CRKT M21-14G EDC Folding Pocket Knife

I've carried this knife as an EDC for about 2-3 weeks now, and I have to say that I absolutely love it. I've recently started collecting knives, and after quite a bit of research, I decided that the CRKT M21-02G was my best option for a first knife. I'm not regretting that decision at all. First off, out of the box, it came razor sharp. It went through paper like it was hot butter when I was using nothing more than the knife's own weight. Now, that might not be saying much either, since this knife also feels beefy. And not really a bad thing either, I love it. It feels heavier than it actually is in your hand, it gives me a greater sense of security. Almost as if every ounce of this knife is a constant reminder on how this solid piece of steel will not ever break or fail on me. Now while we're on the topic of security, let's talk about the Auto-lawks system. Keep in mind, I'm a fairly new knife guy. That's not to say that I haven't held my share of knives in my lifetime, nor is it to say that I don't know a thing or two about them either. I do know that I do not mind the Auto Lawks one bit. I know I've seen my share of people complaining about them, 1) how it's completely unnecessary, 2) how much of a hassle it is to disengage everytime, and 3) how it's really difficult to close the blade with one hand. Now to share my opinion on each one of these complaints... 1) Yes. I agree that if you use this knife like you should use any knife, then the Auto Lawks is really unnecessary as the liner lock should never fail on you under ANY normal circumstances. However. At this point in your life, however old you may be, you should have already come to the realization that things do, in fact, happen. No matter how unexpected it might be, there is still a chance that you may be presented a situation in which your almighty liner lock WOULD fail. It would be unexpected and unintentional, but that's why it's called an accident. With that said; I, for one, welcome the idea of the Auto Lawks. It grants you that extra peace of mind that you can have your blade secured in the open position, and NOT have any possibility of it ever closing on you. This is a fixed blade knife... That folds. What's not to love about it? 2) Considering the safety advantages I had just pointed out in the previous complaint, I would say that the Auto Lawks is NOT a hassle at all. It literally adds just a micro second for you to close your blade, as opposed to just closing it using the liner lock. Literally. ONE extra step that takes a micro second should NOT make any difference to you. The only reason I can imagine that speed should be a factor is if you're ever put in a life threatening situation and it would be more tactical to open your blade faster... Notice how it would only work for opening it..? This knife opens just as quick as any non-assisted folding knives, probably even faster than most (seriously, this thing is butter smooth). If you're having to close the blade already, however, I just do not see how you can be in that much of a hurry to do so. 3) No. This knife really does not require two hands to operate. You must have really poor dexterity to not be able to close it with one hand. I mean, I understand if you've owned and used dozens of regular liner lock knives before, so you're just so used to the motion of not having to deal with an Auto Lawks... But c'mon, be honest. It took me maybe an hour max to get used to having to deal with the Auto Lawks with one hand.. It is do-able. Also, a very huge plus for me is the blade shape. The spear point with a slight recurve and belly just looks so amazingly cool to me. It makes it look bigger and beefier than it actually is. Not to mention the belly also gives you more cutting edge to work with. Now that we've pretty much covered the reasons why I think this knife is awesome... Let's get to the main reason why I rated this product 1 star less than it should be: First off, the biggest and main reason I took a star off is the blade centering on this thing when it's closed. Now when it's open, this thing is as sturdy as a fixed blade. Absolutely ZERO blade play. Side to side, or up and down, this blade does not give way at all... BUT, when it's closed I got really disappointed to find out that the blade leans to the side due to the strength of the liner pushing it there. Now normally I wouldn't really mind if it's not centered... I'm really not one of those collectors that need their blades completely centered so they look pretty and uniformed... HOWEVER, the liner is pushing the blade to the side so much so that it actually left a tiny nick on the bottom left side of the logo on the blade. The liner actually has the blade making contact with the inside of the handle right where the grind starts, and after two weeks, it left a noticeable nick on the black titanium nitride finish. Now it's TINY, and it really shouldn't matter too much because it's not even noticeable until I point it out. However, I am quite a perfectionist, especially when it comes to things I collect. So every tiny unnecessary blemish on my items just come as a huge disappointment for me. Also, while I'm criticizing the strength of the liner, I might add that it did take some getting used to as well. The scales only have a small indentation to grant access to the liner, which made it difficult to completely push aside at first. All I have to say is that if you do not have a callus on the tip of your thumb right now, expect it if you're going to use this knife as an EDC. All in all, the beefy liner is the only thing that took a star off this otherwise perfect product. I would still highly recommend this to any of my friends and family. And if I lose this one, I might even still pick up two to replace it. Just in case. UPDATE: After a couple weeks, I actually got used to the liner lock already and it's to the point where it's not even an issue. I love this completely now.