The minimalist aesthetic of the CRKT Pilar made it one of the most sought-after everyday carry knives of the past year. It paired Jesper Voxnaes’s clean design language with an incredibly useful cleaver-style blade that made it handy to have on hand in a pinch. This year, with a slight increase to its dimensions and a noted improvement to the design materials, it’s ready to take on even bigger tasks than before. And from the looks of it, the CRKT Pilar Large D2 has the potential to outdo itself this year.
With this edition of the Pilar Large, the biggest departure from the original design is its black blade and blacked-out handle. The new knife has grippy G10 scaling on one side of the handle instead of smooth stainless steel. This makes the knife easier to hold when you’re doing rougher work overall, and it works especially well when things get slippery. Interestingly enough, the G10 also makes this larger Pilar weigh less than the original, at 3.8 ounces instead of 4.2. For less weight, you get a slightly larger grip on the blade, a win-win situation if there ever was one. And in keeping with the more tactical black theme, the reverse side of the handle features black-oxide tinted stainless steel, and the same reliable frame lock featured on the earlier edition of the Pilar.
If the handle gives you more confidence in this edition of the knife, the upgraded D2 steel in the Pilar Large should do so even more. For one, it’s a harder steel at 60-61 HRC, capable of handling more heavy-duty tasks before needing to be resharpened compared to the original Pilar blade. The blacked-out blade is also approximately 0.2 inches longer in length, bringing it up to 2.669” and giving you a slightly longer cutting edge than before. It also retains the utility-minded cleaver-style shape of the original, making it well-suited for everyday cutting and slicing tasks. A new addition of a flipper tab makes for quick, one handed operation but it still retains its large thumbhole as another deployment option.
If you missed out on the Pilar last year, or you sat on it because of its stainless handle and its cheaper steel, the new design might be for you. With the Pilar Large D2, CRKT has taken a crowd-favorite knife and made it even better, with premium materials and a fresh look about it. Make it a part of your EDC today at the link below.
