Amazon has the CJRB Spud at $39.99 right now, 25% off its $53.32 list price. The Spud is a folding neck knife, which sounds like a contradiction, and the contradiction is what sells it. Most neck knives are small fixed blades riding in plastic sheaths. The Spud folds into its own aluminum handle, so the edge travels covered, and a steel pocket clip covers the days you’d rather carry it like any other folder. We covered the Spud as a standalone when it launched at the end of October, and it keeps moving. Five reasons explain the run.
- It folds shut, so neck carry needs no sheath
- Four fingers fit on the handle behind a 2.34-inch blade
- It weighs 1.71 ounces and still carries a pocket clip
- The blade is AR-RPM9, CJRB’s powder steel
- It’s $39.99 while the 25% cut holds
Price: $39.99 $53.32 (save $13.33, 25% off)
Where to buy: Amazon
It folds, so there’s no sheath to lose
A fixed-blade neck knife is only as good as its sheath’s retention, and a lost sheath retires the knife. The Spud is a manual folder with a liner lock, so there’s no separate part to lose, crack, or leave in a drawer. Open, it measures 5.59 inches. Closed, the blade sits inside the handle and the whole thing hangs flat on its cord. The carry rules stay simple: blade fully closed, the lanyard clip seated, the cord kept clear of anything that snags.
Four fingers fit behind a 2.34-inch blade
Small knives usually trade the grip away. Two fingers land on the handle and the other two hover, and control goes with them. CJRB shaped the Spud’s 3.25-inch aluminum handle with a deep finger groove and a curved back, so a full hand closes on it and stays put. The blade itself is short on purpose. At 2.34 inches it opens packages, cuts tape and cord, and breaks down cardboard without the extra length that makes a small knife awkward up close. The stock is 0.13 inch thick, so the edge doesn’t flex on a hard pull through strapping.
The comparison that matters is a fixed-blade neck knife like CRKT’s Minimalist, the longtime benchmark in this class at about the same money. The Minimalist gives you a fixed blade that’s always ready and a molded sheath that carries well, and in exchange the sheath is a permanent part of the carry: lose it, and the knife stays home. The Spud trades the always-ready blade for a fold, and the fold removes the sheath from the equation entirely. Which trade is right depends on whether your neck knife works out of a tool bag all day or rides along as a backup.
It weighs 1.71 ounces
The Spud weighs 48.5 grams, about the same as a couple of AA batteries. On the cord it disappears under a shirt, and on the pocket clip it carries like a pen. The handle is aluminum, so it won’t rust, and it shrugs off the sweat that neck carry guarantees in the summer. The gold tab at the butt is the lanyard clip, and it’s detachable: unbolt it and the knife is a plain, compact folder with nothing sticking out. The light weight changes where the knife can work. Anglers wear neck knives because both hands are busy and pockets are under waders. Warehouse and delivery crews cut tape and strapping all shift with their hands full. A folder this light covers both jobs without a belt sheath competing for space.
The steel is AR-RPM9, and buyers rate it 4.6 stars
AR-RPM9 is CJRB’s powder-metallurgy steel, the budget line’s step up from basic stainless. Powder steel holds an edge longer between sharpenings and still sharpens without special stones, which is the right trade for a knife that lives on tape glue and cardboard. CJRB positions the steel as a balance of edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance, and the maintenance matches the pitch: a leather strop brings the edge back after a week of boxes, and the blade wipes clean instead of rusting in a damp pocket. Buyers on Amazon rate the Spud 4.6 stars, and the wide blade with its straight working edge is a big part of that: it slices flat against a box instead of skating on a curved belly.
The price is the fifth reason
Powder steel in a folder usually starts above fifty dollars. The Spud launched at $39.99 against a $53.32 list, and Amazon’s current cut puts it back at $39.99, which works out to 25% off and $13.33 saved. At that price it’s an easy second knife: one for the neck cord on a job site, one for the pocket everywhere else. When the cut ends, the list price takes over again, and the four reasons above still apply. They just cost $13.33 more.
| Blade | 2.34 in, AR-RPM9 |
| Open length | 5.59 in |
| Handle | 3.25 in, aluminum |
| Blade stock | 0.13 in |
| Lock | Liner lock |
| Weight | 1.71 oz |
| Carry | Lanyard clip or pocket clip |
| Price | $39.99, was $53.32 |
Price: $39.99 $53.32 (save $13.33, 25% off)
Where to buy: Amazon
