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- Jun 8, 2005
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- 4,761
My new G10 Offset just came in yesterday so I've had a little time to evaluate it. This is a very wild and exotic knife, especially for a production, so it makes for an interesting review.
The first thing you'll notice about the Offset is its size. This thing is massive. It's not, by a long shot, the biggest folding knife in the world, but it's up there. People who dislike physically large and heavy knives needn't apply.
The Spyderco D'Allara is a little smaller in blade length, but I sold that knife because it was too big. One of the nice differences between a large Kershaw/KO and a large Spyderco is that the width, when closed, isn't ridiculous. The width open is about the same as closed. This matters a lot to me because it determines where you can carry your knife, effectively. I put my knife in my little watch pocket where it's well hidden when I carry jeans. This knife is just BARELY "thin" enough to fit there. Knives this large are difficult to carry in your back pocket because you often have to sit on them, but front pocket shouldn't matter, riding to the side. Don't expect to be reaching into that pocket for anything other than the knife though, as the knife's size will force you to rub against it every time, and the rough G10 scales will scratch you.
This is a good time to address the very controversial pocket clip. It's HUGE, mirror polished and has a tribal design on it. I've been carrying knives almost every day for many years, and as long as I can remember, no one has ever mentioned that I'm carrying the knife unless I take it out, it's in conversation, etc. In my first day carrying this knife, I had three people notice the clip and ask if I was carrying a knife. This is NOT a knife for non-knife friendly places. They will crucify you. Fortunately, I work in a knife friendly place, so when people are mentioning it, it's because they want to see it. I like how it looks, actually, and unusually for me, but it did actually prevent me from carrying it today, and visibility has never stopped me before, so something to think about.
The ergonomics are very good, but not quite perfect. Thanks to the monstrous size of the knife, a full (larger than full, really) sized handle is available. It's very comfortable, with a nice secure place for both your pinky and your index finger. The g10 "starburst" pattern is extremely grippy, and the nice thing about Kershaw's G10 usage is that it often has 3D shapes, like the Bump line, which fits other dimensions of your hand too, unlike many other knives which have flat slabs (on the other hand, the flat scales make it easier to carry). I have a slight complaint in that the bump in the middle of the handle pushes my fingers up a little too much, but it's not a big deal, and hands vary, so you might like it.
This is my second stud lock, and both lock up very securely. I've had my other one, the mini mojo, for several years, and it's worked really well. I do have some small concerns with the long term reliability of the lock, not in a failure sense, but that the spring will eventually break (there's just one there) and while I don't think it'd fail on you while it was already open, at least not easily, I'd be worried that your knife would be out of commission for awhile. That said, the spring in my mini mojo works fine still, so maybe it's not a legitimate concern.
The stud lock does stick a lot and requires too much pressure to unlock. But again, my mini mojo was like that for the first few weeks too, so I expect that it will ease up in time.
It does bring me to a point about studlock ease of use on a given size of knife. On the tiny mini mojo, I can easily get the thumbstud without moving my hand, which is very convenient. I can still do that almost as easily on the very large Offset, but I have to reach up with my thumb to "grab" the blade by the spine and close it. This wouldn't be a problem except that the knife is assisted open, and has a lot of resistance to close, so you can't just flick it closed like your Benchmade minigriptillian. If you have huge hands though, this still wouldn't be an issue. As it is, it's pretty minor anyway.
It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of assisted opening, and here, as usual, it's a mixed bag. This is a big heavy massive blade, but even so, the AO doesn't open with the full power of most of my Kershaws. My Avalanche for instance opens alarmingly hard. This one's a bit slow. That said, it always gets all the way there, if just barely.
The resistance when closing though, like my Avalanche, is pretty huge. This is really annoying to me. It's not a flaw of the knife, it's just my preference. I have no trouble opening knives myself without help, so I gain nothing from the AO, but the resistance to close slows me down when closing the knife and makes it much more awkward. I love Kershaw, but I really wish they'd offer their knives with manual options. Basically their entire high-end lineup is AO.
