Quick impressions of Kershaw JYD

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ehhh said:
I don't know where in my 2nd post I played victim, but alright, we all know what they say about opinions. I think this thread went south when the fanboys started chiming in about how I'm wrong and how Kershaw is flawless. They're not - which isn't to say they aren't still a fine knife company. If you mean post #15, yes I questioned the aggression, but I don't feel I played "victim." Nice try though.

And then of course, after I post a pic, it's all "Oh, Kershaw will take great care of you, send it in to W&R!" I've also had experience with their W&R department and I had a positive experience with that too. I sent my ZDP Leek in because I couldn't cut myself with it even if I tried, and there were some other minor issues, and they sent it back in great condition. I'm not going to lie, it didn't come back with a much better edge but they solved everything else and overnighted it back to me. Great service imo, considering ZDP was pretty new at the time (and thus harder to get the edge right).

I'm not going to send this back because it's fine. I've said this SO many times which is why I don't understand all the panty bunching going on around here.
I think those of you defending Kershaw so vigorously should apologize to Thomas and Kershaw for dragging this thread into such a flaming spiral. You're doing quite the opposite of what you intend, in my opinion.

To be absolutely CLEAR, I like the knife. It is a good, affordable knife that is very capable.

EDIT: Also to explain what a soft grind is, because it seems people are misunderstanding. By a soft grind, I am not talking about the edge bevel. I'm talking about the grinds that thin the blade so there can be an edge. I can't really explain it well in words, but if you're really confused, I'll post a picture explaining it.
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i see your point and i will not argue. this is just a suggestion, but why not start a new thread about the JYD of yours, give the review that you want to give and explain what we have all been confused about and anything that we may have questioned. that way all bases are covered and no one is being dragged through the mud (btw, i didnt see anything wrong with what you said originally. it was some of the stuff afterwards that got to me. as for the "send it in" comment, just my opinion. you want to keep it thats cool.).
 
OregonEdge said:
ok, maybe not your 2nd post... they all blur together. At any rate, this is where the tone changed.
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You're right, that is where the tone changed because Thomas backed off afterwards.
I understand completely that he would be defensive about the product, but trying to place the blame on me for questioning his aggressiveness (towards my overall good review) is ridiculous.

I feel my review was pretty clear, and I see no reason to repost my review. If anyone is confused, feel free to pm me and I will clear it up.
 
ehhh,

Thanks for taking the time to review the JYD. I am glad to hear your opinions of it.

I do agree that the grind lines are less than crisp. The reason being is that the blade is flat ground and then "cut down" in a finishing machine to remove grind lines. This softens the grind lines some what. The softening of the grind lines after this process is more apparent on a flat grind as compared to a hollow grind (like the Leek) You are right the grind could look nicer, but the price would be higher.

Have fun with it!
 
*sigh* Drama.

I'm with J85909266 that all these people calling Ehhh out on an honest, unbiased and generally positive review titled "quick impressions" is really surprising and unwarranted. There are hundreds of reviews about various companies' knives that sound just like this one that went over fine. Condolences for having to repeat yourself endlessly, Ehhh.

I like Kershaw, I like Spyderco, I've bought and handled knives from both companies, and knives from both companies have come with cosmetic imperfections. I had a Spyderco edge that came back from W&R sharpening with almost the exact same uneven edge that I couldn't be bothered to send it back for. I still love them without expecting them to be perfect!

Thanks to Tim Galyean for that interesting tidbit of manufacturing trivia.
 
This thread sure got off topic, and out of hand quickly...How sad.:(.
 
Mr. Galyean can you please tell us what has happened to Thomas?,,,VWB.
 
vwb563 said:
Mr. Galyean can you please tell us what has happened to Thomas?,,,VWB.
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What happened is what Dann said, "This thread sure got off topic, and out of hand quickly...How sad."

The discussion ehhh started got heated, but that's what internet discussions do sometimes. Silverdagger's contribution was absolutely unconscionable. It had no place in a knife discussion. It bordered on backstabbing, turning a technical thread into a personal attack.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
What happened is what Dann said, "This thread sure got off topic, and out of hand quickly...How sad."

The discussion ehhh started got heated, but that's what internet discussions do sometimes. Silverdagger's contribution was absolutely unconscionable. It had no place in a knife discussion. It bordered on backstabbing, turning a technical thread into a personal attack.
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Your a moderator. Moderate whatever was personal. Not that you need it, but you have my permission. Go for it. If you really believe is, if you feel it is a needed moderation, but feel you are to close to the issue, consult another moderator and ask them their opinion as to what to do and do what is necessary. It would be you duty, as a moderator, if you sure this is moderating material. Even if it is personal, I don't know if Thomas is on an assembly line job or the son in law of the Founder. Plenty of other moderators read it and apparently didn't see that it needed moderating, I guess, as they didn't do so. All I saw was someone being aggressive towards a customer in a Bobby Knight manner, and I know that likely was shallow and wrong of me, not knowing the folks here that much. Apparently others noticed as well.

This was in a Knife Review forum and not in the Kershaw forum. Some of us in general forums do not know the who's who of Kershaw and Kershaw lovers. I don't make it there much, and probably would have never seen this there. I do know from what I've read is that they are one of the finest knifemakers ever. If their or any knife company employees come to the kitchen they might expect some heat.

I don't think I've been cross(you use the word attack) with a single person here since I've joined until maybe this thread. Even then, it is debatable because it appears to me that a number here agree that there was unwarranted aggression to an honest review.



