CJRB Ria Knife (J1917-ODG) Review
CJRB has many great knives out right now, including the Ria knife, a sub-3-inch folder with AR-RPM9 steel, and a ball-bearing pivot.
Official Specs
Here’s a link to the CJRB Ria knife product page.
Versions
I believe there are three versions of this knife. They vary only in scale material – there’s micarta (seen here), G10, and carbon fiber. I should say there are “at least” three versions. Also available are some variations of micarta and some other G10 versions, as well as versions that have wooden scales.
Price
The micarta CJRB Ria knife commands a premium among the versions, at $72.54. The other two come in much less, at $43.97.
This micarta version is actually a little cheaper on amazon.com right now – you can get the CJRB Ria knife through my referral link for $55.17.
Short Review
The Ria has been great for me. I quite like the micarta. It provides a fantastic amount of grip while also giving the scales a nice personality. The blade shape is great and I am pleased that the blade length is under 3″. I do like flippers, and this one might benefit from being a flipper; the thumbstud is just a bit concealed for my usage.
Long Review
Package and Manual
There is no manual
What’s Included
- CJRB Ria knife
Look
Just check out that micarta! I can’t really remember having much micarta before, but this is really great. It provides a nice bit of grip and just holding it you can tell it’ll age so well.
Open / Close / Lock
Opening the CJRB Ria knife takes place only by way of this thumbstud seen below. I’d say that this thumbstud is a bit concealed in the scale; there’s not a ton of exposure.
The stud does protrude over the scale by around 2mm, so it’s proud – that’s clearly the intended access angle for this stud.
The thumbstud is screwed in, but not reversible. As you can see below, the opposite scale does not have any cutout to make way for the thumbstud. If you reversed it, the knife would not close completely.
The liners on the CJRB Ria knife are metal and cover the length of the scales. The liners form the lock, too; a liner lock. While some have reported this being an inadequate lock, I had no problems whatsoever with the lockup.
Build and Feel
The build quality of the CJRB Ria knife is great. The blade is nice and centered.
All versions of the CJRB Ria knife have this drop point blade. There’s at least one version that has a coated blade, too.
In hand, the knife is fantastic. The micarta really provides exceptional grip. I might not be inclined to call this a “hard-use” knife, though, so the provided grip isn’t one that you’re going to split logs with, for example. But for opening the box if your next knife or whatever, grip on this knife will be ideal.
The blade has a full flat grind. This really makes the look on this gentleman’s folder for me.
The spine is not rounded, so if you ever need to strike a flint, you’ll be able to do so with the Ria .
The pivot is accessible by way of a Torx screw. CJRB says this knife has a ceramic ball bearing pivot. I didn’t check, but I can say it’s very smooth.
CJRB Ria knife Size
Overall Length 6.86”(174.35mm)
Closed Length 3.9″(99.44mm)
Blade Length 2.95” (74.91mm)
Blade Thickness 0.1”(2.5mm)
Here’s the Ria alongside some of my favorite flashlights (above) and one of my favorite knives, below. That’s the Civivi Elementum, which I’ve also made a post about.
Steel / Cut / Oats
CJRB says this steel is AR-RPM9. Again, the blade is a full flat grind, and looks great.
I don’t know enough about steel to comment, but here’s what knifenewsroom.com says:
Artisan wanted a powdered steel that functions somewhere between 14C28N and D2. They wanted the corrosion resistance of 14C28 with the hardness of D2 that not only holds an edge but is also easy to sharpen. Finally, they also wanted a steel they could provide at an affordable price.
Retention
Carry of the CJRB Ria knife is by way of a deep carry pocket clip. This clip attaches only on one side and provides tip-up carry.
This clip will be ideal for right-handed, right-pocket users. The clip is positively great.
Conclusion on the CJRB Ria knife
I have a few knives by CJRB, a new (?) brand that appears to be associated with Artisan Cutlery. I love this smaller one, and in particular, love the micarta scales. Shorter blades are perfect for my needs, and this blade shape is also fantastic. Not having a reversible thumbstud and pocket clip might be a problem for some but the stock setup is perfect for me. The CJRB Ria knife is a winner for me!
Notes
- CJRB provided this knife for review. I was not paid to write this review.
- This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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