Ed Van Hoy is a well-known Virginia custom knifemaker and instructor who has a flair for the dramatic and unusual. When his custom Snap Lock™ was given the “Most Innovative Knife Award” at the American Knifemakers’ Guild Show, we knew we had to offer a production version, and here it is, the CRKT Snap Lock. It immediately won the Designer Knife award at the 2004 IWA show in Nuremberg, Germany, and was named “Overall Knife of the Year” at the 2004 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia.

When closed, the AUS 4 stainless steel wishbone frame is a 100% effective blade edge guard; when open, it is a minimal but very usable handle. The harder you grip the handle, the more it locks the blade in place, thanks to twelve positive locking surfaces between the frame and locking lugs, so it is a very safe and secure system.