kershaw vapor?

I was actually a bit disapointed by the knife, sure it' s worth the money but it can' t really compete with something like the Byrd line, the Trance or the Benchmade Red class knives.
Mine had alot of blade play(and after tightening the pivot screw it still did, but only became harder to open), the clip was far too tight, had to bend it so it would fit my jeans, the steel is not very good imo(I much prefer the 8Cr13MoV, or AUS8 on the Byrds), the thumbstuds were very uncomfortable to use, fit&finish was rather low, the screws were already very worn out when I got it and the frame lock clearly over-travelled.
Maybe I just got a bad one, I don' t know, but I don' t really like it.
The only positive things about the one I got are the excellent design by Ken Onion and the typical for Kershaw razor sharp edge right out of the box.
 
Hi,

I have two of them. The satin finish and the black finish. They can be a bit difficult for a lefty like me to open quickly. The clip gets in the way a bit, but I can still get at the stud. The clips on mine are perfectly tensioned, (more than I can say for my Scallion. I had to bend that one).

I think they both have AUS6 blades. So better, steel can be had in knives in the same general price range. But there is something about a Ken Onion design that is just so right.

While I don't carry them very much, I'm a traditional slippie guy, I find them to be very nice users. And an excellent example of Ken Onion's design work.

dalee
 
I personally don't have one but a closoe friend of mine does..

The only thing I can say negative about it is that if came with the pivot screw too tight., after we loosened it up he's been carrying it daily for about quite a while now. He's pretty hard on it, using it as a small prybar, a screw driver, and just about anything else that a knife ISN'T supposed to be used for but he's had no breakage or failure's.

If you're looking for a good value priced folder I'd say pick one up!

he's new on this forum I'll see if I can get him over here to post on it.
 
I have been using the Kershaw Vapor everyday for several months now. I have to touch up the blade to keep it sharp now and then but seems to be a good knife. The one I have has no blade play and is not too tight. I have taken it apart for cleaning without a problem. In my opinion it's a good everyday user for the money.
 
It is great value for the money. It carries nice, sharpens easily, holds an edge long enough for the steel used...
 
Are there superior knives? Of course, but the Vapor is a great bang for the buck. I have one that I keep in the door pocket of my car that mainly gets used for opening packages or preparing food sometimes while traveling. It is a decent knife, but cheap enough to use abusively if I ever had to.
 
When I get rid of the blade play in mine, it's too tight to open, there is also vertical play now too. I like the knife, decent for the price, but I prefer the byrd knives.
 
I have one somewhere in the back of my knife drawer. It hurts my hand to try and open the knife one handed, and the thumbstud would catch on my pocket when using the clip. Other than that it's not bad for the price, but those are two things I don't wish to deal with. I don't recall mine having any play.
 
All in all i'm very pleased with my vapor, for the price of around twenty something dollars it's a great all round knife. I'm very hard on knives and this one holds up quite well, thanks to having a good buddy who reconditions it for me about every two weeks.
 
I have mixed feelings towards mine. Although it's nice and sharp there are some drawbacks that keep me from carrying often. Of course these pros and cons are of my experience of the knife.

Pros
sharp blade
very good lock-up
well terraced thumbstud
adequately strong lock

Cons
weak clip
tough to open
poor jimping on the frame makes it difficult to get good grip on the lock
 
My Vapor II has the older thumbstud with is uncomfortable to use with the detent - which works well. Other than that, $18 got a great knife.

If I changed anything, I would prefer a deep carry clip and an oval hole. Aside from that, it was sharper than a 420 bladed Buck Tarani, carried better, was more comfortable barehanded, and the lock has never failed.


Kershaw delivers on this one.
 
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