Kershaw Steel Question

K.O.D.

K.O.D.

Sell your cloak buy a sword
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Something I've noticed looking at some of their designs. Many of their knives, especially their newer ones, no longer make reference to the steel other than listing it as "stainless." Am I to assume that these are using 3cr? Just wondering.
 
I have noticed that too, and find it a tad disturbing. I guess you can't blame them for tapping into the lower priced market with "stainless" knives like the Median they provided to a sporting goods store, but one does hope it it is not a symptom of some deeper, more subtle Gerber-ization going on with them.

It would be a shame to see another great old brand go the least common denominator route. Hopefully, that's just wild, silly speculation on my part. :thumbup:
 
I got the most recent catalog in the mail from Kershaw, and it states all the steels for each knife.
 
I've noticed that too, usually code for "it's so bad you don't want to know what it actually is"
 
I have to say, this new "development" with their newest knives has turned me off of Kershaw even more.
 
I am probably like a lot of folks, and don't want to see Kershaw go "down that road". I don't like the idea that they are using steels they are embarrassed to claim, and I don't want to watch out that they might even start making different models with different steels. (Think of the Blur.)

It would be too easy to start out with a nice knife with a certain acceptable steel, then turn around and sell the less expensive version at a discount store. Lower cost has to come from somewhere, usually it is quality.

I am sorry to see them going to this type of marketing. I love my Kershaw knives and they all represent a quality knife at a great price. But when Kershaw stuck their toe into the cheap knife category, they went all the way. About 4 years ago they had their "Crown" at the big blue box for $10 each. I got to the store as quick as I could to get Christmas presents.

The Crown knives were in a clear blister pack in the open position, and I was in disbelief at what I saw since I was at that time a major fan of Kershaw products. Quality and presentation were all over the place. I went though about 60 knives (literally!) to get the 4 good ones I found. The lockbars on some had already passed the blade and were dug in well past their intended mid blade lockup. Some of the grinds were really awful. Some of the knives looked like they were packaged with a dirty motor oil coating all over them. None of them looked sharp and the four I bought certainly weren't.

Flushed out and oiled, cleaned up, sharpened and the sharp edges of the micarta scales softened some, they turned out OK. I kept one for myself, and I can tell you for sure that the 8Cr used on that knife is much softer than the 8Cr used on my other "less expensive" Kershaws.

I really like the Kershaw products I have now and actually use them as work knives in my construction work. The Tremor, Junkyard Dog II and the Tyrade stand out. In fact, I liked the Tremor enough that when they quit making them for some odd reason, I bought 2 more!

I hope Kershaw isn't changing their clientele to gas station knives, but on the other hand there are certainly a lot of folks to buy knives from these days.

Robert
 
K.O.D. said:
I have to say, this new "development" with their newest knives has turned me off of Kershaw even more.
Click to expand...

I have a list of "turn offs" with them also, but none of those turn offs have been "steel quality."

But, hey, if "big box pricing/materials" is the model they, in fact, are beginning to follow...more power to them. I suppose we just watch and see what develops on that front.
 
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