Kershaw ET- random first impressions.

Rat Finkenstein

Rat Finkenstein

Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
23,019
I just got my ET in the mail, very neat little knife smaller than I expected.
Very sharp.
Nifty opening method, or you can open with a wrist flick or thumb. Locks closed and not open. grabbing the handle is the lock when open.
High hollowgrind, shaving sharp and looks to be a fine slicer, good for edc utility.

Pocket clip seems a little tight, havent really tried it out. Action is smooth.
Handle is pretty comfy, IMO.

Fun to play with.
I am happy with the purchase.:thumbup:
 
Nifty opening method, or you can open with a wrist flick or thumb. Locks closed and not open. grabbing the handle is the lock when open.
High hollowgrind, shaving sharp and looks to be a fine slicer, good for edc utility.
Click to expand...

So your hand is the lock by keeping a firm grip on it the handle?

What kind of rubles did it set you back RF?

I like the looks of it quite a bit, although i am still on the purchase fence right now.

WR
 
I might pick one up because it might be the closest I get to legally owning a balisong.
 
1,809.53 Rubles, or 62.49 USD from NGK;)
I have only been messing with it a little bit, but It can easily be opened with one hand, using standard techniques.(thumb or wrist flick) I have closed it with one hand, but not easily. I think that adding a lanyard to the back will make it an easy one hand closer. The Blade locks open, but gripping the knife ensures that it cannot be closed even with the toggle. I am confident I will be able to toggle it open and closed one handed with a bit of practice.

Another thing is the pocket clip is the lowest riding I have, the entire knife disappears and all that shows is the small clip and the little ball on the end.
It is a little tight, however.

Stevekt- A neat knife, and fun to play with, but not at all like a balisong, not many tricks to be had.

My favorite aspect of the design might actually be the Blade- it is kind of like an old endura, with the fine point but more belly, thinner- I like it.
I havent been able to try out the carabiner yet.
 
Ok, I have come to the conclusion that the pocket clip sucks on this knife. It is too tight and requires two hands to attach it to something. Maybe I could bend it out a little, but it might just be a waste of time. I keep this knife clipped to a ring on my backpack with the carabiner clip, so it isnt much of an issue with me.
Still, the clip tightness seems to be the only drawback.
 
handled one in a store - it appears that the knife is "locked" open unless the toggle at the end of the handle is operated, i.e. it can't close on you unless that toggle is pulled back, even if you try to force it closed by folding it. correct?
 
fishface5 said:
handled one in a store - it appears that the knife is "locked" open unless the toggle at the end of the handle is operated, i.e. it can't close on you unless that toggle is pulled back, even if you try to force it closed by folding it. correct?
Click to expand...

Thats right. It locks solid, strong.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Ok, I have come to the conclusion that the pocket clip sucks on this knife. It is too tight and requires two hands to attach it to something. Maybe I could bend it out a little, but it might just be a waste of time. I keep this knife clipped to a ring on my backpack with the carabiner clip, so it isnt much of an issue with me.
Still, the clip tightness seems to be the only drawback.
Click to expand...

I thought there was a knob on it to adjust tension?
 
I have seen guys go off with the E.T. They can open and close it 100 times in a minute! Also have seen at least 15 different ways to open this knife. So there are "tricks" to be done with the E.T., the user just needs to practice and apply different techniques. Maybe closer to a Bali than one might originally think.

Rat, it doesn't sound like the clip "sucks", it sounds like it just needs to be adjusted.
 
SID said:
I have seen guys go off with the E.T. They can open and close it 100 times in a minute! Also have seen at least 15 different ways to open this knife. So there are "tricks" to be done with the E.T., the user just needs to practice and apply different techniques. Maybe closer to a Bali than one might originally think.

Rat, it doesn't sound like the clip "sucks", it sounds like it just needs to be adjusted.
Click to expand...

The only way to adjust the clip is to bend it. The little knob doesnt do anything, it is just there so you will have something to grip with your thumb.

It is fun to play with, although tricks are limited. I suppose there could be some zany ways of manipulating that people might come up with.

I like the fact that it can be closed easily by brushing the toggle against my leg or any surface. Opening the knife is very smooth and can easily be done with any standard method.
 
recieved mine about a half hour ago-
first is it feels good in the hand,solid and not too thick-

second is the safety lock-good location and ease of use-

third is the gagetyness of it,lots of moving parts but still very solid and well built-its a ton of fun to play with -maybe too much --hehehe

fourth is so far for me its not a one hand closer -yet---

have the day off so im still in my sweat pants so i cant comment on the clip yet-

and the blade shape is sweet,not overly sharp though-
 
The store at which I work got the E.T. in a couple of weeks ago. I'm sorry to say, but I don't like it at all. Maybe I'm not valuing it for its strengths, but frankly, I'm not sure what those strengths might be. Sheer uniqueness, perhaps? All I know is that the damn thing bites me every time I try to close it. Still, I suppose design works like evolution. It's worthwhile to produce all sorts of weird new mechanisms. Though some (maybe the majority) will go the way of the dodo (not Spyderco's Dodo, which I like, but the extinct bird,) there will be a precious few that go on to become significant advances in knife design. Where would we be if Spyderco hadn't taken a chance on the SpyderHole, or Chris Reeve hadn't gambled on the frame lock? So I applaud Kershaw's courage in making the E.T., but I can't say I appreciate the result.
 
decided to grab one.

i like it.

is it overengineered? yes. too many moving parts? yes. does it require it's own tool kit? yes.

but it's so 'sci-fi geeky' that you just can't put it down. i've found out how to open and close it easily by toggling with my thumb in reverse grip for that 'tactical look' :) . and i can one hand it by using my ring finger in normal grip.

personally i love the clip. short and strong. i usually carry Dalton autos and worry about losing them if i have to dump somebody at work and wrestle around. the ET clip isn't going anywhere.

not going to be my primary knife, but definately in rotation for the "hey look at this..." factor.

i'll give it a 7 out of 10 for sheer innovation.
 
i wore mine the other day to work-first off,never forget to use the lock if you have it in your pocket-first time i took it out it jumped open and scared the crap out of me-lol-

i liked how low it rides in the pocket and it leaves enough room to get at what ever else you have in there-

but its just got to many pivot points for me to wear it everyday-in do tile and marble and such for a living and my pockets get filled with micro dust that just loads up and has to be cleaned out frequently-so i want a easy disasemble and clean knife(my avatar)that can be done quickly-

it will be the non work edc knife -at least till i get my spyderco walker
 
I've always like the ET design. I'd say based on how little people on these forums talk about it, its gotta be one of the most underrated knives from Kershaw.

I've read that some people don't like the ET because it tends to bite. ThomasW brought up a great point that balisongs cut people all the time and most people don't hold anything against them. You just gotta get used to it.
 
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