- Joined
- Aug 8, 1999
- Messages
- 5,094
I wanted to post about this knife beause it has thoroughly impressed me. The Avalanche is the newest of the Ken Onion designed, speed safe knives.
The knife has a blade of bead blasted CPM 440V. The blade is slightly more than its advertised 3 1/8", and the overall length of the knife is 7 1/2". In terms of size this makes the Avalanche about the size of the Mini AFCK or Spyderco Viele. The scales are G-10 with an agressive texture that makes this a very attractive knife work. Althougth the blade shape is more of a clip point like the Blackout instead of a pronounced drop point like the Whirlwind and Riccochet, it would still be quite good as a skinner or general hunting knife. The rind lines on the blade are extremely precise and well executed, and the knife came out of the box razor sharp.
The Avalanche is noteworthy to me because it represents Kershaw's best implementation of the speed safe system to date. The blade snaps open with authority and the titanium liner lock is very secure. The knife is also very light (3.5 oz.) considering the nature of its construction. My only complaints are the lack of a lanyard hole in the handle and a relatively high clip placement which exposes more of the knife in one's pocket than I consider optimal. All things considered this is a great knife. I would urge anyone considering a Whirlwind or Blackout to put together a few more dollers and get an Avalanche.
The knife has a blade of bead blasted CPM 440V. The blade is slightly more than its advertised 3 1/8", and the overall length of the knife is 7 1/2". In terms of size this makes the Avalanche about the size of the Mini AFCK or Spyderco Viele. The scales are G-10 with an agressive texture that makes this a very attractive knife work. Althougth the blade shape is more of a clip point like the Blackout instead of a pronounced drop point like the Whirlwind and Riccochet, it would still be quite good as a skinner or general hunting knife. The rind lines on the blade are extremely precise and well executed, and the knife came out of the box razor sharp.
The Avalanche is noteworthy to me because it represents Kershaw's best implementation of the speed safe system to date. The blade snaps open with authority and the titanium liner lock is very secure. The knife is also very light (3.5 oz.) considering the nature of its construction. My only complaints are the lack of a lanyard hole in the handle and a relatively high clip placement which exposes more of the knife in one's pocket than I consider optimal. All things considered this is a great knife. I would urge anyone considering a Whirlwind or Blackout to put together a few more dollers and get an Avalanche.
