Brief review Kershaw Cyclone Ti/ZDP

HoB, thank you so much for doing the legwork for the rest of us without the proper resources, your time is greatly appreciated.

Thomas, There is nothing I would like better than to see a dedicated Kershaw forum, that would make a great many of us happy. Just remember that no good deed goes unpunished.

Cliff, enough already!

John
 
Ignoring the retorts, and requests for information when it does not work out in his favor?:thumbdn:

(He has been active all morning, I seriously doubt that he has not seen HoB's post)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Despite all of this, I'd still like to know why the edge bevel is so thick on the Cyclone. Does nobody care about that part?
 
J85909266 said:
Does nobody care about that part?
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In this age of $30-40 belt sanders and $65 120 grit diamond stones that will thin out dozens of blades without wearing down, maybe nobody does care. It's not like anyone buying such a knife is buying just this one ZDP-bladed, ti framelock and no other knives which will either start off or eventually become too thick behind their edges.

And everyone at BFC knows Tom Krein. ;)
 
I'd like to repeat a question asked earlier. If I were to send my ZDP Mini Cyclone to Krein for a thinning out, how thin would you recommend for lightweight EDC activities (cutting cardboard, opening mail and packages, etc.)?

Thanks -- I love my Mini Cyclone.

How 'bout some pics to remind us what this thread is all about?

hpim0241zs9.jpg


hpim0245ut4.jpg
 
I would suggest .010/.015 behind the edge. I once had a Spyderco Cali Jr and I would guess it was about that thin. I never heard anything bad about those thin blades. I remember thinking it felt like a razor blade. I have some 13C26 thined down to this and I don't see anything weak about it's cutting proformance.
 
thombrogan said:
And everyone at BFC knows Tom Krein. ;)
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And he knows my paypal account! Not to mention how to regrind just about any knife to whatever grind and edge thickness you want, including VERY thin, all while taking out the ugly scratches I put into them with my D8XX to make them look like new. I can't recommend him enough.

Mike
 
J85909266 said:
Despite all of this, I'd still like to know why the edge bevel is so thick on the Cyclone. Does nobody care about that part?
Click to expand...

I'll take a "stab" at this one, because it is a valid question.

Primarily it is economics.

Thicker edge bevel allows for less rejected knives due to error at the production end, and also results in fewer replacement knives to the end user due to breakage, or severe failure.

One can always choose to remove steel from the blade, but it cannot be put back, once it is removed.

This is an area where a custom maker will frequently shine in comparison to production companies, less compromises must be made.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
I'll take a "stab" at this one, because it is a valid question. Primarily it is economics.
Thicker edge bevel allows for less rejected knives due to error at the production end, and also results in fewer replacement knives to the end user due to breakage, or severe failure. One can always choose to remove steel from the blade, but it cannot be put back, once it is removed. This is an area where a custom maker will frequently shine in comparison to production companies, less compromises must be made.
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Thank you for the explanation.
 
Ya know, If it does its job, it does it job. let us leave it at that. I would consider buying one, but im not going to yet because i have other Kershaws on the list. Thomas W, DO A "OFFICIAL" KERSHAW FORUM! it would make so many of us happy.

Oh and Cliff, i know i have about 70+ posts to ur 16K+ but still, get a life. The more you go on about stuff, the less ppl are going to want to hear ur opinion on anything, regardless of track record. just my opinion
 
I think HoB’s post should be cut and pasted in every Kershaw thread. It appears that would greatly reduce the personal attacks made by Cliff, and his harassing and accusatory posts. And yes it is more than fair to ask Cliff about something like being published when he refers to it as often as he does.
As for the thickness of the blade. Most people even on this forum believe thicker is stronger and better. Beefy blades are just what they are looking for. I’m not one of them. But, companies do have to make what sells.
 
