I'm not normally a fan of cheap tools, nor do I like cheap quality. So, I got the SMKW email about the Kershaw Lightyear, in their Buzz Lightyear color scheme. It brought back childhood memories. The specs looked very unimpressive, and my previous experience with Kershaw assisted opening knives has been terrible. I have a Kershaw Scallion and while I like the idea of it, especially since we can't legally carry auto's in my state, it's really just a pretty terrible knife. The knife torsion spring isn't overly powerful at any point, but after carrying it for a few weeks it'll get to where it can't open fully on its own. This last time, even from sitting on my desk and not actually using it, it still became weak. I sent it back once, and Kershaw replaced it. The replacement did the exact same thing after a few weeks. As did the one I gifted a relative. Thanks to the guys on here, I've since learned how to clean and lube it on my own. That it fixes it for a few weeks, then it's back to the same old thing. It really turned me off on the whole Kershaw brand to be honest. Until now, I haven't bought another knife from them.
Anyway, I saw this thing and had to have it. I bought it 100% based on the looks, without any real plan to use it other than to just toss it in the collection. Especially with the 4Cr14 steel. I was expecting junk. Upon receiving this thing I was pleasantly surprised. It came very sharp out of the box. It felt great in my hand, and is lightweight. It also felt like the perfect size for an EDC, and I prefer the spear point blade to the other Kershaw I have. The nylon scales do have a cheaper feel to them, but surprisingly they feel great in my hand and are very lightweight. I think I may actually prefer these due to the weight savings. It's almost unnoticeable in my pocket. I just hope they hold up long term. I liked it enough that I decided to give it a chance and carry it. I've been carrying it for almost a month now and I've really come to love this knife. So far I haven't had any issues with the blade getting dull. I've cut a variety of things from cardboard, plastic pipe while working in the yard, a few small branches with it, etc. Just things you'd use an everyday knife for. I really expected it to be dull by now, but it's still extremely sharp. I'm really blown away by it. When it does dull, the profile of the blade will be extremely easy to touch up again.
In addition to the feel, size, shape, weight, and sharpness, the assisted opening feature seems significantly improved from my other Kershaw. I wonder if this is due to the lighter weight, but I'm not sure on that. It snaps open with quite a bit of force. Enough that if it hits your hand on the way out, it can hurt. Significantly more force than my other assisted opening knife has ever had. After carrying it for almost a month, it's still snapping open with just as much force as it did originally. I've also taken this thing out and played with it a ton. I'd venture to guess I've probably opened it 1000+ times.
Overall, I'm extremely impressed with this knife. I just wanted to share my thoughts, because I never thought I'd like this thing anywhere near as much as I do. It's also cheap enough that I can abuse it and not feel bad about doing so. That's one problem I've had when carrying expensive knives. I'm sure this knife isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for a cheap knife to carry, I think it's worth taking a look even though the specifications look pretty lousy.
Anyway, I saw this thing and had to have it. I bought it 100% based on the looks, without any real plan to use it other than to just toss it in the collection. Especially with the 4Cr14 steel. I was expecting junk. Upon receiving this thing I was pleasantly surprised. It came very sharp out of the box. It felt great in my hand, and is lightweight. It also felt like the perfect size for an EDC, and I prefer the spear point blade to the other Kershaw I have. The nylon scales do have a cheaper feel to them, but surprisingly they feel great in my hand and are very lightweight. I think I may actually prefer these due to the weight savings. It's almost unnoticeable in my pocket. I just hope they hold up long term. I liked it enough that I decided to give it a chance and carry it. I've been carrying it for almost a month now and I've really come to love this knife. So far I haven't had any issues with the blade getting dull. I've cut a variety of things from cardboard, plastic pipe while working in the yard, a few small branches with it, etc. Just things you'd use an everyday knife for. I really expected it to be dull by now, but it's still extremely sharp. I'm really blown away by it. When it does dull, the profile of the blade will be extremely easy to touch up again.
In addition to the feel, size, shape, weight, and sharpness, the assisted opening feature seems significantly improved from my other Kershaw. I wonder if this is due to the lighter weight, but I'm not sure on that. It snaps open with quite a bit of force. Enough that if it hits your hand on the way out, it can hurt. Significantly more force than my other assisted opening knife has ever had. After carrying it for almost a month, it's still snapping open with just as much force as it did originally. I've also taken this thing out and played with it a ton. I'd venture to guess I've probably opened it 1000+ times.
Overall, I'm extremely impressed with this knife. I just wanted to share my thoughts, because I never thought I'd like this thing anywhere near as much as I do. It's also cheap enough that I can abuse it and not feel bad about doing so. That's one problem I've had when carrying expensive knives. I'm sure this knife isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for a cheap knife to carry, I think it's worth taking a look even though the specifications look pretty lousy.
