Advice for a newbie please: Kershaw spec bump or blue/green bump?

Kaizen1

Kaizen1

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2006
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Hi everyone,

I've been looking for a good A/O knife for some time and have decided to go with the Kershaw bump. My question is- how are the blue/green bumps superior to the spec bump? Is there a big difference? Budget is an issue, but if there's a significant difference between the 2, I'll just go for quality. Thanks
 
I haven't handled the Spec. Bump, but I used to have a green Bump and loved it!! It is an EXCELLENT knife!! I LOVE green and titanium. But there are several people here who have Spec. Bumps who can speak up.
 
I've handled both.

There's a very legitimate reason for the price increase, and that is the cool (but weird) looking titanium handles. While they're a little wild for me, I think they're the best done (non bali) titanium handles I've seen or felt. Very grippy for metal.

Now I personally prefer the stud lock on the spec more than the framelock on the bump, but for some reason, high end titanium folder = framelock. So I understand the marketing on that decision.

I really like the G10 on the spec bump...I don't like its texture as much as my Spyderco G10 knives, but it's very hand filling. I'm not a big fan of black blades, but I like the look of the spec bump overall quite a bit more.

If you hold out another week, you'll probably be able to buy an S30V Spec Bump, but I wouldn't let that be a big factor in your knife decision.

I was dead set on buying one, but after using it (which was great, by the way), I just think it's too big for me right now. I'm trying to lug around a d`allara drop point and it's not working well.
 
Artfully Martial said:
I've handled both.

There's a very legitimate reason for the price increase, and that is the cool (but weird) looking titanium handles. While they're a little wild for me, I think they're the best done (non bali) titanium handles I've seen or felt. Very grippy for metal.

Now I personally prefer the stud lock on the spec more than the framelock on the bump, but for some reason, high end titanium folder = framelock. So I understand the marketing on that decision.

I really like the G10 on the spec bump...I don't like its texture as much as my Spyderco G10 knives, but it's very hand filling. I'm not a big fan of black blades, but I like the look of the spec bump overall quite a bit more.

If you hold out another week, you'll probably be able to buy an S30V Spec Bump, but I wouldn't let that be a big factor in your knife decision.

I was dead set on buying one, but after using it (which was great, by the way), I just think it's too big for me right now. I'm trying to lug around a d`allara drop point and it's not working well.
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Why would you prefer a stud lock over a frame lock? What are the differences? Do you know if I'll be able to buy the spec bump with s30v on ebay? That's where I'm looking to buy the knife because of how cheap they are over there.
 
The Stud lock is a very nice locking mechanism. It seems very reliable, totally abidextrous, you don't have to cross the plane of the edge to unlock it and it seems very strong. I really like the stud lock.

I wish Kershaw would be making a Bump with stud lock and Ti handle in good ol' Ti gray. Not such a fan of the fancy colors either. I would be the first in line to buy one. Oh and since I am assembling my which list, give it the same grip pattern and 3-D shape of the G-10 Bump :).

For buying: Take a look at www.newgraham.com
 
HoB said:
The Stud lock is a very nice locking mechanism. It seems very reliable, totally abidextrous, you don't have to cross the plane of the edge to unlock it and it seems very strong. I really like the stud lock.

I wish Kershaw would be making a Bump with stud lock and Ti handle in good ol' Ti gray. Not such a fan of the fancy colors either. I would be the first in line to buy one. Oh and since I am assembling my which list, give it the same grip pattern and 3-D shape of the G-10 Bump :).

For buying: Take a look at www.newgraham.com
Click to expand...

What about the s30v steel vs the current steel the spec has? is there a big difference?
 
I like the stud lock quite a bit because it allows for pretty easy one hand closing, and I also like a lot of symmetry in my knives. As an added bonus, you can literally see the lockup of your knife, and if it were to degrade, you would hopefully notice.

But a lot of it is gadget factor. I love to flick open and shut knives and a new way to do that is also fun for me.

Nothing wrong with a framelock though.

As for the S30V, no one really knows as hardly anyone has used the CPM154 stuff. Judging from people that know more about steel than I do, I'll bet S30V has better edge retention. Despite this, there's approximately a 1/15 chance you'll get an S30V knife with an edge that chips easily, although most feel that's fixed by resharpening the blade and the problem goes away. I have two S30V knifes and they're both great, but the problem does exist (not just with Kershaws, with any S30V knife). S30V works out great for me.

But the CPM154 stuff is high end too, and I'm sure will be fine. The new S30V spec bump will have different designs on the G10 handle, which I don't quite like as much (but still think it looks cool) as the normal Spec Bumps. There's a photo of it floating on the forum somewhere.

Provided you're aware you're getting a rather large knife, and you like assisted opening, you can't go wrong here. I say, pick one in the next couple hours and buy it. Six months later if you still want to, you can buy the other. You can even trade whichever bump you have for another with someone on the forum if it so pleases you. What I'm getting at, is if you get a knife that isn't QUITE as great as the other one (for your preference), it's not that big of a deal.

I would also recommend NGK, I've ordered maybe 15 knives from them.
 
