stjames
Sebenzanista
- Joined
- Oct 26, 1998
- Messages
- 6,465
Our kindly moderator Thomas W offered ten of these Wal-Mart exclusive models in a give away, and I managed to snag the last one. He has posted the following information about the knife:
One statistic missing is the weight, it comes in at about 3.7 oz. Hefty little bugger, very solid.
I like the tread inserts on the handle, slightly soft, not too scratchy and adds a little warmth. The thumb studs are small but do catch the pads of the thumbs well. The action was a little stiff so I heated the pivot area with a hair dryer and dropped in a little mil-tech which improved things greatly. The blade doesnt fly out but is much smoother and easier to open.
The blade is evenly ground and nicely sharp, both the serrations and strait edge cut hanging paper cleanly. I especially like the point, it doesnt get too thin too quickly and the blade profile makes is a good combination of slim v. substantial.
Lockup is crisp with a nice pop, the lock bar travels right about 50%, so you get a solid lock-up with some room for wear. Unlocking is a little tricky, the bar is a bit slick and there isnt much of a cutout to allow room for your thumb. Working with work gloves on was about what I expected with a knife this size, tougher to open and much tougher (though not impossible) to close.
I put the knife to use in some pre-spring cleaning around the garage. My wife had been saving every cardboard box we had received since before the Holidays, so I decided to break everything down for the recycling bin. The inch of serrations on the blade ripped through the cardboard well without hanging up, and the handle is comfortable and easy to maneuver. A PE version would be nice, or maybe an all serrated (I dont think Kershaw offers any models in that configuration.) The clip placement doesnt affect the grip too badly, a pet peeve of mine, but I would probably remove it in the long run.
I bagged the packing peanuts that a few of the boxes had in them and decided to see how the knife did cutting them up. Here the serrations did tear a bit, but the strait edge made nice, thin slices. This got boring quickly, so I tied the bag closed with some trick line (1/8 cotton/poly cord). The serrations did a nice job on the cord, so I turned a small hank into 24 pieces in short order.
I really like the design and feel of the knife, and it is a good little cutter. Ill see how long it takes to get rid of the edge, and then how hard it is to put one back on.
Thanks to Thomas and Kershaw for the chance to put this through the paces, I plan on passing it along to a friends daughter when we go on a camping trip together this Spring. Im sure she will love it.
Blade length is 3 1/4" made from 14C28N
Frame Lock, Manual Action
OAL length 7 3/4"
Made in the USA
Comparison shot with the Scallion and Zing
Wal-Mart will be selling these I believe at around $35
One statistic missing is the weight, it comes in at about 3.7 oz. Hefty little bugger, very solid.
I like the tread inserts on the handle, slightly soft, not too scratchy and adds a little warmth. The thumb studs are small but do catch the pads of the thumbs well. The action was a little stiff so I heated the pivot area with a hair dryer and dropped in a little mil-tech which improved things greatly. The blade doesnt fly out but is much smoother and easier to open.
The blade is evenly ground and nicely sharp, both the serrations and strait edge cut hanging paper cleanly. I especially like the point, it doesnt get too thin too quickly and the blade profile makes is a good combination of slim v. substantial.
Lockup is crisp with a nice pop, the lock bar travels right about 50%, so you get a solid lock-up with some room for wear. Unlocking is a little tricky, the bar is a bit slick and there isnt much of a cutout to allow room for your thumb. Working with work gloves on was about what I expected with a knife this size, tougher to open and much tougher (though not impossible) to close.
I put the knife to use in some pre-spring cleaning around the garage. My wife had been saving every cardboard box we had received since before the Holidays, so I decided to break everything down for the recycling bin. The inch of serrations on the blade ripped through the cardboard well without hanging up, and the handle is comfortable and easy to maneuver. A PE version would be nice, or maybe an all serrated (I dont think Kershaw offers any models in that configuration.) The clip placement doesnt affect the grip too badly, a pet peeve of mine, but I would probably remove it in the long run.
I bagged the packing peanuts that a few of the boxes had in them and decided to see how the knife did cutting them up. Here the serrations did tear a bit, but the strait edge made nice, thin slices. This got boring quickly, so I tied the bag closed with some trick line (1/8 cotton/poly cord). The serrations did a nice job on the cord, so I turned a small hank into 24 pieces in short order.
I really like the design and feel of the knife, and it is a good little cutter. Ill see how long it takes to get rid of the edge, and then how hard it is to put one back on.
Thanks to Thomas and Kershaw for the chance to put this through the paces, I plan on passing it along to a friends daughter when we go on a camping trip together this Spring. Im sure she will love it.
