Bought Kershaw Skyline, now few questions

thejamppa

thejamppa

Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
2,907
Hi all!!

I've been postpone getting Kershaw Skyline for 2 or so months so I Finally pulled the trigger on it. I originally meant to buy Spyderco Persistence, but when Persistence was $33,95 + International Shipping ($14,50) and Kershaw Skyline was $30,95+ International Shipping ($16) I kinda felt that Skyline offered better value than Persistence. I probably get the knife in 14 days with shipping from California. I bought my CRKT Drifter from same shop.

However I ran in few comments in net about Skyline and I decided to ask following things from Skyline owners to sooth my mind. I feeol BF is offering much better and more reliable source of information regarding knives that average users in Youtube or other forums might have.

- Does the liner lock scratch the blade? So the blade is centered and doesn't touch either liners. I heard in some Skylines blade wasn't fully centered and were touching against liners.

- Is the lock sturdy feeling? Some guy said he had 5 Skylines tested and everyones linerlocks failed with "light tap"

- Is your blade 13C26 or 14C28? I Heard Kershaw started to make Skyline's blade from 14C28 Sandvik starting from this years February but I am yet to confirm that official sources.

- Have you had problems with Beast Blast finish in Skyline attracting the rust? I heard it was Beast Blast finishing and first runners were only Stone Washed finished.

- Are you satisfied with your Skyline?
 
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i have had mine for a couple of months with no issues that you mentioned.
The lock is actually stronger than the lock on most of my other knifes.
My only complaint is that the notches cut into the part of the liner lock your thumb goes onto are a little to rough for my liking, i was hoping it would wear down but it hasn't. Maybe some sandpaper will work but other that that it is top notch.

MG

14c i believe
 
I love my skyline. It is my current favorite knife to EDC and gets the most pocket time. It is really easy to sharpen too. The lock has worked fine for me. When the knife is closed it is centered; you can push the blade side to side and it will touch the liners, but most knives do that anyway. My knife is Jan 09, so maybe it is 13C26 -I thought all 2009 models were made from 14C28N maybe I was wrong. The finish on the blade is good too. I cut a lot of different kinds of fruit and just wipe the blade off on a towel or on my jeans -no rust yet.

I think you will like your new knife.
 
I own an Od-1 in 14C, and I can say that I've only had small issues with rust. While carrying IWB doing heavy physical labor in the heat, it would rust on me if I wasn't careful. I would have beads of sweat build up on the blade, and had to wipe them off, or by lunch it would be slightly rusty. But most people don't have those conditions in a regular day, so it's a specialized problem.

But in normal EDC non-IWB, I've never experiences any rust issues.
 
I had to seel my Skyline, but I can answer your questions as they relate to mine...

1. The liner would rub against the blade when closed and when opening, but no scratches developed (I used it under normal conditions for about a month). When open, the blade didn't contact either side; it was centered. When closed, it was the same.
2. I didn't spine whack my Skyline, but lock-up was solid. No play in any direction.
3. Mine was 13C26, but it was one of the first ones made.
4. Whether bead blast or stone wash, all of my knives in these two "coatings" have been prone to rust. I don't work around saltwater, but I guess I either sweat too much or use them too much. They seem to require a lot more preventative maintenance to keep rust away than my other knives.
5. I was so satisfied with my Skyline that I just made a trade for a damascus one.
 
Absolutely love my skyline. Its VERY thin and light, and the damascus is awesome.
 
I've used my skyline as a icepick, the lock held up to the abuse perfectly. I've got it wet plenty and just wiped it down and put it away, no rust issues at all. The only time I've had the blade rub the liner is when I've tried to flick it open using the blade stop.
 
my skyline is the most solid liner lock i've ever owned, and the only one I feel comfortable using for tough jobs. even hard spine whacks do not affect it at all. zero blade play in any direction, and its perfectly centered when closed. My only complaint is that the handle feels too small for my large and wide hands, so i typically end up carrying my endura 4 or FRN native instead. The skyline is a great value IMO, and if something is wrong with it Kershaw is reputed to have the best customer service around. Hard to go wrong.
 
I had a Damascus Skyline & never used it. Basically got it on a trade. It was a little sticky to open & too small of a for me.
Great looking knife though.
 
I got a Skyline a few months ago and really like it, it's one of my main EDC's.

I find the lockup tight, it's not a heavily built knife (which means it carries easily) so I wouldn't expect it would handle loads of abuse but I did a spine whack test w/ no problems. No issue w/ the blade rubbing liners either. I have noticed not quite rust but the beginnings of some corrosion at times, some rub and oil takes care of it, but this is my only edc with a blasted finish so maybe that and the steel is the culprit.

Love flipper designs, this one is particularly fast to open, and fits my hand well. Blade is useful but overall design's not so "tactical" looking it will frighten sheeple too much.
 
