CJRB Nanner J1955 Guide: Front Flipper and Crossbar Lock EDC

The CJRB Nanner J1955 is one of the more unusual folding knives in the current lineup, and the name tells you why: the closed profile looks like a banana. Designed by Dustin Rhodes, the Nanner pairs an upswept Persian-style blade with a crossbar lock and a front flipper, a combination that is still rare at this price point. This guide covers what the Nanner is, how the three colorways differ, and who it is actually for.

The Short Version

• Blade: 3.23 in (82 mm) upswept Persian profile, 0.11 in (2.7 mm) flat-ground AR-RPM9 at HRC 59-61.
• Handle: G10 scales over steel liners, 4.1 in closed, 7.32 in overall.
• Lock and action: crossbar (axis-style) lock with a front flipper, riding on a ceramic ball bearing pivot.
• Weight: 67 g / 2.36 oz.
• Price: $45.99 across all three colorways.

Nanner Specs at a Glance

Specification	Nanner J1955
Blade length	3.23 in (82 mm)
Blade thickness	0.11 in (2.7 mm)
Blade style / grind	Persian (upswept), flat
Blade material	AR-RPM9, HRC 59-61
Lock type	Crossbar lock
Deployment	Front flipper
Pivot assembly	Ceramic ball bearing
Handle material	G10
Clip material	Steel
Overall / closed length	7.32 in (186 mm) / 4.1 in (104 mm)
Weight	67 g / 2.36 oz

Why the Blade Shape Works

The designer's own note explains the geometry better than a spec table can. The blade leaves the handle at a downward angle and sweeps back up to the tip, so when you close your hand around the handle the tip lines up with your knuckles rather than pointing off to one side. That is the appeal of an upswept blade geometry: it keeps a usable point for piercing and detail work while the long, gently curved edge behind it does the slicing.

The handle follows from the blade. Because the blade sits low at the pivot and rises, the closed profile curves — the banana shape the knife is named for. It is a functional consequence, not a gimmick, and it makes the Nanner sit differently in the hand than a straight drop-point folder.

Crossbar Lock Plus Front Flipper

The crossbar lock is the mechanism most people know from the Benchmade AXIS pattern: a spring-loaded bar slides across the tang to block the blade, and pulling the bar back releases it. It is fully ambidextrous, it does not depend on a liner detent to stay shut, and it tolerates a wide range of detent tuning. On the Nanner, the bar is paired with a front flipper — a small tab at the spine of the blade that you flick with the thumb — rather than a conventional flipper tab protruding from the underside.

That combination has two practical consequences. First, the knife has no protrusions in the closed position, so the profile stays clean in a pocket. Second, the front flipper demands a different motion than a standard flipper: more of a roll than a push. Most people find it natural within a day, but it is worth knowing before you buy. The ceramic ball bearing pivot keeps the action light enough that the front flipper works reliably.

The Three Colorways

Colorway	SKU	Blade finish	Price
Yellow G10	J1955-YE	Sand polish	$45.99
Green G10	J1955-GN	Stone polish	$45.99
Black G10	J1955-BBK	Black PVD coating	$45.99

All three are the same knife mechanically. The Black G10 build with the PVD-coated blade is the one that reads as the most discreet, since the dark blade and dark scales break up the profile; the Yellow is the loudest. Only a G10 handle is offered — there is no titanium or carbon fiber Nanner, so if you want a metal-framed crossbar lock you will need to look elsewhere in the lineup.

Who the Nanner Is For

1. Left-handed carriers. A crossbar lock is genuinely ambidextrous, which is not true of a liner or frame lock.
2. People who dislike flipper tabs. The front flipper keeps the closed profile clean.
3. Anyone who wants a slicing blade with a real point. The upswept Persian shape gives you both, in a 3.23-inch package that stays under most state blade limits.

AR-RPM9: What You Are Getting

The Nanner's blade is CJRB's proprietary AR-RPM9 powder steel, held between HRC 59 and 61. AR-RPM9 is the grade the brand uses across its budget and mid-range lines, and the reasoning is consistent: a powder-metallurgy process distributes carbides more evenly than a conventional ingot melt, which means fewer weak spots along the edge and a more predictable sharpening response. A powder-metallurgy steel also tends to resist corrosion better than the plain tool steels it replaces at the same price.

What that buys you in practice is a blade that takes a fine, aggressive edge on a normal stone, holds it through ordinary EDC work, and does not demand the careful, immediate drying that a non-stainless carbon steel would. The 59-61 HRC window is a deliberate middle ground: hard enough to keep an edge, soft enough that a single careless cut into a staple will not chip the apex. For a $45.99 knife that will spend most of its life opening boxes and breaking down cardboard, that is the right trade.

Carrying and Maintaining the Nanner

At 67 g and 4.1 in closed, the Nanner disappears into a front pocket but is not a keychain knife. The steel clip keeps the profile low, and because the crossbar lock is ambidextrous, left-handed carriers get exactly the same operation as right-handed ones — a rarity in a category still dominated by right-hand-only liner locks.

Crossbar locks are simple to live with. The main maintenance items are the same as any bearing-pivot folder:

• Keep the pivot clean. A drop of light lubricant on the bearing washers every month or two keeps the front flipper snapping open without a hard push. Flush the pivot with warm water and dry it thoroughly if it picks up grit.
• Do not flood the crossbar. The bar and its springs work dry. If the action feels sluggish, clean and lubricate the pivot first, not the lock bar.
• Check the clip screws. This is a steel-clip knife; a quarter-turn check on the clip and body screws every few weeks prevents the slow loosening that plagues any folder carried daily.
• Touch up the edge before it goes dull. AR-RPM9 responds well to a few passes on a fine stone or a strop, and keeping an edge fresh is easier than restoring a fully blunted one.

Data Notes: What the Listings Do Not Settle

• Every Nanner listing publishes the same generic blade-finish line — Sand polish / Stone Wash / Black PVD Coating. The per-colorway finish shown above is taken from each listing's own title, which is the only place it is assigned. One listing's title says Stone Polish while the shared line says Stone Wash; treat those as the same finish described two ways.
• The designer appears as Dustin Rhodes in the product tags and as Dusty Rhodes in the description copy. It is the same person.
• Blade length is specified as 3.23 in (82 mm) and weight as 67 g (2.36 oz) on all three listings.

Nanner vs the Rest of the Lineup

If you already own a CJRB folder, the useful comparison is mechanism rather than size. A liner lock like the Maileah gives you a slimmer frame and a simpler mechanism with fewer parts to clean. A crossbar lock like the Nanner gives you ambidextrous operation and a lock that does not care which pocket you reach into. The Nanner is also meaningfully larger than the small folders in the range, at 3.23 in of blade and 7.32 in overall.

See the current Nanner collection, compare it against every other crossbar lock knife in the catalog, or look at the new arrivals for the most recent releases. The AR-RPM9 collection gathers every build using the same powder steel, and the CJRB Cutlery lineup is the full brand catalog.

For background reading, the knife steel and pocket knife articles cover the fundamentals, G10 is a glass-reinforced plastic laminate, and bearings are explained for anyone curious about pivot design.

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