Kershaw's new budget line

knivesandguns

knivesandguns

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Mar 6, 2008
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Here's some quick pictures. I stopped by the factory a couple days ago, and these were in the process of final adjustments/destinations and the like. I was able to pick up a few.

Full photo review coming. Please post away how I can test out these knives. I have the usual, but I want to hear from YOU. :thumbup:








Closeups:









Sorry for the mediocre photo quality--not my camera.

Stay tuned! This is just the beginning folks... flipper face off coming next!
 
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Scotch, all of these knives are made in china.

I put in a chinese buck knife from my neighbor in the photos for comparison.

Steels on all of the Kershaws are 8Cr13MoV
 
The Kershaw Blitz (The first knife, left hand side in photos)

Kershaw Blitz—Model 3420
Steel—8CR13MoV Bead blast finish
Handle CNC-machined G-10
Liner lock
Blade length: 3-1/4 in.
Closed length: 4-3/8 in.
Weight—3.8 oz.
Pocket clip—Tip up/down

First Impressions

Out of the box, I noticed the nicely finished G-10 handle. Cut in a peculiar pattern, the grooves match the overall curves and corners of the knife, creating a semi-contoured look and feel. Kershaw machines their G-10 to be semi-grippy, as to not rip up your pockets.


I've found that other manufacturers tend to machine theirs so that the handle seems slippery. (This I do NOT like)

Of course, I always check out of box sharpness, and Kershaw has always been a winner here. This knife is no exception, as it will cleanly slice newspaper and shave effortlessly. The grinds themselves were uniform and even. The fit and finish of the back-spacer and where the scale/liner meet is flawless.

How the knife feels in hand

Rock solid. No bladeplay in any direction. Opens up with a simple flick of the thumb, or by thumbing it over all the way through. Liner engages at 1/3. Jimping in choil, thumb ramp, and butt of the knife aren't going to bit into your hands/digits, but provide good grip.

The thumb disk acts also as a resting place for your thumb—as well as a wave! (Yes it is quite easy to wave this knife) I've also heard that Emerson users use the disk to open up bottles—I haven't tried it with this one yet though.

This is a medium-sized knife, fits my medium hands just fine. While there is no blade-choil like many Spyderco's have, I can make controlled cuts just fine by extending my thumb over the blade spine's “hump.”

Carry-ability

Tip up or tip down semi-deep carry pocket clips. Thin and discreet without feeling flimsy, the tension was set just fine for jean carry.


Final thoughts

I really like this knife—it's a solid, smooth knife with no frills. It just plain works and feels quite solid. Without “China” on the blade I would have a hard time seeing how this knife was made there, just from a quality standpoint. At its price-point (a mere $23 at most online stores, pre-order) it's a no brainer—you have to try out this knife for yourself. I think the Tenacious has a competitor.
 
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Kershaw Scamp—Model 2710
Steel—8CR13MoV Titanium Carbonitride-coated
Handle CNC-machined G-10
Frame Lock
Blade length: 3-3/8 in.
Closed length: 4-5/8 in.
Weight—4.5 oz.
Pocket clip—Tip up/down

First Impressions

I pulled the Scamp out of its box and noticed the weight of the knife, compared with the Blitz. My mind immediately thought “frame-lock” and I was correct. However, upon opening the knife, I found that it was slightly less-smooth than the Blitz, and the thumb-studs were a little too sharp/pointy. Yes I'm being quite nit-picky—it does open up with a confident “clack.”

I don't know what to call the design on the G-10 handle, but it sure looks better than just a plain ole' handle. Grip is about the same as the Blitz.


Fit and finish is excellent—back-spacer mates perfectly in between the two handles. Grind lines were even and blade came newspaper slicing sharp as well.

How the knife feels in hand

This knife has more of an “open” design, letting the fingers go were they want to. The handle swells in the index/middle finger area—and you really feel this when you grip the knife hard. The ring/pinky finger kind of just sit there, even in a tight grip. While this may work for some, I prefer something that I can grip with every finger. YMMV.

No blade-play; opens up easily with a flick of the thumb. The frame-lock is what you would expect on most Chinese-made knives—no jimping, and rounded off/flat design (your thumb catches the flat part when closing the knife, the rounded part makes a left-handed opening easier.

The lack of jimping throughout the knife gives it a very smooth feel. I still prefer jimping on my users.

Carry-ability

Tip up and down—tip down has the smallest silhouette—the holes for tip-up carry would make this knife stick out in the pocket more. I wasn't able to flip the clip, as I don't have the right size hex-heads.



Since the frame lock is smooth-this folder is easy in-easy out. Tension on the clip was just fine. Common three-hole design just like what Emerson and Benchmade use.

Final thoughts

This would make a great gift knife for someone. I think I'll stick mine in the garage where I can use it for when I need a “dirty-job” knife. Again, this knife is available as pre-order only for around $23 online.

MORE COMING SOON.
 
I've had the oso sweet, one of kershaws first budget knives and loved it. Can't wait to see how these will handle.
 
I will be adding the other knives ASAP--but schoolwork is currently kicking my butt.

If you guys have any other ideas for testing, feel free to post them up!

Thanks.
 
You don't happen to have a skyline that you could take a comparison photo of with the blitz when you have the chance do you ?
 
What's the smallest one next to the Buck Nobleman called? It might just be my next oversea's travel knife.
 
Hi knivesandguns -

Are these knives made in the USA?

I like several of these, the Blitz is very nice.

I do wish Kershaw did the clips like SOG does on the Flash etc. All they would have to do is bend the clip over the other way and have it run to the tip of the scales and you would not have the little bit of scale sticking up out of the pocket.

Thanks for the review(s).

best regards -

mqqn
 
knivesandguns said:
Scotch, all of these knives are made in china.

I put in a chinese buck knife from my neighbor in the photos for comparison.

Steels on all of the Kershaws are 8Cr13MoV
Click to expand...

From earlier; thanks Morrowj.

I don't know if that knife is named yet. I'll be sure to pull a model number off of it when I get a chance. It's hard to find time.

For a comparison photo of the Blitz+skyline, ask one of Kershaw Mafia dudes--I'm sure Jonnymac44 has some.
 
morrowj_98 said:
Check out post 2 and 3 of this thread.
Click to expand...

thanks morrowj_98 -

I missed that on the first pass -

I like the look of these, and I love the two Kershaw knives I already have -

These look good!

best regards -

mqqn
 
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