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Kershaw SpeedForm & SpeedForm II Review
Introduction
The Kershaw SpeedForm was the named the Blade Show American Knife of the Year in 2009. By any standards, it is an innovative knife, featuring a composite blade and CNC machined titanium handles and a striking design. As Kershaw has done with several other models, it introduced the original SpeedForm as a prototype at the Blade Show, followed it with a very limited run with high-end materials, and then a produced a mainstream model called the SpeedForm II. As compared to the now discontinued SpeedForm, the SpeedForm II is a little smaller, a little lighter, a little less striking in aesthetics, and about half the price. Here are the specs:
Blade
Both versions of the SpeedForm have a cutting edge honed from ELMAX® powdered steel. Kershaw describes ELMAX® as:
The original SpeedForm has a dream-team mix of tough American made Crucible D2 tool steel and Bohler Uddeholm’s Austrian ELMAX® for optimal edge holding. The blade is actually made from two pieces of the different steels fused together along a copper weld.
The SpeedForm II blade is made from a single billet of ELMAX® only. Both it and the original SpeedForm are available in plain edge onlyand have an identical shape: stiletto styled with “splinter-picker” tips, hollow grinds, and a swedge at the point. Both versions of the SpeedForm open by flicking your thumb over angled thumb studs -- similar to those found on the Kershaw Blur or Storm. The action on the original SpeedForm is smooth, but not as speedy as the knife’s name implies. The SpeedForm II, however, flicks open quite speedily. Both knives are strictly manual, with no SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism.
Handle
The original SpeedForm has handles crafted from CNC machined 6AL4V titanium. They are smooth, sleek, and two-toned in shades of silver and bronze. There is no jimping. The lock is integrated into one of the scales and travels across about 30% of the blade tang. Lockup is secure and there is no bladeplay in any direction. The handle seems to favor looks over ergonomics, but a large cutaway at the lock readily accepts your index finger for a secure grip.
The SpeedForm II’s handles are 3-D machined from G-10 fiberglass. The black finish looks a little blue to me and had an attractive denim type pebbling. There is no jimping on the handle. This model has a liner lock, rather than the original SpeedForm’s frame lock. The steel liners seem secure, but my knife only locks at the near edge of the blade tang. I would trust the lock more if it travel more toward the center of the tang. The SpeedForm II’s shorter handle leaves less room for your fingers, but the rounded butt nests comfortably in your palm.
Both SpeedForm models have a lanyard hole and pocket clip. The SpeedForm has a narrow titanium clip that resembles something you might expect to see on a high end pen. It is removable but configured for right-side tip up carry only. The SpeedForm II uses a free form steel clip that seems a little flimsy and can be positioned for tip-up or tip-down carry, right-side only. Neither SpeedForm clip is what I would call a low rider, but the knives are relatively unobtrusive in a pocket.
Conclusions
I don’t know what inspired its designers at Kershaw, but the SpeedForm is unique among folding knives. It looks more like the Train à Grande Vitesse or the Concorde than the traditional Sodbuster knife. If you Google “SpeedForm” some fascinating images appear:
The term “Speed Form” is used as a design concept to express speed as a 3-D visual. University design students are sometimes asked to create a Speed Form sculpture as part of their studies. Viewed from that perspective, the Kershaw SpeedForm knife makes perfect sense. While some “tool” ergonomics have been sacrificed for the sake of aesthetics, Kershaw has created a showpiece of the modern knife maker’s art.
To me, the SpeedForm II, doesn’t quite reach such heights. It isn’t quite striking enough to stand on its own from an artistic standpoint and isn’t quite the tool knife that we might hope for. That said, I think it has a place in the Kershaw line up for someone who might want something like a Leek with a 3-D handle or something akin to a Random task, but with a pointier blade.
Introduction
The Kershaw SpeedForm was the named the Blade Show American Knife of the Year in 2009. By any standards, it is an innovative knife, featuring a composite blade and CNC machined titanium handles and a striking design. As Kershaw has done with several other models, it introduced the original SpeedForm as a prototype at the Blade Show, followed it with a very limited run with high-end materials, and then a produced a mainstream model called the SpeedForm II. As compared to the now discontinued SpeedForm, the SpeedForm II is a little smaller, a little lighter, a little less striking in aesthetics, and about half the price. Here are the specs:
Blade
Both versions of the SpeedForm have a cutting edge honed from ELMAX® powdered steel. Kershaw describes ELMAX® as:
“...a third-generation powdered steel that offers virtually no non-metal inclusions and an extremely uniform distribution of carbides. This, in turn, makes for extremely high-performance steel—and an equally high-performance knife that you’ll be proud to own.
The SpeedForm II blade is made from a single billet of ELMAX® only. Both it and the original SpeedForm are available in plain edge onlyand have an identical shape: stiletto styled with “splinter-picker” tips, hollow grinds, and a swedge at the point. Both versions of the SpeedForm open by flicking your thumb over angled thumb studs -- similar to those found on the Kershaw Blur or Storm. The action on the original SpeedForm is smooth, but not as speedy as the knife’s name implies. The SpeedForm II, however, flicks open quite speedily. Both knives are strictly manual, with no SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism.
Handle
The original SpeedForm has handles crafted from CNC machined 6AL4V titanium. They are smooth, sleek, and two-toned in shades of silver and bronze. There is no jimping. The lock is integrated into one of the scales and travels across about 30% of the blade tang. Lockup is secure and there is no bladeplay in any direction. The handle seems to favor looks over ergonomics, but a large cutaway at the lock readily accepts your index finger for a secure grip.
The SpeedForm II’s handles are 3-D machined from G-10 fiberglass. The black finish looks a little blue to me and had an attractive denim type pebbling. There is no jimping on the handle. This model has a liner lock, rather than the original SpeedForm’s frame lock. The steel liners seem secure, but my knife only locks at the near edge of the blade tang. I would trust the lock more if it travel more toward the center of the tang. The SpeedForm II’s shorter handle leaves less room for your fingers, but the rounded butt nests comfortably in your palm.
Both SpeedForm models have a lanyard hole and pocket clip. The SpeedForm has a narrow titanium clip that resembles something you might expect to see on a high end pen. It is removable but configured for right-side tip up carry only. The SpeedForm II uses a free form steel clip that seems a little flimsy and can be positioned for tip-up or tip-down carry, right-side only. Neither SpeedForm clip is what I would call a low rider, but the knives are relatively unobtrusive in a pocket.
Conclusions
I don’t know what inspired its designers at Kershaw, but the SpeedForm is unique among folding knives. It looks more like the Train à Grande Vitesse or the Concorde than the traditional Sodbuster knife. If you Google “SpeedForm” some fascinating images appear:
The term “Speed Form” is used as a design concept to express speed as a 3-D visual. University design students are sometimes asked to create a Speed Form sculpture as part of their studies. Viewed from that perspective, the Kershaw SpeedForm knife makes perfect sense. While some “tool” ergonomics have been sacrificed for the sake of aesthetics, Kershaw has created a showpiece of the modern knife maker’s art.
To me, the SpeedForm II, doesn’t quite reach such heights. It isn’t quite striking enough to stand on its own from an artistic standpoint and isn’t quite the tool knife that we might hope for. That said, I think it has a place in the Kershaw line up for someone who might want something like a Leek with a 3-D handle or something akin to a Random task, but with a pointier blade.
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