new forum member seeks advice on first locker

thanks very much everyone, I really appreciate all your help. Thank you for your patience! I have enough information to go into a Kershaw dealer and not feel completely ignorant. (maybe!) I get the feeling that if I can find a mini cyclone ti-zdp that I will be very happy, it seems like a great first knife to start with. barring that I will see what happens. I'll send pics of my final choice. thanks again! i get the feeling that while this may be my first kershaw...that it won't be the last : )
 
Yeah, it won't be your last! I have a theory on this...Kershaw laces the boxes with something, and when you get your knife, the stuff soaks into your skin, giving you a euphoric feeling. Then it starts to wear off after a few weeks, and you find yourself jonesing for another Kershaw "fix"! :D

Welcome to the slippery slope of a Kershawholic!
 
If you do decide on the Groove, the trick to get it to fire
open really fast is to press in and slightly up on the flipper,
while keeping pressure flip down. It will fire as good are better
then a lot of AOs.

And you can bet your wallet it won't be your last Kershaw. ;)
Welcome to the forums. :thumbup:
 
Hi guys! Well I am now an official Kershaw owner!! :) very happy...but I didn't go for the one I thought I would! I ended up buying......(will tell you in a minute!) the story- I spent a good bit of time today at a dealer called excalibur and they had a very excellent selection of Kershaws in addition to Benchmades, SOG, and many others. I was able to handle and try all of the ones I wanted to...here's what I did...
started with the Cyclone! WOW it is a big knife! I LOVE the fact that there is a switch allowing the user to change from assisted to unassisted. That is a major selling point for me. However, I found that due to the size, that it was larger than I wanted as a daily carry, and I was told that it would indeed be illegal for me to carry in my pocket while within the city limits. I then checked out the mini Cyclone, which is very excellent! The blade geometry didn't quite do it for me though as I was still looking for a tanto. Also I wanted something a bit bigger... I then looked at the random leek, a lovely knife! great blade geometry, but a little too small like a stiletto for my taste...then I tried the junkyard dogs, i like the jyd1 however they all have a fighter pilot logo on them? jyd2 was very nice, great design, but very large. I also spent some time with the RJ Martin Groove, it is very Japanese looking in nature, however the blade design was not as utilitarian, in combat it would be deadly, but with that beautiful striation I would not want to ever use it! I looked at benchmade gryptilian (great name!) however they weren't as nice as the kershaws. I really liked the SOG X-Ray vision, that is a great knife, I was told the locking mechanism on it is also very nice too! at 4 inches it was Seattle pocket carry illegal however, and I was set on a kershaw. Maybe an x-ray vision at a later time for me? However...once I found the black tactical blur tanto...I was completely sold! beautiful blade geometry!!! Just the right length (just shy of 3.5 inches), deceptively powerful, small yet fast, easy deployment, and did I mention the blade geometry? I love it! So...that's what I bought! I am very happy with it...very happy.
thanks everyone, hey, can someone educate me about the steel type/quality in my new black blur tactical tanto? also, do you recommend threading any kind of rope/lanyard through the hole? if so, what type?
Finally, I would like to thicken up the handle a bit, is there any way to do this with rubber/wrapping etc? THANKS AGAIN Everyone :) I think my next one will be a full-size cyclone for home/camping, and then maybe an x-ray vision...after that who knows :)
 
