Kershaw 1710 - $10 knife

[thombrogan]

Don't have my own pics or pics from the place of purchase, but the Kershaw 1710 is a $10 3-fingered lockback. It has an adjustable pivot, is otherwise riveted closed, and has no nail-nick, thumbstud, opening hole, or flipper. You have to pinch the flats of the blade with your thumber and finger... ...like a savage! :barf:

The blade is made of mystery stainless from the increasingly freemarket People's Republic of China and is a spearpoint with a slight distal taper and a high hollow-grind. The blade wasn't that sharp out of the box and the grinds were uneven. Owning a $20 Vapor, I was surprized. Also, the edge is fairly thick for such a skinny blade. The steel is soft enough that it may be quickly remedied with a belt-sander or diamond hones. Unless you suffer from edgorexia nervosa.

Had lots of boxes to cut down today. All were corrugated cardboard and all had gianormous staples (easier to avoid). Due to its thin profile, the 1710 cut fairly well, but it dulled quickly and I ran back to the power-strop several times. Finally, it got tiresome, so I turned to my Spyderco ATR with Phil Wilson heat-treat and convex edge. The ATR readily outcut the 1710 and stayed sharp much longer. It's a rare day when a $190 knife out cuts a $10 by leaps and bounds, but that was today.

If I didn't just receive the moras and Opinel, I would've been more impressed with the 1710. It cuts well and resharpens quickly. It's small, compact, and has an adjustable pivot (a top reason FRN-handle-haters choose for hating FRN-handled knives). It may be worth it to pay the extra bucks to get the Onion-designed Vapor or Storm knives or save $2 and get an Opinel.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

If I didn't just receive the moras and Opinel, I would've been more impressed with the 1710.

There is that, there are a number of knives which are so high performance for their price range that once you use them they really change your perspective on performance.

Speaking of staples, I have been running carpet trials lately, I am averaging a waste on 1/8 of the runs as I mash into a staple in the middle of a run and thus have to write that one off.

The staples are hard to spot as the carpet is heavily used and the staples rusted and often only partially there, plus they are hard to spot among the other debris.

-Cliff

 

[thombrogan]

There is that, there are a number of knives which are so high performance for their price range that once you use them they really change your perspective on performance.

Yeah. Spyderco, Ranger Knives, Swamprat Knifeworks, and Himalayan Imports set amazing bang-for-the-buck standards. And now, KJ Eriksson, Frosts of Sweden, and Opinel are doing the same.

Speaking of staples, I have been running carpet trials lately, I am averaging a waste on 1/8 of the runs as I mash into a staple in the middle of a run and thus have to write that one off.

Betcha curse a chip! I wonder how the 'shock-resistant' steels respond to hitting staples. Guess I'll find out how S7 reacts against rocks this week and then try it against staples.

But then, the Kershaw 1710 isn't S7...

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Betcha curse a chip!

The edges get pretty mangled anyway cutting dirty carpet, the problem is that since I am doing runs of 254 cuts, I get into a pretty fast and smooth pattern and I grate the edge across them 2-3 times before I realize it. This smashes the edge way down, just one staple has as much blunting effect as the entire run of carpet cutting, except for the Alantic Salt which cuts through the staple as if it wasn't there.

The first time it happened I didn't even notice it, the Pacific Salt hit one on the 64'th cut and I just thought it was a rough patch of carpet, a few hard cuts and then progress as usual, with a noticable drop in cutting ability. When I check its sharpness at the end of the round it is *way* behind S30V, many times over. I go back and check and find half a staple. So much for that run, no worries though I have like 1000 square feet of carpet anyway.

Guess I'll find out how S7 reacts against rocks this week ...

I had to recently give a friend a hand in dismantling a concrete step, part of remodling a front step. So he asks me over and I of course say "I got the perfect tool for this, and bring out Alvin's paring knife." I thought it was funny, no one else got the joke though - they don't read the forums. I was thinking of getting Chas to make a case for it and having him do a print of a concrete block cut in half on the front of it, again it would be funny to me anyway, and Alvin if he ever saw it.


Does that knife have a name, as "kershaw 1710 knife" turns up nothing even on metacrawler.

-Cliff

 

[thombrogan]

Does that knife have a name, as "kershaw 1710 knife" turns up nothing even on metacrawler.

I hope I didn't screw up the model number. Threw away the box and the number and KAI Kershaw logo ran away from the blade when it hit the belt sander. Maybe it was discontinued, which would explain the $10 pricetag. It wasn't a Ken Onion designed knife, either. Couldn't even find anything close on www.kershawknives.com

While not as funny as pretending to demolish a concrete slab with an M2 utility knife, I was taken aback when the saleslady at Wal-Mart called the knife "a poor excuse for a Kershaw."

 

[Cliff Stamp]

... KAI Kershaw logo ran away from the blade when it hit the belt sander.

Yeah, most of my knives look like that.

I was taken aback when the saleslady at Wal-Mart called the knife "a poor excuse for a Kershaw."

Too bad she didn't work for Gates.

-Cliff

 

[Cyblade]

I saw this model at my local wal-mart and it looks like another Wally World exclusive kinda like the gerber "profile", it kinda looks like a generic Kershaw LFK with no thumbstud. I think wal-mart asks diffrent companys "whats the cheapest knife you can make" and then they offer to buy them.

 

[thombrogan]

I think wal-mart asks diffrent companys "whats the cheapest knife you can make" and then they offer to buy them.

They certainly didn't establish their love/hate relationship with the world by pricing themselves out of the retail market.

 

[Zerileous]

i saw this knife at walmart last night. I did not look at the model #. It looked handy with a full flat grind, but I would prefer a SAK. IMHO, it is too weak for any tasks that require more than a slipjoint anyhow.