Are Kershaw speedsafes reliable?

D

DangerZone98

Joined
Dec 7, 2019
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I’m curious about getting a US-made Kershaw, but the assist feature gives me pause. Is it easy for the knife to accidentally open? For context, until now I’ve always been a manual folder man. The flipper deployment looks fun for EDC though. What do you guys think?
 
Kershaw makes pretty good knives for the money, but I prefer manual openers. Kershaw makes flippers with KVT caged bearings that are great flippers. The issue with assisted opening knives is that the springs can eventually wear out or break after lots of use... Most new knifeknuts are intrigued by assisted opening, but quickly realize the advantages of manual opening knives. But everyone has their own preferences and opinions... YMMV.

I've never had an assisted knife open accidentally, but I have limited experience with them.
 
I've never had a problem with them , but did read a scary review of Leek stabbing owner in the scrotum . Accidental opening in front pocket . :eek::poop:

I carried a Blur and a Scavenger for some years , zero unscheduled openings . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 
I’ve not had any mishaps with a Speedsafe knife. Kershaw does a good job with their assisted opens. Some AO Kershaws, like the Leek, come with a slide safety mechanism, but my experience has been that a safety isn’t necessary.

Speedsafe uses a little spring to assist open the knife. That spring usually sits in a cut-out on the clip side of the handle. The spring opens the knife but also keeps the blade in the handle when closed.

Sppedsafe springs can get mucked up by dirt, gunk and pocket lint. They’ll need to periodically be cleaned and lubed with white grease. The grease helps to seat the spring and keep it from rattling.

If a Speedsafe spring gets gunked up, it can affect the opening action but also the ability to close securely. Depending on how you use your knife, you may have to clean that spring as often as once a month.

It’s not a defect with AO, in fact Kershaw’s warranty service will be there to help you. It’s just a maintenance detail inherent with AO knives.

I used to love AO Kershaws but mostly got over them. I like an option to quietly open a knife. Speedsafe doesn’t give me that.

Kershaw AO is good to go!
 
I've had a few, no issues whatsoever. I might not carry an assisted flipper tip-down, but I wouldn't carry any flipper tip-down so it's a not a top concern. ;)

I tend to prefer manuals because the closing action is more satisfying. It's not difficult to close an assisted knife one-handed, or anything, but you have to "fight" the spring around the halfway point and that's just slightly less fun (for me).
 
I have collected around 100 Kershaws. A lot of cheap contemporary folders and many hard to find vintage folders and fixed blades.

Most of the folders are assisted and have never had a problem w/any of them. The same applies to the various assisted ZTs that I own as well.

My favorite Kershaw folder was and has always been the Shallot, which is also assisted.
 
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My limited experience with Kershaw Speedsafe A/O knives are that they are very reliable and accidental opening is pretty much unheard of. However it should be noted that the "speed" of blade deployment can vary among models.
 
Silent H said:
The speedsafe is biased towards keeping the knife closed. In fact, Kershaw doesn't put a real detent in most of their speedsafe knives.
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That’s relieving to know. Yeah, I’ve heard that removing the speedsafe kills the detent in some models.
 
Thanks for the input, everyone.

Hackenslash said:
I’ve not had any mishaps with a Speedsafe knife. Kershaw does a good job with their assisted opens. Some AO Kershaws, like the Leek, come with a slide safety mechanism, but my experience has been that a safety isn’t necessary.

Speedsafe uses a little spring to assist open the knife. That spring usually sits in a cut-out on the clip side of the handle. The spring opens the knife but also keeps the blade in the handle when closed.

Sppedsafe springs can get mucked up by dirt, gunk and pocket lint. They’ll need to periodically be cleaned and lubed with white grease. The grease helps to seat the spring and keep it from rattling.

If a Speedsafe spring gets gunked up, it can affect the opening action but also the ability to close securely. Depending on how you use your knife, you may have to clean that spring as often as once a month.

It’s not a defect with AO, in fact Kershaw’s warranty service will be there to help you. It’s just a maintenance detail inherent with AO knives.

