Kershaw Large Cyclone Review (with video)

[Cliff Stamp]

I think it may have had a wire or otherwise weak edge, possibliy covered up by the previous stropping.

Generally, if a wire edge is so extensive that it could induce failure over a significant depth of the micro-bevel you would see it along the rest of the bevel. That class of steel when properly hardened should also have minimal burr formation. In general though I would be cautious about forming opinions until the data is repeated a few times as there is always the case of some random influence, mainly the chance of an accidental and unaware hard contact.

This is a Canadian passaround, you can get in on it and test the edge retention as well.

Passarounds on my time scale would be ice age slow.

I'm sure no-one will accuse you of trying to scuttle Kershaw.

Of course not, when you sign up for a membership here you agree to not engage in ad hominem arguements as these forums were developed by Turber because such were common on Knifeforums at the time and he wanted a place to discuss knives not people. No one would of course go back on their word by offering unfounded and completely subjective personal attacks on another.

I assume that was with t-mac's reprofile and 10 degree per side microbevel....? Not sure I'd be too concerned if it was. Now if it did the same thing with a 15 degree edge bevel added, I'd start to worry a bit.

If you need a 15 degree bevel to keep a knife from denting on paper then something is seriously wrong. You don't need to go that high on the cheap no-name mystery stainless steels.

I would say both of these failures are rather startling [to me].

The low strength of the AFCK isn't what I would have expected, but the high insecurity of the Kershaw is pretty standard for liner locks, though that one is on the low end from what I have seen. Nice work.

-Cliff

 

[Dog of War]

Nice work, kel_aa. Not too surprised with your findings on the Cyclone's lock .... the mini I handled didn't inspire much confidence. The AFCK surprises.

If you need a 15 degree bevel to keep a knife from denting on paper then something is seriously wrong. You don't need to go that high on the cheap no-name mystery stainless steels.

Definitely agree. I was mostly looking at the fact (if I'm reading the thread correctly) that kel_aa was testing the edge applied by t-mac. IMO the tester needs to control the sharpening process and repeat the tests as you point out for it to be meaningful. If the steel is really that bad, I think it's going to be obvious even at 15/side .... in fact I think it would be obvious during sharpening.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Yes, I would advise repeating it even if you did it yourself just to make sure. I would also agree that the sharpening would be informative. Ideally do it alongside something like VG-10 and AUS-8A and comment on the differences/similarities.

The Vapor I have was decent in regards to lock strength/security, but when I was writing up the review I did a search and turned up a host of problems. Often people were having multiple defects.

-Cliff

 

[kel_aa]

The previous edge was as recieved from the_mac.

I sharpened it myself today with the Sharpmaker. I tried to maintain a 11 or 12 degree edge, but ended up sharpening at 15. The burr was responding pretty badily. I cut into the stone and started over. Again, it was not going way, so I tried the CrO loaded cardboard the_mac supplied. It aligned the edge well. It cut some stiff paper (like cereal boxes) and it held fine. I did some cutting with it along a Aus8 Kershaw Antelope Hunter. The blade length and shape is similar, but the edge is thicker. I taped off a 3cm section of the edge and did two trials of cutting 13 strips of 14 linear inches of 1/8 cardboard with each knife.

The Cyclone always starts off sharper, but by the end of the first trial they were shaving armhair about the same. Freshly sharpen again, the Cyclone did much better than the Antelope Hunter. The Cyclone did not roll at all this time, but the Aus8 had a very slight indentation in one spot both times.

It feels harder than the Aus8. But I'm not used to using a strop for burr removal, and the Cyclone has had much stock removal done already.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

That seems reasonable and that is why that steel was basically branded as 440A class for a very long time. It is unfortunate that is the approach Kershaw has taken.

In general, removing a burr by stropping is very prone to leaving an edge which is very weak and prone to premature deformation.

-Cliff

 

[kel_aa]

After the 2nd round of cardboard testing, I used the Cyclone in the kitchen to cut some things up on a plastic cutting board. Afterwards, I again noticed a wire-edge. The thing is it would still shave arm hairs on both sides. I got tired of working with this steel, so I did my best to sharpen it and sent it off to the next person.

I did open the knife to take a look. I noticed some wear on the corner of linerlock, possbily resulting from my testing.

Here is my review
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The Cyclone is a pretty interesting product, being on the large end of the AO family. I generally think flippers make better AO's. This one has AO on/off option can the thumbstud is also usuable, quite thoughtful design aspects. The action was very reliable. I enjoyed the passaround and the chance to play with this knife.

My initial impressions were this knife was very wide and heavier (6.0 oz) than ones that I'm used to. Do you get used to it? Yes, but by the same token you can also get used to a 8 oz knife or a 4 oz knife. A lot of the bulk comes from the large flat handles, which is very comfortable in use. The clip is wide and stubby. As a clip, it is pretty difficult to use one-handed, but it is very friendly on the fingers when in use. My only objection would be that the aluminum scales should have more texturing for a knife of this size.

