- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
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- 4,761
I've been able to play with the Storm enough lately to do a brief review over the course of the last few weeks. The knife is a Storm (I, not II) 3 inch straight edge folder.
Here's a photo--sorry, no real life ones, I don't own a camera.
From the first time I picked it up, I was quite impressed. The fit and finish looked excellent, the beautiful recurve blade was striking (no pun intended) and the action was top notch.
The first thing you'll notice about this folder is its design. An aggressive use of holes in typical Onion fashion, with black grip inserts. I definitely appreciated the look, but I feel it might be too wild for some people to EDC, especially with its gorgeous recurve 3 inch blade. The blade itself appears massive, even if it really isn't. I personally love the shape, if only in an aesthetic way.
The feel of this knife I would characterize as overall good. The ergonomics were nice, and the flipper is well executed, with the possible exception that I feel it could stand to stick out at least 1/2 cm further, as it's a little too close to flush with the hilt. I have another complaint in its sandpaper-like grip inserts. While they are excellent for grip, I found them too harsh. When reaching into the pocket, it would not surprise me to get a fair amount of scrapes. Under heavy use though, these might be a blessing.
The action is shockingly good. I had no idea that Kershaw's 30 dollar knives rivaled Benchmades in their action. Not only is the action itself incredibly smooth, but the combination of the flipper and the rather large, short, stubby blade make this a dream to open.]
The integral lock has worked well, however, actually looking at the knife locked can sometimes worry me. The lock does not go very far over in front of the blade. Nonetheless, while I haven't done the intense lock testing that I do on my knives on it (it's a friend's knife) I am not very concerned about it. Especially with your grip around it, and the flipper effective protecting your finger in a worst case scenario.
The blade comes out of the box Kershaw sharp. I don't know that I'd shave with it, but I was nonetheless pleased with the factory edge. The steel used is something I know very little about, called Sandvik 13C26. Apparently, this steel is used in fine cutting instruments like razors and scalpels. In its short and sparing use thus far, it has held up well, but there has not been long enough to really test it. Because of its price, (35 dollars street) I don't hold it to some of the same steel requirements I might among my other knives.
My only real complaint is that the knife develops lateral blade play too easily. After flicking it open 20 times or so, the lateral blade play becomes noticeable, though not severe. It's simple enough to tighten it back up, but this is both annoying and a real thing to be aware of if you're not going to be able to tighten it up on a trip. Fortunately, there is absolutely no verticle blade play, despite its integral lock.
A great beater or a budget EDC, the Kershaw storm has definitely impressed me. I'm surprised they're so rare (no stores in Waco carry them) and that no one seems to know much about them.
Here's a photo--sorry, no real life ones, I don't own a camera.
From the first time I picked it up, I was quite impressed. The fit and finish looked excellent, the beautiful recurve blade was striking (no pun intended) and the action was top notch.
The first thing you'll notice about this folder is its design. An aggressive use of holes in typical Onion fashion, with black grip inserts. I definitely appreciated the look, but I feel it might be too wild for some people to EDC, especially with its gorgeous recurve 3 inch blade. The blade itself appears massive, even if it really isn't. I personally love the shape, if only in an aesthetic way.
The feel of this knife I would characterize as overall good. The ergonomics were nice, and the flipper is well executed, with the possible exception that I feel it could stand to stick out at least 1/2 cm further, as it's a little too close to flush with the hilt. I have another complaint in its sandpaper-like grip inserts. While they are excellent for grip, I found them too harsh. When reaching into the pocket, it would not surprise me to get a fair amount of scrapes. Under heavy use though, these might be a blessing.
The action is shockingly good. I had no idea that Kershaw's 30 dollar knives rivaled Benchmades in their action. Not only is the action itself incredibly smooth, but the combination of the flipper and the rather large, short, stubby blade make this a dream to open.]
The integral lock has worked well, however, actually looking at the knife locked can sometimes worry me. The lock does not go very far over in front of the blade. Nonetheless, while I haven't done the intense lock testing that I do on my knives on it (it's a friend's knife) I am not very concerned about it. Especially with your grip around it, and the flipper effective protecting your finger in a worst case scenario.
The blade comes out of the box Kershaw sharp. I don't know that I'd shave with it, but I was nonetheless pleased with the factory edge. The steel used is something I know very little about, called Sandvik 13C26. Apparently, this steel is used in fine cutting instruments like razors and scalpels. In its short and sparing use thus far, it has held up well, but there has not been long enough to really test it. Because of its price, (35 dollars street) I don't hold it to some of the same steel requirements I might among my other knives.
My only real complaint is that the knife develops lateral blade play too easily. After flicking it open 20 times or so, the lateral blade play becomes noticeable, though not severe. It's simple enough to tighten it back up, but this is both annoying and a real thing to be aware of if you're not going to be able to tighten it up on a trip. Fortunately, there is absolutely no verticle blade play, despite its integral lock.
A great beater or a budget EDC, the Kershaw storm has definitely impressed me. I'm surprised they're so rare (no stores in Waco carry them) and that no one seems to know much about them.
