Kershaw Packrat

[JNieporte]

The Packrat was released by Kershaw in 2008, and I was hesitant to get one for one simple reason: I had all the assisted openers I needed. Well, I was wrong. The Packrat gives a very comfortable handle and unique blade shape; almost like a Persian-inspired blade. It's an American-made knife and sells for around $55. The model number is 1665. The Packrats shown in this review are factory seconds and aprt from the four Xs on the blade, they're identical to factory knives in all aspects. It weighs in at 4.2 ounces and was designed by the master himself, Ken Onion.

The Handle: The Packrat is 4-1/8" long closed and 7/16" thick, not counting the pocket clip. It has 410-series stainless steel liners, one locking, and G-10 scales. the handles are held together with three black T-6 screws, which go into nuts on the right side of the handle. The blade pivot pin screw is black, and uses a T-8 screw.

The backspacer is black Zytel, and this holds the SpeedSafe in place.

The Packrat opens very quickly due to Kershaw's SpeedSafe assisted opening system. If you're not familiar with it, it uses a torsion bar to keep the blade closed. When pressure is applied to the blade on either the thumb studs or the index finger protrusion (like a flipper) and the blade opens past about 25 degrees, the torsion bar propels the blade to the locked-open position. It's very fast and very reliable.

There's also a lanyard hole in the butt and it's 1/8" in diameter, but I've found it too small to be useful.

The Packrat uses a brushed stainless steel pocket clip mounted on the right-hand side, and it's adjustable for tip up or tip down carry via black T-6 screws (two of them).

As you can see, tip down carry is just a tad deeper than tip up carry. retention in the pocket is good, but not great. It's plenty tight and placement is great, but the rough G-10 scales tend to drag a bit on the inside of the pocket. It's easy to get over, but will take a few tries to get used to.

The Packrat is a linerlock. The two I have are great; no blade play in any direction, and the liner engages the blade for its entire length on both.

The orange one engages the lock a little farther than the black one, but both are perfectly functional.

In use the Packrat is extremely comfortable. It's a very nice knife to use, and the ergonomics are outstanding. It's a nearly-perfect EDC.

Continued below due to photo upload limitations...

 

[JNieporte]

The Blade: The Packrat uses a Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel blade at 58-60 on the Rockwell scale. It's 3-3/8" long and 1/8" thick. It's flat ground and has a brushed finish.

Both of mine came hair-shaving sharp. There are thumb studs are on each side of the blade, but I just can't get my thumb between the stud and handle to make them useful; I have to use the flipper. When open, the flipper forms a choil, which is nice. There's no jimping on the spine of the blade, but I don't think it's necessary due to the slight curve on the handle.

I don't have much experience with Kershaw's 14C28N, but the limited amount that I do have seems to be a big improvement over their 13C26. The newer steel seems to hold its edge longer and be even more corrosion resistant (the 14C28N has nitrogen, which is good for corrosion resistance).

In all, I think Kershaw hit a home run (again) with the Packrat. It's an ideal EDC, even more so than the Leek in my opinion, and it's robust enough for medium to heavy-duty cutting chores. For the meager price tag, every knife nut should own one.

Size comparison, left to right: two Blurs, two Leeks, two Packrats, Oso Sweet...

 

[ROBB]

Great review, nice pic's as usual. Looking forward to your next review.:thumbup:

 

[tknife]

I like the fatty swell on the butt, looks really comfortable to hold. Blade shape is cool too. Nice review and pics.

 

[SPXTrader]

Nice review as always JN. One thing about the Packrat I find unique is how the liner lock is secured under the blade flipper when open. I've never seen another knife like this before.

 

[Tostig]

Nice review as usual !

I tried out a Packrat at a local store , almost bought it just because it's a Kershaw but in the end it just didnt bite me like my others.

I do dig the orange scaled version though.

Tostig

 

[Que]

Nice review as usual !

I tried out a Packrat at a local store , almost bought it just because it's a Kershaw but in the end it just didnt bite me like my others.

I do dig the orange scaled version though.

Tostig

Thanks for a great review. I have been considering the Packrat for a while and have handled it a few times. It really didn't seem to offer too much different from what I already have in several knives, but when you add it all up I think that it is most certainly worth owning. The handle and blade shape alone are somewhat unique, definitely with that Persian influence. Looks like I'll be taking a drive later today

 

[diamdave]

Good knife, very sharp, good edge geometry. Handle needs to be half inch longer though. Then it'd be perfect.

 

[Tostig]

Thanks for a great review. I have been considering the Packrat for a while and have handled it a few times. It really didn't seem to offer too much different from what I already have in several knives, but when you add it all up I think that it is most certainly worth owning. The handle and blade shape alone are somewhat unique, definitely with that Persian influence. Looks like I'll be taking a drive later today

Let us know how you like it

It's an impressive knife allright , it just didnt sing to me like the other Kershaws I own did.
And yes the blade shape is pretty distinct.


Tostig

 

[Que]

Let us know how you like it

It's an impressive knife allright , it just didnt sing to me like the other Kershaws I own did.
And yes the blade shape is pretty distinct.


Tostig

I like it a lot. I'm glad that I acquired it. This review is right on the money. I think that I resisted getting it for so long due to having a Lahar, but they are very different knives.

I really like the ergonomics of the Packrat. Yes, the handle could be a bit longer, but to make it long enough (for me at least) it would be an entirely different knife in terms of compactness. this is another knife with a blade length that is deceptively long thanks to the handle length. Like the Lahar this isn't a Kershaw that is going to immediately grab you compared to others, but once it does there is a lot to appreciate about it. It's also an extremelely solid knife. Sometimes assisted opening knives seem a little "loose" to me in terms of overall integrity, but not this one.

Thanks again for the review.

 

[trimcut123]

That knife is naturally comfortable.. if it were made of a framelock.. I would own one...
To the OP.. Im pretty sure the packrats have a blast finish.. not a brushed correct.??
Thanks for the review. My brother will not stop talking about his rat now>>

 

[JNieporte]

...To the OP.. Im pretty sure the packrats have a blast finish.. not a brushed correct.??
Thanks for the review. My brother will not stop talking about his rat now>>

I think Kershaw calls it a bead blast finish, yes. However, it feels smooth, like a brushed Zippo. I think it's like a satin-finished blade without the polish.

 

[John Watson]

I wanted an assisted folder and decided on the orange handled PackRat. I am impressed with the overall quality of this knife especially at this price point. i especially like the continuous sweep of the blade and the double liners which should make this knife plenty strong.

The blade opens with authority which is nice. I recently purchased a Chill and like the flipper but the assisted opener is really nice. It did come shaving sharp but I passed it on my stone and passed it on my strop for good measure.

 

[whetrock]

This is one of Kershaw's underdog models for sure I hope it catches on that blade profile looks very practical.