Is Kershaw cooling?

In a world of traditional knives, SpeedSafe was definitely novel and cool. And it still appeals to non-enthusiasts just like it did when it was introduced. Makes sense for Kershaw. But what it’s doing on ZTs in 202x is beyond me.
 
Dknight16 said:
In a world of traditional knives, SpeedSafe was definitely novel and cool. And it still appeals to non-enthusiasts just like it did when it was introduced. Makes sense for Kershaw. But what it’s doing on ZTs in 202x is beyond me.
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There was a brief period of time where tactical and/or assisted knives appealed to me. Part of it was being a young(ish) fool, part because carrying a gun or owning a switchblade was illegal in Illinois, and it was the best self defense weapon I could find under $100.
 
I used to like spring assisted knives until I realized that I can deploy basically any decent knife as fast or faster that with the spring assist. And then it’s a pain to close. I was looking at a zt recently at my local brick and mortar store (I believe the 0350) and the spring assist actually deterred me from buying the knife. And then there’s the auto axis knives, which in my opinion is just mixing two things that shouldn’t be mixed, but that’s a tangent
 
Dknight16 said:
In a world of traditional knives, SpeedSafe was definitely novel and cool. And it still appeals to non-enthusiasts just like it did when it was introduced. Makes sense for Kershaw. But what it’s doing on ZTs in 202x is beyond me.
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Assisted knives still appeal to enthusiasts! I suspect most of the haters have never actually used one, they just don't like them because the internet said they weren't cool.😜
 
K.O.D. said:
Some places still have it in stock, I believe knifecenter. I really wanted one of the premium steel options...

My dream is that ZT will offer an 0770CF with KVT instead of speedsafe.
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It’s been a while since I tried it, but IIRC the 0770 is one that flips rather well without the torsion bar. That and the 0350 and the 0566.
 
tony281sc2 said:
It’s been a while since I tried it, but IIRC the 0770 is one that flips rather well without the torsion bar. That and the 0350 and the 0566.
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The CF version was terrible without the torsion bar. I heard the aluminum one worked better. But the CF Elmax is what I had, and want.
 
Reswob said:
Assisted knives still appeal to enthusiasts! I suspect most of the haters have never actually used one, they just don't like them because the internet said they weren't cool.😜
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I consider myself an "enthusiast" and never had a problem with "assisted" knives. Many assisted Kershaws/ZTs still in my collection, including my beloved 9 variant Kershaw Shallot set.

The only "problem" I've ever had w/one is when it "rattles" which is easily fixed by applying some grease (of your choice) to the bar to fix it in place and keep it from rattling.

Some people claim that their torsion bars have broken but I just can't see how that can happen. Even if you open and close the blade 100's of times a day, there really isn't sufficent flex in the bar to cause metal fatigue.

I've bought a lot of assisted Kershaws and ZTs in my time (well over 100) and never had a single torsion bar break on me. So, I consider such claims BS.
 
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K.O.D. said:
The CF version was terrible without the torsion bar. I heard the aluminum one worked better. But the CF Elmax is what I had, and want.
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Hmm, yeah it might be a crap shoot on what blades do/don’t have dentent holes drilled in the blade. My 0357 doesn’t :-/
Anyway I have a KC edition 20cv Barenuckle in the dark bronze, HMU if you’re interested
 
K.O.D. said:
Some places still have it in stock, I believe knifecenter. I really wanted one of the premium steel options...

My dream is that ZT will offer an 0770CF with KVT instead of speedsafe.
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I bet if you looked around at some of the knife shops that do regrinds and such, maybe someone would be willing to take on a project like that. Drill a detent hole and maybe drill out the hole in the blade a little deeper to accept the stock ZT bearings..? Money talks… and yeah that would be awesome, I feel like the inset liner lock is stronger than the sub-frame lock.
 
sgt1372 said:
I consider myself an "enthusiast" and never had a problem with "assisted" knives. Many assisted Kershaws/ZTs still in my collection, including my beloved 9 variant Kershaw Shallot set.

The only "problem" I've ever had w/one is when it "rattles" which is easily fixed by applying some grease (of your choice) to the bar to fix it in place and keep it from rattling.

Some people claim that their torsion bars have broken but I just can't see how that can happen. Even if you open and close the blade 100's of times a day, there really isn't sufficent flex in the bar to cause metal fatigue.

I've bought a lot of assisted Kershaws and ZTs in my time (well over 100) and never had a single torsion bar break on me. So, I consider such claims BS.
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I've experienced the torsion bar wearing out. I gave my cousin a Leek 10 years ago. However, it still works as a manual flipper and he is fine with like that.

I'm pretty much a manual or automatic guy. The advent of bearing pivots and automatics becoming legal here made them obsolete to me. I haven't owned one since 2015.

I'm still on the fence about getting another 0770cf. I might pull the trigger if I found one in Elmax or CPM-M4. Just loved the weight and blade shape.
 
I've actually had a torsion bar fail but I can't think of hearing of anyone else that has had it happen off the top of my head. They're very reliable. But yeah, the torsion bar broke in my 1570 Avalanche last year. I opened it up and it was broken into two pieces. I emailed Kershaw and within a week I had a few replacements. However I did buy that knife in probably 2010 and it's been a favorite of mine since. I also don't think it was from overuse as in a torsion bar has say a 500,000 cycle life, I think it was just one of those freak things where maybe it was dinged from the start or some such thing. Even still, I like to play with my knives as I do other things and had the knife for about 13 years, so if they do have a lifetime of somewhere around there that's pretty good considering you can easily get replacements.

I like unassisted knives better myself because I just get a little more satisfaction out of manually opening a knife. It's not a big thing for me though, and now that all of my knives are manual except for just a few, my thoughts have changed a bit and it's a nice little change when I pick up an assisted knife. I just like knives of all different flavors though I guess.
 
K.O.D. said:
I wish they hadn't discontinued the bareknuckle. I don't care for assisted knives, and that's pretty much the entire US made lineup.
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MolokaiRider said:
Yeah, they certainly are stuck on that feature.

I'll admit when I first tried one as a non-knife dude, the novelty was pretty cool.
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I thought the Bareknuckle was full manual, not assisted? I’ve always kicked myself for not grabbing one before they were discontinued, but it was one of those knives “I’d get eventually.”

I have a ZT0770 and a copper Natrix, so was in no hurry to grab a Bareknuckle…and then POOF, they were gone. Seems like they were only around for a year or two.

Someday I’ll find one, but secondary prices are insane now.
 
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