Kershaw Zing 1735 Folding Knife - Review Video

[composite]

This review is on the Kershaw Zing model number 1735 designed by RJ Martin.

[video=youtube;pN1Bi7r1JnQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN1Bi7r1JnQ[/video]

Another problem I did not mention is that I have two friends that own the same model knife and the pocket clip seems to also get stuck to objects causing it to bend out of place.

Another comparable model which is also designed by RJ Martin is the Kershaw Volt. It uses a lower quality steel and is made in China. The width on the Volt is also thicker but the Volt makes up for all this with its lower price tag.

Hope you all enjoy,

Composite
TrueKnifeReviews

 

[knivesandguns]

Just to address the groove issue:

Hi guys: Sorry not to have responded to this thread earlier-I have been at the New York Custom Knife Show since Thursday.

I get a lot of questions from people who are concerned about what will happen to the grooves of the knife as it is resharpened. The answer is "ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!".
You can sharpen the blade until there is pretty much nothing left of it, and the only thing that you will see is that the edge bevel will become a bit wider. This is because the edge will become thicker as more and more of the blade is removed from repeated sharpenings. This is the same thing that would happen to any flat ground blade. It will still get sharp, and it will still cut like crazy.

The grooves will always disappear as they meet the edge, just the way they do when the knife is new. So, no need to worry! Sharpen away and enjoy the unique look of the blade!

As to cutting performance, the same general principles apply to the striated or grooved blade as to any regular knife-the cutting performance is directly related to edge sharpness and edge thickness. The standard groove, being flat "ground" will have a slightly thicker (and more robust!) edge than a hollow ground knife.

In cutting soft materials that don't bind when cut, you won't see any difference between a grooved blade and a blade without grooves.

In cutting harder materials like rubber hose, plastic tubing, etc., the grooves actually improve cutting performance because they cut the friction by about 80%. This is because the material being cut is only rubbing on the tops of the ridges!

When I received my first batch of Grooves from Kershaw, I immediately passed them out to my friends with the instructions "Beat the he** out of them". One went to an Electrician, one to a telephone company lineman, one to a powerplant maintenance supervisor, and one to an FBI agent. All of them have been impressed with the edge holding of the steel and the durability of the edge.
One report involved opening cardboard boxes for 2 weeks, at which time the knife was handed to an employee who had a farm. He opened 59 burlap seed bags, shaved wood, and performed other farm related chores. This guy also built houses for hurricane victims. He cut sheetrock for an entire weekend, which was a good verification that the grooves don't impede cutting performance. After all this, my friend restored the knife to shaving sharpness in less than 3 minutes (measured time!) using a ceramic rod sharpener. I'd say that ranks as exceptional performance from a factory knife!

Please keep those questions coming-I'll be here to answer them for you!

BTW, the new, striated Tanto Groove from Kershaw will feature a hollow "ground" blade. This knife promises to really push cutting performance to new levels!

Stay Sharp,

RJ Martin
Groove Designer

The grooves are good, they serve a purpose, they improve the cutting performance greatly.

Also, the layered / stepped blade pattern is a very unique hollow grind - it also serves its purpose well.

The pocket clip just needs to be tightened slightly to fix the play issue - no biggie. Kershaw does put loctite in the screws -- just add a drop more yourself if it's that big of an issue.

What makes you think that you can put G-10 on a Zing at the $40 price point for a Made in USA blade? Want G-10? Pony up for the cost of it. And then you paid $20 for the knife... so why are you complaining?

Pivot screw not worth your money on the Skyline? lol?

Flitz up the knife blade a little bit to get the rust off and then keep a layer of oil on the blade. Corrosion happens... I don't see why you can expect to just use you knife and expect it to never corrode, especially since that's not a coated blade or top-end steel.

Knives require maintenance, just like a car.

 

[composite]

You can add 3 grams of loctite liquid and the low quality pocket clip still bends out of place. I can add some pictures of 2 knifes that contain this model clip and they both currently have bent clips.

I dont care if the knife is made in the USA or China. I just want my monies worth and if I paid $20 its because I was lucky when shopping around. Good luck trying to get a Zing for lower that a $30 price tag.

