tenacious or cyclone

Kershaw makes many fine products and I know from first-hand experience that their customer service and warranty support is top notch. I don't think the Cyclone is their best effort, though.

I owned a Cyclone and sold it off. The compromise between assisted opening and a feature to turn it off left a knife that wasn't very good at either. With respect to J. Curd, I think the Tenacious is at least at tough as the Cyclone with steel that is as good or better, and a comparable warranty.

I would prefer a USA made product, and would suggest a Manix 2 as a better (but more expensive) all-around choice. If you want to go Kershaw, it is hard to beat the Tyrade right now.
 
I have worked my way through 6 Cyclones. I had 3 they all broke and were all promptly replaced by Kershaw. Then 2 of the new ones they sent me also broke. One I fixed myself with the torsion bar they sent (I asked for a few) one they fixed and returned with an outrageous sharp edge. Even sharper than NIB if you can believe that on a Kershaw.

Bottom line. Cyclone a good knife that breaks and will be fixed. If you're OK with that. The price they are selling them for now however, it's worth a shot.
My Tenacious has never broke.
 
There you go. Now you have a cyclone breaking thread right here. They break. Look at the posters here. There are plenty of threads that say they do. If you don't mind using a broken AO knife or mind shipping your knife back to Kershaw, get the Cyclone. There were plenty of threads a few months back. It's poor engineering. No big deal, it's not like a car or something important. It's just a broken AO, and you can always use it manually. Cool looking knife. I almost bought one. Another plus is it's made in the USA, if memory serves.
 
Condition 1 said:
I have worked my way through 6 Cyclones. I had 3 they all broke and were all promptly replaced by Kershaw. Then 2 of the new ones they sent me also broke. One I fixed myself with the torsion bar they sent (I asked for a few) one they fixed and returned with an outrageous sharp edge. Even sharper than NIB if you can believe that on a Kershaw.

Bottom line. Cyclone a good knife that breaks and will be fixed. If you're OK with that. The price they are selling them for now however, it's worth a shot.
My Tenacious has never broke.
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Need I say more. I've never owned either.
 
BigV said:
my cyclone has a broken ao. the switch does absolutley nothing now
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Been using mine for two years, occasionally beat it up at work. It has held up great, but if anything ever would break I would just go here and contact them. http://www.kershawknives.com/contactus.php?brand=kershaw
They have always been more than helpful to me. If it is a warranty issue they will make it right. For any company to do this on a continual basis in this economy speaks volumes for their integrity.
There are plenty of threads saying that all makes of knives break. How it is handled is just as important as how well it is made. Kershaw and a majority of the major knife manufactures know this and act accordingly. IMO someone who has never used or owned a product should not be relied upon or fully believed when giving comments, good or bad, about that product. I could tell that a certain horse is great to ride. You get on it and get thrown and stomped. My reply "Well, I never rode it but so and so and all them said that it was a good horse"
 
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Condition 1 said:
I have worked my way through 6 Cyclones. I had 3 they all broke and were all promptly replaced by Kershaw. Then 2 of the new ones they sent me also broke. One I fixed myself with the torsion bar they sent (I asked for a few) one they fixed and returned with an outrageous sharp edge. Even sharper than NIB if you can believe that on a Kershaw.

Bottom line. Cyclone a good knife that breaks and will be fixed. If you're OK with that. The price they are selling them for now however, it's worth a shot.
My Tenacious has never broke.
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This is the first I have heard of the Cyclone constantly breaking.
You listed 7 different repairs.
Over how long of a period did the 6 you worked your way through last?
For almost 3 years I have opened and closed mine with no problems. I have used it to open just about everything that has needed opening.
Cut everything that has needed cutting. No problems. Of the dozens I have sold over the years I have never had a customer complain about them breaking or the A/O stop working.



Silverdagger said:
Cyclone is an inferior broken design that retailers are selling for low prices because they break all the time. It looks great, but how good is a broke knife? Get some other kind of Kershaw that is engineered better.
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That is a little harsh. Not to mention completely incorrect.
 
Mine broke the torsion bar twice. The first one within the first week of ownership. The second one broke 2 days before I gave it to a friend. One of the tiny screws that holds the knife together had a bad habit of coming loose as well. Eventually this allowed the threads in the aluminum to be damaged. The 13c26 and it's latest variant is nothing special either. Takes a wicked edge but not what I would consider good edge retention.

I have plenty of Kershaw knives that I have been happy with. The Cyclone was not one of them. Your mileage may vary.
 
