confused about kershaw

williamsld8

williamsld8

Joined
Sep 19, 2010
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226
ok so I have heard rumors of this kershaw mafia (shhh) :cool: and I have seen kershaws name right next to benchmade and spyderco, right near cold steel and just under busse and esee, and I'm stuck witj this dilemma...kershaw are supposed to be great knives, really great by popular opinion, yet out of all the name drops here kershaw is the only one you can walk into any walmart and pick up lol. So what's the deal here? Are kershaws worthy of sitting with the big dogs because that's what they are? Or are they just really good for their price, (which is more affordable than the others.) ?
 
Hi neighbor! You better put some popcorn in the microwave. This will probably take awhile and it is quite likely to delve into world politics and trade issues.
 
Kerhsaw is not the only name brand knife company that has sold clam shelled knives at Wal Mart just to be clear :)

Kershaw makes a knife for every budget without the low end being cheap. Kershaw has and does makes some of the best production knives you can buy. If you don't have one you should give them a try.

Oh! And yes, Kershaw is one of the big dogs and that doesn't just mean their output either :)

Don't forget that Zero Tolerance is a KAI product too.
 
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Worthy of sitting with the big dogs!?! You mean are the "big dogs" worthy of sitting with them! (JK< Spyderco and Benchmade make excellent knives as well.)

They make a wide range of knives. The ones at Walmart are their entry level knives, but even they are outstanding. I love my Skyline and Leek. Both are US made and inexpensive knives available at Walmart. But, they also make some higher end knives that have better materials. The point is, at any price point, it is hard to beat them.
 
Wal-Mart also sells knives & tools from reputable manufacturers like Buck, Victorinox, and Leatherman.
 
*Sigh*...Actually, you can walk into Wal-mart and buy Buck, Gerber, Leatherman and other knife brands. Does that mean that Kershaw is less than excellent quality? Hell no. Rumors are one thing, but owning, carrying, and using is quite another. In addition to ZT knives that Reeek mentioned, you also have Shun knives - some of the most widely used & respected kitchen knives on the planet.
 
Reeek said:
Kershaw makes a knife for every budget without the low end being cheap. Kershaw has and does makes some of the best production knives you can buy. If you don't have one you should give them a try.
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this about sums everything up. they make folders from the $30 range to the $200+ range and everything inbetween. I've never read anything about their lack of quality, and the 4 ive owned have been great.

the fit and finish is top notch for a production knife (right with bm and spyderco), they use premium materials and from what i've heard they have excellent customer service (ive never had to deal with their cs).

and to answer your last question... yes, they are great for the price, but, they would still be worth the price if they cost more.
 
I had a Scallion and got rid of it in a trade.

Kinda miss it, it was a cool little knife and very well made. Inexpensive too.

Hell, I heard Benchmade got rid of the Red Class so people couldn't say they sold cheap knives. I have definitely seen Kershaws that are equivalent to anything in Benchmade's Blue Class.
 
Brennanscott said:
I had a Scallion and got rid of it in a trade.

Kinda miss it, it was a cool little knife and very well made. Inexpensive too.

Hell, I heard Benchmade got rid of the Red Class so people couldn't say they sold cheap knives. I have definitely seen Kershaws that are equivalent to anything in Benchmade's Blue Class.
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from what I heard was to prevent further counterfeits popping up in China and ruining the Benchmade brand, but o well, back to topic

about two years ago you could still buy spyderco from walmart, and their website still carries spyderco

sure the knives at the walmart counter may be entry level, but it doesn't mean they're not good knives or good knives from great companies
 
williamsld8 said:
ok so I have heard rumors of this kershaw mafia (shhh) :cool: and I have seen kershaws name right next to benchmade and spyderco, right near cold steel and just under busse and esee, and I'm stuck witj this dilemma...kershaw are supposed to be great knives, really great by popular opinion, yet out of all the name drops here kershaw is the only one you can walk into any walmart and pick up lol. So what's the deal here? Are kershaws worthy of sitting with the big dogs because that's what they are? Or are they just really good for their price, (which is more affordable than the others.) ?
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Kershaws are right near Cold Steel? They must REALLY be slipping... :p

Seriously, though, Kershaw has got to be my favourite knife company out there right now. They just happen to make designs that appeal to me at good prices and back up their products like no other company I've ever dealt with.

