Is Kershaw cooling?

I would add that it is really weird that Kershaw does not have a sub-forum here on BladeForums anymore. Especially considering how prominent of a brand it is. The last moderator meltdown was a travesty.
 
MolokaiRider said:
I remember hearing rumblings a while back that Kershaw's Elmax was not performing well. My only ZT is in Elmax, but I have not pushed the alloy enough to find fault.

I have mostly used it to trim plastic parts, cut meat, and slice rubber. It worked fine for that stuff, with no edge deflection. Granted, that's not too tough for most knives.
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No problems here either in normal use. I have a 0566, 0801 and 0770 in Elmax and IMO it performs like their S35VN. Just that those M390/M4 0770s are pretty rare now and I like to collect ZTs.
 
MolokaiRider said:
It's actually a little strange that Elmax does not get more love. Plus, the name just sounds cool.
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I love Elmax. It has good edge retention, good corrosion resistance, and reasonable toughness. It's a solid all-rounder.

Larrin's ratings for Elmax are identical to S45VN. Of course, that's based on his heat treatment. I haven't tried S45VN yet but the companies actually using it are ones I'd trust to do a decent heat treatment. As far as Kai, I don't know. I've also come across complaints on how they were doing Elmax. There were definitely issues with some of the M390 and 20CV, but it seems like a lot of companies don't do well with that steel family.
 
I edc a Spyderco Gayle Bradley #1 but saw and bought a special run Kershaw knife that piqued my interest. It was based on one of their most popular models, the"BLUR", designed by Ken Onion, and was made with black and blue scales and CPM-M4 steel which is a fantastic cutting steel that is hard and holds an edge for a long time. Kershaw Blur 1670NBM $99 (2).JPGKershaw Blur 1670NBM $99 (3).JPGKershaw Blur 1670NBM $99 (5).JPGKershaw Blur 1670NBM $99 (4).JPG
 
MolokaiRider said:
I appreciate all the replies.

I see a reoccurring trend that they were a more exciting brand years ago.

I will say the customer service experiences have been stellar, with only one exception.
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It seems to be a recurring trend that ALL brands were more exciting years ago. I remember when the new lineups would come out and I wanted every model. Now, between the bad designs (please, please, make the flipper framelock fad be over soon!), the over the top designs, and the skyrocketing MAP prices, I'm only interested in older and/or discontinued models from most brands.

At least with Kershaw you can still get some great made in USA knives (Blur, Leek, Launch series) for around or under $100. I just wish they would quit with their current strategy of releasing 10-20 new models of PRC made junk every year just to see if anything sticks.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
I edc a Spyderco Gayle Bradley #1 but saw and bought a special run Kershaw knife that piqued my interest. It was based on one of their most popular models, the"BLUR", designed by Ken Onion, and was made with black and blue scales and CPM-M4 steel which is a fantastic cutting steel that is hard and holds an edge for a long time. View attachment 1900583View attachment 1900584View attachment 1900585View attachment 1900586
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Love this. Is it available anywhere outside of Canada? I can’t find it in any of my usual retailers this side of the border. I already have the Blur S30V, but I could very easily be convinced to further augment my Kershaw collection with this one.
 
Late to the party. I miss when they used to come out with cool stuff like the Tyrade with the composite 154/D2 blades. It's really the only Kershaw that I've been actively chasing. I think they were also in a phase of changing up their business model around the time Ken Onion left. Quantity over quality I suppose, and if that reflects in the uppers' pocket books, then why not?

KE-1850.jpg
 
Reswob said:
... (please, please, make the flipper framelock fad be over soon!), ...
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Been saying same for years now ... and would include bearings.
NOT because I have anything against those who like these designs ;-), just that this fad severely limits options for personal consumption.
 
I agree with just about all that has been said here. I bought my first Kershaw around '84, a "Whiskey Gap" I believe. Still have it. I moved from being a hand out on construction sites to being the owner/superintendent, and was looking for a knife that wouldn't make my front jeans pocket look like I was carrying a piece of re-bar in it, and didn't want a knife in a pouch like a Buck 110 so I would look like a rube in business meetings.

Read some good reviews about Kershaw somewhere, and found the WG at a local sporting goods store. Loved the knife as the positive lockup was a thing of beauty, and the stainless never rusted. I carried that knife so much that the wood started to wear away from the brass liners. The only thing I didn't like was how hard the steel was... 440A no doubt. Incredibly hard, and hard to sharpen (I was still used to 1095 and its cousins 40 years ago) but remarkably durable.