Well I thought ZDP was very brittle? Isn't making a brittle substance very thin a recipe for disaster?
 
you would think thin would be in? but it looks like people
like a little meat on their knives. :-)

I personally like thin. If I want a prybar, an axe or a chopping knife
I have those already. For a small 3ish inch knife, I want a slicer.
 
gull wing said:
Oh, I "pressed" the thumb stud back in. You must remove the stud to use the Edge Pro(gets in the way).
Click to expand...

And I was wondering what the heck was with that hole in the blade? :o
Otherwise, thanks for the review and for the pic. Looks like a useful little knife and the Ti / ZDP combination is a winner from the very start.
 
rottwang said:
Well I thought ZDP was very brittle? Isn't making a brittle substance very thin a recipe for disaster?
Click to expand...

ZDP-189 isn't too brittle. It holds thin edges much better than S30V and even better than VG-10. Not experiencing a thin edge with a high-hardness steel is something which should never happen to a knife user.

Worse yet, thicker edges require more force to cut because more of the edge must be forced through what you're cutting. Should any fractures occur on the edge - and they will - they're more likely to occur when you're using high levels of force versus low levels of force. That makes a very thin edge more protective of its steel than a thick edge. Non-standard use or surprizes can cause damage, but it's easier to fix a thin edge than a thick edge.


msiley said:
you would think thin would be in? but it looks like people
like a little meat on their knives.
Click to expand...

That A.G. Russell guy down in Arkansas has been extolling the benefits of thin edges and thin knives to mainstream users for years and has found only deaf ears.

The best defense of a thick edge is to attack Cliff Stamp. Geometry and its relationship with mass and force are opened and closed books and even though they provide the keys to making knives do what we want, they're not too entertaining. Attacking Cliff Stamp for being a pompom-waiving cheerleader of high-hardness knives with thin edges (or better yet, attacking him for stuff he isn't and wasn't so we can focus our attention away from the boring numbers and how they translate into cutting fun) is more entertaining.

msiley said:
I personally like thin. If I want a prybar, an axe or a chopping knife
I have those already. For a small 3ish inch knife, I want a slicer.
Click to expand...

You should try out Kershaw's Shun line of knives. Their paring knives fit that bill. A Shun Classic paring knife with a homemade kydex sheath would pwn most every production folder and fixed blade (including small-production shops) of similar size in terms of slicing. I prefer mine for kitchen use, but I have the Shun Elite instead of the Shun Classic (the Elite uses SG-2 steel at a higher hardness and the Classic has VG-10 and a beautiful watered pattern) and get to cut food more often than other stuff.
 
thombrogan said:
The best defense of a thick edge is to attack Cliff Stamp. Geometry and its relationship with mass and force are opened and closed books and even though they provide the keys to making knives do what we want, they're not too entertaining. Attacking Cliff Stamp for being a pompom-waiving cheerleader of high-hardness knives with thin edges (or better yet, attacking him for stuff he isn't and wasn't so we can focus our attention away from the boring numbers and how they translate into cutting fun) is more entertaining.
Click to expand...

These threads would be a lot better if everyone could just stop with the personal BS. If you want to discuss blade geometry, just do it.
 
Remember me? gull wing, review.... I don't own this thread but:
I have used ti cyclone quite a bit since I re-profiled it and am quite satisified with it. I cut a bunch of cardboard and freed outdoor lighting and wireing from jasmine vines got knife dirty and gritty. Knife doesn't shave anymore but still cuts aggressively. Also the "black" blade is still black, I am suprised, no scrapes showing.:)

I have not been able to get a hold of Krein he doesn't respond to my e-mail. How do you reach him?
 
I remember a gull wing from several posts ago...

You may have to try Krein's telephone. He has a very fast turn-around with those reprofiles. Gunmike1, who has a D8XX and upper body strength, still turns to Tom to tune his toys. Alternately, you could add a relief grind in the manner Ben Dale suggests in the EdgePro instructions. That is, set the stone at a lower angle (such as 15 if you're sharpening at 18 degrees) and grind away until your 18 degree edge angle is half of its previous thickness.

I think Kershaw is using tungsten DLC on their coated blades these days which may explain why the coating still looks good.
 
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