A Lament for Kershaw

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Bugout Bill

Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
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I have a complicated relationship with Kershaw. Generally, they don't really make that many knives that appeal to me. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of their cheaper knives (Kershaw RJ, Cryo, Thermite), but I can't really get into any of their more expensive offerings for a number of reasons. Also, they have a tendency to discontinue knives that I really like, like the Tremor or the Grove.

There is one knife that I really like.

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(excuse the internet trawled photo)

The Kershaw Random Task I. Beautiful knife, nice utilitarian design, and high vanadium blade steel. Given that 440V is discontinued, the Random Task suffered a similar fate.

Enter the Random Task II:

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Still a nice knife, but arguably a significant downgrade. The RT II has "cheaper" construction (unpolished, unrounded G10), different steel (not worse, but different focus), almost a different knife altogether. To be fair, $80 is a lot to pay for a knife like this, considering that you could get a Random Leek (arguably closer to the original in spirit) for a similar price.

What happened? Has Kershaw become KAI's value brand or is Kershaw planning on making more higher end blades.
 
another one of these threads eh???

Remember, Kershaw isnt designing for you, they are designing for the buying public....so vote with your wallet. There are lots of companies out there that make knives that I absolutely hate, but I understand that Im not their key demo.

Hopefully someday you will find something you like, until then happy hunting.
 
I think they have made more appealing knives than any other maker in the last few years.
 
goldie said:
I think they have made more appealing knives than any other maker in the last few years.
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I won't argue with that. Kershaw is the company for affordable and functional knives. I can't think of a company that makes $25 folders that a cooler than a lot of $100 knives. What caused this market shift though?
 
Every year they make something that catches my eye.

Damascus skyline.
 
Kershaw dumps out like 30 new knives every year.
If everybody agreed on them all, they'd only have to make 1 knife. Ever.
Me? I avoid 8Cr13mov like the plague, so alot of them arent for me. That doesnt mean that they suck, just not for me.
I love Kershaw.
 
They're trying to be the everything to everyone knife company.

$300+ frame locks...$50 "tactical" knives...$10 junk knives...KAI has got it all!
 
It seems like a lot of what comes out of Kershaw these days is driven by their largest customer: Walmart. The Nura line and Emerson collaborations should be winners. I too wish they had some knives with higher end materials. For instance, a Nura with S30V.
 
glocker199 said:
They're trying to be the everything to everyone knife company.

$300+ frame locks...$50 "tactical" knives...$10 junk knives...KAI has got it all!
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I would say they are doing a good job at it too.
 
RamZar said:
It seems like a lot of what comes out of Kershaw these days is driven by their largest customer: Walmart. The Nura line and Emerson collaborations should be winners. I too wish they had some knives with higher end materials. For instance, a Nura with S30V.
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I wish the walmart near me sold more Kershaw's. They sell more Gerber and Walmart brand garbage than Kershaw or Buck. Bass Pro and Dick's Sporting Goods (the more popular retailer for this sort of thing in my area) has a much larger selection, but you are paying full MSRP. Woo! $49 Volts!!!
 
uxo2 said:
I would say they are doing a good job at it too.
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Agreed. Pretty neat if the same company that produces the ZT 0888 and 0600 can also bang out Leeks, Blurs and Knockouts. Not to mention dump some Shuffles, Swerves and Freefalls in the hands of the average Joe for cheap.
 
Its very hard to get fair comparisons with which to evaluate Kershaw since they are a volume manufacturer and not a specialty manufacturer. For my part, I buy the ones I like and just hope that our support for more quality products leads them to create more special editions of some of their regular production pieces. Whether that is limited edition colors and steels for Blurs or Skylines.
 
Kershaw has not made a folder where I liked both the design and steel. So far, I have not bought any of their offerings.
 
Bugout Bill said:
In what way?

Blade HQ has the RT II listed at $76, they seem to be hovering around that price on other sites. The Random Leek, a smaller and less stocky knife is listed at $75-$80.
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Ah yes, you are correct. I forgot about the TGRYST. Typically $80 to $85

When I think of Random Leeks I think of the PE versions which are no longer made.
 
Thales of Miletus said:
Whether that is limited edition colors and steels for Blurs or Skylines.
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That's part of what I view as a problem. Beyond cosmetic and material changes, they are still Blurs and Skylines. I think that the Camber and Knockout are steps in the right direction, but more offerings like those would be nice.
 
I like KAI a lot, though I admit they do have knives that I would consider embarassing to carry.

I just bought a Zing and it's sized perfectly..... For a 10 year old. So instead of return it, I bought a Thermite since I can never have too many knives. I also checked out a Swerve which looked good on paper, but felt like complete and utter garbage in real life. It is amazing that a company can make something as awesome as the 0300, then also have some of the crappiest knives made to appeal to the completely uninformed.
 
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