For you Kershaw fans some question for you.

[Thomas Carey]

I have been speaking with my wife about the idea of following up on our effort to raise funds for veterans with a ZeroTolerance knife. With a popular Kershaw model that would have a higher grade blade steel than it typically would be offered with.

In my mind if we could sell them for under $100 a lot more people would be able to afford one. Thing is we would still like to have one which is American made. We would go with a sanitized blade if we can as well.

So my question is what models would you suggest and what blade steels would you suggest?



For those of you wondering why Kershaw and not another brand here is why. When we had the idea of doing a knife we contacted several U.S. companies. Many never responded to us at all. Of those that did unless we wanted to order 1,000 knives brands just were not interested despite the fact we told them we were doing it largely to raise funds for charities that assist veterans. This point just did not seem to make a difference.

I spoke to our friend Darrell Lewis from Ionbond about that to see if he had any suggestions and he sure did. He hooked us up with the good folks at Kershaw who loved what we were trying to do and were very eager to help in our modest efforts and that led to our 1st offering which is a special based on the ZT 0801.

Also my father and I spent years selling at gun shows. Mostly we sold firearms related refference books and at one point one of things we offered were custom and some factory knives.

For us our most popular brand at the shows was always Kershaw and we never had a lick of issues with their product. We had of course tried other brands like Benchmade, Spyderco etc. Especially as I am personally a long time Spyderco fan. But Kershaw was really the brand that garnered the most interest from folks at the gun shows.

 

[salmonkiller]

Skyline in a steel it has never been released in......M390? Elmax? S110V?

 

[Franciscomv]

How about a Blur? It's a really cool Kershaw model, and it should be under $100 (the S30V version goes for around $85 or so).

I don't know what possible steels Kershaw can put on it, but anything interesting will sell.

 

[Bob6794]

Skyline in a steel it has never been released in......M390? Elmax? S110V?

He beat me to it. I was going to say Skyline in a premium steel. I am thinking Elmax or S110V, though I think the S110V may be an easier sell even if it is a bit more expensive than you desire.

There just seems to be a large following for the Skyline it's a great EDC.

 

[Spyder328]

A gray scaled Skyline with M390 would sell like hot cakes IMO

 

[Thomas Carey]

He beat me to it. I was going to say Skyline in a premium steel. I am thinking Elmax or S110V, though I think the S110V may be an easier sell even if it is a bit more expensive than you desire.

There just seems to be a large following for the Skyline it's a great EDC.

I am thinking you may be onto something. =)

 

[mk.ultra]

I prefer the Kershaw Zing (the one with the plain blade, no weird striations) over the Leek and the Skyline. 3" blade is legal carry in almost all cities and states in the US as well.

 

[Wizard Master]

A gray scaled Skyline with M390 would sell like hot cakes IMO

Seriously, some variation of this is such a good idea. The Skyline is so simple and handsome, and the baseline price is attractive to just about everyone. Lotta members on Bladeforums can, will, and do buy Zero Tolerance knives, but if you want to garner support from a wider audience, a gussied up Skyline would be great.

The Blur is also an option too, and I really like the Thermite for other Kershaw options.

 

[Thomas Carey]

A gray scaled Skyline with M390 would sell like hot cakes IMO

Another great idea. Sure seems like a Skyline would be a solid choice.

 

[jobasha11]

Can I hope for a camp 18 in 3v?

 

[Thomas Carey]

I prefer the Kershaw Zing (the one with the plain blade, no weird striations) over the Leek and the Skyline. 3" blade is legal carry in almost all cities and states in the US as well.

Very good point on blade length.

 

[Thomas Carey]

Seriously, some variation of this is such a good idea. The Skyline is so simple and handsome, and the baseline price is attractive to just about everyone. Lotta members on Bladeforums can, will, and do buy Zero Tolerance knives, but if you want to garner support from a wider audience, a gussied up Skyline would be great.

The Blur is also an option too, and I really like the Thermite for other Kershaw options.

I have always liked the look of the Blur but really wished it had a flipper. I have personally been bit too many times with assisted openers that did not have the flipper feature. Thus the Thermite was one I had my eye on. =)

 

[155440]

+1 on the thermite and skyline, I really like both the thermite and skyline and would love to see either souped up.

 

[Thomas Carey]

Lots of great ideas guys. I sure would have never thought of the Skyline for example but for a price point that would work for more people it sure does make sense.

 

[salmonkiller]

Another great idea. Sure seems like a Skyline would be a solid choice.

With M390 or S110V under a $100 if you could make it happen.. They should sell FAST!
How much of the proceeds will actually go to the veterans?

 

[Thomas Carey]

+1 on the thermite and skyline, I really like both the thermite and skyline and would love to see either souped up.

