To state that the CEO folder is near and dear to us is somewhat of an understatement.  That is because the designer, Richard Rogers is a fellow New Mexican.  In fact, Richard lives just down the road from us (well, about 50 or 60 miles), in Magdalena, New Mexico.

Richard has been designing knives since 1997, when he has a few spare moments.  You see, he is a rancher, and that is a full time job in any person's book.  Yet, during those rare times when he can indulge himself in his favorite endeavor, he produces some of the finest blades found in the west.  His motto, if you will, is “good enough” is Not.  His blades must be as perfect as humanly possible, and they must be clean and simple. As with most of us in the West, he doesn't want fancy.... quality and functionality are the guidelines for every knife he designs. He gets that from his profession as a rancher and it is why Richard's blades are highly-usable.

 Not too long ago, Richard was approached by some folks that wanted an everyday carry knife that was small and unobtrusive.  A knife that could be worn in a shirt pocket or with medical scrubs without “drawing attention”.  After considerable thought and an equal amount of work in his shop, he came up with the CEO.  

The CEO has a low-profile that looks a lot like a pen.  The ball bearings in the pivot are lubed to reduce friction while the recessed thumb stud on the blade permits rapid deployment of the blade, which utilizes the IKBSTMsystem designed by Ikoma and Lala.

 This blade is “typical Rogers”.... simple, high quality and supremely functional.  Add in the glass reinforced nylon handles for an excellent grip and you have one superb knife.  The Specifications of the CEO are:

            Blade Length:  3.107” (78.92 mm)

            Blade Edge:  Plain

            Blade Steel:  8Cr13MoV (good edge retention, yet easily re-sharpened as needed)

            Blade Finish:  Satin

            Blade Thickness:  0.086” (2.18 mm)

            Closed Length:  4.448” (112.98 mm)

            Overall Length:  7.625” (193.68 mm)

            Weight:  2.1 oz (59.53 g)

            Handle:  Glass reinforced nylon

            Style:  Folding knife with locking liner

 While the MSRP is $49.99, you can find it online for $39.99 with free shipping.  Since we gave our sample to our daughter's rancher boyfriend, we purchased an additional CEO online from Amazon.  That is how good it is.