropped two new knives from its Forged by War program. Austin McGlaun’s Du Hoc and Michael Rodriguez’s Xolot are both veteran designed tactical blades and benefit from their skills and experiences.
Forged by War
The Forged by War program was established in 2016 as a collaboration between CRKT and Veterans. It let’s the vets apply their real world knowledge and experience to CRKT’s line of mission-ready knives and tools. The veteran’s not only receive a commission on their designs, but a portion of the profits are donated to the Veterans’ charity of choice as well.
The program has generated $500,000 for the designers charities of choice since its inception.
The CRKT Du Hoc Deadbolt
Austin McGlaun’s Du Hoc Deadbolt is named in remembrance of his uncle’s D-Day landing at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy in France. The CRKT Du Hoc is a folding version of Austin’s fixed blade karambit. It transforms the fixed blade into a handy folding knife. The Deadbolt lock still provides ample strength to the design.
It’s fitted with a smaller, but still good sized 3.6 inch blade of D2 steel. The blade is deployed with either a flipper, or the dual thumb studs. It’s assisted opening, too. So, it’s fast to get into play. The Du Hoc has a black G10 handle with thumb ring, and a black powder finish on the blade.
MSRP is $160.00, and Austin’s charity is Idaho Backcountry Veterans.
CRKT Du Hoc Specifications
| Blade Steel | D2 |
| Blade Edge | Plain |
| Blade Finish | Powder Coat |
| Blade Length | 3.62 inches |
| Blade Thickness | 0.16 inches |
| Overall Length | 9.53 inches |
| Closed Length | 6.50 inches |
| Weight | 8.40 ounces |
| Handle Material | G10 |
| Style | Folding Knife with Deadbolt® Lock |
| MSRP | $160.00 |
The CRKT Xolotl
Michael Rodriguez’s Xolotl is named after the Aztec god of fire and lightning. Michael combines mythical inspiration and modern materials to make a durable, high-performance knife. Whereas the Du Hoc is a folding version a fixed blade, the CRKT Xolotl is a fixed-blade remake of Rodriguez’s folding Xolotl.
It has a 4.53 inch spear-point blade with a dagger grind that’s sharp on both sides. The SK-5 steel blade has Veff Serrations and a black powder coat finish. The Xolotl uses G10 handle scales and comes with a Thermoplastic sheath.
MSRP is $120.00. Michael’s charity is the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation.
CRKT Xolotl Specifications
| Blade Steel | SK-5 |
| Blade Edge | Veff Serrations™ |
| Blade Finish | Powder Coat |
| Blade Length | 4.53 inches |
| Blade Thickness | 0.15 inches |
| Overall Length | 9.88 inches |
| Weight | 5.70 ounces |
| Handle Material | G10 |
| Style | Fixed Blade Knife with Sheath |
| Sheath Material | Thermoplastic |
| MSRP | $120.00 |
For more information on the Du Hoc and Xolotl, or the Forged by War program, check out CRKT.com.