Now, to the most interesting and alluring part of the design: the blade. This is, without a doubt, one of the wildest production blades ever made. I'm not even sure what to call this thing. It's a recurve, but to a point, like a tanto. I guess we'll call it the...Offset blade style? Anyway, the first part of the blade, closest to the tang, is hollow ground, and the rest is flat ground. It's really beautiful, and radical. I'd go so far as to say it's practical. You've got like three different blades available to you right there. One of the things I love about this blade is the tip. It's pretty sturdy looking, for one, but more importantly to me is how centered the point is, like a spear point. This makes stabbing motions a little easier, which is nice when you're cutting into something directly in front of you. The point on the bottom is nice for cutting open the tape on a box, etc and conceivably, for cutting straight lines in paper and other similar tasks (paper on the desk).
But the blade shape/grind isn't the only exotic thing about the blade. This is also the debut for Kershaw's MIM technology. I'm not qualified to talk about the specifics of the process, so if you want to know more, you'll have to look elsewhere. It's MIM 440C, which turns me off a little about the knife. I have nothing against 440C, it's a great steel, probably underrated if anything. But at 185 dollars for the average G10 Offset, you should be seeing at least S30V or even ZDP, or perhaps one of those cool composite blades from Kershaw's other knives. 440C is more of what I expect at the 50 dollarish range. That said, for all I know, MIM 440C could totally outperform conventional 440C and be totally worth it. I just couldn't say. But the process did create a beautiful blade, which almost looks custom to my eyes. i am a little annoyed at all the writing on it though. I like the little triangle indentations on the top of the blade, but the big Mit-e logo on it is distracting and out of place. On the other side, you've got patent pending, MIM 440C, the date stamp, the model number, made in the USA and Ken Onion written on it. I think a tiny MIM 440C logo and KO would suffice. I don't need to see the model of the knife I'm using. I already know that. I bought it. The USA thing is nice, but why not just write "USA" on it somewhere instead of stamping made in USA on the blade? These are very minor frustrations, but I thought it worth mentioning.
There is one more annoyance with the blade, and this is true of many manufacturers in general now, and that's that it's only available with coatings. The original Offset had a black coating, and this Offset has a much more pleasing gray coating, but either way, why am I forced to have a blade coating? ESPECIALLY on this knife, with its beautiful hollow/flat grind that I want to show off, but now you can't see, since it's non reflective and so subtly you have to hold it to the light. Blade coatings just get scratched up and look ugly, and this one has some minor scratches on it right out of the box. To me, blade coatings are just one more expense, they make the knife look less appealing, and they're just going to get uglier with time as they get messed up and faded out in areas that see a lot of contact. Why not give us the option to get the uncoated blade?
Overall, I really love this knife. Outside of Ken's own customs, you're not going to find any comparably exotic knives as far as I can tell. Many exotic knives (including, to some degree, Ken's own Bump line), end up looking pretty weird, but not the Offset. It's never graceful, really, but it's very attractive and always intriguing. I just want to look at it all the time. I wish KO/Kershaw had some more time to do a Ti version, like they did with the blue green bump, to just really let this knife shine in a less tactical way.
So if you're in the market for a hard use knife, aren't scared away by crazy clips and a heavy pocket, this would be my personal pick. I chose it over a lot of other options in this segment precisely because it just was so uniquely crazy, whereas other great knives, like the Manix or perhaps Kershaw's own ZT0200, are very business like. I want to see Ken's personality unrestricted in the design, and the Offset delivers. I love mine.
Hopefully I'll have some photos in by next week. Camera broken at this time.
Update: The stud lock has become much easier to operate today, so it looks like you just have to use it like 30-50 times to get it broken in. It's just slightly too much resistance now, but that sort of resistance can come down to preference. Also, the AO action has become more powerful. Perhaps the knife was a bit over tightened from the factory and is working itself out. It's still not especially impressively powerful, but it's now easily powerful enough to lock every time and will satisfy anyone. It may take more power to really whack the blade open since the blade is relatively massive.
