Passaround - Bradley (Made by Kershaw) Kimura II - Polished DLC finish.

[Morrow]

The knife arrived today. More later.

Thanks for the update.

[sitflyer]

I can't wait to play with this thing...you guy's must really be liking it

[Quy4n8]

I just received it in the mail today. I'll pass it on in 7 days and post here when I ship it with the tracking number. Morrow, could you PM or e-mail me the address for the next participant please, thanks.

I'll also post some first impressions shortly and a review thereafter.

Thanks, Q.

[Quy4n8]

Initial impressions:

Very nicely finished, the black coating doesn't have any discernable flaws or scratches. The specs on the Bradley website match the knife pretty well, but on my scale it comes in a little heavier, 5 5/8 ounces instead of 5.4. The knife could latch a little tighter than it does, but it may be just this particular knife or maybe it's quite broken in. More after a few days of carry.

Q

PS, not sure yet what the new BM 62 would offer over this one for the extra $'s.

[Planterz]

I never posted my review.

I was ambivalent on the Kimura. F&F was very good, and the black DLC over the polished steel looked very cool. However, it made the handles rather slick. The balance felt a bit off too; a bit blade heavy. At least, when compared to a BM 42/43 or a Tachyon. I wouldn't have expected that from steel handles; I guess that's the result of the heavy skeletonization and the grind of the blade. However, I'm far from a master flipper (if I said I was mediocre, even that'd be exaggerating), so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Would I recommend the Kimura? Definitely. It's a great knife and it costs way less than a 42 or 62.

Would I buy one for myself? No. I don't really flip, and the balisongs I use have clips.

I'd love to see a Kimura with a 3" blade and a pocket clip. Like the BM31. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

[Morrow]

Thanks for the update Aaron.

[Quy4n8]

The Kimura is on its way to Mebladesharp. Tracking #0310 0480 0000 3358 3373. Thanks for the opportunity and I'll post my review later today, time permitting.

Q

[Morrow]

The Kimura is on its way to Mebladesharp. Tracking #0310 0480 0000 3358 3373. Thanks for the opportunity and I'll post my review later today, time permitting.

Q

Excellent and thank you.

[Quy4n8]

The Bradley Kimura is quite a nice Bali-Song, especially for its street price. The fit and finish were excellent, the grind lines on the blade were very even and the DLC coating was consistent throughout. I am not a flipper, I only do very basic openings and closing, but I am a user; so I can't really speak to the balance of this knife, but it opened and closed fine. This not being my knife I didn’t try to see how tough the coating was. The coating really looks good, however and adds a very nice touch to the appearance of the knife, but it does make the handles more difficult to hold on to. On the other hand, the coating most likely makes the action of the knife smoother.

In regards to use-ability, the overall design of this Bali is very good. At 3 3/4” long, the blade is long enough for most chores, and heavy/thick enough to handle them. The handles are long enough to get a hold of without being to long, but for a dedicated flipper, longer handles probably would be preferable. The 14C28N steel takes a good edge, can’t tell how well it hold it as I didn’t have the knife long enough. I like the knife quite a bit, it may not be the ideal Bali for the flipper, but as a user of this size it comes in only slightly behind the Bradley Mayhem.

There are only a few things I would change about this knife: Instead of the handles being rectangular in cross section, I would prefer to have the more classic radius on the outside of them. I would also make the horns more pronounced, especially on the coated versions. The straight handle of a Bali just makes it easier for the hand to slide up toward the blade, I would prefer some sort of small guard. I would also have the latch just a little tighter, this one isn’t loose, but it does open easily. None of these are objective flaws, just my thoughts.

Again, thanks for the opportunity, I appreciate it. If anyone has questions, please feel free to post and I’ll respond in short order.

Q

[mebladesharp]

The Kimura is on its way to Mebladesharp. Tracking #0310 0480 0000 3358 3373. Thanks for the opportunity and I'll post my review later today, time permitting.

Q

Tried to track it and it doesnt work. Are any of the numbers wrong?

[Quy4n8]

Sorry, I posted the wrong number, 0310 0480 0001 7630 3727, says it was delivered today. I had two receipts and mistakenly combined the numbers.

[mebladesharp]

Got the knife a few days ago ill send it out tuesday or wendsday whos next?

[Morrow]

Got the knife a few days ago ill send it out tuesday or wendsday whos next?

I PM'd you the info.

[mebladesharp]

the bali is on its way!
dc #0312 0090 0002 2701 4403

[mebladesharp]

the knife was sent out and arrived at evanc613's a few days ago.

[Daniel Dorn]

Any word from the next guy? He's had it for a month.

[Morrow]

Any word from the next guy? He's had it for a month.

He hasn't responding to me. I'll try again.

[sitflyer]

Any word yet?

[Daniel Dorn]

I still haven't seen the knife, and heard no word from the last guy.

[Planterz]

A MONTH? Jeez, I feel bad when circumstances lead me to have a passaround a day or two over a week. WTF is going on?

EDIT: Apparently he's been having some medical problems.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...3#post11029403

Stiill, he was logged in yesterday, so I don't think that a little communication would be asking too much. Best wishes in any case. But let's get this knife back in circulation.