Echelon

Have not taken it apart to check for the female detent on the actual blade but watching the lock-bar as I close the knife I can see the movement in the lock-bar showing it does have it. It feels strong enough to de-assist. I am going to do it tonight...
 
I just finished doing mine haha. I should have taken some pics of it apart. It does have a detent hole. It is a very strong detent, not to much to function as a manual though, at least in my opinion. I love this thing so far.
 
Got mine out too. I think I will leave it like this. I cannot flip it open, but I think I would rather have it this way.
 
nccole said:
Got mine out too. I think I will leave it like this. I cannot flip it open, but I think I would rather have it this way.
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Yah mine doesn't rocket out, but I can flick it open. It is still breaking in so I cant wait to see how it is in a week.
 
I'm hoping this means these will be widely available when they start coming out. Like at Big 5 where Thomas has said they ordered some models as manuals. I think he mentioned a Clash TS. They seem to carry mostly Chinese junk and some quality inexpensive imports (CRKT and low end Kershaws) but it would be great to see higher end Kershaws in more places.... I'll get one somewhere no matter what, it is nice to handle first though, but I'd like to see the cult of Kershaw grow and having more people carrying quality knives will help with silly knife laws in that people will see knives as tools and not weapons.
 
I have had a preorder in for a month or more, no knife yet. I also received an email from Kershaw saying they were in stock, went to the site to order only to find out the they were listed as out of stock.
 
Just letting you guys know. The shop of Pros of Bass have them in stock.
 
Steel130 said:
Yah mine doesn't rocket out, but I can flick it open. It is still breaking in so I cant wait to see how it is in a week.
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Mine is flying out now. I had to modify the way I flip it open vs. normal thumbstud openers. I put my thumb nail under the lug vs. my thumb pad on the lug if that makes sense.
 
nccole said:
Mine is flying out now. I had to modify the way I flip it open vs. normal thumbstud openers. I put my thumb nail under the lug vs. my thumb pad on the lug if that makes sense.
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Yah that's how I do mine as well. And BP's price is 25 more than I paid. Pretty ridiculous really.
 
$90 for a knife most "real" knife stores are selling for $59-$65 when they have them in stock?? And "on sale" to boot? lol If knife store owners are making a nice living with the markup they put on a knife these guys (Cabelas/Bass Pro) are REALLY raking it in! :rolleyes:
 
Went to BPS in Manteca, CA yesterday. They had them in stock.

I played with the knife for a few minutes, but then chose to return it. The lock bar is quite stiff. This makes releasing the blade tougher than I'd like. Deployment is also tough as the same lock bar has the detent ball.

I love the look of the knife. It's why I got it at first. I also like the fact the new ones will have a better edge grind. The one i got still had the old edge grind. What feels "wrong" is this:

This is a lightweight EDC blade with a funky look that you will love or hate (I love it). The feel of the knife when deploying is stiff. Retracting the blade requires first fighting the stiff lockbar, then the spring.

To put it in perspective let me compare two other Kershaws that I really like:

The Skyline - small and light. Great deployment and light lockbar.

The ZT0350 - much bigger and tougher. Deployment is a bit harder, but works well with the flipper. Release is easy with the well-designed lock bar.

To me, the Echelon is a light knife which should be light to operate. It just doesn't feel that way. I might buy a second one in a few months once the refined models are out there.
 
Hey, Thomas, I just want to thank you for the reply & the cool backstory & info on the Echelon & its designer, Jim McNair. I know I'm replying about 5 months later, sorry, I didn't keep up with this thread! But I really appreciate how much time & effort you put in to just chat with us Kershaw fans & keep us informed & in the loop. Based on the Echelon alone, I'd say you guys made a great decision in adding Mr. McNair to the Kershaw team, I hope it will be a fruitful relationship for him, Kershaw & us users/fans, & I'm definitely looking forward to any future designs you guys come up with!
 
osodavis said:
Hey, Thomas, I just want to thank you for the reply & the cool backstory & info on the Echelon & its designer, Jim McNair. I know I'm replying about 5 months later, sorry, I didn't keep up with this thread! But I really appreciate how much time & effort you put in to just chat with us Kershaw fans & keep us informed & in the loop. Based on the Echelon alone, I'd say you guys made a great decision in adding Mr. McNair to the Kershaw team, I hope it will be a fruitful relationship for him, Kershaw & us users/fans, & I'm definitely looking forward to any future designs you guys come up with!
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Well I know there are some that don't like my challenging style on here, but I suppose it keeps things interesting. I enjoy talking knives 24/7.

As to Jim, he's a real knife guy, talented designer and a nice asset to the team.
 
Any of the guys with Echelons, can you comment on the thumbstud use after taking out the assist?

I have been desperately awaiting the arrival of this knife and finally spent some time at Bass Pro Shops today with the family. They had one on display that I was able to handle.

I really walked away conflicted...I love the blade grind on the knife, the profile, the natural g10. But the thumbstuds on the knife really didn't work well at all. There was no traction on them and the detent/break of the spring on the assist was pretty stiff. My thumb would slip off the stud before I could get it to open. Really felt awkward. I own alot of knive and I felt like a newbie trying to open this thing in front of the salesman! LOL.

I'm just wondering if anyone else felt that way and if it gets better de-assisted?
 
I think it is better de-assisted first off. I do open this knife differently than other thumbstud knives though. I put my thumb nail under the stud vs. my thumb pad on the lug. I do believe the motion is the same just a different location.
 
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