Please educate me about Kershaw knives

J

Juramentado

Joined
Aug 23, 2003
Messages
185
Ok, I know this is a newbie question but bear with me..

I've never owned, held, examined or have used a Kershaw knife. I have experience with CRKT, CS, Spyderco and I've had the chance to play around with an Emerson or two.

What's the reputation of Kershaw knives? In general, how do they rate in comparison to the other leading brands? I know that they have a ZT tactical line but I'm more interested in their other folding knives.

Finally, if I were to consider getting a kershaw for EDC / SD, what would you recommend and why?
 
The Chive is just a dandy thin little pocket knife. Careful reaching into your pocket though, it might just be open.
 
go for a speed bump! super sharp and extremly fun to open/close. plus sheeple will be amazed to see a recurve.
 
Overall, Kershaw offers great knives, with a excellent warranty, at a great price. Only problem is you won't be able to stop at just one. There are a lot of cool designs offered.

First Kershaw to get, right out of the gate? I'd give one of the Leeks a go; overall a great knife. Comes in a variety of blade materials, blade shapes, handle materials and colors. It's a comfortable size for EDC, is fairly Sheeple friendly, and won't break the bank.

Good luck, and be sure to check out the Kershaw Forum!:thumbup:
 
kershaw is great, my only problem with their knives is that they like to use the beadblast finish on many of their blades which seems to make them prone to getting spots if they are around wetness. for example, i carried my shallot with me to the gym and when i was done the sweat from my body had already put spots on it :(

despite that, i still buy kershaws cause the designs of some of their knives are so strong i can look past the beadblast finish.

i recommend the kershaw Ram.
 
I like my blur and for a small beater the shallot would be nice. My brother has one. I like it. I also own a Wildcar Ridge, which is very similar to the buck 110, just made of a diff blade material and lighter. Love that one too. Kershaw is high on my list.
 
I tend to always look for the deal, the best bang for the buck sort of thing. I found Kershaw to be just that in the knife world, the best bang for the buck. I have a Blur, Vapor, Shallot, Skyline, Centofante, and a Spec Bump. They are all very good knives. If I was going to recommend a first Kershaw it would be the Blur, specifically the S30v version. It's a great balance of a big do all pocket knife that carries like a small one.
 
First I would ask what "size" knife you like to carry?
What price range would you like to stay in?
Serrated or not?

Here is a size comparison of some of the models.
ZINGORCOMPARE2.jpg

Top left down: Blur, Shallot, E.T., Zing
Top right down: JYDIISG2, Tyrade, SpeedBump, R.A.M.
Middle: Leek (that is the new TSW, Stonewashed 14C28N)

I have a few links to some more photos below in my sig.

mike
 
a friend of mine had a set of kershaw knives with a selection of blades you switched with the handle. it was the coolest setup i ever seen and the blades held a good edge. a needs work was my first kershaw knife and its great. it was shaving sharp right out of the box. they are all great knives imo so you cant go wrong with whatever you choose.
 
I have a couple of different sizes and styles, and never had a quality issue with any of them. Definitely a step up from Columbia River. I'd say they're on par with Benchmade.
 
dipbait said:
No joke. I had to quit carrying one because of just that.
Click to expand...

If you guys use/tighten the safety or set the knife blade against the edge of your pocket (left pocket, tip-down) then this wouldn't happen. ;)

I carry Kershaws for the fact that they:
Have the most knife for the money
Use the most innovative designs
Are made in USA (80% of everything made in Oregon)
Fit my hand, for my types of tasks
They are so darn cool!

Start out with a leek, blur, groove, shallot, zing, or Spec/Speed series.
Also check out the Kershaw subforum--they have two picture galleries so you can decide which one you like.
 
Last edited:
Best knives for the money IMO.

My top two favs right now are my RAM and my Composite Junkyard Dog II

knivesandguns said:
Are made in USA (80% of everything made in my backyard, literally)
Click to expand...

Unless Kershaw knives are actually made in the backyard of your house, then no, NOT literally. (sorry, pet peeve) :mad:
 
My take of it is Kershaw offers more knives in the under $100 range then other makers. They have fewer knives that are over that dollar figure, street price. They are a technology leader, the first to have assisted knives etc. Only some of their knives are over $100 and these are mostly with very high end materials like Ti and carbon fiber and they tend to be 'sprint runs'. Spiderco and Benchmade (and I guess Cold Steel) tend to release many more knives in the higher price ranges. Some of their high end stuff, like the Ti SG2 are probably on par with Sebenzas (can't honestly say I could never afford a CRK) and others costing many hundreds of dollars more.

Right now you can get some pretty very nice knives with zdp189 or the new top of the line cpm s110v for $80 or under. This is not something common in other manufacturers. The blades are solidly built and most allow for complete disassemble and adjustment. The warranty department is top notch with decently quick turn around and the knives have lifetime warranties. Parts can be replaced by just filling out a form online.

The thing that attracted me the most to Kershaw is the handle designs. I look first at the handles and if the knife has no or little provision to provide finger safety then I generally pass it by for an EDC knife. It is my experience that Kershaw has many more designs that provide an integral finger guard than any other manufacturer. It also seems to be a priority with them to provide the most knife for the least money and the vast majority of their knives are 100% USA made.
 
I just bought the skyline a couple months ago. I love that knife and it is economical on ebay. I dont belive in assisted opening because they can open in your pocket, pluss I can open my flipper just as fast as assisted opening.
The steel is sandvik stainless 13c26 which is and stayes sharp. For the money it cant be beat. Buy one you will love it. Herb
 
Dekz said:
Best knives for the money IMO.

My top two favs right now are my RAM and my Composite Junkyard Dog II



Unless Kershaw knives are actually made in the backyard of your house, then no, NOT literally. (sorry, pet peeve) :mad:
Click to expand...

Fixed it for ya....:p
 
Thanks for the info guys. Yeah, I'm surprised to see really good steel on Kershaws at surprisingly affordable prices. And its made in the US to boot. How is that all possible at the prices they're asking for? Anyway, combos like that I don't complain about too much..:)

My needs are pretty basic. I'm looking to purchase Keyshaw for EDC and SD, preferably with an uncoated, long blade. And how good is Sandvik 13C26 as compared to S30V?
 
I have several Kershaw's and like them all. I currently EDC a Blur or a Cyclone. The Blur is 440A steel and so far I haven't had any problems out of it (assisted open), and was pleasantly surprised at the Rockwell hardness they achieved with 440A. The Cyclone has 13C26 which I somewhat prefer as I like the blade design for my purposes. Overall Kershaw has some great offerings, and you will have to "feel" each one to know which one you like. The ET Toggle Lock is a fun knife, but I don't suggest it for newbies in the knife world. Know your steels and feel the piece, if you buy one, you'll buy another.
 
Juramentado said:
My needs are pretty basic. I'm looking to purchase Keyshaw for EDC and SD, preferably with an uncoated, long blade. And how good is Sandvik 13C26 as compared to S30V?
Click to expand...

Well then you need to get a Shallot. Can't compare the 13C26 to S30v but the ZDP-189 is some awesome stuff. So with that I would suggest the CB shallot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top