I also dont understand why you think that because its made in the USA it has to be more expensive. An example would be a Case Russlock folding knife. They currently sell a G-10 model for $45 made in the USA. So yes, Kershaw could have thrown G-10 on the handles for the same $40 price or for even $45 dollars. When someone is paying $40, I am sure they dont mind paying $45 for a better quality product.

If you honestly believe your correct, you should stay tuned for my upcoming video on the Kershaw Packrat that I purchased for 29.99 NIB from Knifecenter. It has the same steel as the Zing and orange G-10 which is even more expensive that Black g-10 and I was still able to purchase the knife for under the price tag of a Zing with no G-10 material.

I will also be doing a review on the Kershaw Skyline you mentioned, which unfortunatly has an issue with false advertisement as I personaly have spoke to the director of sales for Kershaw and have been confirmed of the mistakes in regards to false advertisment.

Now regarding a layered 3d machined blade, how many other company models have you used with a layered 3d machined blade to know if they work superior to other grinds? This is the only knife I have used with a layered 3d machined blade and I dont see any benifit when testing it in comparison to other folders.

Yes every knife requires maintanance but what i am saying is that the 3d grooves make the maintanace more difficult from my experience working with the knife.

Either way, I still enjoy the knife and the design by RJ Martin since it is very light and durable. I recommend the Zing knife to anyone looking for a strong EDC knife because just like Knivesandguns sorta mentioned, you cant honestly complain for the price you pay for this knife.

 

[Thomas W]

I also dont understand why you think that because its made in the USA it has to be more expensive.

I don't think this is even really up for debate. Kind of a silly statement.

If you honestly believe your correct, you should stay tuned for my upcoming video on the Kershaw Packrat that I purchased for 29.99 NIB from Knifecenter. It has the same steel as the Zing and orange G-10 which is even more expensive that Black g-10 and I was still able to purchase the knife for under the price tag of a Zing with no G-10 material.

I think you're confusing purchasing a discontinued knife that remaining inventory ran very inexpensive to the dealer base, and the dealer passing the savings to its customers, vs. the street price of a standard cataloged item.

I will also be doing a review on the Kershaw Skyline you mentioned, which unfortunatly has an issue with false advertisement as I personaly have spoke to the director of sales for Kershaw and have been confirmed of the mistakes in regards to false advertisment.

IMO you're confusing a mistake vs. premeditated. I don't appreciate the accusation.

Now regarding a layered 3d machined blade, how many other company models have you used with a layered 3d machined blade to know if they work superior to other grinds? This is the only knife I have used with a layered 3d machined blade and I dont see any benifit when testing it in comparison to other folders.

See RJ quote above.

 

[composite]

It's a shame what these forums have turned into. For many years I chosen to be an outsider looking in but unfortunatly I feel things have gotten so out of hand within the last several years in this industry that I feel it is my turn to speak on my opinions on knives and do honest reviews. Some of the reviews I watch sometimes make me feel as if the person reviewing the product is being paid by the companies of the products being reviewed.

I find it interesting how in such a short time span that my review has been posted, out of the 170 people who viewed the review, only 2 people posted unfriendly comments. One person could possibly be connected to Kershaw and the second is person whos livlihood possibly depends on the company I am critiquing.

I'll be honest, many times in the past, the personality of a knife maker including his/her life achievements have played a major role in my knife purchasing decisions. Especially when I have spent half of a thousand dollars on what I consider to be a work of art (Knife) but thats for different day and subject to speak of.

I am actually taking this review as a compliment since I have caught the attention of Thomas who is not only well respected here but also as an individual on many other knife forums. Below I will answer to every comment made by Thomas who works for Kershaw.

I don't think this is even really up for debate. Kind of a silly statement.

You can say it is a silly statement but it is honestly more silly to mention something is silly and not back it up with actual facts to support your opinion. The facts you bring to support your opinions may even possibly teach me a thing or two about this industry.

I think you're confusing purchasing a discontinued knife that remaining inventory ran very inexpensive to the dealer base, and the dealer passing the savings to its customers, vs. the street price of a standard cataloged item.