Artfully Martial said:
I like the stud lock quite a bit because it allows for pretty easy one hand closing, and I also like a lot of symmetry in my knives. As an added bonus, you can literally see the lockup of your knife, and if it were to degrade, you would hopefully notice.

But a lot of it is gadget factor. I love to flick open and shut knives and a new way to do that is also fun for me.

Nothing wrong with a framelock though.

As for the S30V, no one really knows as hardly anyone has used the CPM154 stuff. Judging from people that know more about steel than I do, I'll bet S30V has better edge retention. Despite this, there's approximately a 1/15 chance you'll get an S30V knife with an edge that chips easily, although most feel that's fixed by resharpening the blade and the problem goes away. I have two S30V knifes and they're both great, but the problem does exist (not just with Kershaws, with any S30V knife). S30V works out great for me.

But the CPM154 stuff is high end too, and I'm sure will be fine. The new S30V spec bump will have different designs on the G10 handle, which I don't quite like as much (but still think it looks cool) as the normal Spec Bumps. There's a photo of it floating on the forum somewhere.

Provided you're aware you're getting a rather large knife, and you like assisted opening, you can't go wrong here. I say, pick one in the next couple hours and buy it. Six months later if you still want to, you can buy the other. You can even trade whichever bump you have for another with someone on the forum if it so pleases you. What I'm getting at, is if you get a knife that isn't QUITE as great as the other one (for your preference), it's not that big of a deal.

I would also recommend NGK, I've ordered maybe 15 knives from them.
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I really appreciate the imput. What's "NGK"? Yep, my name fits just right.
 
NGK is www.newgraham.com . They're one of the very popular knife stores. They have very nearly the best prices, great service, but I really like to call them and have them check out my knives for me before I buy theme, that way I know I'm not getting one with a problem. If you do call them, you should ask for the knife store, they have a pharmacy too.
 
Is there a difference between the older spec bump and the newer one with the new design on the handle?
 
Just purchased a Spec Bump in CPM154. It came down to the Kershaw vs Emerson. I just liked the fit and finish as well as the feel of the Kershaw. Normally, I have small to medium sized knives. Just wanted a large folder just for the heck of it. I already have a Benchmade 610, which is a VERY large folder. I wanted something I could carry on a daily basis that did not look and feel like a folding sword. The SpecBump fit the bill just fine. Heavy without being overly so. Handle shape that fits the hand just right. And a blade shape that is different without being totally weird. And scary sharp as well. From what I have read about CPM154 is that Crucible Steel (the manufacturer of the steel) uses a slightly different process than regular 154CM. Supposedly, CPM is a finer, tighter grain which is supposed to maintain edge sharpness better than 154CM. From what I read, CPM154 is very close to S30V in performance but with the sharpening attributes of 154CM. Either way, a great looking knife. My only reservation, and it is a small one, is that the SpecBump is a bit on the large size for pocket carry. That is, unless you are a large person who levi's have large deep pockets.
 
ignoramus said:
Hi everyone,

I've been looking for a good A/O knife for some time and have decided to go with the Kershaw bump. My question is- how are the blue/green bumps superior to the spec bump? Is there a big difference? Budget is an issue, but if there's a significant difference between the 2, I'll just go for quality. Thanks
Click to expand...
I have the blue bump and love it. I would recommend it to anyone.
 
Both steels are more than fine. With CPM154 and S30V you are in the range of top-end stainless steels and I wouldn't give a rats a$$ which one a knife comes with. Still, I like to sample as many steels as possible so I was eager to get my hands on the CPM 154 because, as AM mentioned, it is a very new steel and I was curious.

It is pretty clear that both steels only perform up to their potential when properly heat treated and since you don't know how each company is doing their heattreated it is pretty difficult to say which one is better. S30V is a VERY good steel when done right IMHO. In the end it boils down to your trust in the company and I haven't really read about many people complaining about Kershaws S30V. So chances are that you won't have problems.

In terms of basic differences CPM154 is clearly (my own experiences on the sharpening stone) not as abrasion resistant as S30V. In some applications (but only in some) this translates to a substantially longer edge holding, but it also means that CPM154 is quicker to sharpen and much quicker to reprofile. But even the abrasion resistance of 154 (I can't really tell the difference in that aspect between CPM154 and 154CM) and consequent edgeholding on abrasive media is absolutely nothing to sneeze at.
 
Me personally, I would go with the original Bump. I would take the Spec Bump in a heart beat except for the stud lock. I have handled a few different Bumps and an Offset at our local shop here in Col. Oh. RiversEdge Cutlery. On each knife, I was able to easily disengage the lock by sweeping my thumb over the stud when moving my grip from a saber to a hammer grip. I was really disappointed by that. I really wanted to get an Offset.
 
The blue ti Bump is one of the best and most beautiful folders I have.
But it's up to you to juggle the personal appeal with the price, etc.
When in doubt, I always like to take both options... you can always lose the lesser favorite.
Have fun choosing,
t.
 
Yes, I looked at one the other day and agree, it is definintely a beautiful knife. A nice flowing sculpture to both the handle and blade. Very homogenous. Very eye catching.
 
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