Is Kershaw second rate?

H

hoboken

Joined
Dec 17, 2005
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29
I've been reading through these forums about different knives and companies, etc. and when it comes to knife comparisons with Kershaw vs. another brand of knives, people seem to pick the other knife over Kershaw. I was wondering why this was? I like Kershaw designs and some of their higher end knives (e.g.-Spec Bump) use steels like cpm154, s30v, and s60v and appeal to me very much. Is Kershaw inferior to other knifemakers like Benchmade or Spyderco?
 
They may just not have the same visibility. I have their Nakamura which is a gem. The Leek, scallion, chive which all work perfectly.

All were incredibly sharp out of the box and seem to hold an edge well. They do not seem to go after the "top" steel in their blades but I'm not sure that this has caused any significant problems with performance.

I also have several Kershaw SHUN Classic Kitchen knives. They are a Damascus steel and put my Henckels to shame. They are incredible knives.
 
tim8557 said:
They may just not have the same visibility. I have their Nakamura which is a gem. The Leek, scallion, chive which all work perfectly.

All were incredibly sharp out of the box and seem to hold an edge well. They do not seem to go after the "top" steel in their blades but I'm not sure that this has caused any significant problems with performance.

I also have several Kershaw SHUN Classic Kitchen knives. They are a Damascus steel and put my Henckels to shame. They are incredible knives.
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The Kershaw Shun kitchen knives are fantastic! My brother got a set this Christmas, and while he was in town we cooked alot and those knives are near perfect. I am planning on picking up my own set.
 
Kershaw used to make great knives a long time ago. 10-15 years ago, though, they began making absolute crap. In the last few years, there's been a resurgence of quality, though, mainly because of their association with Ken Onion, who injected some new life into the company, and showed them there's a market for higher-end production knives. Personally, I don't like Onion's designs. They're ergonomic, but appear totally useless to me. That being said, the quality is improving. Are they inferior to BM or Spyderco? Absolutely, IMO. But they market to a different section of the knife-buying public, as well. They seem to be more after the casual user who doesn't really care about edge-holding ability or build quality, so long as it's relatively inexpensive, and easy to replace. They are starting to move into some higher-end knives, but the biggest majority of their inventory is still throwaway beaters, using inferior steel and so-so construction. This is totally my opinion, unsupported by research, and as such, is subject to ridicule and derision. That's how I feel about Kershaw, though.
 
the blue & green bump models are some of the finest knives they ever made, equal to a custom. the whisper vault lock is like a fine watch, but it was expensive.the satin finish on the blade looked like something walter brend did.im sure the new offset model will be of the same top quality..........
 
My wife and I EDC Bumps, she has a blue one and I have a green one. They are better than most production folders out there, and as good or better than alot of custom knives.
 
"Is Kershaw inferior to other knifemakers like Benchmade or Spyderco?"

No. but they are not as popular as Benchmade and Spyderco on these forums. Additionally they don't have the high end range of these other manufacturers.
 
I think they are too goofy looking. I don't know what purpose they serve. Most Benchmade's, and Spyderco's at least have a function.

On top of all that they look too "cookie cutterish". I mean how like on their frame locks all the corners are all rounded off where the frame contacts the blade to lock it in place. It looks like it's all been "tumble polished" which makes it seem "cheap" to me.

Plus if you look at some of the trade/sale threads for Kershaw stuff hardly any of them sell or get traded. Nobody seems interested in them.

I once had a Kershaw Storm II and it was THE most difficult knife to get rid of.
 
rusty edge said:
The Kershaw Shun kitchen knives are fantastic! My brother got a set this Christmas, and while he was in town we cooked alot and those knives are near perfect. I am planning on picking up my own set.
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I don't think you can buy "Kershaw" Shun kitchen knives any more. I think Shun took the line back from Kershaw and is marketing them independently. I could be wrong though.
 
I think some prefer Benchmade simply because many say Benchmade is good. Perhaps they are really the best but then, I wonder how many here actually use their knives on a daily basic like chefs and butchers do. Do high end steels really matter in real world usages?

I personally doubt many chefs and butchers actually use expensive knives on their jobs. I once was told by a chef that he would not buy a set of expensive knives for his job because of the risk of having it stolen by others. Butchers I've seen don't seem to be using expensive knives on their jobs either. And they're people who are actually using their knives doing cutting day in and day out. So are many of us simply buying high end steels because they're high end steels, buying expensive knives believing them they actually would make a huge difference in real usages, buying Porches and leaving them in the garage never driven? And Benchmade is really much better than Kershaw in actual usages??

Oh well, I think we're called knife nutz for a reason ;-)
 
i really like my Kershaw Leek. its been my EDC for years. there warenty department is very friendly. i have had to send this knife back to kershaw twice this year because i droped it point first into concrete, and they swaped the blade on it no charge, even covered the return shipping.
im am very happy with is as an EDC. i probably wouldent use it for anything serious.
 
Kershaw is like Ford, while Benchmade and Spyderco are like Ferrari and Porsche.

Are there a few Fords that will eat any Ferrari or Porsche around a race track? Yup. But in general, the Ferrari and Porsche names are more respected because in general their cars are higher performance while Ford appeals more to people that want to spend less and care less about performance. When Ford wants to make a Ferrari or Porsche killer, however, they can. But Ford is more appealing to the masses while Ferrari and Porsche tend to make more models for performance junkies. On this forum, there are many knife performance junkies. However, we still love the high performance Kershaw models as they can be every bit as good as BM or Spyderco.

