CJRB Ekko J1929 Guide: Liner Lock, Button Lock and Titanium Tiers

The CJRB Ekko J1929 is the knife that started CJRB's collaboration program. It is the brand's first project with custom knifemaker Ray Laconico, and it takes its proportions from one of his personal designs — a slim, clean, remarkably pocketable wharncliffe folding pocket knife that happens to be one of the most fidget-friendly knives in the catalog.

The Ekko has quietly grown into a seven-build family covering three locking systems and two blade steels, from a $49.99 steel-handled workhorse to a $199.99 sand-polished S90V titanium piece. This guide lays out every active build against the published specifications.

What Makes the Ekko Different

Almost every CJRB folder opens with a flipper tab or a thumb stud. The Ekko does neither by default. Its listing describes "an elongated thumb hole or the textured front flipper," which means the knife can be opened from the spine side without any protrusion on the blade — the cleanest silhouette CJRB sells. A set of ceramic ball bearings runs the pivot.

The other signature is the profile. The listing calls it "Laconico's signature clean form factor and EDC-friendly profile," and the numbers back that up: 7.48 inches (190 mm) open, just 4.25 inches (108 mm) closed, and a blade that is 3.23 inches (82 mm) long but only 0.13 inches (3.2 mm) thick. It is designed to carry, not to intimidate.

Ekko J1929 Specifications at a Glance

Specification	Ekko J1929
Blade length	3.23" (82 mm)
Blade thickness	0.13" (3.2 mm)
Blade grind	Flat
Blade finish	Stone wash, black PVD, or sand polish (S90V builds)
Blade material	AR-RPM9 (HRC 59–61) or CPM S90V (HRC 60–62)
Blade style	Wharncliffe
Overall length	7.48" (190 mm)
Closed length	4.25" (108 mm)
Pivot assembly	Ceramic ball bearing
Lock type	Liner lock or button lock
Weight	3.49–4.37 oz (99–124 g)

A wharncliffe blade is the detail worth understanding before you buy. A straight edge that runs from heel to a low point means the whole blade cuts at once, which makes the Ekko unusually good at slicing tape, breaking down boxes and cutting rope — and unusually poor at skinning or rocking through a cutting board. If your EDC is mostly packages and paracord, it is the right shape.

Every Ekko Build Currently in the Catalog

Build	Blade steel	Handle	Lock	Weight	Price
Ekko J1929 (liner lock)	AR-RPM9	G10 Nature Green / Micarta Green	Liner lock	Not published	$52.08–$56.99
Ekko J1929B (button lock)	AR-RPM9	Stone-wash steel / black PVD steel / Carbon fiber / Micarta	Button lock	3.49–4.37 oz (99–124 g)	$49.99–$56.99
Ekko J1929BT (titanium)	AR-RPM9	Titanium	Button lock	3.5 oz (100 g)	$79.99
Ekko J1929 S90V titanium	CPM S90V	Titanium, radial-milled	Button lock	4 oz (102 g)	$199.99
Ekko J1929 S90V titanium + Fat Carbon	CPM S90V	Titanium & Mars Valley Fat Carbon inlay	Button lock	4 oz (102 g)	$199.99
Ekko J1929 S90V black titanium + Fat Carbon	CPM S90V	Black titanium & Fat Carbon inlay	Button lock	4 oz (102 g)	$199.98

The $50 Tier: Steel, Carbon Fiber and Micarta

The J1929B is the volume seller. Four handle options at two prices — stone-wash steel, black PVD steel and carbon fiber at $49.99, and Micarta Green at $56.99 — all with the same AR-RPM9 blade at HRC 59–61.

The published weights tell the story of the material choice: the steel version is 4.37 oz (124 g), the carbon fiber version is 3.81 oz (108 g), and the Micarta version is 3.49 oz (99 g). That is a 25-gram spread inside one model — Micarta and carbon fiber are simply lighter than steel at the same volume, and it is the single best reason to pick your handle deliberately rather than by looks. If the Ekko is going in a shirt pocket or on a waistband, the Micarta build is the light one.

The inset liner build

The liner-lock Ekko uses "inset liner construction" — the liners are sunk into the scales rather than laid on top of them, which is what keeps the frame thin. It comes in G10 Nature Green at $52.08 and Micarta Green at $56.99. CJRB does not publish a weight for this build, so treat the button-lock figures above as an indication, not a guarantee.

