A HISTORICAL announcement for KAI at SHOT Show 2016 and an entire NEW line of knives.

I'm so happy to see Kershaw knives incorporating deep-carry clips as standard hardware. I've loved some of their older knives but I've always tacked on $15-$25 in my mind for an aftermarket pocket clip. The sub-par steel doesn't excite me at all, (I think a lot of us would gladly pay twice the MSRP they are asking for some of these knives for premium steel) but I'm glad their designs are moving in the right direction. This will definitely be the year I buy my first ZT and pick up a couple new Kershaws.
 
When did Kershaw fire their entire crew of designers? I think they were replaced with a randomizer program that picks 3 of the following 5 items for each design:

  • SpeedSafe®
  • Flipper
  • High-performance blade coating
  • $39.99 MSRP
  • 8CR13MOV
 
Bigfattyt said:
I'd also have to echo, Japan has real deal special forces. I was friends with one, and you have to remember, the Japanese are hated by everyone in Asia.
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I'm of Japanese descent (though not from Japan). I lived in Taiwan (a former Japanese colony) for the better part of a decade, and did not experience any hatred towards me because of my ancestry, and they knew what I am. In fact, I was treated very well, even invited many times by different families to join them for dinner, and I lived with a Taiwanese family for the first 2 weeks when I first got there, and remain friends to this day. Their youngest daughter treated me like a big brother. I also traveled extensively around Hong Kong and had no issues. The Asian country I traveled in that I admittedly didn't reveal what I am is South Korea. I know this is OT, but just adding a different perspective here.

Interestingly enough, during my stay in Taiwan, there was some anti-Korean sentiment, as the South Koreans closed their embassy in Taipei to recognize Mainland China instead.

As for the knives, I don't know if them being used by or issued to special forces (ANY special forces, including the US) is enough to pique my interest in and of itself. For me, the only ZT knife that has my interest at this time is the 0808, which doesn't fall under the category of designed for special forces.

Jim
 
'Issued to' and 'used by' are two different things. Del Monte can issue freeze dried asparagus to troops as part of their MRE kit, but nobody will actually eat it.
 
BubbaGump said:
'Issued to' and 'used by' are two different things. Del Monte can issue freeze dried asparagus to troops as part of their MRE kit, but nobody will actually eat it.
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Not when you are trying to sell knives. Which is what they are trying to do.
 
Was hoping they'd do a smaller / lighter 620, that would have been real swell. Not blown away by these.
 
BubbaGump said:
'Issued to' and 'used by' are two different things. Del Monte can issue freeze dried asparagus to troops as part of their MRE kit, but nobody will actually eat it.
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Yeah, the faux food market is pretty slim.

Never wanted a ZT before, but now that I know they're high-speed low-drag JSOG-worthy issue, I might buy a feux of them.
 
Intellectual property theft of the meanest sort! I thought only American operator/knifemakers were allowed to send knifes to a special military unit so they could make gung ho claims to sell to mall ninjas.
 
symphonyincminor said:
When did Kershaw fire their entire crew of designers? I think they were replaced with a randomizer program that picks 3 of the following 5 items for each design:

  • SpeedSafe®
  • Flipper
  • High-performance blade coating
  • $39.99 MSRP
  • 8CR13MOV
Click to expand...


Sad truth right there... :confused::rolleyes::grumpy:
 
Hey, that spork-caribiner thing is pretty darned cool! :cool: I could definitely use one when camping out with my 3 Boy-Scout sons.
 
I just can't get into recurves and tanto style folders. Some of these new ones are decent looking though, and I might have to buy my first Kershaw before too long.
 
Bigfattyt said:
I'd also have to echo, Japan has real deal special forces. I was friends with one, and you have to remember, the Japanese are hated by everyone in Asia. They are surrounded by larger countries that would love to do them harm, including China flexing their military muscles.

I would suggest they have done classified work in enemy territory.
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Sorry but I am compelled to correct misinformation. The Japanese being "hated by everyone in Asia" is in fact Chinese propaganda. China, whose navy worked up a firing plan on the USS Ronald Regan a month or two ago and trains with the US Navy as the "designated enemy". Increased Japanese military participation in contributing to the security of he region is presently being welcomed by the United States, Australia, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. Doesn't sound like much hate does it?
I don't like injecting political comments but the original post required it.
 
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Where's the historical announcement that Kai is replacing all speedsafe designs with KVT bearing systems?

That's what I'm waiting for, anyway. Everything but the 3cr (blech) flipper, the recurved (barf) Emerson, and the autos are Speedsafe and safe from me wanting them. I might pick up a Launch 6, though!
 
Leftytwogunz said:
Not feelin' any of those steel frames, "fo G-10" or whatever 8cr13mov is, but I'm sure there is a market for all of it.
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The Faux G10 is a FRN with g10-like texturing. I would have prefered to have them call it FRN textured like G10, but whatever, it is a good and cheap handle material.

craytab said:
<snip....
And I don't really see what KAI supplying Japanese special forces has to do with me as a knife user here in the states.
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Perhaps the announcement was not all about you, huh? Maybe it was a man who was proud to be doing something with the company he has built and announced it?

22-rimfire said:
Why is this historical?
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Isn't this the first time KAI Usa has supplied knives to a military concern? First time knives were supplied to Japanese military from here?

xjzhx said:
I'm curious about this too. Is it because ZT will be providing Japan's SFG with knives? I mean, that's great and all but I don't know what that really means for us, the consumer. I'm probably missing something.
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The man is proud of something and announced it. Again, it was not about you or "us", it was about Mr Igarashi and his pride at doing something.

marcinek said:
It means that you too will be able to own this "Special Forces" worthy knife.

That's all it means.
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Please direct me to the special forces knife they are marketing with this announcement, or are you inferring that they expect to sell more knives because of the announcement? I doubt anyone out side of the deeply knife-centric world will ever know about it, and believe it or not, they sell very few knives to the people on BF and knife "affys" relative to the 800,000 knives they already sell per year.

Moxy said:
You guys are unbelievable....
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I agree - the lack of respect for anything on this board is getting old. Thanks to Stu for posting, and to the few who can just appreciate that a knife company that makes some of their product in the USA is a major player in the market.

marcinek said:
Not when you are trying to sell knives. Which is what they are trying to do.
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Shame on them for trying to sell knives. I would hate to think that people do that kind of thing...

best

mqqn
 
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If the announcement was picked to supply knives to seal teams or delta force or rangers etc many folks here would be lining up for pre orders.

Military marketing works and works well. This will work well just being Japan special forces.
 
symphonyincminor said:
When did Kershaw fire their entire crew of designers? I think they were replaced with a randomizer program that picks 3 of the following 5 items for each design:

  • SpeedSafe®
  • Flipper
  • High-performance blade coating
  • $39.99 MSRP
  • 8CR13MOV
Click to expand...
Let's see they have Dmirity S., Les George, Rexford, Emerson and Hinderer that's hell of a group right there. And that's now even counting the in house crew.
 
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