I vote Cyclone, feels very solid in the hand and Kershaw has some of the best CS I have experience with. If it were to break (which I really doubt it would) they would take care of you.
 
There you go posting about following those pesky instructions that could lead to someone breaking their knife...

"Instructions? We don't read no fricken instructions!"

I've owned 9 Mini Cyclones, 2 Cyclones...given 6 of them out as gifts over the last 2 years...they ALL are still happily functioning.

I don't disbelieve all the failures mentioned, but I do find them pretty incredible. Good thing it's with a company that doesn't charge for warranty support post-facto!
 
2bkc said:
This is the first I have heard of the Cyclone constantly breaking.
You listed 7 different repairs.
Over how long of a period did the 6 you worked your way through last?
For almost 3 years I have opened and closed mine with no problems. I have used it to open just about everything that has needed opening.
Cut everything that has needed cutting. No problems. Of the dozens I have sold over the years I have never had a customer complain about them breaking or the A/O stop working.
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OK, Lets break this down. You are correct my math is off.

I owned 3. 2 full size, 1 mini. Booth full size broke within 6 months or less.
1 was torsion bar, 1 was switch lever that catches the torsion bar.
Both replaced by Kershaw.
The mini torsion bar broke in about 1 ½ years.
That’s 3 so far.

The switch on one of the full size replacements broke within 6 months of replacement and another torsion bar on the other full size, maybe a year.

That’s 2 more for a total of 5.
One was tossed, one was Repaired by Kershaw.

I know I replaced the torsion bar on one of the full size. That may have been the one I tossed out. That makes 1 more repair that lasted a short time due to probably my pathetic repair attempt. If I remember correctly, that’s why I threw it out. So, we’ll not count that one.
The mini only broke 1 time.

That’s leaves 5 repairs, or 6-1=5
Thanks 2bkc for correcting my math.

Keep in mind I followed the instructions that were included with each Cyclone and followed up with a few phone calls to the helpful staff at Kershaw CS. They really are!!!

For the short amount of time I was able to enjoy the Kershaw sub-forum, I received a lot of incorrect info on this model. We still see it here today. I do not believe that this incorrect info was the direct result of breakage. Just a lot of mis and dis-information thrown around about this model by some who have never read the instructions or possibly owned a Cyclone.

But of course since you are A DEALER and never heard of such things.
No need to sweat it.
 
J_Curd said:
There you go posting about following those pesky instructions that could lead to someone breaking their knife...

"Instructions? We don't read no fricken instructions!"
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Please allow me to quote

“Operating Instructions Kershaw SpeedSafe On/Off

with Speed-Safe On/Off Assisted Opening, Your Knife will function as an assisted opening knife or as a manual opening knife.

Simply roll the disc on the back spine of the handle forward or backward when the blade is in the open position. This will engage or disengage the SpeedSafe Assist.

Note:IT WILL NOT DAMAGE THE KNIFE IF YOU ROLL THE DISC WHEN THE BLADE IS CLOSED, IT WILL SIMPLY ACTIVATE OR DEACTIVATE THE FEATURE AFTER ONE BLADE OPENING CYCLE"
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Class dismissed.
 
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Kershaw products are guaranteed for the lifetime of the original owner to be free of defects when received from the factory. Any product we find to be defective in its original material, construction, or workmanship will be repaired or replaced with the same item or one of equal value at no charge. (Of course, normal wear, abuse such as prying with the knife, or neglect are excluded from this non-transferable warranty.) For warranty service, please return product via UPS or insured mail. Include your name, address, telephone number, and a short explanation of the warranty service requested to the address below. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
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Condition 1, since you were clearly dissatisfied with that particular model (understandably if you had repeated failures), did you consider having it replaced with a different model?

In regards to the original post, I carried a Mini-Cyclone daily for over six months with no issues (still works, just out of the rotation for now). The Mini was a good size and comfortable shape. To be honest, I've never bothered to turn off the AO. The full size Cyclone isn't really much larger so carry and use shouldn't be too different.
 
I have a cyclone, and although I do not carry it every day, it does get dirty, and it operates flawlessly. With all of the great service I get from Sonny at 2Brothers, I will sleep soundly if for some reason it malfunctions. I like the design, and feel of it.
 
Very interesting thread. I was considering a Cyclone and tried to trade for one here on the forums(fell thru) so I headed off to my knife dealer 1.5 hrs away to get one to go with my Tenacious. They seem somewhat similar and I wanted to compare. Got there - no Cyclones! But they did have some knives that were in the price/style I was looking for, RAT 1's got one, love it, don't think I'll bother with a Cyclone now.
 
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