I"M Outa here on this thread. CYA

I'm still a Kershaw customer and likely always will be.
 
all this crap over a 40$ knife not being perfect in every way-wtf is wrong with people-whats amazing are the opinions about how a blade should or should not be made are by people who never manufactured any-if another maker said something could be done this or that way-have a feast on the remains,but when you have nothing to bring to the table other than a opinion-keep it to yourself-

other than a real bad avatar thomas was a straight shooter-hell we didnt see eye to eye on many things-but he is a honest guy who tells it like it is-and if you dont respect that-well you have some isuses-
 
rosconey2 said:
all this crap over a 40$ knife not being perfect in every way-wtf is wrong with people-whats amazing are the opinions about how a blade should or should not be made are by people who never manufactured any-if another maker said something could be done this or that way-have a feast on the remains,but when you have nothing to bring to the table other than a opinion-keep it to yourself-
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Are you trying to say that unless you are maker/manufacturer you can't judge?
 
rosconey2 said:
all this crap over a 40$ knife not being perfect in every way-wtf is wrong with people-whats amazing are the opinions about how a blade should or should not be made are by people who never manufactured any-if another maker said something could be done this or that way-have a feast on the remains,but when you have nothing to bring to the table other than a opinion-keep it to yourself-

other than a real bad avatar thomas was a straight shooter-hell we didnt see eye to eye on many things-but he is a honest guy who tells it like it is-and if you dont respect that-well you have some isuses-
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Exactly, it's not a perfect knife. Should I just say "It's $40, I'm not expecting much" and just skimp on details? I even said it's not a big deal at all, how is it "all this crap?" Seriously, do you people even read what I write?

Sure, I could have written "It's a nice knife for $40" and ended my review there, but who would care? I sure wouldn't come to the review forum if that's how all the reviews were.

Out of hand, indeed.

Thanks Tim, I will have fun with it. Great design by the way. A real cutter :)

Edit: Anyhow, I'm done answering the posts telling me how ridiculous my review is. If you've got a question about the knife I'd love to answer it.
Anything else, you can PM me and I'd be happy to discuss it with you.
 
Hi Ehhh,

Thanks for the review of the JYD. I had asked about it on a different forum and never received a response. Been looking to replace my beloved Golden Bear and was curious about the JYD. Looks like it fits exactly in what I needed (affordable, dependable, U.S. made, ).:thumbup:
 
To Tim, Thomas, and the Kershaw team,

One of the things that is nice about Bladeforums is that it gives a manufacturer a free consumer reaction focus group. It lets you know how consumers perceive your design subjectively. It gives you insight into their aesthetic instincts and quality associations. So Ehhh provided you with his initial subjective reaction:
"The overall fit and finish is very good, though I find that a lot of the cheaper Kershaws have rather soft grinds that are reminiscent of Chinese and Taiwanese imports. I wish the grinds looked nicer, but that would probably raise the price." This is information about your customers more than it is information about a particular knife.

There is a classic story about a company that wanted to sell more wind up alarm clocks. It turned out that many customers judged clocks by weight. To improve sales the manufacturer added weights inside their cases and it worked. There was nothing wrong with the initial product, but customers assumed that a heavier clock was a more robust clock and that they were getting more for their money with the heavier clock. One of the things that Ehhh is telling you is that some customers assume that crisp grind lines are an indication of quality manufacturing--even if that actually reduces the products' performance.

In years of grinding on blades I determined that smooth lines reduced blade drag and hence increased performance. For my own knives I would reprofile to lower angles, wider bevels, and slight convexing. When I started sharpening knives door-to-door I discovered that the customers thought that these high performance edges looked sloppy and amateurish. I soon switched to doing narrower, crisper, and flatter grinds for my customers. The performance was probably 50% worse, but the customers were happier.

As Ehhh, pointed out your knives are great "users", which means that they work well. He is sort of left-handedly saying that they are less "show pieces" if the various bevels are radiused or smooth. I personally am a functionalist and look for nice curves and smooth beveling since that is more comfortable and works better. Other people are taking crisp lines as a visual cue of premium quality. Remember there are plenty of people buying outlandishly machined fantasy pieces. To me a lot of these things are frills and indications of naivety.

The aircraft patterning on the JYD handle is an interesting marketing option. I kind of like the motif, but often ornamental gimmicks are found on cheap imports. You have done it well, but you have taken a risk. I think that to capture the widest market with this design it needs to have the right conjunction of visual quality cues to differentiate it from cheap imports. It could be that smoother/flatter surfaces and conspicuously crisp machining make the naive user identify a quality product rather than a cheaply stamped one. The product may be a little slipperier and may be a little sharp to the hand and the blade may drag a little more, but the bulk of the customers won't know that. I prefer the way that you have made the product now, but nobody considers me a typical consumer (most people don't even consider me a good consumer).

Now if we could just get away from the idea that 13C26 has to be 64 RC to be good the world would be a better place. One reason that most Kershaw users aren't noticing the superiority of 13C26 over 440A is that Kershaw did such an outstanding job of getting great performance out of 440A. Since I've used a lot of 440A from other makers the fine edges I get with 13C26 is a dramatic improvement, just not as dramatic an improvement over my old Leek. The performance improvement is also more marked when I reprofile my edges to 10 degrees per side (which I do on all my knives). This improvement does not depend on having an extremely hard edge. From my perspective 58 RC is quite reasonably hard and 60 RC is more than adequate. My interest in harder 13C26 is curiosity not anything practical.
 
Jeff Clark said:
Now if we could just get away from the idea that 13C26 has to be 64 RC to be good the world would be a better place.
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Hear hear! Don't have a steel-handled JYD, but do have the larger G-10 counterpart and prefer 13C26 in the standard hardnesses used by Kershaw over S30V in similar hardnesses. Gets very sharp much quicker and is more prone to have tiny dents instead of tiny chips when it's asked to do cutting it shouldn't have done. The JYD family is a great place to showcase the steel, too.
 
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