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My First Kershaw
by Dave Anderson
It seems that no matter how old we get, we always remember the FIRSTS in our lives. Your first love, first day of school, first lie you told and got caught ( ouch ). I remember my first bicycle and the first time I rode it without training wheels. My dad got me on it and gave me a big push , and straight into the only telephone pole I went. My first car was a two tone ( ugly ) green 57' Chevy 4dr sedan, I was seventeen. My first fish I caught was a nine inch trout at Beneke creek on a family camp out when I was nine years old.
I purchased my first Kershaw knife some time in the early eighties and it is still in my collection. It is a Rotary Lock ( similar to a Gerber Paul knife) mod. 2100 with bone handles with scrimshaw done by Sam McDowell. Sam spent half his time in Carmel California and I sent the knife to him there to have him scrim a Pintail duck on my prized knife.
Over the years my collection has grown some and my love for Kershaw knives has added a great deal of enjoyment to my life. I remember going to knife shows years ago , scouring tables for Kershaw knives and not finding any to speak of. Today they have become, not only very popular, but very collectible as well. Kershaw has been around now for over thirty years and I believe they have certainly arrived and made a place for themselves in the knife community. They continue to produce affordable knives of high quality. They produce knives to fit every budget and every need or want.
When I first started collecting them, I was attracted by the bone handled knives Like the 2105 ( Little Stud ), 2110 ( honcho ) and the 2120 ( Macho ) these knives were produced in at least three different style runs, most people aren't aware of this. The first design had squared off bolsters with riveted handles, the second had riveted handles with bolsters being angled, and finally the third design had angled bolsters with glued on handles. They were also made in limited production runs with petrified wood , Jasper and I have heard rumors of a few done in Ivory. This series has become highly collectible in recent years.
Another popular series was the 2000 series knives that were produced in a dozen or so folders with a wide array of blade configurations. These knives had all mirror polished parts with all rounded corners for comfortable pocket carry. They all had Rosewood handle inserts and are very attractive knives. Also in this series came the fixed blade knives , made in four sizes with wildlife etchings on the blades they are the " Caper" mod. 2205 ( Jim says this is the Holy Grail of kershaw) the " Catfish N Buzzard" mod. 2210, the "Li'L Skinner " mod. 2220 and the " Li'L Skinner II " mod. 2230. all came with leather sheaths and are highly sought after.
In the early to mid nineties some of my recent favorites were produced. Kershaw started using some G10 and ATS 34 and came up with some great knives , like the 1431 wild turkey , that featured textured G10 scales on a skeletonized Liner lock frame with a thin ATS34 blade, Awesome knife ! If that wasn't good enough they also made the 1430 ( Wild Wild Turkey) which was the same knife , only with a Titanium frame, this remains as my current all time favorite. Also in that same time frame they made the 1410 and 1415 both models came in plain and serrated blades. The 1410 had Titanium handles and the 1415 had G10, both had ATS 34 blades. These were not only high tech for their time , they were work horses, almost indestructible I am told. I wouldn't know because I don't use my knives , I just look at them. Sick , I know , but I never said I was perfect.
Some of the knives that Kershaw has kept around for years, and most of you have seen, are the "Folding Field " mod. 1050, the " Camp & Field " mod. 1030 , they are mainstays and I suspect they will be produced by Kershaw for many years to come. Another long runner is the " Trooper " mod. 1007 this knife was first introduced in 1979 and every knife given a serial number. Todays number is over 30,000 to my knowledge. The first 2500 or so of these troopers were made without a blood groove and in 1980 a blood groove was added and remains today. There were a few limited edition runs on the trooper, around 1986 Erhard Gross was commissioned to do carved Ivory handles depicting several different animals and are quite extraordinary I would think that one of these troopers in todays market wood easily bring a thousand dollars or more.
That is a little info on years past, but the really exciting stuff for Kershaw has been happening in recent years. Ken Onion came on board around 1999 with his "speed safe technology" (assisted opening) and his cool knife designs to bring an already great knife company to the level it is at today. The first Onions were the "Random Task" mod. 1510, the "Mini Task" mod. 1500 and the "Ricochet mod. 1520 . These knives have Polished G10 scales , 440v and ATS 34 blades and are IMO a thing of beauty. Since those knives Ken and Kershaw have designed numerous models , some that I am not yet familiar with like the new leek with Titanium handles and ZDP 189 blades in a limited 1000 run, the offset, cyclone, spec. bumps, and on and on.
As you can see I have what might be called a fondness to Kershaw knives, but it goes farther than that , I truly believe in this company. The people at Kershaw believe in their product and truly care about their customers. The customer service department always delivers beyond expectations and do things for their customers that the rest of the retail world wouldn't consider. Kershaw is truly an awesome knife company and I believe they will be around for many years to come. A special thanks to Jeff, Thomas, Diane, and all the rest of you at Kershaw Knives for your dedication to your customers and your product.