More pictures a few posts below.
The first thing you'll notice about the Offset is its size. This thing is massive. It's not, by a long shot, the biggest folding knife in the world, but it's up there. People who dislike physically large and heavy knives needn't apply.
The Spyderco D'Allara is a little smaller in blade length, but I sold that knife because it was too big. One of the nice differences between a large Kershaw/KO and a large Spyderco is that the width, when closed, isn't ridiculous. The width open is about the same as closed. This matters a lot to me because it determines where you can carry your knife, effectively. I put my knife in my little watch pocket where it's well hidden when I carry jeans. This knife is just BARELY "thin" enough to fit there. Knives this large are difficult to carry in your back pocket because you often have to sit on them, but front pocket shouldn't matter, riding to the side. Don't expect to be reaching into that pocket for anything other than the knife though, as the knife's size will force you to rub against it every time, and the rough G10 scales will scratch you.
This is a good time to address the very controversial pocket clip. It's HUGE, mirror polished and has a tribal design on it. I've been carrying knives almost every day for many years, and as long as I can remember, no one has ever mentioned that I'm carrying the knife unless I take it out, it's in conversation, etc. In my first day carrying this knife, I had three people notice the clip and ask if I was carrying a knife. This is NOT a knife for non-knife friendly places. They will crucify you. Fortunately, I work in a knife friendly place, so when people are mentioning it, it's because they want to see it. I like how it looks, actually, and unusually for me, but it did actually prevent me from carrying it today, and visibility has never stopped me before, so something to think about.
The ergonomics are very good, but not quite perfect. Thanks to the monstrous size of the knife, a full (larger than full, really) sized handle is available. It's very comfortable, with a nice secure place for both your pinky and your index finger. The g10 "starburst" pattern is extremely grippy, and the nice thing about Kershaw's G10 usage is that it often has 3D shapes, like the Bump line, which fits other dimensions of your hand too, unlike many other knives which have flat slabs (on the other hand, the flat scales make it easier to carry). I have a slight complaint in that the bump in the middle of the handle pushes my fingers up a little too much, but it's not a big deal, and hands vary, so you might like it.
This is my second stud lock, and both lock up very securely. I've had my other one, the mini mojo, for several years, and it's worked really well. I do have some small concerns with the long term reliability of the lock, not in a failure sense, but that the spring will eventually break (there's just one there) and while I don't think it'd fail on you while it was already open, at least not easily, I'd be worried that your knife would be out of commission for awhile. That said, the spring in my mini mojo works fine still, so maybe it's not a legitimate concern.
The stud lock does stick a lot and requires too much pressure to unlock. But again, my mini mojo was like that for the first few weeks too, so I expect that it will ease up in time.
It does bring me to a point about studlock ease of use on a given size of knife. On the tiny mini mojo, I can easily get the thumbstud without moving my hand, which is very convenient. I can still do that almost as easily on the very large Offset, but I have to reach up with my thumb to "grab" the blade by the spine and close it. This wouldn't be a problem except that the knife is assisted open, and has a lot of resistance to close, so you can't just flick it closed like your Benchmade minigriptillian. If you have huge hands though, this still wouldn't be an issue. As it is, it's pretty minor anyway.
It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of assisted opening, and here, as usual, it's a mixed bag. This is a big heavy massive blade, but even so, the AO doesn't open with the full power of most of my Kershaws. My Avalanche for instance opens alarmingly hard. This one's a bit slow. That said, it always gets all the way there, if just barely.
The resistance when closing though, like my Avalanche, is pretty huge. This is really annoying to me. It's not a flaw of the knife, it's just my preference. I have no trouble opening knives myself without help, so I gain nothing from the AO, but the resistance to close slows me down when closing the knife and makes it much more awkward. I love Kershaw, but I really wish they'd offer their knives with manual options. Basically their entire high-end lineup is AO.
