Meyerco Stingray, or Kershaw Whirlwind??

S

SquireSCA

Joined
Nov 5, 2001
Messages
8
I currently have a CRKT M16 Kit Carson "Flipper"... Great knife, but it has many sharp edges, especially the flipper, and after a few months causes alot of wear on my pants where it rubs the fabric when I have it clipped to my pocket.

So, I am in search for a new folder.

Want to keep it around $50.

I have narrowed it down to:

1) Kershaw "Whirlwind" Ken Onion design.
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2) Meyerco Stingray
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Any thoughts on either of those knives? Both have assisted opening mechanisms... Kershaw has 440a steel, while the Meyerco has the better AUS8a.

The only thing that concerns me about the Meyerco, is that many of their knives are under $30 at Smokey Mountain Knifework's website... Is Meyerco considered low end?

I can answer almost any modern handgun question out there, but I know very little about the various brands of knives, other than that if I spend the money on Cold Steel, Emerson or MOD, I know I will be getting a great knife... The mid-level brands, I am not sure what is a good buy, and what might be a lemon.

So give me your thoughts, if you please.

Thanks!
 
I don't know much about the Meyerco, but I have a Kershaw Whirlwind. I've had it for around a month now, and have found it to be a very nice knife. The blade was SHARP out of the box, and has held on pretty well so far. I wore a blister on my thumb the first few days of playing with it, but that went away :D . I like the blade shape alot, and the whole knife feels good in the hand. The clip is near the end (blade down carry)of the knife so it rides low in the pocket, which is nice. I wasn't too sure if I liked the "assisted opening" concept too well, but it's growing on me. It's neat, but I don't feel in control when I open it. I am definatley a Ken Onion fan now! I got greedy and bought a Buck 186 Odyssey at the same time, and you may want to consider this one, too. It reminds me of a Spyderco a little bit, and seems slightly sturdier than the whirlwind. It's built on an open frame, makes it easy to keep clean. The blade could taper the thickness more towards the tip. Overall, I like both knives so far, and have worked them into my frequent rotation. Quite a feat, as I am pretty much a traditional slipjoint/lockback kind of guy!

Steve
 
How sturdy would you say the Kershaw is, compared to let's say, my CRKT?

How is the handle of the Whirlwind constructed? Does it have any metal in it? How strong and secure is it's liner lock?
 
I'm not sure how it would compare to your CKRT, but compared to a Buck 110, which is the sturdiest folder I have, the Buck wins! But these are different kinds of knives.
The handle looks like thermoplastic, and is hollowed out a little and lined with stainless steel liners. They squeeze together a little too close for my liking (so I don't do that very often). Overall, the handle construction is my least favorite aspect of the Kershaw. The Ergonomics, however, are great. I wouldn't pry with this knife, but then again, I wouldn't recommend prying whith any plastic handled knife. Really, prying should be done with the proper tool, like a screwdriver! The lock-up looks ok. I don't worry about closing it on my fingers, but then again, I only have this and the Odyssey in a linerlock. For the most part, I feel more comfortable with a lock-back over a liner lock. And I haven't done any "spine-whacking" tests, and won't. But again, it feels secure to me! There is more side to side wiggle than I would prefer, but I can live with it. I only intend to use it for cutting. I believe the Kershaw Boa is an aluminium handled Ken Onion, which should seem sturdier, but it's almost double the price of the whirlwind.
I think Wal-mart has a Kershaw blackout, which I believe is the same knife. They will let you look at one, and you can see for yourself how the construction is. I got mine at a Dicks Sporting goods store in PA, but my local Northeast IN Dicks doesn't carry it. Be carefull when opening the knife, as you don't want to follow the thumbstud around with your thumb. Just firmly hold the knife and press on the stud until the blade pops open!

Steve
 
KERSHAW WHIRLWIND:

I know the 440A doesn't sound impressive, but my Blackout (basically a teflon coated whirlwind) has done everything i've asked of it and with SpeedSafe gusto! Very comfy carry, nice reliable knife. I liked it so much I bought a Whirlwind for my dad's christmas present.
 
Hmmm...

I guess that what is most important to me is ruggedness. If the 440a blade needs to be sharpened slightly more often than the AUS8a blade on the Meyerco, that is no problem, so long as it is a more durable knife...

If I am doing some hard cutting, I want the handle as rigid and durable as possible.

I know that a metal handle is the way to go, but I just like the ergo's on these two knives, and the price is right.

Personally, I would pay the $180 for an MOD Deiter Mark II, but my wife would have a cow... hehehe

I wish that someone who has experience with the Meyerco Stingray would chime in...
 
Well, I ordered a Kershaw "Ken Onion" Blackout yesterday, from CheaperThanDirt, for $50 plus shipping...

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I have a Blackout which I have carried daily for about a year.Cuts good, easy to sharpen, ergomomic handle,fast and reliable.I carry it in my right back pocket and it is easy on clothes.I looked at a Stingray and it appeared to be an "unfinished and poorly refined" product.Not something I would buy,which puts it in the same category as every other Myerco product I've ever handled.I like the blade style of the Whirlwind better than the Blackout but prefer the black blade as it "ages" more gracefully in my opinion.I would definately opt for the Kershaw.
 
I own both the Kershaw Whirlwind and the Meyerco Stingray. If I were to pick between the two, I'd say I like the Whirlwind more. The action on the Kershaw is smoother and you have the added feature of a steel linerlock as opposed to the small botton lock on the Meyerco. Also, the pocket clip on the Meyerco seems like a cheap piece of sheet metal which bends out of shape easily.
 
Well, I canceled my order with Cheaper Than Dirt... With shipping, the knife came to $64.

I went to Walmart and picked up a serrated blackout for $58 with tax, no waiting for it to ship.

Soon I will post a review of it after I have broken it in on some routine cutting chores...
 
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