I have to say its hard to pick just one. =)

 

[Thomas Carey]

With M390 or S110V under a $100 if you could make it happen.. They should sell FAST!
How much of the proceeds will actually go to the veterans?

With our brand we always do 25% of the profit. I have just send an email to our contact at KAI asking if we could get a Skyline in M390 or S110V. Thing with price is the more we order the lower our cost. What may be a killer for us is the amount we would have to order to get a different blade steel but I will not know till they get back to me.

If we did a Skyline what color should the handle be? Also should we coat the blades in DLC?

 

[Thomas Carey]

Can I hope for a camp 18 in 3v?

I see your from the same state as we are. Which means your suffering right with us. =) You know honestly we had thought about a fixed blade. Thing us I know we will not be able to sell as many so right now folders really make the most sense. But we still really want to offer a fixed blade at some point. =)

 

[pnsxyr]

Kershaw is an awesome company. Like every company, I have some criticisms, but far more praise than I do criticism. I think they are a stellar choice.

From my experience, you want to keep these sort of knives inexpensive, with normal style blades and locks, and in colors that are more neutral than off the wall. Ideally, a size everyone can use is a plus. Engraving can make the knives very special. Legalities may dictate that a knife blade of a certain size is more practical for your respective area. The Kershaw models that come to mind
-Blur-the size of this is great for people who like big and small knives love it, plus this is a must-have for any knife collector and people know it's capabilities already
-Leek-another great size
-Chive-a little small
-Skyline-like the Blur, fantastic size and even more compact (you have the option of damascus for the blade here too)


If you asked me to choose, I would say the Skyline or Blur, in a satin or (preferably) stonewashed blade finish with laser engraving on the blade, including a unique number of the run. Both models are cheap, but perform like a champ. Most collectors and users alike absolutely love them, and they hold their own with knives costing twice as much and more. Like the Spyderco Delica and Endura, these models are NOT marked in the fashion of being designed exclusively for tactical/LE/military/first responders/etc., but they have huuuuuuggggggeeee popularity among those who comprise these respective groups (arguably because they are affordable, they perform well, and they can take a beating). The commonalty of the Blur and Endura in LE communities always surprises me given there are so many knives (some by the respective makers) marketed more heavily than those models. So knives as such will probably attract LEOs more so than a knife that is super super expensive and without the same following.

If you do a special color handle, dark tan, dark navy, dark OD green, brown, dark gray, slate, etc. is going to avoid scaring away people who may not want neon colors.

Both of the two common Sandvik steels KAI uses is awesome. You don't hear it talked about much on forums, but it's great steel, and it allows Kershaw to deliver knives at a quality which is disproportionately high relative to costs. They make the Skyline in damascus which looks great, but the base steels are not lacking. They often do S30V limited runs on their knives, and formally CPM-154. My favorite steel from them was their CPM-154. I personally like it over most anything else used. Still their S30V steel is great, and KAI is extremely competent when it comes to heat treatments of whatever steel they choose to use. In summary, if a base Sandvik steel keeps pricing a lot lower, it's the best choice if most people are buying for usage and not super picky about steels.

I really like the Cryo and Thermite too, but these models are imported and the steel isn't really comparable to the Sandvik steels. Plus, none of these models have the brand visibility of the Blur or Skyline. Those two knives are quickly becoming associated with KAI like the Delica is with Spyderco, and Balis are with Benchmade.

Price-wise, staying under $75 will make selling MUCH easier than $100. As people buying at shows for usage (whom may only own a few knives and may generally own only cheaper knives) are not going to care about the steels in the fashion a knife collector does, spending more on exotic steels might work against you. Given the Skyline sells for $35-45, that's even better and I think a knife at that price will sell so fast you won't know what hit you. This may also allow you to do more in the actual run, increasing speed of sale, charity visibility, and likely funds generated.

Also, the price of a Skyline will allow you to convince many of the people who have historically spent $10 or less on their folding knives to take a leap for a better knife to support a good cause. This will not happen with a 0801 or anything remotely in the price class.

 

[salmonkiller]

The Skyline is made in USA.Some of the Zings are domestic. I believe the Thermite is from overseas and doubt a steel upgrade is possible.The in house Kershaw models would be the best bet for a limited run.You can post another thread and conduct a poll to vote on the scale color if you can get them to commit to doing a run.I think it's an uphill battle, but possible given it involves giving back to the community.This is for a good cause and noble a thing to do.......The positive PR buzz will be good for Kershaw and the veterans will benefit.Knife collectors and users could acquire a unique knife.It's a win win win.......Make it happen and try to keep plugged in on this site Sir.Consider a model that is sought by collectors, economical ,popular and Made in USA.This is why I recommend the Skyline.
Best wishes,
salmonkiller