Real owners lean toward the Sencut ArcBlast: 100% of 10 owners recommend it, vs 69% of 84 for the CRKT Pilar.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
Owners keep circling back to how much knife the Arcblast delivers for its price, pointing to the aluminum scales, hollow grind, and fit and finish that usually show up on costlier knives. The action draws its own praise, with several calling the flipper and thumb-stud deployment smooth and snappy, and the thin blade stock keeps it slicing cleanly even as the edge wears. A handful mention a tight, no-play lockup and appreciate how light and pocket-friendly it carries day to day. The one recurring gripe, echoed by several owners, is that the design itself reads as plain or bland, so a knife they rate highly as a tool doesn't always excite them as an object.
“CRKT Pilar is my fave but mine has strong detente and isn’t that fidgety if you care about that. And it comes in copper which is nice.”— reesa447 on Reddit
“Since I bought it, it has been my dominant/ primary EDC knife … honestly my #1 knife I’ve ever owned!!”— OG-BigPapa-KJ on Reddit
“My Pilar broke.”— @VinnyS9143101982 on YouTube
“It's a really nice casual carry knife - not gonna scare anyone in the office kind of knife. The action is pretty nice, it's light, very slicey and comes in a lot of good colors. A worthy pick up for sure.”— HighNoonSun on Reddit
“I can highly recommend this knife. The hollow grind and thinner blade stock help ensure that even when the edge starts to dull, this knife can still do some slicing.”— abow3 on Reddit
Real owners lean toward the Sencut ArcBlast: 100% of 10 owners recommend it, vs 69% of 84 for the CRKT Pilar.
Owners point the CRKT Pilar at eDC carriers wanting a cheap, replaceable beater, and tradespeople and factory workers needing a tough cutter.
Owners point the Sencut ArcBlast at budget EDC buyers wanting aluminum scales and a flipper for less, and office or public carry where a low-key knife matters.
The most-cited downside of the CRKT Pilar is qC issues and low-end materials (Teflon washers, 8Cr steel). For the Sencut ArcBlast, it's looks are plain or bland to some owners, who rate the knife highly as a tool but not as an object to look at.