Spyderco vs. Kershaw

M

Mark Cust

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Jul 1, 2018
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I've owned both Spydercos as wellas Kershaws. Sometimes the steel of the Kershaw was actually superior to that of the Spyderco but for some reason the Spydercos seem to be way more sharp than the Kershaws. Is this because of the way the blade is grinded, or is it just that Kershaws aren't that well sharpened out of the box? Is there any way to sharpen the Kershaws to make them as sharp or even sharper than the Spydercos, or does the difference in blade design just not make it possible?
 
Apples to Oranges here.

Kershaw was my first real love. For the money, the average Kershaw knife is great.

For less than $50 you can get a made in the USA Link, with 420HC steel. And I really like Kershaw's 420HC. I could get my Link to push cut potato chip bags, without too much work.

Spyderco knives are a tier or two above. They're a different animal.

If I have $200, I'm buying a Spyderco. If I have less than $80, I'm looking at something like Kershaw.

I have never had a bad Kershaw knife, and I used to collect them.
I've had issues with my Spyderco knives though, haha. But that's said with love. I realize most Spyderco's don't leave the factory with problems. Like anything, sometimes stuff slips through.

Edit: I just realized I didn't answer your question.

Edge sharpness has several variables. But yes, by and large, you should be able to get your Kershaw to be very very sharp.
 
I agree with Billy.

I edc a GB1 which has the M4 blade.

I recently saw a limited production sprint run Kershaw Blur with a M4 steel blade at about 60%+/- of the cost of a new GB2. Curiosity caused me to buy one of the Kershaw M4 knives just to compare the two M4 knives of similar size. Each is designed by a knife master, Gayle Bradley Spyderco, and Ken Onion Kershaw. The knives each have many different features, but both cut very well. I'm still carrying each to see how long the edges holds up.

2020 Kershaw Blur Sprint Run Review - M4 Steel - TLR - YouTube

Spyderco Designer's Insight Series: The Bradley Folder - YouTube
 
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Mark Cust said:
I've owned both Spydercos as wellas Kershaws. Sometimes the steel of the Kershaw was actually superior to that of the Spyderco but for some reason the Spydercos seem to be way more sharp than the Kershaws. Is this because of the way the blade is grinded, or is it just that Kershaws aren't that well sharpened out of the box? Is there any way to sharpen the Kershaws to make them as sharp or even sharper than the Spydercos, or does the difference in blade design just not make it possible?
Click to expand...

I use a very simple and effective technique to bring factory sharpened blades to paper towel shaving sharp, I just get a lansky turnbox ceramic rod system (Only costs £26 in the UK) and run them over it for a few strokes on the medium grit and one or 2 on the fine grit which produces a very fine micro bevel and gets rid of the tiny flat the factory sharpening blades come with. I find most factory sharpened blades come barely shaving sharp not ultra fine crisp apex sharp. Do this and you will soon have every folder in your collection screaming through paper towels beyond shaving sharp.
Honestly I find every knife I buy no matter which company it's from comes less than my standard of sharp, Spyderco, Fox, Benchmade, Hogue, Ontario, Kizer, QSP, Opinel, to me they are all less than what I sharpen them to. Just get the Lansky Turnbox, set it to 20 degrees, then do a few light passes and it will be sharper than any factory edge.
Trust me.
 
IMO, Kershaw is an excellent entry level knife that’s well made, but that’s all they offer. Spyderco offers entry level knives as well as next level knives. Spyderco has a better range of knives to choose from depending on your budget.
You get what you pay for with any knife which is subjective to knife people. It only matters on your choice of knife and if it serves the purpose for you.
 
It's definitely the grind and sharpening job rather than the steel, Spyderco's blade geometry is usually very refined. No factory edge is ever great, they're done quickly on a grinder, boxed, and sent out the door. Both companies do factory edges pretty well in my experience, I've seen some real hack jobs from some companies. To get the best edge you'll need to take the time to sharpen it yourself.

Learning to sharpen on a bench stone takes patience and time. Try the Spyderco Sharpmaker, it can sharpen almost any blade and it's generally pretty easy to use, done correctly you can get a scary sharp edge without a terrible learning curve.

I think right now Kershaw and Spyderco are two of my favorite manufacturers. I prefer Spyderco, they are a step above in price and quality, but Kershaws are well made and better priced. I think there's room for both in one collection.
 
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