Kershaw 1610 Onion/Centofante

[Pete1977]

I picked this one up for about $34.00 at Gander Mountain.

5 1/2 inches open
2 1/4 inch blade
3 1/8 inches closed

Every site I check says the blade is 440A stainless. There are no steel markings on the blade and the knife didn’t come with a box.

The handle scales are burgundy colored anodized aluminum and the liners are stainless steel. The blade is secured by a locking liner and is assisted opening with a safety located near the clip on that side of the knife. There are thumb studs on both sides of the blade and a flipper to initiate the assisted opening. The blade is a wharncliffe style. The pocket clip is tip down, right hand carry only.

This one, like I said, did not come in a box. It appeared to be the display model rather than a return because the aluminum was not scuffed or scratched in any way. The very fine tip of the knife was bent like it contacted something hard. I eventually straightened it with my thumbnail, furthering the evidence that the blade IS most likely 440A or another soft, tough stainless. The blade shaved hair and push and pull cut newsprint with some difficulty. I used it to open some plastic bags on lunchmeat packages and it penetrated very easily due to the thin point but pulled at the last few cuts. It cuts printer/photocopy paper extremely easily still. It also easily cuts 1/16 inch nylon twine. I have not attempted to resharpen it yet as I haven’t decided whether to use the Sharpmaker or Lansky, or freehand it.

The assisted opening failed to open the blade completely or engage the liner lock fully when I first got the knife. I loosened the pivot pin and found the sweet spot. It now opens extremely fast with a light push on the flipper and locks up securely. I found it easier to use the flipper than the thumb studs which were too small to get a good purchase on. I could not even get my thumbnail under to flick the blade open.

The knife was very comfortable in the saber grip with three fingers. If there was a lanyard hole or a bail to put a fob on, this would be perfect as the fob would act as an extension of the handle. Unfortunately there is no such point of attachment. The clip actually helps fill the hand and gives me a more comfortable grip, although I have not removed it to see how it feels clipless. It was also very comfortable in the scalpel grip and combined with the wharncliffe blade would be optimal for more precise, controlled cuts. It was comfortable as well in a hammer grip with the edge in. The handle is too small to be comfortable or secure in either reverse grips, edge in or out.

The aluminum handle is smooth but not slippery thanks to the anodization.

This would be a fine light use gent’s folder for day to day cutting chores people might encounter. It is a friendly burgundy color and a cute little knife. The A/O might pose a problem in some jurisdictions and others might find it a novelty. I think it is necessary due to the difficult to access thumb studs.

Some crappy cell phone pix:

 

[fishwatcher]

Neat to see a review of this knife. I don't see this knife mentioned too often on these forums, but I think it is a great size gentleman's folder/EDC.

I have a shiny metallic coated (blade and handle), limited edition of the this series (1 of 500), model: 1615BLKVIB.

Besides the coating, mine does not have a clip on the handle, it comes with a leather sheath with clip. It also has inlaid MOP shell in the handle. There is another "signature" version available, with Ken Onion's signature on one side and Frank Centofante's on the other.

Here is a picture of mine, along with some other familiar knives:

Here is an older, related thread on the Onion/Centofante knives:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=583144

 

[supasuprab0b]

oh wow! i have never seen a pic of this knife before, i like the looks of it alot.

i might have to pick one of these upm only $35 you say?

thansk for the reveiw.

 

[2brothers]

Nice review. Mention of this series of knives is not seen too often here, even when the Kershaw forum was open.
If you don't mind I've included a pic so you can see some of the variations of these models.
The 1610 and 1615 are the only "standard current production" models in the group.

mike

 

[Pete1977]

I don't mind at all. I stumbled on this knife while looking for a small lockback to carry around when I'm home. I can normally do without assisted opening but for a knife this small I don't think it is an issue. I am not a huge fan of the newer Kershaw designs, the drastically recurved blades don't do it for me. The simple wharncliffe blade is what drew me to the 1610. It is unobtrusive, and slick looking. The price point is right for someone on a budget who is looking for a small, useful pocket knife for mundane cutting chores.

Pete

 

[Flashpoint]

Nice review.

I had a 1615 for a little while. It showed me to be a fumble fingers because of it's size. A girl at the office sent me her knife home to sharpen it. It was some convenience store china knife that I think she said she found in a parking lot. I decided to give the 1615 to her because I knew she would use it and appreciate it. The sheath works well for her to carry it in her purse.

If it would have been closer to a 3 inch blade I would probably been able to use it.