SOGer said:
Hi guys! Well I am now an official Kershaw owner!! :) very happy...but I didn't go for the one I thought I would! I ended up buying......(will tell you in a minute!) the story- I spent a good bit of time today at a dealer called excalibur and they had a very excellent selection of Kershaws in addition to Benchmades, SOG, and many others. I was able to handle and try all of the ones I wanted to...here's what I did...
started with the Cyclone! WOW it is a big knife! I LOVE the fact that there is a switch allowing the user to change from assisted to unassisted. That is a major selling point for me. However, I found that due to the size, that it was larger than I wanted as a daily carry, and I was told that it would indeed be illegal for me to carry in my pocket while within the city limits. I then checked out the mini Cyclone, which is very excellent! The blade geometry didn't quite do it for me though as I was still looking for a tanto. Also I wanted something a bit bigger... I then looked at the random leek, a lovely knife! great blade geometry, but a little too small like a stiletto for my taste...then I tried the junkyard dogs, i like the jyd1 however they all have a fighter pilot logo on them? jyd2 was very nice, great design, but very large. I also spent some time with the RJ Martin Groove, it is very Japanese looking in nature, however the blade design was not as utilitarian, in combat it would be deadly, but with that beautiful striation I would not want to ever use it! I looked at benchmade gryptilian (great name!) however they weren't as nice as the kershaws. I really liked the SOG X-Ray vision, that is a great knife, I was told the locking mechanism on it is also very nice too! at 4 inches it was Seattle pocket carry illegal however, and I was set on a kershaw. Maybe an x-ray vision at a later time for me? However...once I found the black tactical blur tanto...I was completely sold! beautiful blade geometry!!! Just the right length (just shy of 3.5 inches), deceptively powerful, small yet fast, easy deployment, and did I mention the blade geometry? I love it! So...that's what I bought! I am very happy with it...very happy.
thanks everyone, hey, can someone educate me about the steel type/quality in my new black blur tactical tanto? also, do you recommend threading any kind of rope/lanyard through the hole? if so, what type?
Finally, I would like to thicken up the handle a bit, is there any way to do this with rubber/wrapping etc? THANKS AGAIN Everyone :) I think my next one will be a full-size cyclone for home/camping, and then maybe an x-ray vision...after that who knows :)
Click to expand...

great pickup! what the born on date? (its the lil date on the blade at the bottom on the "choil"). if its july 07 or later, then it is 13c26. not sure on your other questions though
 
offsetlover: d'oh! you say that they did a steel upgrade in july 07 or later?? talk about deception! mine says 'JUN07...does this mean that I missed the metal upgrade by a month? DANG! I wonder if I can return it! SO, what metal would this be made of?here's the full codes:

1670TBLKST
PATENTED
MADE IN USA
JUN07

online it says that it should be the following, maybe only after july 07 though...
TANTO BLUR – 1670TBLKST
Steel: Sandvik 13C26 stainless-steel
Handle: 6061-T6 anodized aluminum with Trac-Tec inserts
Blade: 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm) Closed: 4 1/2 in. (11.3 cm)
Overall: N/A Weight: 4.2 oz.
Made in the USA
 
ouch.....that sucks. you have one that has 440A (if i remember correctly). talk to who you bought it from, maybe you can get one that has July 07
 
SOGer said:
offsetlover: d'oh! you say that they did a steel upgrade in july 07 or later?? talk about deception! mine says 'JUN07...does this mean that I missed the metal upgrade by a month? DANG! I wonder if I can return it! SO, what metal would this be made of?here's the full codes:

1670TBLKST
PATENTED
MADE IN USA
JUN07

online it says that it should be the following, maybe only after july 07 though...
TANTO BLUR – 1670TBLKST
Steel: Sandvik 13C26 stainless-steel
Handle: 6061-T6 anodized aluminum with Trac-Tec inserts
Blade: 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm) Closed: 4 1/2 in. (11.3 cm)
Overall: N/A Weight: 4.2 oz.
Made in the USA
Click to expand...

if the site you bought it from says 13c26 then you should be justified for a return, if not, the kershaw site says what it does because that's what they make now, leaving on the site all the information for discontinued knives and variations of knives would be too large and complex.
 
woah. thanks guys for the heads up on this important point! first off, I am not sure of the difference between 440A and sandvik 13c26 however from what I'm hearing, the 13c26 is way better.
seeing as I just bought it today, I should be able to exchange it, no? I have all receipts and it hasn't even touched anything except my hands opening and closing it.
 
I bought it from a physical store (not online). online at the kershaw official manufacturer (KAI) info site it says 13c26
can someone send me a link explaining the differences between these 2 metals? did a few google searches but nothing coming up yet
 
Bookworm said:
if the site you bought it from says 13c26 then you should be justified for a return, if not, the kershaw site says what it does because that's what they make now, leaving on the site all the information for discontinued knives and variations of knives would be too large and complex.
Click to expand...

bookworm is right. the site should do a return.

@bookworm. give him some slack. he didn't know about the change over date.

seeing as i type slow, SOGer, 440A takes a nice edge, but wont hold it long. 13c26 lasts way longer.

take it back to the store, tell them you thought that you were getting one with the better steel, and ask to exchange.
 