Dave Anderson
Here is a link to the photos that went with the article ( slow loading) http://www.oregonknifeclub.com/kershaw_knives.html
by Dave Anderson
It seems that no matter how old we get, we always remember the FIRSTS in our lives. Your first love, first day of school, first lie you told and got caught ( ouch ). I remember my first bicycle and the first time I rode it without training wheels. My dad got me on it and gave me a big push , and straight into the only telephone pole I went. My first car was a two tone ( ugly ) green 57' Chevy 4dr sedan, I was seventeen. My first fish I caught was a nine inch trout at Beneke creek on a family camp out when I was nine years old.
I purchased my first Kershaw knife some time in the early eighties and it is still in my collection. It is a Rotary Lock ( similar to a Gerber Paul knife) mod. 2100 with bone handles with scrimshaw done by Sam McDowell. Sam spent half his time in Carmel California and I sent the knife to him there to have him scrim a Pintail duck on my prized knife.
Over the years my collection has grown some and my love for Kershaw knives has added a great deal of enjoyment to my life. I remember going to knife shows years ago , scouring tables for Kershaw knives and not finding any to speak of. Today they have become, not only very popular, but very collectible as well. Kershaw has been around now for over thirty years and I believe they have certainly arrived and made a place for themselves in the knife community. They continue to produce affordable knives of high quality. They produce knives to fit every budget and every need or want.
When I first started collecting them, I was attracted by the bone handled knives Like the 2105 ( Little Stud ), 2110 ( honcho ) and the 2120 ( Macho ) these knives were produced in at least three different style runs, most people aren't aware of this. The first design had squared off bolsters with riveted handles, the second had riveted handles with bolsters being angled, and finally the third design had angled bolsters with glued on handles. They were also made in limited production runs with petrified wood , Jasper and I have heard rumors of a few done in Ivory. This series has become highly collectible in recent years.
Another popular series was the 2000 series knives that were produced in a dozen or so folders with a wide array of blade configurations. These knives had all mirror polished parts with all rounded corners for comfortable pocket carry. They all had Rosewood handle inserts and are very attractive knives. Also in this series came the fixed blade knives , made in four sizes with wildlife etchings on the blades they are the " Caper" mod. 2205 ( Jim says this is the Holy Grail of kershaw) the " Catfish N Buzzard" mod. 2210, the "Li'L Skinner " mod. 2220 and the " Li'L Skinner II " mod. 2230. all came with leather sheaths and are highly sought after.
In the early to mid nineties some of my recent favorites were produced. Kershaw started using some G10 and ATS 34 and came up with some great knives , like the 1431 wild turkey , that featured textured G10 scales on a skeletonized Liner lock frame with a thin ATS34 blade, Awesome knife ! If that wasn't good enough they also made the 1430 ( Wild Wild Turkey) which was the same knife , only with a Titanium frame, this remains as my current all time favorite. Also in that same time frame they made the 1410 and 1415 both models came in plain and serrated blades. The 1410 had Titanium handles and the 1415 had G10, both had ATS 34 blades. These were not only high tech for their time , they were work horses, almost indestructible I am told. I wouldn't know because I don't use my knives , I just look at them. Sick , I know , but I never said I was perfect.
Some of the knives that Kershaw has kept around for years, and most of you have seen, are the "Folding Field " mod. 1050, the " Camp & Field " mod. 1030 , they are mainstays and I suspect they will be produced by Kershaw for many years to come. Another long runner is the " Trooper " mod. 1007 this knife was first introduced in 1979 and every knife given a serial number. Todays number is over 30,000 to my knowledge. The first 2500 or so of these troopers were made without a blood groove and in 1980 a blood groove was added and remains today. There were a few limited edition runs on the trooper, around 1986 Erhard Gross was commissioned to do carved Ivory handles depicting several different animals and are quite extraordinary I would think that one of these troopers in todays market wood easily bring a thousand dollars or more.
That is a little info on years past, but the really exciting stuff for Kershaw has been happening in recent years. Ken Onion came on board around 1999 with his "speed safe technology" (assisted opening) and his cool knife designs to bring an already great knife company to the level it is at today. The first Onions were the "Random Task" mod. 1510, the "Mini Task" mod. 1500 and the "Ricochet mod. 1520 . These knives have Polished G10 scales , 440v and ATS 34 blades and are IMO a thing of beauty. Since those knives Ken and Kershaw have designed numerous models , some that I am not yet familiar with like the new leek with Titanium handles and ZDP 189 blades in a limited 1000 run, the offset, cyclone, spec. bumps, and on and on.
As you can see I have what might be called a fondness to Kershaw knives, but it goes farther than that , I truly believe in this company. The people at Kershaw believe in their product and truly care about their customers. The customer service department always delivers beyond expectations and do things for their customers that the rest of the retail world wouldn't consider. Kershaw is truly an awesome knife company and I believe they will be around for many years to come. A special thanks to Jeff, Thomas, Diane, and all the rest of you at Kershaw Knives for your dedication to your customers and your product.
Dave Anderson
Here is a link to the photos that went with the article ( slow loading) http://www.oregonknifeclub.com/kershaw_knives.html