I took note of Kershaw and bought several more along the way, all for work/hunting/camping. At one time Kershaw used to be an innovator and released the bonded blades as seen above on the Tyrade. I bought a Junkyard Dog for that reason, and the fit/finish and durability is as good as anything out there today. And probably about 15 (?) or so years ago, I even bought a Scallion is S110V. They were innovators then, and brought out some good working knives.

For all the reasons mentioned earlier in this thread, Kershaw lost me. Lots of gas station looking knives go to their lineup, and while there have been clever designs that have actually appeared from time to time, it isn't a regular event. What I see mostly now is Kershaw taking a classic design, say for example the Blur, and re-re-releasing it with new colors, new blade steels, etc. Nothing innovative. Limited editions, small batch runs and collector's models don't count.

That being said, I am glad they are still around, especially as one of very few that has any American production. It has to be incredibly hard to stay afloat these days as a knife maker in the Tsunami of off shore made knives that are now not only readily available everywhere, but cheap, and surprisingly well accepted, even here. At one time, Pacific off shore production knives made folks here wretch and scream with indignation. Now especially here, people look forward to the latest Kizer, Civivi, Two Sun, etc., etc., with anticipation. Not very many look forward to a new Kershaw.
 
midnight flyer said:
Now especially here, people look forward to the latest Kizer, Civivi, Two Sun, etc., etc., with anticipation. Not very many look forward to a new Kershaw.
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Really? People like Civivis, Sencuts, $30 Chinese Kershaws… for one reason….
They’re disposable objects, made to be beaten into the ground and thrown away when the edge is dull.
Lost, stolen, broken…. Oh well
 
tony281sc2 said:
Really? People like Civivis, Sencuts, $30 Chinese Kershaws… for one reason….
They’re disposable objects, made to be beaten into the ground and thrown away when the edge is dull.
Lost, stolen, broken…. Oh well
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Speak for yourself.

Civivi is most definitely a cut above Kershaw.

$50 takes you a lot further with Civivi than Kershaw. I do not class Civivi in the beater class. Although they are inexpensive enough to be used as beaters!
 
tony281sc2 said:
First I have ever heard about anything like that.
View attachment 1900705

I forget where this info came from but it was from a while back.
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This came out of cut testing. Outpost 76 addressed it specifically after lots of M390 and 20CV performed far below expectations under his test conditions (15dps repeated edges via KME versus cardboard). Under those conditions, some of the best M390/20CV came from Shirogorov but it isn't just a matter of cost. Spyderco also did pretty well.
 
Chronovore said:
This came out of cut testing. Outpost 76 addressed it specifically after lots of M390 and 20CV performed far below expectations under his test conditions (15dps repeated edges via KME versus cardboard). Under those conditions, some of the best M390/20CV came from Shirogorov but it isn't just a matter of cost. Spyderco also did pretty well.
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Could it be because Spydercos and Shiros are much thinner Behind the edge?
I’ve heard of other thick knives (Hinderer) supposedly having bad heat treats as well, but I think it has more to do with the geometry… just a guess
 
tony281sc2 said:
Could it be because Spydercos and Shiros are much thinner Behind the edge?
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Not necessarily. That can help but lots of the knives he tested get reasonably thin behind the edge. Coincidentally, so do a lot of knives from Civivi, Sencut, etc.

Two big factors in his testing seem to be heat treatment and factory edge issues. The latter can be a big deal. Heat from factory grinding can impede performance for several edges and how deep it runs can be a crap shoot.
 
tony281sc2 said:
Really? People like Civivis, Sencuts, $30 Chinese Kershaws… for one reason….
They’re disposable objects, made to be beaten into the ground and thrown away when the edge is dull.
Lost, stolen, broken…. Oh well
Click to expand...

Low overhead or replacement cost can certainly be attractive. It's regular enough that somebody here talks about choosing a knife for travel or some other activity wherein it could be lost, confiscated, etc. Having higher quality options there is definitely a good thing.

However, that's not all it is. I have custom and mid-tech knives that cost several hundreds of dollars. A lot of the time, I'm still carrying a Civivi in 14C28N or a Kizer in N690. It's not just keeping the expensive knives in good condition or freedom from worry on a sub-$100 knife. I genuinely like these knives. They are fun. They are well-made for what they are. Heck, I've even modded some of them.