I love Kershaw, but brands can never be exactly equal. One will always produce more quality products than other, or do so more consistantly. Which brand is better is a matter of opinion. And in the general opinion of this forum, BM and Spyderco are the top 2 production knife makers. Not every brand can be first.

Kershaw makes a lot of great knives, some of which are every bit as good as top Spyderco and Benchmade knives. But in general, Kershaw is a rung or two lower on the ladder than Spydie and BM. Spydie and BM have more high-end models, and tend to use better steel at a given pricepoint.

For example, I love my Kershaw Leek. I think it is a better overall knife than my Native, and has a better design than any Spyderco or BM within the pricerange. But The Leek uses 440A steel. Spyderco and BM rarely use a steel this "low" in one of their popular and respected mid-level knives. They do use lower-end steel sometimes, but not nearly as often as Kershaw. Also, while the higher-end Kershaw models are great (Spec Bump, Nakamura), many feel the Manix, Military, Skirmish, 710, and even the Rittergrip are a little better.

Some people may prefer Kershaw to Spyderco and BM, as it's just a matter of opinion. But in general, knife fans on this forum will prefer BM and Spyderco. That is why you will see them prefered here more often. But I doubt many people here don't agree that Kershaw makes some first rate stuff. Many Kershaw models are very beloved and highly recommended here.

And remember that whether a company is first rate or second rate is very subjective.
 
I don't know what it is about Kershaw knives that this company has never made a knife that I just had to have. I have handled just every model made in the last 5 - 6 years looking to find one that really appealed to me. The one I liked the best was the Random Task, but I ended up not buying it either.
 
If Kershaw had a forum here or at least on its own website, like Benchmade, its reputation would go up in no time. Ken Onion comes across very well online, he'd make a great spokesman for them.

Solid knives, creative designs, competitive prices, friendly customer service. The steel isn't the worst, and on the high end, it's the best.

I think they're too committed to low-end assisted openers, which makes their sales somewhat specialized. If they opened up a "Marlboro man" line, it would make a big difference in their reputation. A few more big fixed blades in D2 would do it. :)

Don't mistake the buzz on Bladeforums for success in the knife market. Maybe you just have to be a little bit more sophisticated to appreciate Kershaw. :D
 
I had a small water buffalo bone handled Kershaw lockback in the 80's that I loved, I lost it loooong ago, and all their new stuff just doesn't appeal to me. They feel cheap in my hand, at least the 5 or 6 that I have played with do. A friend of mine at work has one of the assisted openers, and I must have sharpened that thing 10 times for him in the 3 months he had it. He finally shelved it after the coating started wearing off.
 
H everyone! My name is Thomas Welk, and I am the Sales Manager of Kershaw Knives, Kai USA.

I hope you don't mind me taking a few moments from my vacation to interject on this thread.

First I appreciate this forum and the knowledge it brings forth to all that are involved. In an effort to keep speculation accurate, I thought it was important to fill in some blanks concerning Kershaw Knives.

Hair, I really liked your analogy concerning Kershaw vs. Spyderco/BM. It is interesting to see constant posts on this and other forums (not just about knives), about which is “better” or the “best”. I tend avoid those types of threads, as they do become quite subjective, and turn into flame wars on occasion.
In case you had yet not heard, Kershaw has recently produced in limited quantities a couple of G-10 (one even 3-D machined), S30V Leeks, and there will be a high end version in our 2006 line-up as well.

Esav Benyamin, I also believe Kershaw’s reputation would benefit from a forum, we will see what the future holds. Ken’s schedule would prohibit him from being a moderator, but it would be fun to see him as one.

As for some Kershaw highlights:

Kershaw is owned by the Kai Corporation located in Seki Japan. We also own our own facilities in multiple locations overseas.
Kershaw makes 70% of our products here in the USA. at our facility in Tualatin Oregon.
Shun is the trademarked name for our kitchen knives.

We here at Kershaw Knives really try to produce a line of knives that meet all ends of the retail spectrum. From our high end MIM technology, to collaborating with the great makers like Ken and others, to working on a joint venture with the talented folks at Spyderco, to creating $28 street value USA made frame locks (Storm), we do push in making something of quality for everyone.
2005 was a tremendous year for us, as we did win 4 Blade Show awards (1 shared with our collaboration with Spyderco), with most being high end products. We hear the steel “junkies”, and I think you will see more upper tier USA made products being produced by Kershaw for 2006 and beyond. We do really try to keep everyone happy, and satisfied.

It is comforting to know that the knife industry as a whole has produced knives in so many “flavors” that there is at least one for everybody, hopefully more.

Thanks for the time guys and gals. Happy New Year.
 
I guess it is true that Kershaw doesn't get quite the attention that some of the other companies do around here but I would not consider them a second rate company. They have a top notch cust. service dept. for sure that is up there with the best of the best. I wish on some of their knives that the steels they offered were better but in truth they hold their own in many hands. I have the Black Out, Scallion, Leek, and Chive and love all of them just fine. I would love to see them start a forum here though. I think that is a really good way to mix it up with the customer and the end line user to gain valuable feed back on their product line.

STR
 
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