Now, to the most interesting and alluring part of the design: the blade. This is, without a doubt, one of the wildest production blades ever made. I'm not even sure what to call this thing. It's a recurve, but to a point, like a tanto. I guess we'll call it the...Offset blade style? Anyway, the first part of the blade, closest to the tang, is hollow ground, and the rest is flat ground. It's really beautiful, and radical. I'd go so far as to say it's practical. You've got like three different blades available to you right there. One of the things I love about this blade is the tip. It's pretty sturdy looking, for one, but more importantly to me is how centered the point is, like a spear point. This makes stabbing motions a little easier, which is nice when you're cutting into something directly in front of you. The point on the bottom is nice for cutting open the tape on a box, etc and conceivably, for cutting straight lines in paper and other similar tasks (paper on the desk).
But the blade shape/grind isn't the only exotic thing about the blade. This is also the debut for Kershaw's MIM technology. I'm not qualified to talk about the specifics of the process, so if you want to know more, you'll have to look elsewhere. It's MIM 440C, which turns me off a little about the knife. I have nothing against 440C, it's a great steel, probably underrated if anything. But at 185 dollars for the average G10 Offset, you should be seeing at least S30V or even ZDP, or perhaps one of those cool composite blades from Kershaw's other knives. 440C is more of what I expect at the 50 dollarish range. That said, for all I know, MIM 440C could totally outperform conventional 440C and be totally worth it. I just couldn't say. But the process did create a beautiful blade, which almost looks custom to my eyes. i am a little annoyed at all the writing on it though. I like the little triangle indentations on the top of the blade, but the big Mit-e logo on it is distracting and out of place. On the other side, you've got patent pending, MIM 440C, the date stamp, the model number, made in the USA and Ken Onion written on it. I think a tiny MIM 440C logo and KO would suffice. I don't need to see the model of the knife I'm using. I already know that. I bought it. The USA thing is nice, but why not just write "USA" on it somewhere instead of stamping made in USA on the blade? These are very minor frustrations, but I thought it worth mentioning.
There is one more annoyance with the blade, and this is true of many manufacturers in general now, and that's that it's only available with coatings. The original Offset had a black coating, and this Offset has a much more pleasing gray coating, but either way, why am I forced to have a blade coating? ESPECIALLY on this knife, with its beautiful hollow/flat grind that I want to show off, but now you can't see, since it's non reflective and so subtly you have to hold it to the light. Blade coatings just get scratched up and look ugly, and this one has some minor scratches on it right out of the box. To me, blade coatings are just one more expense, they make the knife look less appealing, and they're just going to get uglier with time as they get messed up and faded out in areas that see a lot of contact. Why not give us the option to get the uncoated blade?
Overall, I really love this knife. Outside of Ken's own customs, you're not going to find any comparably exotic knives as far as I can tell. Many exotic knives (including, to some degree, Ken's own Bump line), end up looking pretty weird, but not the Offset. It's never graceful, really, but it's very attractive and always intriguing. I just want to look at it all the time. I wish KO/Kershaw had some more time to do a Ti version, like they did with the blue green bump, to just really let this knife shine in a less tactical way.
So if you're in the market for a hard use knife, aren't scared away by crazy clips and a heavy pocket, this would be my personal pick. I chose it over a lot of other options in this segment precisely because it just was so uniquely crazy, whereas other great knives, like the Manix or perhaps Kershaw's own ZT0200, are very business like. I want to see Ken's personality unrestricted in the design, and the Offset delivers. I love mine.
Hopefully I'll have some photos in by next week. Camera broken at this time.
Update: The stud lock has become much easier to operate today, so it looks like you just have to use it like 30-50 times to get it broken in. It's just slightly too much resistance now, but that sort of resistance can come down to preference. Also, the AO action has become more powerful. Perhaps the knife was a bit over tightened from the factory and is working itself out. It's still not especially impressively powerful, but it's now easily powerful enough to lock every time and will satisfy anyone. It may take more power to really whack the blade open since the blade is relatively massive.
More pictures a few posts below.
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