- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
- Messages
- 1,508
Well, designed by RJ Martin.
Last weekend, I decided to spend a little money on a pair of RJ Martin designed Kershaws, a Kershaw RJI and a Chill. This purchase marked a couple of firsts; I never owned a spring assisted knife or a Kershaw. They arrived today, and I've got some good and bad things to say about them.
Kershaw RJI:
I have never really been all that into assisted openers, but something about the RJI made me want it. I think it kind of appealed to my inner mall ninja
. It has alot of features that I really don't care for (ti-ni coated, tanto, combo edge), but for $25, it was worth giving it a chance. It is a heavy, aggressive looking knife with little practical cutting ability, but Kershaw's 2 step serrations looked interesting. F&F is very good, but the non-serrated portion of the blade did not come particularly sharp. The speed-safe opener works very well, locking the knife open with authority. I will be interested to see how well this knife performs at various cutting tasks.Kershaw Chill:
I fell in love with this knife at first sight, but the one I received has been a bit of a let down. It is a very lightweight and thin knife with a beautiful blade shape. I would probably compare this knife to the CRKT M16 in terms of ergonomics. F&F was not that great; there is a pretty bad scuff mark on one of the G10 scales, as well as some pretty bad grinding near the base of the knife. It didn't come particularly sharp either. I de-stressed the edge and sharpened it freehand with a Spyderco medium and fine stone, as well as attempting to add a sharpening choil near the base. I need to find a better file to finish it, but I do have a nice index point. Due to the poor F&F, I'll probably use this knife as a beater. Despite my initial problems, I am interested in seeing how this knife performs.
Anyway, thank you for your time and God bless you and yours.
- Bugout Bill