Trouble deciding

K

Knicked Digits

Joined
Dec 24, 2016
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I have a dilemma. With the tax returns season upon us I have decided to treat myself to a new knife. I have whittled it down to two contenders but am at a stalemate as to which blade to choose.

The choice is between:
•Kershaw Knockout
•Kershaw Blackout

I'm stuck because the pros and cons on both blades compliment each other and makes it near impossible to decide between the two. I haven't had the opportunity to pick either one up to get a feel for them.
I currently have the partial serrated, blackwash Kershaw Clash as my edc (can you tell I'm a sucker for "budget blades") which I've used as a sort of reference point but want to try some different stuff with a higher quality blade steel. All the reviews I've seen don't help either as they're about the same knife in my eyes.

I need the help of more experienced people's in these matters. This is more of a tie breaker really than anything at this point.

Help me Obi-wan Kenobi! You're my only hope!
 
Out of those 2 the knockout is the better choice it is a solid knife and a real beast the blackout's lock just didnt instill any faith for me. I owned both and the only one i have left is the brown knockout in elmaax
 
One of my friends owned a blackout and i have only handled a knockout at a local knife shop, so from just that little experience and personal taste i would go with the knockout.
For me i prefer the knockouts lock, handle material, steel, style, and comes in multiple options.
 
The Blackout is a really underrated knife. The handle is extremely comfortable for extended work sessions. The lock is a little flimsy by today's standards, but I beat on one of these daily for over a year back when they first came out and never had an issue.

That said, I'd get the Knockout. It's also quite comfortable, slimmer in pocket, has a beefier blade that still slices very well, great lock, deep carry clip, etc. Ton of bang for your buck.
 
The Knockout has a very useful blade shape and good snappy action. Its only deficiency is the slimness of the handle. In anything but light cuts the thin handle digs painfully hard into the web of your hand.
 
Two good knives for the money. Get both and gift the one you don't like. This is my nearly 15yr old Blackout. I have been amazed at how well the blade coating has held up. Still fires out with authority.
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This is probably going to remain a tie until you pick them both up.

They carry different, they handle different, and only you can appreciate these differences for what they are.

Myself, I preferred the Blackout.

But I'll toss in the ol' BFC stand-by, end-all-be-all solution for you.... Buy both. :D
 
If I have extra left over I was planning on buying the other too lol. The big things for me were the pocket carry positions ( I do tip down on my right side), comfort in hand which hopefully I'll get the chance to check soon, blade steel, and it needed a piercing point to it.

All those standards met the pros and cons flopped back and forth between the two. I was already leaning toward the Knockout. I just stumbled across it the other day whereas I found the blackout a while ago and loved it.

I'm praying hard yo have enough after all the expenses are paid to be able to buy the second choice as well.

Thanks for the input so far guys. It's really appreciated :)
 
Of the two, I'd go Knockout.

You like budget blades? Trying a different steel? Already have a Kershaw? Have you looked at the most popular budget knife recommendation on BFs?*

KW is a paid member of this forum so I believe linking is ok...right?
http://www.knifeworks.com/ontariora...orangehandle-limitededition.aspx#.WJnyfvIjqnY

I bought one a few weeks ago. It's awesome. With shipping, less then $41. You can get the Knockout and the Rat 1 D2 maybe...


* meh, probably a good guess tho.....
 
Sigsog226 said:
One of my friends owned a blackout and i have only handled a knockout at a local knife shop, so from just that little experience and personal taste i would go with the knockout.
For me i prefer the knockouts lock, handle material, steel, style, and comes in multiple options.
Click to expand...

I like the stonewashed black handle one the best. A reviewer(sp?) on amazon bought both the stonwash on black and the black coated blade with tan handles and swapped the blades. The stonewashed on tan looked smooth as anything. One of my qualms with kershaw, they can never get the color combos right.
 
I like the Knockout for its long, sweeping blade. It also has a great sharpening choil. NOT fond of aluminum scales.
The Blackout?...not so much. The back end of the blade edge ends in a rather strange V-cut and it appears to be rather flimsy in contrast with the Knockout. The handle is slippery when wet. Almost reminds me of a tanto design, and I'll take a pass on the SpeedSafe in this case.
I'd wear the Blackout to a wedding, and the Knockout to the woods. The Cryo (??) is a beefier knife, but I love it.
I just gifted a Cryo to my grand-daughter and its Hinderer design really is a wonder to hold and to operate. Just something else you might consider...
 
Sonnydaze said:
The Cryo (??) is a beefier knife, but I love it.
I just gifted a Cryo to my grand-daughter and its Hinderer design really is a wonder to hold and to operate. Just something else you might consider...
Click to expand...

I wanted to move up from the 8cr13mov steel. Plus I'm not entirely sold in the frame lock as opposed to the liner lock. I've never had one personally. I know the knockout has a subframe lock but the other features of the knife make that almost a moot point.

All that being said, I do appreciate your input and and suggestion
 
I EDCed a Kershaw Blackout for about 6-7 years as my only knife. I absolutely recommend it. The only reason I stopped carrying it was just because I wanted a change of pace after that many years
 
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