I am very glad you brought up the word "catalog" as I will be using the Kershaw 2011 catalog to prove my next points. In the catalog you will see that the Skyline retails at $64.95 with included G-10 handles and the Zing with non G-10 handles also retails for $64.95. I am not confusing anything if at all I believe I am correcting all the confusion trying to be developed.

Below I have posted pictures of the catalogs prices and you can also see that the packrat is $89.95. Thomas, can you also see that it says that the blades finish is stonewashed? Tell me, is it really stonewashed?

IMO you're confusing a mistake vs. premeditated. I don't appreciate the accusation.

I guess I was being friendly and did not want to be blunt with my wording when I said the word "mistake". I will re-correct myself and now will say that I believe it is "premeditated" and I will explain my opinions with facts I have attached below:

The above picture is of the packaging that was being used on the Skylines production run before 2011. If you notice the packaging shows the blade as having a stonewashed finish. The bad thing is it doesnt have a stonewashed finish, its beadblasted.

In the next picture above you can see the new 2011 packaging for the skyline. I cannot accept this to also be a mistake if the company had an opportunity to correct the issue on the second run for the products packaging. The amount of sales for Kershaw Knives has increased enormously inside major retail stores such as Walmart. Its silly that mostly the Kershaw products being sold at major department stores happen to also be the products with false advertisement on the packaging. These products will mostly be purchased by individuals who cant even tell the difference between a beadblasted blade or stonewashed blade.

Now that is something I truly really dont apreciate.

Even in the new Kershaw 2011 catalog it tells you to be aware of them next time you go to your favorite store. Kershaw even mentions they have made it easier with feature Icons to know if the Kershaw knife you are holding has the features you want at a glance. They honestly think every person who walks into the Walmart is going to be brain dead and just buy stuff by a quick glance.

See RJ quote above.

Yes Thomas W, I know how to read perfectly well and after reading the quote you mentioned for me to read, my opinion still stays the same regarding the 3D grooves. Copying/Pasting what other people have wrote will not convince me that the benefits of the 3D grooves outway my experiences I have had cutting and maintaining the condition of this folding knife. I have even read on a forum other benefits regarding the Zings 3D grooves and how they increase the surface area of the blade.

 

[Thomas W]

You may look to edit again, as I'm not Warren Thomas.

 

[composite]

Perfect, I edited your name as requested and I hope now you have something better to say and can represent your company with more dignity. I look forward to your prompt response.

 

[Thomas W]

Perfect, I edited your name as requested and I hope now you have something better to say and can represent your company with more dignity. I look forward to your prompt response.

I just mentioned that I'm not who you thought I was.

I'm unsure of why you have an attitude towards my post, and are throwing out professional insults in my direction, but let's try to keep this a bit more level headed if you don't mind. You might check some of the forum rules if you have questions. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/faq.php?faq=faq_rules

I'll have to get to a response later as there is work to be done here at the factory. Hope that's ok.

 

[composite]

How can you say that this is all you said ? ? ? ? -----> "I just mentioned that I'm not who you thought I was."

That is not all you mentioned. You also mentioned all this:

I don't think this is even really up for debate. Kind of a silly statement.

This:

I think you're confusing purchasing a discontinued knife that remaining inventory ran very inexpensive to the dealer base, and the dealer passing the savings to its customers, vs. the street price of a standard cataloged item.

This:

IMO you're confusing a mistake vs. premeditated. I don't appreciate the accusation.

And this:

See RJ quote above.

I am not being insultive in any way, I am just being honest with my review and opinions on your company's product. Furthermore, if there was attitude, it was coming from your part of the end.

Mentioning the forums rules seems to be an implication of you implying a threat with you having no actual facts to support your comments or claims. The forums community should speak up in regards to the comments made and give their points of view on everything that has been discussed.

I hope you dont continue to leave all my questions, thoughts, and also my opinions about false advertisement unanswered as you have for your two previous posts.

Please take all the time you need since I am aware this is probably the toughest review you've ever had to rebutal.

 

[Thomas W]

I also dont understand why you think that because its made in the USA it has to be more expensive.

You can say it is a silly statement but it is honestly more silly to mention something is silly and not back it up with actual facts to support your opinion. The facts you bring to support your opinions may even possibly teach me a thing or two about this industry.