I used to love AO Kershaws but mostly got over them. I like an option to quietly open a knife. Speedsafe doesn’t give me that.

Kershaw AO is good to go!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed post. Are Kershaws more “maintenance intensive” so to say compared to non-assisted knives like Spydercos?
 
DangerZone98 said:
That’s relieving to know. Yeah, I’ve heard that removing the speedsafe kills the detent in some models.
Click to expand...

The torsion bar keeps the assisted knives closed until you manipulate it past the point where it flings it open. Some don't have a ball detent in addition to this, some do.

I'm ambivalent towards the assisted feature. For me, it's more about the other features of the knife. I love my Leeks, for example, but that's mostly because I'm a fan of the blade. I honestly can't say whether I'd like it more, less, or just the same if it wasn't assisted; I've owned and used Leeks for so long that it's second nature to me that it's assisted. Living in Arizona where they're legal, I've also owned and used autos for many years. Of them all, I actually prefer an unassisted AXIS lock over all mechanisms. The auto-like action of the assisted doesn't "wow" me anymore, not when real autos are an option, and not when I prefer the AXIS which I can flip closed as easily as open. Again though, it's more about the rest of the knife (blade shape, handle, materials, etc) than being assisted or not.
 
Planterz said:
The torsion bar keeps the assisted knives closed until you manipulate it past the point where it flings it open. Some don't have a ball detent in addition to this, some do.

I'm ambivalent towards the assisted feature. For me, it's more about the other features of the knife. I love my Leeks, for example, but that's mostly because I'm a fan of the blade. I honestly can't say whether I'd like it more, less, or just the same if it wasn't assisted; I've owned and used Leeks for so long that it's second nature to me that it's assisted. Living in Arizona where they're legal, I've also owned and used autos for many years. Of them all, I actually prefer an unassisted AXIS lock over all mechanisms. The auto-like action of the assisted doesn't "wow" me anymore, not when real autos are an option, and not when I prefer the AXIS which I can flip closed as easily as open. Again though, it's more about the rest of the knife (blade shape, handle, materials, etc) than being assisted or not.
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Interesting. Personally, I’d prefer a manual. But I don’t wanna miss out on some knives because of a prejudice! :D Some of the Kershaw models appeal to me. The Link in particular.
 
DangerZone98 said:
Thanks for the input, everyone.



Thanks for the detailed post. Are Kershaws more “maintenance intensive” so to say compared to non-assisted knives like Spydercos?
Click to expand...
Not really more maintenance intensive than other knives, just another spot to be mindful of when you do normal maintenance. My wife EDCs a ZT 0566 and the crap I find wrapped around the torsion bar (thanks to Planterz Planterz for reminding me of the proper name for the “little spring” :p) blows my mind.
 
Frankly I have a Micro tech otf on my desk. Don't take out side. Live in PA. All knives are illegal.
 
All I can do is echo what others have said. They tend to be reliable but with advent of flippers, it has made SS a bit of a dated technology. I have no problem with it, and like my SS knives. I really like my ZT 350, and I have a Shallot I bought 12 or 13 years ago that still fires just fine. I did deassist my ZT 303. I like the hard use of the folder. The big wide blade, the solid titanium construction. However, it got bogged down with dirt from the jobsite enough times that I just use it as a flipper. I keep it screwed tighter than normal, so it doesn't open up when I don't want it to (the detent is pretty weak). However I can either flip the tap with a wrist snap to open it, use the thumb stud/stop lugs, or just pinch and drop it open. I don't miss the SS at all.
 
I only have one Kershaw, a Camber, that I've had since 2017. Even though I rarely carry it, I do occasionally play with it and it still works just as good as the day I bought it. I never really considered de-assisting it, as AO is a rarity up here in the PROC (Canada) as the powers that be feel it too closely mimics an auto.

A year or so ago, I contacted Kershaw and they sent me out a rebuild kit with screws, washers, pivots, as well as two torsion bars. It will likely outlast me.

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