My 1st Kershaw (Needs Work), just a few questions...

[Loneriderz]

Hi all,

I'm really new to knives in fact I've only started in December and have mostly been buying Spydercos. On a whim I bought a Kershaw Needs Work on eBay, out of curiousity actually. The design really caught my eye, especially the handle.

All in all it has very good built and finish, and the assisted opening works really well. I've small hands, really small... and they fit this knife really well. Came razor sharp out of the box (small bald patch on the back of my hand now). It's American made so that gave me some peace of mind. Overall I'm really happy with the USD31 I spent on it. 2 thumbs up :thumbup::thumbup:

There are a few things I'm wondering about my new knife... This is my first AO knife, is there any special precautions or maintenance I should be taking or doing?

I've heard that the spring that powers (think they called it a torsion bar on Youtube) the opening may break, are they available for sale on eBay (I'm from Singapore)?

For extended storage should I keep it in the open or closed position? I'm keeping in mind the spring being compressed for a few months.

Thanks in advance... Hope someone can help me out.

Best Regards
Azad

Is it ok to give the knife a good washdown with a high pressure hose after use?

Going to put this guy to work... If it holds out for 2-3 months I've got my eyes set on a Speed Bump.

 

[Peter Parker]

Congradulations! Oil and dry out the pivot area, do this when ever it gets sluggish. Kershaw will cover the spring with the life time warranty I'm pretty sure even in Singapore. Someone more in the know may comment on this, other wise keep it keen and injoy.

 

[reholli]

Congrats on your first Kershaw! :thumbup:

The Needs Work is a great value!

I've never washed any of my folders (other than the blades), so I can't address the advisability of washing out the whole knife, but you'd want to blow it out with air afterwards (i.e. keep it dry), and lubed.

I like Tuf-Glide for oiling the pivot area and protecting the blade (if using for food prep, you'd want to coat the blade with something else, perhaps mineral oil), and SuperLube grease for the torsion bar area.

Ken Onion, the designer of Kershaw's SpeedSafe assisted opening, says storing SpeedSafe A/O knives open or closed doesn't matter, but he personally stores his open...

Ray

 

[the lone gunman]

I have EDCd a Needs work for about 6 months now, I just keep it sharp (which is easy since it holds a good edge) if it gets dirty I give it a wash in soapy water and a tiny drop of oil. I use it for all kinds of stuff. I love the blade shape. My only bitch is I wish the blade edge would go down all the way to my cutting board ,that finger choil is just a bit long to allow the back of the blade to touch down. thinking of doing a little dremel work on it,just needs maybe a 16th removed. Enjoy

 

[SPXTrader]

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your first Kershaw!

As has been mentioned above, if you wash the entire knife, you would need to dry the torsion bar cavity inside the handle. Compressed air will work fine, or if you're the least bit mechanically inclined, tear it down and dry it off. Anytime water is involved, a little drop if lubricant on the pivot is a good idea, along with wiping down the blade.

As for the torsion bar breaking, Kershaw tests the bars to 10,000 cycles, so failure is very uncommon, but it still can happen. An email or phone call to Kershaw will have any replacement parts on their way to you, of if you want, send it back to them and they will fix it and resharpen the blade. Minor parts (screws, clips, torsion bars, washers, etc.) along with the return maintenance are always free of charge. Kershaw warranties their knives for lifetime.

You can find all the contact info in the sticky or website link at the top of the home page for this sub forum.

Again, congrats on your new Needs Work!

 

[Loneriderz]

Thanks everyone... Thing I like about this knife is the straight edge. Makes for easy sharpening on a benchstone. The other models looks good too but i'm still unsure about sharpening recurves. Will keep it dry and well lubed (bit of an oxymoron). Good thing I have access to a compressed air blower. Gonna enjoy this knife a lot... Good to know Kershaw backs up their product with a good warranty program.