I like that I can buy a knife from Kershaw that a) was made in the U.S. with good quality materials and b) has extremely tight tolerances and build quality, and that that knife's price is still comparable with those of other companies' overseas-produced knives of inferior quality. Take the skyline for example - extremely affordable, but made in USA with G10 and good Sandvik steel - most companies offer nothing but made-in-china, 8cr13AlphabetSoup steel knives in that pricerange.

On the other hand, I can get a high-end Titanium framelock folder made with some of the best materials out there from the same company.
 
I just got a brand new Cyclone assisted opening knife (I got mine off EBay cause I was too lazy to shop around) for $35 and the fit and finish are excellent + they are made in USA + lifetime warranty. What's not to like? Don't tell anybody but it was also about 100x sharper than a recent Busse I bought new.
 
Honestly, I think we might just be feeding a troll here, but I'll bite.

Take a look at the Volt, Speedform, and Tilt. Check out the entire Zero Tolerance line. Get your hands on any of the Ken Onion Speedsafe knives (Leek, Chive, Shallot, Scallion). Make sure to try out any of the R.J. Martin or Tim Galyean flipper designs. After you do all that, or even just one of those, you won't be doubting their place in the knife world.

My favorite knife company by far.
 
I have always loved Kershaw. The first knife I bought apart from a good old SAK. Still have the 1044 that as far as I know you cant find any more. I believe they are one of the best out there offering one of the largest range of knives available. They are also a large company with very well executed QC.

The only thing for me is that their new designs do not appeal for me as of late. I am not a fan of the Speedsafe system as well. I still love their older designs.

Sal Glesser of Spyderco ones stated that they are proud to have competition such as Kershaw (or something along those lines)
 
I love my Kershaw knives. One of the the best, if not THE best, production knife companies in the world today. They always get my first look when shopping for folders.
 
I'm personally very torn. I can't decide if I want my BM 710-1 in M390 steel in my EDC rotation, or if I should pull the trigger and get a Kershaw Speedform with a Elmax/D2 Composite blade. It seems amazing that I could get a nice titanium framelock folder for a little less than what I paid for the 710-1 with G10 and stainless liners.
 
To be honest I think most of them are ugly. But some really do feel great in the hand, I.e. Spec bump, Offsett, JYD, ZT 0300, 0200, and 0350. They make a fantastic higher end knives, but I don't care for their middle of the road knives. Their CS is great, which is needed as I got bad luck on getting them with bad fit and finish.
 
williamsld8 said:
...yet out of all the name drops here kershaw is the only one you can walk into any walmart and pick up lol. So what's the deal here? Are kershaws worthy of sitting with the big dogs because that's what they are? Or are they just really good for their price, (which is more affordable than the others.) ?
Click to expand...

Actually, I think a better question to ask isn't why Kershaw produces well-made, affordable (damned affordable, some), made-in America knives which can be purchased at a Wal-Mart, but rather why some of the others you mentioned cannot.

Did you know Kershaw not only makes all the large parts for their made in America knives, but even makes their own screws, standoff, stop pins, etc. in Oregan? And still manages to sell them at discounters like Wal-Mart to boot?

If I were you, I'd stop asking these kinds of questions and get yourself to a Wal-Mart and pick up a few of their products instead.:thumbup:

Best,

Heekma
 
heekma said:
Actually, I think a better question to ask isn't why Kershaw produces well-made, affordable (damned affordable, some), made-in America knives which can be purchased at a Wal-Mart, but rather why some of the others you mentioned cannot.

Did you know Kershaw not only makes all the large parts for their made in America knives, but even makes their own screws, standoff, stop pins, etc. in Oregan? And still manages to sell them at discounters like Wal-Mart to boot?

If I were you, I'd stop asking these kinds of questions and get yourself to a Wal-Mart and pick up a few of their products instead.:thumbup:

Best,

Heekma
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THIS, just needed to be quoted.

I just don't see the value of the product equaling some of the prices I've seen on some BM and Spydercos. I'm sure they're good knives, but for me, I'll buy an equally good knife and take the difference and roll it into another Kershaw.
 
I think that Kershaw has gotten so doggone good that the other 'big boys' need to constantly look over their shoulder. I still like Spyderco, BM not so much, and I consider Gerber and CRKT good but a distant second in quality, value, general steel used, edge retention and finish.
 
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