The edge length is about the same as the AFCK, but the top of the Cyclone's handle sticks out pretty far, taking away some effective blade-length. The blade profile is quasi-symmetrical, in a broad spear/leaf shape. As profiled by the_mac, it is a very nice edge compared to most-factory knives. It is not at its limit as a EDC of this size, but as it is, I applaud the work done by hand to bring it to this level.

I used this knife to cut some cardboard and also in the kitchen as a utility knife. The handle comfort and the blade geometry shows, but I was wishing for the extra usual blade length of the AFCK in the kitchen as the thumbstud and the handle gets in the way.

The steel I did not have a very good experience with. I found it very difficult to deburr using a Sharpmaker. Using some CrO loaded cardboard helps to align the edge, but it generally results in wire-edges that would roll. I found this a fairly difficult piece to work with, certainly not something I would seek out over many of the others I've worked with.

Overall, I see this as fun knife for those who don't mind the bulk and the weight. For the price, it delievers some nice aspects (bead-blasted is not one of them). If you can take the time to thin the edge and keep in mind the issues with the linerlock (a counter-clockwise twist and a closing action will defeat the lock), this will be a good functional piece.

Picture 1: Some marker showing the extent of the 15 degree edge. Sorry the_mac that I ruined the 10 degree edge, but it was not very productive for me sharpening at that angle.
Picture 2, 3: I cleaned up the blade a little using some 600 sandpaper that I found. It did result in some mirror-like qualities, but it also left scratches of its own.



The SOG Twitch II is a flipper-style AO of 2.6 inch blade. My previous review is here.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

How did you feel about the large choil notch? Any comments on the value of its size/weight vs overall function? It is unfortunate that the steel is so characterized, but isn't unexpected given the hardness. When properly hardened to optomize edge stability such steels are very easy to sharpen as they have minimal burr formation and easily obtain extreme levels of sharpness.

-Cliff

 

[kel_aa]

The large choil notch doesn't cut, but it noticable helps with the sharpening, especially on a jig-set up. You can just drop the blade on the sticks at the notch, and slide smoothly down to the edge. As far as the reducing the cutting length, well, the taper of the handle and the thumbstud already does that.

Any comments on the value of its size/weight vs overall function?

Well, it is approaching the weight of a Manix (6.125 oz), but I don't think they are in the same class. It's fine for EDC, but would not classify as a heavy-duty knife except it is that it is large and relatively heavy. I think the lack of texturing on the scales and the fact that the stop pin is not screwed in indicate the design emphasis as a fun and functional knife. As far as size/weight vs overall function, I'd say it would be outdone by both lighter and heavier knives (Manix, Buck 110, Military, FRN knives). This is paying for style and fun (and it's not a lot of money at that.)

 

[Cliff Stamp]

That certainly is a valid point if that was the design criteria, or regardless if it suceeds along that line. Not everyone buys a knife simple as a tool, so worth it other ways is definately of value to note.

-Cliff

 

[wyrm]

Well my review is kinda short on details. I had a rough week at work and couldn't afford the time to put any real use in these knives.

Overall I disliked the Kershaw as soon as I took it out of the package. The scales are way to slippery for my liking. It felt good in the first 2 1/2 fingers but felt really strange across the heel of my hand and and my pinky, like there was some of the handle missing (but there wasn't). Felt awkward. The on/off button was a major PITA and not worth the effort to change between A/O and manual. Plus it (the lock, I think) also rattled - don't know why, but it did it since I opened the box.

The SOG was a nice small knife that would be good to carry if you needed to be discreet, like in an office or on Sunday mornings. But I've given up being discreet. I liked the A/O action a bit better than the Kershaw but I'm confused by the lock. Why put a lock back on an A/O? Isn't the whole point to be able to do the open/close thing with one hand?

Personally I would not recommend the Kershaw to anyone. The SOG would be fine for those who need or prefer a smaller knife that opens quickly.

Thanks for the chance in this pass around Jake. With not too many B&M stores around anymore the chance to handle any knife without having to buy one is much appreciated!

D.

 

[kel_aa]

I contacted Benchmade about the liner lock failure. I told them the history of the piece (bought from dealer 3 years ago with signs of being carried, serivced last summer with a screw issue), explained what I had done and the result, and asked if such behavior was to be expected of the 800 or 910 models utilizing titanium liner locks, and if not if they would look at it and replace it. The response was that it was not the expected behavior, but given the unknown history of the knife previous to my ownership, it cannot be known what was done to the knife. They said they would replace the liner, but would not do warranty work upon any furthur testing as the knife was designed to be a cutting tool only.

That sounds like a fair policy to me. Given the uncompetitive nature of the primary grind, replacing the liner wouldn't really increase the utiliy of the knife. Only the rare case of self defense or resumed testing of the lock can be arguments for the replacement of the liner. But it must be noted that the buckling of the liners didn't result from intentionally testing the strength of the liner, its weakness was revealed during the process of torque testing.