To put it another way, I have a relative who is a one-knife kind of guy. He is in his sixties and spent most of his life carrying inexpensive traditionals and stuff you can buy at Walmart. A couple of years ago, I gave him a Tangram Santa Fe. The Santa Fe is made by Kizer. It has G-10 scales and an Acuto 440 blade. It costs like $25. He carried it every day, used it frequently, and kept it sharp for about two years before losing it in a field somewhere. He never knew how much it cost but he was blown away by the quality.
 
GatorFlash1 said:
I edc a Spyderco Gayle Bradley #1 but saw and bought a special run Kershaw knife that piqued my interest. It was based on one of their most popular models, the"BLUR", designed by Ken Onion, and was made with black and blue scales and CPM-M4 steel which is a fantastic cutting steel that is hard and holds an edge for a long time. View attachment 1900583View attachment 1900584View attachment 1900585View attachment 1900586
Click to expand...
What a thing of beauty. Kicking myself for not grabbing one. M4 in a USA made folder for around a hundred bucks!
Reswob said:
It seems to be a recurring trend that ALL brands were more exciting years ago. I remember when the new lineups would come out and I wanted every model. Now, between the bad designs (please, please, make the flipper framelock fad be over soon!), the over the top designs, and the skyrocketing MAP prices, I'm only interested in older and/or discontinued models from most brands.

At least with Kershaw you can still get some great made in USA knives (Blur, Leek, Launch series) for around or under $100. I just wish they would quit with their current strategy of releasing 10-20 new models of PRC made junk every year just to see if anything sticks.
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I feel ya. I wonder if the reason they pump out so many low end overseas made knives, is the lower overhead/higher return. Well...I don't really wonder. It's probably reality. Maybe the more expensive stuff just does not have the same profit margins.

I think society has moved into a space where we are conditioned to buy cheap, use it till it breaks, then toss it and buy a new thingamajig. Landfills get the end product.
imns said:
Late to the party. I miss when they used to come out with cool stuff like the Tyrade with the composite 154/D2 blades. It's really the only Kershaw that I've been actively chasing. I think they were also in a phase of changing up their business model around the time Ken Onion left. Quantity over quality I suppose, and if that reflects in the uppers' pocket books, then why not?

KE-1850.jpg
Click to expand...
Wow, I had never even seen that model. Such a unique design. Paying Ken probably wasn't cheap, but man did he have a style.
midnight flyer said:
I agree with just about all that has been said here. I bought my first Kershaw around '84, a "Whiskey Gap" I believe. Still have it. I moved from being a hand out on construction sites to being the owner/superintendent, and was looking for a knife that wouldn't make my front jeans pocket look like I was carrying a piece of re-bar in it, and didn't want a knife in a pouch like a Buck 110 so I would look like a rube in business meetings.

Read some good reviews about Kershaw somewhere, and found the WG at a local sporting goods store. Loved the knife as the positive lockup was a thing of beauty, and the stainless never rusted. I carried that knife so much that the wood started to wear away from the brass liners. The only thing I didn't like was how hard the steel was... 440A no doubt. Incredibly hard, and hard to sharpen (I was still used to 1095 and its cousins 40 years ago) but remarkably durable.

I took note of Kershaw and bought several more along the way, all for work/hunting/camping. At one time Kershaw used to be an innovator and released the bonded blades as seen above on the Tyrade. I bought a Junkyard Dog for that reason, and the fit/finish and durability is as good as anything out there today. And probably about 15 (?) or so years ago, I even bought a Scallion is S110V. They were innovators then, and brought out some good working knives.

For all the reasons mentioned earlier in this thread, Kershaw lost me. Lots of gas station looking knives go to their lineup, and while there have been clever designs that have actually appeared from time to time, it isn't a regular event. What I see mostly now is Kershaw taking a classic design, say for example the Blur, and re-re-releasing it with new colors, new blade steels, etc. Nothing innovative. Limited editions, small batch runs and collector's models don't count.

That being said, I am glad they are still around, especially as one of very few that has any American production. It has to be incredibly hard to stay afloat these days as a knife maker in the Tsunami of off shore made knives that are now not only readily available everywhere, but cheap, and surprisingly well accepted, even here. At one time, Pacific off shore production knives made folks here wretch and scream with indignation. Now especially here, people look forward to the latest Kizer, Civivi, Two Sun, etc., etc., with anticipation. Not very many look forward to a new Kershaw.
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What a great post. This is pretty much what is in my thoughts as well. It is scary to see the attrition of locally made products as they either have to compete, or depend on supply from overseas.
 
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