Kershaw Blur blem vs Knockout Blem

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Seaward Badger

Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
19
Hey everyone, long time reader first time poster here.

I have recently been looking into a heavier duty knife for my work. I work in a feed mill so there's a lot of cutting bags, weather they are heavy paper, heavy poly, and some burlap. Not to mention even when you cut in the bags the blade gets drug through hard dried grains and pellets.

Right now I have a Kershaw Zing tango that I love to carry, but the work takes a toll on the thin, fine blade.

I've been looking at getting either a Blur blem or a Knockout blem as my price point is around 50$ but I was mostly wondering about the durability of these, especially considering the no warranty and use I'd put them through. I'm definitely open to other suggestions too, I just love Kershaws. I also prefer PE over combo.

Any input you guys would have would be great!

Edit: I forgot to mention too I have to cut into a lot of bags that have minerals that are basically the same as cement bags that dull the crap out of the knife quickly
 
^^^ Awesome suggestion right there. Worth looking into.

As far as your choices are concerned, it really depends on your preferences. I've owned both and the cool thing is both of these blades have a lot in common. They're both made in the USA, both have aluminum handles, Speedsafe assisted opening and Sandvik 14C28N blades which are practically the same size. I actually prefer the Knockout, but that's all personal preference. Let's hit some differences.

Right away the Blur has Trac-Tec inserts which aid in grip. The Knockout has smooth aluminum all the way around, but the flipper and finger choil really lock your hand in place. The flipper also acts as a finger guard so you don't accidentally run your hand over the blade during cutting. Some say the Trac-Tec eats up pants and makes it pain to get the knife out of your pocket, others say the smooth handles make it just as difficult to get the Knockout in action. YMMV.

Another thing to consider is the recurve on the Blur. Spend some time around here. You'll find a lotta folks complaining about recurves because it makes sharpening a little harder. If you're going to put your blade through some serious use, this is a factor you must consider. The Knockout's blade shape lends itself to easier sharpening, and has a little more metal at the tip. No bs, I actually broke the tip off my Blur cutting through a bag of ice at a party.

Both have solid lock up, but I have a little more confidence in the Knockout's sub-frame lock. I've owned 2 Knockouts and both locked up like vaults. I've also owned about 3 Blurs and they all had varying lock up. One was really early, one just about perfect, and the other really late.

That being said, both are solid performers. I'd expect either one to work well for you. Kershaw makes a great product and even though they're blems, Dave (kershawguy.com) is a top-notch dude and he makes sure his knives are good to go. Sorry for rambling, I just really like both of these knives. Best of luck, man.
 
Id definetely with the knockout blem bro. Just more appealing and blade strength. don't have too much experience with either one but I have held and evaluated them. good luck to you.
 
Luckily, a fellow employee, who I actually told to look into kershaws a few months ago (haha), told me today he had bought a blur a few weeks back and is being nice enough to let me borrow it for a few days on the job to see how I like it. So big props to him for helping me decide. I think within a day or two I can get a good feel if it'll be the right knife for me. I'm definitely open to more suggestions though. I can't stop adding knives to my wish list. I used to carry my BK-11 at work, which I really like, but with all the steam in the mill it's a lot of work to keep it from rusting.
 
If you were to go with kershawguy's blems, for just $5 more than your stated asking price, you could spring for an S30V blur or JYD II. Both of these cutting edges have upgraded steels which are known for edge retention. Granted, I don't know how they'd perform under the conditions that you'd put them through, but I think they ought to hold out longer, at least as far as edge retention is concerned. The JYD II is bigger though, and manual if that makes a difference. My $0.02 has been offered.
 
After carrying the blur for a few days, I decided it wasn't for me. I really was not a fan of the grippy inserts and the thumb studs cut my knuckles twice when drawing it from my pants. I also was not a fan of trying to sharpen that recurve. It's a pretty knife, and well built, but in the end I decided to go with the knockout. I bought my brother a Ontario utilitac, and I may end up picking up one of those later too after I hear his impression of it. I ordered my knockout from kershawguy and hopefully it'll be here in the next day or two!
 
