CJRB's Pyrite-Light Adds a Top Liner Lock and a 3.34-Inch Wharncliffe
The Pyrite is CJRB's best-known design, and the Light version exists to answer the main complaint about the original: weight. At 90 grams, or 3.18 ounces, with a 7.60-inch overall length, the J1945X-BBK is a knife you can carry in thin shorts without noticing it.
The blade is 3.34 inches of AR-RPM9, CJRB's powder-metallurgy stainless, at 59 to 61 HRC with a flat grind and a black PVD coating. AR-RPM9 sits between D2 and 14C28N in behavior: better corrosion resistance than D2, more wear resistance than 14C28N, and easy to sharpen on a normal stone. A wharncliffe in this steel is a utility combination, since the straight edge is easy to control and the steel will not chip out on staples.
The interesting part is the lock. CJRB calls it a Top Liner Lock, which is a liner lock actuated from the spine side of the handle rather than the side, combining the simplicity of a liner with the ambidextrous operation of a button or crossbar. In practice it means your thumb never crosses the blade path to close the knife.
The handle is textured black G10 with a steel clip and a ceramic ball bearing pivot. Textured G10 is the right call on a light knife, since the grip is what keeps a 3.18-ounce folder feeling secure when your hands are wet, and the black-on-black PVD treatment keeps the whole package subdued.
At $52.99 the Pyrite-Light competes directly with the Civivi Elementum and the Kubey Coeus. Verdict: a solid buy if you want a light, three-inch-plus utility folder with an ambidextrous lock; skip it if you already own a Pyrite, because the Light is a weight optimization rather than a redesign.
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