13c26 is 440a+5 or something. Its better as far as I know. If the salesperson didn't tell you what steel it was, i don't know how much of a case you have. If he told you it's 13c26 then you've got a case, but it's sort of an iffy area.
 
SOGer, congrats on the nice pick up. For your reference, below is a link to a chart on the composition of some steels, with the 440A and 13C26 listed.

Personal opinion: The 440A is a very nice steel. It will take a razor edge with proper sharpening, and will hold it for a good while. It seems to be better at rust prevention, as it has a higher percentage or Cr. The 13C26 steel is a harder steel. I believe I read here somewhere that Thomas said RC was 59, and STR posted that the 13C26 he tested from Kershaw was 60. BTW, search STR's threads...he's got some good info on steels, or go into the knife makers thread. 13C26 gets very sharp, and holds a good edge longer than the 440A. So all in all, I wouldn't be disappointed with either.

What this all means is now you have to get a Sharp Maker, or some stones, and start working your edges...but buy some cheapo knives to practice on before you start shaving the metal on your new Blur!

Here's the thread...

http://www.canit.se/~griffon/knives/text/steel-designations.html

And a Wikipedia link for some good general info...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel

Hope this helps............
 
well everybody, great news, I spoke with my shop, and they had no blurs made after 06/07, all 440A, however they advised me to call another shop in the area, and they had 5 of the black blur tantos in stock...he checked them...and the last one...was a July 07 sandvik 13c26 :) (grin) so he said I can switch it out today. I am a happy camper...would never have known about this without you guys!!!!!! THANKS
 
Awesome news SOGer!!
I'm sure you'll be please with the 13C26.
It really is an all around great steel.
I think Kershaw made a great decision switching over. :thumbup:
 
thanks again guys. I've now got my JUL07 tanto blur 13c26 :) thanks so much! I am very happy with it. SO glad that could get worked out!! I spent a good deal of time playing with the cyclone again, oh wow, just love it, think I'll have to order one very soon :)
I'll try carrying them both over a few weeks and see which I prefer as a daily carry.

I still have not been able to find an offset to handle, looking forward to that.
I did however today get introduced to Emerson knives, was shown the Emerson Super CQC7 with Wave, and how that wave system works, it seemed to be a very nice knife, a lot more expensive than the kershaws.
I didn't regret my purchase for a minute after seeing that, I feel that the blurs and cyclones are just as nice if not more so. the wave feature was interesting, wonder how useful it is. well I may be posting inthe wrong forum for that so no need to reply...
the purpose of this note is just to say thanks in helping me choose, and in helping me get the best steel possible!
 
SOGer said:
thanks again guys. I've now got my JUL07 tanto blur 13c26 :) thanks so much! I am very happy with it. SO glad that could get worked out!! I spent a good deal of time playing with the cyclone again, oh wow, just love it, think I'll have to order one very soon :)
I'll try carrying them both over a few weeks and see which I prefer as a daily carry.

I still have not been able to find an offset to handle, looking forward to that.
I did however today get introduced to Emerson knives, was shown the Emerson Super CQC7 with Wave, and how that wave system works, it seemed to be a very nice knife, a lot more expensive than the kershaws.
I didn't regret my purchase for a minute after seeing that, I feel that the blurs and cyclones are just as nice if not more so. the wave feature was interesting, wonder how useful it is. well I may be posting inthe wrong forum for that so no need to reply...
the purpose of this note is just to say thanks in helping me choose, and in helping me get the best steel possible!
Click to expand...

Just wait until you handle a bump, I loooove that handle. Best ergonomics of any knife I've handled. (at least for my hands it is)
 
SOGer said:
I did however today get introduced to Emerson knives, was shown the Emerson Super CQC7 with Wave, and how that wave system works, it seemed to be a very nice knife, a lot more expensive than the kershaws.
I didn't regret my purchase for a minute after seeing that, I feel that the blurs and cyclones are just as nice if not more so. the wave feature was interesting, wonder how useful it is.
Click to expand...

I have considered the Emersons in the past, SOGer, but with the Kershaw AO and 'flipper' knives at the same or better quality, why bother with an Emerson? :)
 
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