Kershaw Compound :)

O

oldmanron

Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Messages
195
About a year ago, our local Home Hardware started stocking Kershaw knives. I'd heard the name (vaguely) somewhere before and asked to look at a RMEF Whirlwind. Bam. Done deal. I bought it as fast as I could.

Started researching. A few weeks later, I was in the store to by some chainsaw oil and ... oohh ... a Leek. Done. I needed a dressier knife for weddings and funerals.

A couple weeks later and I was asking the young lady if I could look at that black knife. Snap. I thought to myself, "It'll make a great gift for somebody some day." The Blackout is still in the box ... cleaned thoroughly with BreakFree and thoroughly lubed.

Today I was back in the store. A $26 Kershaw?

I'd read about them. But from China? Damn, my Norinco 1911 is from China, and it's a wonderful piece of super-quality steel. Gussied-up with classic Herrett grips.

Other than the ugly/gimmicky Jedi Master shape of the blade, this seems to be an incredibly well-made knife. The steel is an unknown quantity, but right now it's shaving sharp and will probably be able to be kept OK with moderate/frequent love and attention.

And that's $26 in Canadian funds. In Alberta, where everything is expensive.

Am I missing something here? Current owners' opinions are most welcome.
 
Last edited:
Personally, I really like the blade shape. Use it for a while and you might change your mind on it being gimmicky. The blade steel is 8cr13mov which is decent, it takes a super sharp edge and is easy to sharpen. It one of many Chinese Kershaws that are hard to beat for the money.
 
I had a Compound for a while. Ended up snapping the tip off. It was ok for a beater but it had a few things I didn't like about it.

Dislikes
The pocket clip caused a hot spot
The blades recurve was disadvantages
Unnecessarily heavy
8CRMOV steel with a less then impressive heat treatment
Delicate tip (even though it was rather thick)
No Jimpping

It's not all bad though. Here are some things I liked about it.

Likes
Cheap
Solid lock up even through hard use
After removing the pocket clip I didn't find any more hot spots
Fast deployment

Here is what it looks like now. After the tip snapped off I turned it into a(n) "Razor" knife.
20kpit.jpg
 
One of my first Kershaws was a Compound. Actually, one is wrong, as I bought two of them when a certain "daily deal" website was selling them for really cheap. In any case, I ended up selling both to co-workers, as neither the blade shape nor handle shape really appealed to me once I held the knife in my hand. I also didn't care for the flipper shape compared to those on other knives, as I didn't find it comfortable. That being said, both knives were flawless out of the packaging, and the guys who bought them really like them.

So why did I buy them in the first place? I was new to assisted-opening knives and was familiar with Kershaw, so I jumped because the price was right. Had I waited, I probably could have found a comparable price on a model I liked more, which eventually was true anyway. Being that most of Kershaw's imported models have 8Cr13MoV blades and G10 handles for $30 or less, it's not as though I didn't have options, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. If the design works for you, then $26 is probably money well spent, but I paid less than that (per knife) and wished I hadn't.
 
I scooped up five Kershaw Crown II's for $5 each from TSC, My Dad got two tremors for $12 each and a black horse II for $12 as well from the same store...

Crazy good deals IMO.
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for the responses.

Most decisions in life involve some kind of trade-off ... it seems that Kershaw knives offer a huge array of easily understood options. Which is always good ... :)
 
Compound is an awesome little knife. I've owned several China-made Kershaws and they have held their own just fine.

I've never had a problem with my Cryos, Funxion, Clash, Injection, Shuffle, Thermite, Swerve, Freefall, Volt and Brawler, to name a few ;)

Be happy with your purchase and don't be afraid to use it. I've always had my eye on a Turbulence, which is basically a made in USA Compound, just never pulled the trigger on it.
 
digitalurbancamo said:
I had a Compound for a while. Ended up snapping the tip off. It was ok for a beater but it had a few things I didn't like about it.

Dislikes
The pocket clip caused a hot spot
The blades recurve was disadvantages
Unnecessarily heavy
8CRMOV steel with a less then impressive heat treatment
Delicate tip (even though it was rather thick)
No Jimpping

It's not all bad though. Here are some things I liked about it.

Likes
Cheap
Solid lock up even through hard use
After removing the pocket clip I didn't find any more hot spots
Fast deployment

Here is what it looks like now. After the tip snapped off I turned it into a(n) "Razor" knife.
20kpit.jpg
Click to expand...

You know you can send it back to KAI and pay $10 for a new blade installed usually.
 
I might just be one of the few who love the pocket clip on this thing. Small, Discreet, and just the rite size for a clip if you really don't want anyone to know you are carrying a knife. One of my favorites outside the spyderco wire clip. I actually really like this knife for the price, just a tad heavier then I prefer for EDC. Hard to beat for the price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top