Perhaps I didn't understand your thoughts here, but I'm taking them from a Made in the USA vs. an Import, and a price discrepancy when comparing them. Your stating that it doesn't make sense that a USA product has to more expensive. If I'm wrong with my understanding of your process I apologize, and look forward to more clarification.

If we're on the same page, then yes, it is a bit of a silly statement. To back my statements up with facts instead of opinions , I'll say that we have multiple facilities in China, that are run soley by Kai Corp.
http://www.kai-ind.co.jp/en/ (please see group companies)
We've produced quite a diversity of products in China. We do business their daily, and have to travel overseas regularly. We've also visited most of "other" mainland facilities as well.
We also have a state-of the-art facility here in the USA.
I know about standard costs both here, and in China. There are no comparisons as to where you can build a cheaper product. It's not even close. From factory overhead, to labor, to insurance, and everywhere in between, the USA product will always be more, by a lot. USA products can't come anywhere near competing with imports on price, you have to compensate with quality.

This is very basic economics, and common knife knowledge.

Hope that's enough to help clarifying my earlier post.

I am very glad you brought up the word "catalog" as I will be using the Kershaw 2011 catalog to prove my next points. In the catalog you will see that the Skyline retails at $64.95 with included G-10 handles and the Zing with non G-10 handles also retails for $64.95. I am not confusing anything if at all I believe I am correcting all the confusion trying to be developed.

composite, there are many factors that come into play when manufacturing. In many cases material has little to do with it. It's all about investment into a given product or not. Has a manufacturer invested big money into tooling up for a given knife, or are they lasering the parts? Are there royalties? Does on product take more machine time than another? In this case, the Zing and those striations take a lot of machine time. More machine time equates to money, big money. Factory floor time is precious. Costing sheets are accounted for each sku a manufacturer offers, there are many factors (a few examples given above) that play a part in the final cost of a specific knife.

To the end line user one knife one knife might seem like it shouldn't be the same price as another, but again, it's all about how it pencils out in the factory. IMO, the striations look a lot more expensive that an upgraded G-10 scale, guess that's just me though.

Hope that helps clearing things up.

I will also be doing a review on the Kershaw Skyline you mentioned, which unfortunatly has an issue with false advertisement as I personaly have spoke to the director of sales for Kershaw and have been confirmed of the mistakes in regards to false advertisment.

I don't remember speaking to you.

I guess I was being friendly and did not want to be blunt with my wording when I said the word "mistake". I will re-correct myself and now will say that I believe it is "premeditated"...

the new 2011 packaging for the skyline. I cannot accept this to also be a mistake if the company had an opportunity to correct the issue on the second run for the products packaging. The amount of sales for Kershaw Knives has increased enormously inside major retail stores such as Walmart. Its silly that mostly the Kershaw products being sold at major department stores happen to also be the products with false advertisement on the packaging. These products will mostly be purchased by individuals who cant even tell the difference between a beadblasted blade or stonewashed blade.

Many times when bringing a brand to catalog there are deadlines that have to be met. The catalog has to be "put to bed" in advance. Many times with products, new products especially, they have changes prior to production. These changes can vary from a picture in the catalog, or on a website. We do the best we can, but can't always be as accurate as we would like. We apologize if any of the inaccurate details caused confusion. Blade grinds, finishes, texturing, can all vary slightly from their original intent. This is true with packaging as well.


Some of this is due to the factory and machine time, or a given departments capacities, or it could be just simple human error.

Note to self...be perfect.

Yes Thomas W, I know how to read perfectly well

That Warren Thomas stuff made me wonder...

and after reading the quote you mentioned for me to read, my opinion still stays the same regarding the 3D grooves. Copying/Pasting what other people have wrote will not convince me that the benefits of the 3D grooves outway my experiences I have had cutting and maintaining the condition of this folding knife. I have even read on a forum other benefits regarding the Zings 3D grooves and how they increase the surface area of the blade.

Now regarding a layered 3d machined blade, how many other company models have you used with a layered 3d machined blade to know if they work superior to other grinds? This is the only knife I have used with a layered 3d machined blade and I dont see any benifit when testing it in comparison to other folders.

