CRKT Pilar Copper Drops Below $40 at Blade HQ: Over 50% Off a Voxnaes Classic

Some knives earn a permanent spot in the rotation, and for Gear Patrol's EDC editor the CRKT Pilar is one of them — multiple versions owned over the years, and they keep finding their way back into the pocket. When an editor with hundreds of knives says a Blade HQ deal on an alternative-edition Pilar is making them consider another, it is worth reading the fine print. This time the fine print is simple: the Pilar Copper is under $40, which is more than 50 percent off.

The Pilar traces back to Jesper Voxnaes, the Danish designer who named the knife after Ernest Hemingway's fishing boat. The original silhouette has now run through four generations, and this version sticks to the classic: 5.9 inches overall with a 3-inch-class 8Cr13MoV sheepsfoot blade, finger-hole deployment, and a reliable frame lock. The sheepsfoot profile gives it a strong, versatile cutting edge, and the finger hole makes opening it a one-handed ritual instead of a chore.

The copper handle is the edition's hook. Copper is a material that earns character with use — it patinas, it warms, it marks — and on a knife this size it adds weight that helps the short blade feel substantial in hand. The Pilar's clever grip design makes the 5.9-inch package feel comfortable despite its compactness, and the copper version leans further into the knife's personality.

At under $40, the deal does the deciding for most people. The Pilar has always been a value proposition, and a copper-handled edition at half price removes every objection except one: copper will not appeal to buyers who prefer maintenance-free finishes. For everyone else, this is the kind of price that makes the Pilar an easy carry — and an easy gift for anyone who needs to discover why this particular Voxnaes design refuses to leave rotation.