Seaward Badger said:
After carrying the blur for a few days, I decided it wasn't for me. I really was not a fan of the grippy inserts and the thumb studs cut my knuckles twice when drawing it from my pants. I also was not a fan of trying to sharpen that recurve. It's a pretty knife, and well built, but in the end I decided to go with the knockout. I bought my brother a Ontario utilitac, and I may end up picking up one of those later too after I hear his impression of it. I ordered my knockout from kershawguy and hopefully it'll be here in the next day or two!
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Congrats on your purchase! I'm sure you're gonna be happy with that Knockout, Badger. And the Utilitac II is an awesome knife for the price. I have one of those as well, and it's tough as nails.
 
Seaward Badger said:
I ordered my knockout
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I like both of the knives you were looking at. As as for the Knockout, consider adding a small area of skateboard tape or grip tape where your thumb lands when you extract the knife from your pocket. It really helps get a grip on the slicky aluminum scales when you are pulling the knife out of your pocket. The Knockout is an awesome piece of knife, though, and its fun to read about someone who actually uses a knife like God intended.
 
powernoodle said:
I like both of the knives you were looking at. As as for the Knockout, consider adding a small area of skateboard tape or grip tape where your thumb lands when you extract the knife from your pocket. It really helps get a grip on the slicky aluminum scales when you are pulling the knife out of your pocket. The Knockout is an awesome piece of knife, though, and its fun to read about someone who actually uses a knife like God intended.
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I saw your pics and thought about doing that to mine, as well as putting a piece on the spine of the blade right before the swedge. Good idea, 'noodle!
 
I got my knockout in my box today when I arrived at work. So far, I love this thing. Its solid, big, light, and the clip is tight. The grind it came with isn't great, mayn 25 degrees on one side and like 15ish on the other, but i enjoy sharpening and getting my blades to where I like them anyway, so I can't really complain about that. I can't really see why it was a blem, other than the fact that there are maybe 2 tiny scratches on the blade. I noticed, too, one of the bronze washers is smaller than the other, but that may be normal. Here's some pictures compare to my former EDC at work.
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I weighed them on our scales here at work and the Zing is 3.00oz and the Knockout is 3.89oz. I'll definitely trade .89oz for twice the knife any day! They feel basically the same in the pocket too, at least as far as me noticing them goes. The knockout is also slightly slimmer than my zing too. After another few days I'll post more about my impressions having carried it and put it through some of my normal daily use and let you all know how it's holding up. Or maybe I'll start a new thread. So far I'm very pleased though.
 
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I'm really glad you're satisfied with this knife. I've loved my Knockout since the day I got it off the Exchange. I will continue to recommend this knife to people. Maybe the scratches were the blemish, or maybe the fact that the grinds were off counted as the blemish? Either way, that's a great knife you got for the price.

Lastly, seeing your side by side pics really puts things into perspective. I almost feel sorry now for the type of stuff you put that Zing through :o

EDIT: I believe the washer size difference is completely normal. That's how mine came, anyways.
 
grownstar said:
Lastly, seeing your side by side pics really puts things into perspective. I almost feel sorry now for the type of stuff you put that Zing through :o
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I cannot say enough good things about the American made zing. That little knife has taken everything i've thrown at it. Granted, I am a person who cleans off my knife everytime it gets (seriously) dirty, and sharpen my knives at least once a week. However, she's taken everything I've thrown at her. The only thing you need to be careful with is that is has a very thin hollow grind, so I tend to refrain from sideways motion. That being said, its a near perfect small EDC for lighter tasks. Kershawguy.com still has them for $35 brand new last time I checked. I've recommended it a bunch of times to other people who have office jobs and the like. Plus, it's just a good looking knife.
 
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