Liner Lock vs Button Lock

Three of the six builds use a liner lock and three use a button lock. They behave differently in the hand:

• Liner lock — you press the bar sideways with your thumb and fold the blade with a wrist motion. Nothing on the handle moves except the bar.
• Button lock — a spring-loaded plunger engages a notch in the tang. You press the button and the blade can be flicked closed, which is why button-lock knives are the ones people keep opening and closing at their desk. On the Ekko the button is also a third deployment method, alongside the thumb hole and the front flipper.

If you want the most fidget value from the design, the button lock is the version that uses all three opening paths. If you want the simplest mechanism and the thinnest frame, take the liner lock.

The Premium Tier: S90V, Titanium and Fat Carbon

The S90V titanium Ekko keeps the silhouette and changes almost everything else. The blade moves to CPM S90V at HRC 60–62 with a sand-polished finish instead of a stone wash, the handle becomes pure titanium with an "intricate radial milling pattern," and the clip is milled titanium rather than steel.

The Fat Carbon version swaps the plain titanium scale for "Lava Flow Fat Carbon inlays" for buyers who want the pattern; the black titanium version adds a black PVD blade on top. All three run ceramic ball bearings and a button lock, and all three are published at 4 oz (102 g).

S90V is a Crucible powder steel with a very high vanadium carbide content — the manufacturer's CPM stainless data lists it at about 9.0% vanadium and roughly 20% total carbide volume, which is the source of its reputation for edge holding and as catalogued at zknives.com, the reason it is slower to sharpen than AR-RPM9. Upgrading the Ekko to S90V buys you cutting endurance, a sand-polished finish and titanium scales. It does not buy you a different knife.

Which Ekko Should You Buy?

1. Cheapest useful Ekko: the J1929B in stone-wash steel at $49.99 — button lock, carbon-fiber-free, and the thinnest way into the family.
2. Best everyday weight: the J1929B in Micarta Green at $56.99. Published at 3.49 oz (99 g), it is 25 g lighter than the steel version for $7 more.
3. Best all-rounder: the J1929BT titanium button lock at $79.99, if you want titanium scales without the S90V premium.
4. Collector's pick: either Fat Carbon S90V build. These are short-run configurations and the plain-titanium S90V version is currently showing no purchasable inventory.

Data Notes From This Guide

1. The blade length is written two ways. The product descriptions say the Ekko has a "3.25" AR-RPM9 blade," while every specification table and the S90V listings say 3.23" (82 mm). The 0.02-inch difference is a rounding discrepancy in the copy, not two different blades — but treat 82 mm as the measured number.
2. Only the button-lock listing publishes weights. The liner-lock Ekko has no weight line at all, so weight comparisons inside the family are incomplete.
3. Some premium builds show no available inventory. The titanium AR-RPM9 J1929BT and the plain-titanium S90V build currently have nothing purchasable, which usually means a batch is between production runs. Check the Ekko collection page for the live state.

Ekko J1929 FAQ

Who designed the CJRB Ekko?

It is CJRB's first collaboration with custom knifemaker Ray Laconico, based on one of his personal designs. CJRB describes it as "our first CJRB collaboration with Ray Laconico."

How does the Ekko open?

Through an elongated thumb hole and a textured front flipper. Button-lock versions add the lock button as a third opening path.

What blade shape is the Ekko?

Wharncliffe — a straight edge to a low point, which suits slicing tasks like cardboard and rope better than skinning or rocking cuts.

Is the Ekko available in S90V?

Yes. Three S90V builds exist, all with titanium handles: sand-polished plain titanium, titanium with Fat Carbon inlay, and black titanium with Fat Carbon inlay and a black PVD blade.

How heavy is the Ekko?

Published weights run from 3.49 oz (99 g) for the Micarta button lock to 4.37 oz (124 g) for the steel button lock. The S90V titanium builds are listed at 4 oz (102 g).

Where to Start

Browse every Ekko build, see the rest of the CJRB line, or look at the whole Artisan Cutlery and CJRB catalog. The Ekko is the model to choose when you want a wharncliffe that disappears in a pocket; if you would rather have belly and a longer blade, the CJRB Gobi in the same lineup is the opposite answer.

---