I'll refer back to RJ's post, but there is something to be said about real world experiences.

recommend the Zing knife to anyone looking for a strong EDC knife because just like Knivesandguns sorta mentioned, you cant honestly complain for the price you pay for this knife.

Good to hear.

if there was attitude, it was coming from your part of the end.

If you say so...

I hope you dont continue to leave all my questions, thoughts, and also my opinions about false advertisement unanswered as you have for your two previous posts.

Wish I had all day to sit and talk, but work calls. I'm not one to leave things unanswered, hopefully I answered you completely, and more importantly in a prompt and timely manner.

Please take all the time you need since I am aware this is probably the toughest review you've ever had to rebutal.

Indeed, probaly lose sleep over this one.
I haven't watched a knife video review in some time. I've always found them...a bit elementary to be wasting 5-10 minutes at a shot on.

I do find it amusing that a lot of the same folks that do a video review of a knife don't like their reviews critiqued themselves, at least not negatively

 

[composite]

The reason the word "China" was brought up was because I mentioned it in my first post regarding the Kershaw Volt being a chinese product that was good and comparable at a lower price point. In my second post I mention "I dont care if the knife is made in the USA or China" since im still taking the volt into consideration of the detail to quality I have seen on that model as well.

I also dont understand why you think that because its made in the USA it has to be more expensive.

When I said the above mentioned quote, I was not just referring to China vs USA knives, I was talking about several other locations were knives are produced. Not all knives are made in China and it seem companies such as Lion Steel or even a USA brand such as Camillus are begining to show incredible prices points on amazing quality knives. When I took classes in economics I learned that products sometimes being shipped overseas cost the consumer more money to purchase than comparable products which are domestic. This is because of all cost related to fees regarding transportation, insurances, plus other factors that would lead to a very long discussion.

You mention that:

In this case, the Zing and those striations take a lot of machine time.

More machine time equates to money, big money.

Well why was the Kershaw Zing with a Tanto blade more expensive? I did not recall the Kershaw Tyrade with G-10 handles to stay at the same price point as the Kershaw Tyrade with Titaniums handles.

Many times when bringing a brand to catalog there are deadlines that have to be met. The catalog has to be "put to bed" in advance. Many times with products, new products especially, they have changes prior to production.

You are correct about changes in new productions but as I mentioned in my post, this was not a new product. The company had a reasonable amount of time to make the corrections for the second production run for the Skylines packaging.

With all that said I think both you and I have made our point across pretty well and I myself accept your apology. If I come across rude in any way I apologize as well for my actions. Errors will always exist since we are human : ). I dont mind people critiquing my reviews since I feel the more critiques I receive, the more evidence I have that my reviews did the job they were supposed to.

I have been aware of these errors for a long time but I really did not want to bring them up since Kershaw is a reuptable company that is probably my favorite knife brand of all time. It has to do with the knives quality and also because of the people that are behind the product.

I have spoke to employees of Kershaw in the past regarding the Skyline being wrong and I will be to the first to be of witness and say that the company went amazingly out of their way to fix my problem and even sent me knives that are stonewashed plus also of a higher value than what I paid for the skyline.

That does not mean everyone needs to call warranty now and complain about the Skyline to attempt to get higher priced knife in exchange.

I have also created a solution a while back to save the Kershaw company from any losses incase people begin requesting an exchange of the knife left and right because of the non- stonewashed finish on the skyline or on any other model. If you notice all the true stone washed blades are all over a $100 price tag but I found another error in the catalog with Model #1950/1950ST called a Kershaw Tremor. The advertisement appears to show the blades finish as bead-blasted when it really is stone-washed CR13MOV steel. So technically the company could do a swap on like new condition Skylines people call and complain about, in exchange for the new 1950/1950ST Tremor models which has an equivilant price tag being only $15 less in retail cost. I am 100% positive people would much rather stick with the Skyline than the Tremor as the quality of the steel is much better on the Skyline and it is clearly a better quality knife made in the USA. The knife could also just be returned to the original store in which the knife was purchased and since it is probably the buyers favorite store were he/she purchased it, then most likely they will have to stop by the store either way for other necesities for the household.

 

[Mrbladedude]

Nice knife