kershaw - poor steel choice: 8600 model = 4cr14

Smaug said:
I agree with the OP. Bad decision. At least make another brand, so we can easily identify which ones are watered-down versions of the real knives...
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Why? The only people butt hurt and offended by Kershaw's choice of steels are the *sniff* more "high toned" of the group HERE, and maybe a few odds and ends of other folks that like knives. Certainly, Kershaw is following a basic rule of marketing/selling; if it doesn't sell, quit making it. I am sure that (although they aren't as discerning as the folks here) that many, many people find a use for those knives.

Tool box/tackle box knife? Check.
Knife for relative that won't appreciate a nice blade? Check.
Gift knife for a guy that tears up knives? Check.
Purchase knife after you get to your destination (no airport hangups)? Check.
Knife for your kiddo that will most likely lose it in a few months? Check.
Great knife to learn how to sharpen? Check.
Job site work knife for 90% of my blue collar colleagues? 3X Check.
Nice (cool, too!) gifts for employees? Check.
Affordable entry into Kershaw brand? Check.
Test a knife style to see if you like all metal, FRN, serrations, blade shapes etc., Check.
A chance to get in the knife game for $15? Check.

No... I can't see why anyone would buy these knives. Shame on Kershaw for making such an affordable knife. Personally, I applaud them for keeping their name on their product, and being proud of who they are and what they stand for in the knife world. To me, Kershaw has a knife for all budgets and all users.

I never understood why Spyderco started another import line of Chinese knives instead of just calling all of their products, from "economical" to "high functioning art" Spyderco knives. Byrd knives look like Spyderco. They feel like Spyderco. Byrd steel wears and holds an edge comparable to the same steel in a similar Spyderco models. I have seen a couple that were better finished than some Spyderco offerings. Spyderco has several models in the modest but well performing 8cr3MoV. So why the difference? I would speculate, but don't need the Spyderco fanboys in attack mode.

Robert
 
Maybe it would help to look at it from Kershaw's standpoint. There is a big market demand for inexpensive Chinese made knives. That's big, with a capital HUGE. They can sell inexpensive Chinese made knives with their name on them and divert a share of that market back to an American company. Also they get more market exposure, and when a consumer is ready to move up in price, as well as quality, Kershaw has a knife in whatever price range they're looking at. They are putting their trust in brand loyalty, and it's a good market strategy.
 
Dear Kershaw,

If an employee is reading this during downtime, great job serving a diverse spectrum of the market. Some of the knives you make in 8Cr13Mov (or worse) have great designs. Please consider making versions of them in better steel. Your recent super-steel versions of the Link and Dividend are both awesome and extremely competitive among knives in those steels. Now how about a Hotwire, Clash, or Oso Sweet in decent steel?
 
At ultra-low prices, they are facing fierce competition from schrade, sog and of course ganzo etc. who have a plethora of $5 folders in 3cr13

If they can make 10 cents a knife in that arena, more power to them, profit is profit. It still seems a big trade off long term, losing the perception of brand quality 10 cents at a time.
 
dirc said:
At ultra-low prices, they are facing fierce competition from schrade, sog and of course ganzo etc. who have a plethora of $5 folders in 3cr13

If they can make 10 cents a knife in that arena, more power to them, profit is profit. It still seems a big trade off long term, losing the perception of brand quality 10 cents at a time.
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Stop spewing missinformation. Where is the plethora of $5 schrades and sogs?
 
dirc said:
If they can make 10 cents a knife in that arena, more power to them, profit is profit. It still seems a big trade off long term, losing the perception of brand quality 10 cents at a time.
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You still aren't grasping the concept of their business model. Go read the comments in this thread again.
 
dirc said:
At ultra-low prices, they are facing fierce competition from schrade, sog and of course ganzo etc. who have a plethora of $5 folders in 3cr13

If they can make 10 cents a knife in that arena, more power to them, profit is profit. It still seems a big trade off long term, losing the perception of brand quality 10 cents at a time.
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Competition is a good thing.

So are you going to now recommend a Shrade, SOG, or Ganzo instead of a Kershaw even though they use the same or similar steels? What makes them better than Kershaws? Also, all you've mentioned is the drop in steel (which by other's accounts has been done for a few years now) quality, is there any other metric you are basing your drop in quality opinion on?


I disagree that they're "losing the perception of brand quality".

Think about who the target market is for these knives. They're for folks that want something inexpensive that they can pick up off the shelf at Walmart or get cheaply on Amazon that they wont really care if they damage or lose. They generally wont know the difference between 3cr13, 8cr13mov, 440c, 14c28n, 154cm, S30V, Superduper Adamantium X, and yada yada yada. They probably wont have but a stone or a pull through sharpener to sharpen, if they even plan to sharpen a knife at all. Some will just chuck it out and buy another.

IMO, Kershaw is a better introduction than any of the knives you've mentioned as they are quality piece (even with the chosen steel) for the price, offer a good warranty, and have an even more extensive line of products at many places on the price spectrum.
 
marrenmiller said:
A poor joke on my part, but they tend to show up on other forums for topics like this, particularly on Reddit. I was kind of inferring Thomas W would make a shell account to come and debate this.
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Well he’s a massive douche so that wouldn’t surprise me!

I posted pics of a a terribly warped Natrix on their sponsored forum (USN) and he called me a liar and then banned me, as if I bent it myself...
 
HappyDaddy said:
Nothing like a bunch of economics/manufacturing illiterates telling a hugely successful knife company what they're doing "wrong." (Note: I'm no expert either, which is why I don't try to tell the experts how to run their company).
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They’re obviously doing something right and are selling a lot of knives. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a garbage product however.
 
I already think of Kershaw as a lower-end maker so nothing about this is surprising or upsetting. Personally, those horrid, drag-inducing, gunk trapping, pointless grooves milled into the blade are a lot more offensive to me than whatever steel it's made out of.

The majority of people I know think Kershaw is a good knife. They see the name at all the stores and it becomes a "name brand" knife. They like them so more power to them. My buddy had some cheapy gun-brand knife that was trashed and he asked me to look it over cuz in his mind it was a good knife. Stripped screws, there couldn't have been more blade play if it was in a bouncy house, horrible wedge-type grind, combo edge with virtually no teeth and anything resembling an edge had long ago left the scene. But to him, it was a good knife. I tossed it aside and went and got him a little Kershaw flipper. He freaking loved it. That was like two or three years ago. He still freaking loves it.

So, all good.
 
John_0917 said:
They’re obviously doing something right and are selling a lot of knives. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a garbage product however.
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True, yet a low end knife having a low end steel doesn't make it a garbage product. I would call that par for the course.
 
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