New Keen drop at Massdrop

[HappyDaddy]

Massdrop is taking preorders for late April shipping. Looks like they’ll have all of the same colors and configurations as before. Just an FYI...

 

[Comeuppance]

They’d be fools to ever cease production. That model just prints money for them.

I picked one up off the exchange, and it’s a very nice knife. My only complaint is that the detent ball protrudes just far enough that I can’t flip the knife closed by disengaging the lock, catching the tang on the detent ball, and using that to flip it closed as I can with basically every flipper I’ve ever handled.

That might just be mine, though. I like it just fine otherwise. Good design all around, very utilitarian and non-threatening, etc etc everything else people have been saying.

I will add just a bit more of unsolicited opinion: it’s not some kind of wonder-knife. It’s well-made, but nothing special compared to Kizers, other WE models, and really anything else in that sub-$200 bracket of high-quality bearing knives. It’s a good choice, though.

 

[Fixall]

Thanks for the heads up HappyDaddy !

In for one of the ported purples!

If anyone is on the fence about this knife... Don’t think about it, just get it. You won’t regret it.

I spent a week with a buddies unported, bronze version and it is a sweet, sweet knife! Thin, slicey blade with a phenomal grind. Good ergonomics, awesome action, and just all around amazing fit and finish.

I don’t know that you’d be able to find many knives of this quality for under $150 (although the price did increase by $10).

 

[Mo2]

I will add just a bit more of unsolicited opinion: it’s not some kind of wonder-knife. It’s well-made, but nothing special compared to Kizers, other WE models, and really anything else in that sub-$200 bracket of high-quality bearing knives. It’s a good choice, though.

Its the blade profile. Thin behind the edge and slicy. A nice change in the knife market where most knife makers care more about art knives at low prices to make more money. Imho.

Id get one but i much prefer the Trevor burger customs. Which have a similar blade profile.

 

[cchu518]

So this begs...the question. For Sebbie owners both large and small how does the Keen fair against the old tried and tried to in terms of EDC, cutting performance etc....I got rid of my WC Starbenza's I had both a small and a large bit I have but missing the compactness of the Sebenza in terms of how much space they take up in the pocket.

 

[Banter 247]

So this begs...the question. For Sebbie owners both large and small how does the Keen fair against the old tried and tried to in terms of EDC, cutting performance etc....I got rid of my WC Starbenza's I had both a small and a large bit I have but missing the compactness of the Sebenza in terms of how much space they take up in the pocket.

My purple Keen and small 21 Insingo together.

The Keen is substantially longer than the small 21, and weighs a little more. They carry comparably ‘small’ because of the contours of the Keen’s handle.

In terms of cutting performance... the Keen is .155” in stock thickness, vs .12” for the small 21. The Keen is full flat ground, while the small 21 has a high hollow grind. These details may give the incorrect impression that the small 21 is a better cutter.

More often than not, the difference in cutting efficacy is up front. Apex status, secondary edge angle, and measurement behind the edge. Two of these are controllable by the user, so the bte measurement becomes the most informative detail. The Keen outperforms the small 21 as a cutter against any material which doesn’t specifically resist the cut as far back as the thickest part of each blade. Few people seem to appreciate how rare it is for stock thickness to matter, outside of food prep.

I love both knives. Can’t go wrong with either.