- Joined
- Jan 21, 2006
- Messages
- 557
Hey everyone, meet the Kershaw 1840 Shallot:
After trading off a couple of my Leeks, I realized I had no more Kershaws to round out my collection. I figured I'd try the Shallot since not only does it look plain awesome, but it's a decent sized folder. Sorry in advance about the lack of comparison photos, but like I said it's the only Kershaw I've got at the moment.
Here are the specs:
-Sandvik 13C26 Steel
-410 Stainless handles
-Framelock
-Reversible Pocket Clip
-Assisted-Opening folder, index finger opening
-Blade 3.5" OAL 7.9"
-Weight ~4.0 oz.
My first impression opening the knife is that the AO seems a tad slower then on some of the kershaws. I'm assuming the larger/lengthier blade is the culprit here (IIRC the Speed/Spec bumps are a little slow AO wise). The blade as well as the handles are given a bead blasted finish; honestly I would've preferred a different finish, but it's not really a deal breaker on the Shallot. Perhaps in the future Kershaw might release a Shallot with stonewash finish, or maybe even one with G10 scales (here's hoping).There's a slight recurve on the edge and the profile appears to be drop point.
One thing I enjoyed most about the Shallot is that it actually fits my hand! The Leek tried doing this and for the most part it got the job done, however I found myself using it with four finger as opposed to all five. Notice below how you can ramp your thumb along the spine into that groove, adding more blade control if desired.
I tried a little bit of wood carving with the Shallot, just to see how sharp it was out of box. It made good curls out of the wood, and initially seems nice and sharp. Never tried any pull strokes with it, slipped my mind I guess; have a feeling it might be a little awkward. It hasn't been used much yet, so I can't speak on the retention or ease of sharpening for Sandvik.
Food prep was supposed to be next but all the produce was either A) already eaten or B) spoiled.
One thing though, which I might as well mention at this point: The Shallot has no option for blade safety, or rather, there's nothing that can stop the blade from opening in your pocket accidentally. I've never experienced such an occurrence so far yet, and in fact I've never had that issue with the Leek even when the safety feature wasn't engaged.
Another thing which slightly annoyed me is the complete lack of any secondary opening feature (i.e. thumbstuds). Some people find the studs on the smaller Kershaws to be too small and therefore useless. I however used them all the time, even more so than the index flipper! I actually found that studs made AO openings quicker.
OVERALL
The Shallot is a great knife that's pretty slim and light. It looks nice, and thanks to its larger size it accommodates the hand well. Excellent candidate for EDC folder! It's relatively cheap to boot too; MSRP is ~$80 but you can easily find one within the $50 range.
After trading off a couple of my Leeks, I realized I had no more Kershaws to round out my collection. I figured I'd try the Shallot since not only does it look plain awesome, but it's a decent sized folder. Sorry in advance about the lack of comparison photos, but like I said it's the only Kershaw I've got at the moment.
Here are the specs:
-Sandvik 13C26 Steel
-410 Stainless handles
-Framelock
-Reversible Pocket Clip
-Assisted-Opening folder, index finger opening
-Blade 3.5" OAL 7.9"
-Weight ~4.0 oz.
My first impression opening the knife is that the AO seems a tad slower then on some of the kershaws. I'm assuming the larger/lengthier blade is the culprit here (IIRC the Speed/Spec bumps are a little slow AO wise). The blade as well as the handles are given a bead blasted finish; honestly I would've preferred a different finish, but it's not really a deal breaker on the Shallot. Perhaps in the future Kershaw might release a Shallot with stonewash finish, or maybe even one with G10 scales (here's hoping).There's a slight recurve on the edge and the profile appears to be drop point.
One thing I enjoyed most about the Shallot is that it actually fits my hand! The Leek tried doing this and for the most part it got the job done, however I found myself using it with four finger as opposed to all five. Notice below how you can ramp your thumb along the spine into that groove, adding more blade control if desired.
I tried a little bit of wood carving with the Shallot, just to see how sharp it was out of box. It made good curls out of the wood, and initially seems nice and sharp. Never tried any pull strokes with it, slipped my mind I guess; have a feeling it might be a little awkward. It hasn't been used much yet, so I can't speak on the retention or ease of sharpening for Sandvik.
Food prep was supposed to be next but all the produce was either A) already eaten or B) spoiled.
One thing though, which I might as well mention at this point: The Shallot has no option for blade safety, or rather, there's nothing that can stop the blade from opening in your pocket accidentally. I've never experienced such an occurrence so far yet, and in fact I've never had that issue with the Leek even when the safety feature wasn't engaged.
Another thing which slightly annoyed me is the complete lack of any secondary opening feature (i.e. thumbstuds). Some people find the studs on the smaller Kershaws to be too small and therefore useless. I however used them all the time, even more so than the index flipper! I actually found that studs made AO openings quicker.
OVERALL
The Shallot is a great knife that's pretty slim and light. It looks nice, and thanks to its larger size it accommodates the hand well. Excellent candidate for EDC folder! It's relatively cheap to boot too; MSRP is ~$80 but you can easily find one within the $50 range.
