I ordered a Kershaw Swerve last week without doing much of any evaluation of it, I figured for the price ($26 delivered) it was worth taking a chance on a Kershaw PRC knife given their history (I own a Thermite and Cryo and have been very pleased). It arrived two days ago and now I have had a chance to give it a run around and write a short review...
-Design: FRN handle (with K texture), 8Cr13Mov blade (3.25"), semi-drop point with large belly, came from the factory with a decent edge, took it up to hair shaving with my Sharpmaker. L/Rtip up pocket clip.
-F&F: Fine, for the price. One scale screw was a little loose, I tightened it down with my Torx driver no problem. A little bit of side to side play in the blade, tightened down the pivot, problem solved (Torx T-6 and 8 respectively). Grind and blade finish (stonewashed) show no issues that I can tell.
-Edge: Acceptable sharpness from the factory, I gave it a run on the Sharpmaker (brown and white standard rods) and it is now hair shaving. Kershaw 8Cr13MoV seems to take an edge extremely well but not hold it the best.
-Ergonomics: This knife has a the "K Texture" GFN/FRN (not sure which, it really doesn't matter) scales, the texture is basically a bunch of little Ks. It isn't really slick per se, but it's not the best gripping surface either. Jimping is found on the top of the blade and is basically useless. Opening is with SpeedSafe and is by both flipper and thumbstud.
Conclusions: For $20 or so, it's worth it. It is a solidly built knife with a big fat blade in a light weight package. I personally like assisted knives so that appeals to me and I like blades with big bellies, the type of steel used makes it easy to sharpen up very well with proper equipment. I wish it was about 15% larger overall, the handle is just big enough to get a full grip for me, but I have fairly large hands also. This knife with G10 scales and a better clip would be a great EDC. Like my title said, it's well worth the price...or buy a case of beer and drunkenly order it off Amazon!
-Design: FRN handle (with K texture), 8Cr13Mov blade (3.25"), semi-drop point with large belly, came from the factory with a decent edge, took it up to hair shaving with my Sharpmaker. L/Rtip up pocket clip.
-F&F: Fine, for the price. One scale screw was a little loose, I tightened it down with my Torx driver no problem. A little bit of side to side play in the blade, tightened down the pivot, problem solved (Torx T-6 and 8 respectively). Grind and blade finish (stonewashed) show no issues that I can tell.
-Edge: Acceptable sharpness from the factory, I gave it a run on the Sharpmaker (brown and white standard rods) and it is now hair shaving. Kershaw 8Cr13MoV seems to take an edge extremely well but not hold it the best.
-Ergonomics: This knife has a the "K Texture" GFN/FRN (not sure which, it really doesn't matter) scales, the texture is basically a bunch of little Ks. It isn't really slick per se, but it's not the best gripping surface either. Jimping is found on the top of the blade and is basically useless. Opening is with SpeedSafe and is by both flipper and thumbstud.
Conclusions: For $20 or so, it's worth it. It is a solidly built knife with a big fat blade in a light weight package. I personally like assisted knives so that appeals to me and I like blades with big bellies, the type of steel used makes it easy to sharpen up very well with proper equipment. I wish it was about 15% larger overall, the handle is just big enough to get a full grip for me, but I have fairly large hands also. This knife with G10 scales and a better clip would be a great EDC. Like my title said, it's well worth the price...or buy a case of beer and drunkenly order it off Amazon!