A choice of three Kershaws...

[metsfan]

I would buy a Link. Then de-assist it.

I believe all current Links no longer have a detent hole in the blade...I could be wrong but the House of Blades editions have no detent hole nor does the new Damascus Link.

But regardless, the Link would be my top choice. Any version.

 

[Hackenslash]

Of the three you're looking at, I'd go with the Skyline all day, everyday.

The Chill is ok, but it's still an import and cheaply made. It's really just too slim for anyone with average or larger size hands.

The Strobe is a beautiful design and someday I'd love a Diskin, but the knife itself has lots of issues. There are many well documented lock failures, almost to the point where it appears like a design flaw. Kershaw doesn't discontinue a blade without a good reason, especially the lone specimen of a designer collab.

I see the Link getting lots of love and it's an ok knife. I commend Kershaw for making it in the USA, but the stock steel isn't great. The plastic handles feel cheap and the Al handles feel heavy and slick. De-assisting is spotty on these, so be prepared to keep it AO and the Damascus steel blades are very prone to rust; not great for EDC if you're in a damp climate. The best version by far is the House of Blades exclusive if you need a Link.

I'd still get a Skyline though. Decent steel, great G10 and easy to care for and maintain. Sheeple friendly looks too. It comes in a lot of flavors, including a new BHQ exclusive that goes on sale...tomorrow!

 

[Deltadag]

Lots and lots of knives are discontinued every year. For a healthy production company it's mostly due to a reallocation of resources to enable the launch of new products, not to bury a defective or potentially dangerous model. In the case of the Diskin Strobe, it was likely only a middling seller in a very broad product line that met the end of a decently profitable lifespan. A telling point is that its fixed-blade sibling, the Diskin Hunter, also appeared on Kershaw's discontinued list this year. Obviously no lockup safety issue arose with this model, yet it's discontinued all the same.

A comparable situation exists with Spyderco. Much like auto manufacturers, and much more so than Kai/Kershaw/ZT, Spyderco "freshens" old standbys all the time in the form of "sprint runs." To be sure, Spyderco discontinues a lot of models too, but like Kershaw, just to free up manufacturing capacity to introduce new designs. In fact, I can think of only two Spyderco models that arguably met an untimely demise due to design defects: the much loved but lock-wear prone full-size Tim Wegner C48 and that bold but ultimately weak effort, the C115 T-Mag. Just so there's no misunderstanding, I remain the proud owner of a pair of each.

 

[Hackenslash]

Interesting commentary but it doesn't change the fact that the Strobe has had a history of lock bar failures.

 

[cchu518]

I'd say no to all three of those designs and get an Elmax Blur.

The Skyline is best of the three for edc. But it has a horrendously tight clip and this stupid pointy end that juts out of the pocket. I feel that the handle can be much smaller relative to the size of the blade. That said none of them hold a candle to a Blur in a better steel.

The Skyline feels cheap relative to the Blur.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Deltadag]

Interesting commentary but it doesn't change the fact that the Strobe has had a history of lock bar failures.

And yet, no product advisory much less a product recall from Kai or Kershaw for what would clearly be a safety hazard if generally true. This anxiety could be an artifact of the Internet and the echo chamber it promotes.

Again, it's most telling that the fixed blade Diskin Hunter is being axed from Kershaw's 2017 lineup at the same time. This suggests either an expiration of a licensing agreement or that sales for both the Strobe and the Hunter did not justify their continuance in the line.

 

[Hackenslash]

And yet, no product advisory much less a product recall from Kai or Kershaw for what would clearly be a safety hazard if generally true. This anxiety could be an artifact of the Internet and the echo chamber it promotes.

Again, it's most telling that the fixed blade Diskin Hunter is being axed from Kershaw's 2017 lineup at the same time. This suggests either an expiration of a licensing agreement or that sales for both the Strobe and the Hunter did not justify their continuance in the line.

The problem has been pretty well covered by knowledgable and respected members here...so yes, this is the internet but in this case the "anxiety" has been reality. Is this an argue for the sake of argue thing ?

 

[kalan850]

They have some awesome jade g10 skylines on sale for cyber Monday at bladehq

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[BusyBailey]

Thanks again for all the input, folks seem very strongly opinionated about their Kershaws which is a good thing. Hackenslash, could you link to any of the lock-bar issues you read about? I haven't come up with any in my reading, but I made this post seeking more information so it would be presumptuous to take a stance either way.

I hadn't actually seen the discontinued notice on anyone's site, I just looked at the direction the company has headed the last two years (all A/O, progressively lowering steel quality, over emphasized design schemes) and figured the Strobe was probably not long for this world. I've got a nasty habit of deciding I want a knife just as it passes from production and figured the Strobe would go first. Also, the Skyline is one of the only Kerhshaws that still makes ripples in the review world as being great for price vs quality. With the sprint runs they brought out this year I imagine they'll leave it in production for at least another 1-2 years. *Fingers crossed*

 

[BusyBailey]

Open mouth, insert foot....

Thanks for the tip Hackenslash. Just found a post with not one but three broken Strobes, two lock bars from the same individual and one just "broken." I'll keep an eye on that, thankfully I'm not doing heavy carpentry work or anything like that anymore and generally use my tools appropriately.

 

[palonej]

Never had any interest in a Skyline........till the Blade HQ LE! That bad boy looks really good! Price isn't bad at all! Wish the blade was a better steel, but it's only ~ $50.