If you adjust the pivot screw right, the blade will not touch the liners, but I find that if the blade is perfectly centered, the deployment is slow.
The lock is very solid, I don't think it would fail under normal usage.
My Skyline is marked DEC 08, so I think it is 13C26 even though the package says 14C28N.
No rust for me yet, but I havent been cutting things that would attract rust.
Yes, My skyline IMO is better than my Spyderco Tenacious.
 
ive heard nothing but good about them. my skyline is a damascus edition that kershaw put out some time ago, so i dont use it. its a great feeling knife though. super light as well.
 
Thanks everyone, that really sooth's my mind. Skyline will be 4th Kershaw and thus make Kershaw #1 folder in my collection... And this year I probably get Kerhsaw Junkyard Dog II Composite. Heh... I never had even heard Kershaw knives until I joined BF...
 
rockz4532 said:
If you adjust the pivot screw right, the blade will not touch the liners, but I find that if the blade is perfectly centered, the deployment is slow.
The lock is very solid, I don't think it would fail under normal usage.
My Skyline is marked DEC 08, so I think it is 13C26 even though the package says 14C28N.
No rust for me yet, but I havent been cutting things that would attract rust.
Yes, My skyline IMO is better than my Spyderco Tenacious.
Click to expand...

I found that out after it already marked my Damascus blade a bit. Actually, I found out that the pivot screw loosens over time so much that you could turn it by hand. I have to tighten it after a few dozen opens or else the blade goes off center. Kind of annoying, but other than that, I like the knife.
 
thejamppa said:
- Does the liner lock scratch the blade? So the blade is centered and doesn't touch either liners. I heard in some Skylines blade wasn't fully centered and were touching against liners.

- Is the lock sturdy feeling? Some guy said he had 5 Skylines tested and everyones linerlocks failed with "light tap"

- Is your blade 13C26 or 14C28? I Heard Kershaw started to make Skyline's blade from 14C28 Sandvik starting from this years February but I am yet to confirm that official sources.

- Have you had problems with Beast Blast finish in Skyline attracting the rust? I heard it was Beast Blast finishing and first runners were only Stone Washed finished.

- Are you satisfied with your Skyline?
Click to expand...

1. My blade is perfectly centered and does not touch either side when closed. Now there isn't much room on either side of the blade so it is quite a snug fit so if it is off a tiny bit, it may touch. But like I said, mine is absolutely perfect.

2. Lockup on mine is as solid as a liner lock should be. I just now took it out (EDC'ing it today) and did a "spine whack test" on my desk at work, and fairly hard i might add, and it didn't budge. Now my co-workers are looking at me strange :o .

3. The packaging on my said it was 14C28N IIRC. The date on my blade is Aug 08. Either way, it is a more than adequate steel for my EDC usage. I never once thought to myself "...damn, if only I had S30V I could cut that plastic strapping and cardboard."

4. So far the bead-blast finish is rust free. But I wipe down all my blades often. Plus I coat them with Rem Oil. Even the stainless ones ;) .

5. "Are you satisfied with your Skyline?"
 Answer: Absolutely, 100% satisfied!!! :thumbup:

I've had my Skyline for several months now and my Skyline, Spyderco Tenacious and Buck Vantage Pro are the knives I EDC the most out of the knives in my EDC rotation. The Skyline has the most percentage of carry so far but I must admit that the Vantage Pro is starting to catch up. The Skyline is the Perfect EDC knife. It is sized right, light, fast to open, has good steel, has a nice useful blade shape, the handle is comfortable & grippy, is inexpensive and it has a solid feature-set. I will be getting several Skylines for presents over the holidays.
 
jfindon said:
I found that out after it already marked my Damascus blade a bit. Actually, I found out that the pivot screw loosens over time so much that you could turn it by hand. I have to tighten it after a few dozen opens or else the blade goes off center. Kind of annoying, but other than that, I like the knife.
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Have you tried using LocTite Blue (medium strength) on it? I use it on mine and the pivot screw does not loosen and I can still easily unscrew it when I do maintenance on it.
 
UpChUcK said:
Have you tried using LocTite Blue (medium strength) on it? I use it on mine and the pivot screw does not loosen and I can still easily unscrew it when I do maintenance on it.
Click to expand...

Nope, I'll look into it. Thanks.
 
UpChUcK said:
Have you tried using LocTite Blue (medium strength) on it? I use it on mine and the pivot screw does not loosen and I can still easily unscrew it when I do maintenance on it.
Click to expand...

jfindon said:
Nope, I'll look into it. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Blue will work. But you only need very little! Like just a coating on the tip of a toothpick. Set the pivot where you want it, and leave it blade open for 24 hours to give it time to set.
 
I'll have to give this knife another go around sometime. I seem to have gotten the lemon.
I returned mine and was discouraged because the liner lock would not keep the blade locked properly. It released with very light pressure.
No one else seems to have this problem with their Skyline so it doesn't look like a common problem. Nice knife otherwise though, light, nice shape, and good looking.
 
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