question about my kershaw rake and CPM-D2 steel

rogerxd45 · Dec 10, 2014

Ok i just bought a kershaw Rake 1780cb and for those that dont know it has a composite blade (14C28N spine/D2 edge)

well the first thing i noticed when i got it was that it doesnt say CPM-D2 on the D2 part of the blade, it only has D2 listed without the CPM in front

do they still use CPM-D2 on the rake or did they switch to a different d2 made by some other company?

i also noticed that there isnt any contrast between the two steels they look exactly the same, where as the photos ive seen of the rake show a darker grey color on the D2 edge.

considering both of these things im a little worried they aren't using the CPM steel, the fact the rake used CPM steel was one of the selling points for me

here is a photo i pulled off a site online of a rake that has the CPM-D2 on it on mine it just has D2 but its in the same spot and same font just without the CPM-.

when i have a chance i will take some photos of mine

the video review i watched by nutnfancy on youtube also showed that the liners were milled out in sections to save weight but when i look at mine the only machining is on the liner lock side and the liner lock is the only machining done to it, its not somewhat "skeletonized" like the review showed, The other side opposite of the liner lock is solid with no machining.

The finish on my blade is also different, i believe its what they call a stone washed finish but im not 100% sure but its not a smooth matte finish like i saw in the photos. I dont know how to properly describe it but its like it has thousands of tiny shallow scratches that has a slight sparkle to it instead of the dull matte finish

individually these things arent a big deal but when seen as a whole they are bugging me a little

does anyone else have a rake with the things i described on mine?

ETA: I just weighed my knife and it came in at 5.78oz or 164g the kershaw website has the weight listed as 4.8oz or 136g
that is like a 20% discrepancy in weight, being off by a full ounce just seems weird

Screwdriver · Jan 18, 2015

My Rake is just like you described your Rake and I have had mine for a year. CPM discontinued D2 awhile ago, but the D2 on current Rakes is very good and I have zero issues. In fact the Rake is in my top 5 EDC knives and is way underrated imho.

BTW, Nutenfancy is a windbag.

Scurvy092 · Jan 18, 2015

Screwdriver said:
My Rake is just like you described your Rake and I have had mine for a year. CPM discontinued D2 awhile ago, but the D2 on current Rakes is very good and I have zero issues. In fact the Rake is in my top 5 EDC knives and is way underrated imho.

BTW, Nutenfancy is a windbag.

All of this.

PURPLEDC · Jan 18, 2015

I one thing that is worth mentioning is that Kai is really good with keeping their website up to date. And when buying a knife its recommended to check their site to make sure specs havent changed as they often do especially when material sources dry up. Had that been done you would have seen the changes you are not happy with are on the website and they show it also with the stonewashed finish. So its not like they didnt have their website up to date and had the information unavailable. And its always better to check the manufactures website instead of relying on reviews that could possibly be years old with obviously outdated information. The rake is still a good knife and while I understand you being bummed about not getting exactly what you thought your were getting there was no deception or negligence on the companies part.

bodog · Jan 18, 2015

Dang, that sucks. My experience with D2 vs. CPMD2 (actually PSF27) is that they might as well be different steels. I'd be kind of bummed if a comapny had been making a knife with CPMD2 and changed it to regular D2. That's a pretty big change in steels with only a very little name change.

PURPLEDC · Jan 18, 2015

bodog said:
Dang, that sucks. My experience with D2 vs. CPMD2 (actually PSF27) is that they might as well be different steels. I'd be kind of bummed if a comapny had been making a knife with CPMD2 and changed it to regular D2. That's a pretty big change in steels with only a very little name change.

Well there is not much that could be done in this case. CPM-D2 was discontinued. Its not like they just decided to use a cheaper steel and do a bait and switch without informing anyone. The website shows the knife as its made today. They even changed the finish and other options to clearly differentiate it from the older model. Now, had they still had the old knife on the site and/or still be claiming CPM-D2 and the old finish and he got what he got then that would be something to complain about. But this is more of a case where a guy watches a review for a 2010 corvette and buys a 2014 sight unseen and is disappointed that the body style changed. The information was there, you just had to look. Cant take anything for granted in retail.

bodog · Jan 19, 2015

^^^Yeah.

seedubs1 · Jan 19, 2015

Yup. When I got my rake, I had the same concerns. I thought I got a fake. The blade was not cpm and it was stonewashed. I contacted Kai about it, and they informed me that it was the new updated one. I got one of the first ones, and they hadn't updated their site at the time. It's been a great knife. One of the only liner locks I've liked. Feels every bit as robust as the ZT liner locks I've handled. Heck, I bet if Kai threw a ZT stamp on it, it'd go for double the price.

crom · Jan 19, 2015

IMO regular non PM D2 is a better steel. The only thing I found CPM D2 did better was when it came time for touch ups it was easier to get the edge back. It seemed like it was softer and would ding more easily and this was on a thick edged Kershaw Tyrade. My other regular old D2 knives seem to have a more durable edge.

GronK · Jan 19, 2015

This all explains the blade steel issue but what about the liners? Looks like they cut corners on liner relief which caused an additional ounce of weight.