By now, pretty much everyone here has seen or heard of the Spec Bump from Kershaw and Ken Onion. I first saw the knife in person at Blade 2005, and knew I would eventually have to have one. As I was gathering my "stuff" for my present deployment to Iraq, I had to make a hard decision about getting one before I left. After a couple of "out of stock" run-arounds with my usually reliable suppliers, I ended up deploying without one. I brought plenty of other great knives with, though, so don't shed any tears for me (see previous post on "The Desert Collection"). Once I'd been here in the desert for awhile, and things started to "normalize", I started getting the itch again. My Spec Bump arrived just the other day, and I have had a chance to give it a good evaluation.
Application: This is the intended role of the knife, and what I hope to use it for. This blade is intended to compiment a 4" fixed blade utility knife. It essentially meets the same needs as most EDC. It is a convienient, readily available knife for general purpose/utility cutting when the FB is not neccessary.
Dimensions: Out of the box, the first thing that struck me is that it's BIG. There are bigger folders out there in pockets right now, but compared to the Leek (see photo) and Mini-Ritter that I am used to, it is bigger. It still fits into the pocket quite nicely. It is not "noticed", and I didn't have to re-arrange any of my other pocket-litter to accomadate it. The knife is not too thick. It slides in and out of the pocket nicely. The knife is on the heavy side. Some would say it has "good heft." There's alot of knife there, so you have to expect it to weigh a bit more. The blade-to-handle ratio is quite good. what I mean by that, is that there is not a whole bunch of handle material for just a little-bitty blade. This is one of my gripes with some of the spyderco knives. Some folks prefer more handle and less blade.
Ergonamics: The knife just feels right. The textured and nicely curved G10 handles could not have been done any better. In a variety of cutting situations, there was always blade-on-target. The belly is great for applying extra pressure on a specific task, and rope or cord is nicely trapped by the convex curve at the back of the blade. Also, the point of the blade follows the centerline of the entire knife, so piecing tacks are a breeze. The pocket clip is very low-profile, and does not get in the way of the grip at all. The flipper makes getting the blade out fast and simple. Alternatly, you can also use the thumb stud, or open it manually. Closing the knife one-handed with the stud lock will take a little more practice (my thumb automatically searches for the liner lock), but it is do-able.
Construction: Top notch. The lock-up is sure, and the fit of all the parts is first rate. I'm not sure what kind of washers it has, bit I've never had any trouble with Kershaws in the past. The texturing on the handles reminds me of a fish for some reason. All the edges are rounded to offer a good grip. I do not know the finer distinctions between CMP154 an 154CM steel, but it seems to behave very much like the 154CM steel I am accustomed to in Benchmades and Microtechs. It takes a very keen edge. It was very sharp out of the box, but it can always be a little sharper with the proper application of an ultra-fine ceramic, and a leather strop. Perhaps the most unique feature of this knife is the Stud Lock mechanism. To date, I have favored the BM Axis lock as "the best", but the Stud Lock is extremely secure. I am not about to do destructive testing on it to see at what point it fails, but I believe I can place a lot of faith in this lock mechanism.
Maintenance: I have some small concerns about the convex blade shape. Years from now, after much sharpening and touching up with an edge pro, I am afraid it will be difficult to maintain the belly and hollow shape of the edge. Time will tell. I don't anticipate an trouble with the torsion bar mechanism, but if I do need a replacement part, I know Kershaw will send it out straight away. From past experience with the DLC coating used by Kershaw, I know the finish will not be an issue. I prefer bare, un-coated blades, but given no choice, I'll settle for the DLC coating.
Conclusion: I believe this one will be a winner, and that I will have to make room for it as "one of three" in my EDC rotation. Perhaps I will leave the FB on the night stand some days and just carry the Spec Bump instead
8/10 stars.
Only one knife remains on the "must have" horizon: The polished G10/S30V Leek. If anyone gets a line on one of these, please let me know. Being in Iraq, I can't just cruise the stores waiting for one to show up. I understand that there will be a limited distribution of the polished G10s before the textured G10s are in regular production.
I welcome your comments.
Application: This is the intended role of the knife, and what I hope to use it for. This blade is intended to compiment a 4" fixed blade utility knife. It essentially meets the same needs as most EDC. It is a convienient, readily available knife for general purpose/utility cutting when the FB is not neccessary.
Dimensions: Out of the box, the first thing that struck me is that it's BIG. There are bigger folders out there in pockets right now, but compared to the Leek (see photo) and Mini-Ritter that I am used to, it is bigger. It still fits into the pocket quite nicely. It is not "noticed", and I didn't have to re-arrange any of my other pocket-litter to accomadate it. The knife is not too thick. It slides in and out of the pocket nicely. The knife is on the heavy side. Some would say it has "good heft." There's alot of knife there, so you have to expect it to weigh a bit more. The blade-to-handle ratio is quite good. what I mean by that, is that there is not a whole bunch of handle material for just a little-bitty blade. This is one of my gripes with some of the spyderco knives. Some folks prefer more handle and less blade.
Ergonamics: The knife just feels right. The textured and nicely curved G10 handles could not have been done any better. In a variety of cutting situations, there was always blade-on-target. The belly is great for applying extra pressure on a specific task, and rope or cord is nicely trapped by the convex curve at the back of the blade. Also, the point of the blade follows the centerline of the entire knife, so piecing tacks are a breeze. The pocket clip is very low-profile, and does not get in the way of the grip at all. The flipper makes getting the blade out fast and simple. Alternatly, you can also use the thumb stud, or open it manually. Closing the knife one-handed with the stud lock will take a little more practice (my thumb automatically searches for the liner lock), but it is do-able.
Construction: Top notch. The lock-up is sure, and the fit of all the parts is first rate. I'm not sure what kind of washers it has, bit I've never had any trouble with Kershaws in the past. The texturing on the handles reminds me of a fish for some reason. All the edges are rounded to offer a good grip. I do not know the finer distinctions between CMP154 an 154CM steel, but it seems to behave very much like the 154CM steel I am accustomed to in Benchmades and Microtechs. It takes a very keen edge. It was very sharp out of the box, but it can always be a little sharper with the proper application of an ultra-fine ceramic, and a leather strop. Perhaps the most unique feature of this knife is the Stud Lock mechanism. To date, I have favored the BM Axis lock as "the best", but the Stud Lock is extremely secure. I am not about to do destructive testing on it to see at what point it fails, but I believe I can place a lot of faith in this lock mechanism.
Maintenance: I have some small concerns about the convex blade shape. Years from now, after much sharpening and touching up with an edge pro, I am afraid it will be difficult to maintain the belly and hollow shape of the edge. Time will tell. I don't anticipate an trouble with the torsion bar mechanism, but if I do need a replacement part, I know Kershaw will send it out straight away. From past experience with the DLC coating used by Kershaw, I know the finish will not be an issue. I prefer bare, un-coated blades, but given no choice, I'll settle for the DLC coating.
Conclusion: I believe this one will be a winner, and that I will have to make room for it as "one of three" in my EDC rotation. Perhaps I will leave the FB on the night stand some days and just carry the Spec Bump instead
8/10 stars.Only one knife remains on the "must have" horizon: The polished G10/S30V Leek. If anyone gets a line on one of these, please let me know. Being in Iraq, I can't just cruise the stores waiting for one to show up. I understand that there will be a limited distribution of the polished G10s before the textured G10s are in regular production.
I welcome your comments.
