Lake Thunderbolt, Aluminum Handle, ComboEdge

Study aircraft history, and you find the name Thunderbolt connected both to the P-47 fighter and A-10 fighter bomber. They are both invariably described as “large, rugged, dependable.” Those words also fit Ron Lake’s new locking liner design for the CRKT Thunderbolt™.

Briefly, this is a heavy-duty locking liner folder series, with premium blade steel, aircraft aluminum InterFrame build, with a stainless steel clip and our patented LAWKS® safety, all at a fabulously competitive price.

Blades are extremely strong dual-grind Tanto-style with a drop point top edge. Blade steel is 8Cr14MoV high-chromium stainless steel with a special non-reflective black oxide coating. Fast one-hand opening is accomplished by a large oval thumb hole with friction grooves on the outboard edge.

Ron Lake has designed a large, ergonomic handle with a center swell and grooved areas at the thumb and pommel. These are knives you can use while wearing gloves and under slippery conditions.

The 6061 aluminum scales are anodized charcoal gray and CNC-machined with milled pockets to further aid grip. In the center pockets, bronze anodized inserts provide subtle contrast. Our InterFrame build uses dual stainless steel liners, one locking, which are also black oxide coated.

Because we expect this affordable series to be used for the roughest work and sport jobs, we’ve incorporated the patented* LAWKS® safety, which effectively converts your folder into a virtual fixed blade when actuated.

Our larger Thunderbolt™ models are frankly big honkers, weighing in at 7.4 oz. with 3.90” blades.

Available with Ron Lake’s unique Combination Tip Triple-Point™ Serrated edges. This is the first application we know of in which serrations have been added to a Tanto tip grind, and it is very effective when cutting cord and vegetation. Plain Edge model is also available.

All models come with a custom stainless steel clip in a black oxide finish.

These are knives you can depend on, just like the storied Thunderbolts of aircraft history.

Specifications
Blade: Length: 3.90” (9.9 cm)
Thickness: 0.13” (0.33 cm)
Steel: 8Cr14MoV, 58-59 HRC
Closed: Handle length: 4.875” (12.4 cm)
Open: Overall length: 8.75” (22.2 cm)
Weight: 7.4 oz. (210 g)

About the Knife Designer
Ron Lake is a custom knifemaker in Eugene, Oregon. He joined the Knifemakers’ Guild in 1971, and has been a full time knifemaker since 1972. He has received numerous awards, has been featured in national knife, shooting and general interest magazines, and has conducted folding knife seminars around the world. He co-authored the book How To Make Folding Knives in 1988. He was elected to the Cutlery Hall of Fame in 1998, and was labeled by sportswriter B.R. Hughes as the “Father of the Modern Day Folding Knife.” He is a partner with Michael Walker in Lake & Walker Bullfrog® Knives, developer of the patented knife blade lock safety known as LAWKS®, and also invented the L.B.S.™ lock back safety system. Knives made by Ron are included in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Metal Museum, the National Knife Museum and the Randall Knife Museum. He has also designed many knives for CRKT.