What happened to Kershaw?

Comeuppance

Comeuppance

Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
4,765
I used to really like Kershaw. They put out quality knives at good prices. Sandvik steels, D2, VG-10, and 8Cr. Loads of manual knives with great quality control (especially for the price point)

What do we have now? 3cr knives and A/O.

This is a complete turnaround from where I thought they were headed. The Nura and Strobe were amazing steps forward in the budget knife world! Manual flippers with almost ZT-like flipping action! Unique pivots and pocket clips! Multi-tone finishes and interesting but functional designs!

What happened? I feel like the glory days of the Junkyard Dog, Skyline, Groove, and RAM are gone and will stay that way. It just seems like a steady decline in quality and materials with the occasional Skyline limited run to spice things up. When will we see another TiLT, or, heck, even an OD-1?
 
I think Kershaw has a few wins from time to time. The Link is amazing for a domestically produced knife. Overall, I think they've got some really nice designs that are just poorly made. I think the quality of the Chinese manufactured Kershawa have really dropped off over the last couple of years. I've seen fit and finish issues that are very in-Kershawlike. The knives are coming out seriously funky and filthy too.

I'd love to see them get away from cheap AO knives and offer better materials and build quality.
 
There are only two Kershaw knives that I like, the camber and s30v blur. I had a cryo but gave it to a coworker because I couldn't move the pocket clip to tip up. I ruined 3 star bits trying.
 
For some reason the Launch 4 has caught my eye. Aside from that I'm not particularly interested.
 
I think the Link, Blur, and the Camber are all nice knives. I have owned several Blurs and a Link, but got rid of them all. I guess I am just not a fan of assisted knives, but the quality was there and the prices were not bad at all.
 
I've always felt Kershaws to be more or less entry level folders, at least in modern day. I haven't owned one in eons but when I did they were probably considered a little more 'quality' than now.

I suppose with the advent of the ZT branch and other qualilty knife companies that have risen since Kershaw has been around, their status in the game may have slipped relatively.

I thought, a couple years ago, they were trying to improve their game when they did the Emerson collab and came out with a slew of new designs....now I think they may have become too caught up in the same thing ZT did by attempting radical changes in look and design.
 
Generally agree. I still see a new model or 2 that I like each year, but the quality is not keeping up with the quantity. And the sub-8cr steel is a complete deal killer for me. I can't go below 8Cr. So I'm out.
 
When I started carrying knives again for EDC as an adult, I started with the Kershaw/SOG entry level. Many of Kershaw's knives look pretty good online, and at those prices they're an easy impulse purchase. Plus like many new to knives I liked the assist before I learned to hate it. Almost every Kershaw I've had proved pretty unsatisfying pretty quickly, though, for one reason or another.

Only one that has stuck around as anything more than a glove compartment/toolbox leftover for me is the Thermite, which just happens to fit both my hand and my pocket really well and therefore still sees some use as a good beater knife (plus my copy has an extremely weak, almost defective assist so is less annoying to close). Plus the 8Cr13MoV steel in it gives me more opportunities to play with my knives, since it needs to go visit Mr. Sharpmaker every time I cut up two or three boxes.
 
EChoil said:
I've always felt Kershaws to be more or less entry level folders, at least in modern day. I haven't owned one in eons but when I did they were probably considered a little more 'quality' than now.

I suppose with the advent of the ZT branch and other qualilty knife companies that have risen since Kershaw has been around, their status in the game may have slipped relatively.

I thought, a couple years ago, they were trying to improve their game when they did the Emerson collab and came out with a slew of new designs....now I think they may have become too caught up in the same thing ZT did by attempting radical changes in look and design.
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The Emerson collabs, the KVT bearing pivot knives in the sub-$40 range, and the Launch series (I have, carry, and love my Launch 6) had given me a very optimistic viewpoint of Kershaw's future lineup.

Then 2016 was all 3cr assisted crap.

Kershaw has always been entry-level, but I feel like they've reached a bit too low with this years' lineup. Here's hoping it's a huge flop and they get their crap together next year.
 
Comeuppance said:
The Emerson collabs, the KVT bearing pivot knives in the sub-$40 range, and the Launch series (I have, carry, and love my Launch 6) had given me a very optimistic viewpoint of Kershaw's future lineup.

Then 2016 was all 3cr assisted crap.

Kershaw has always been entry-level, but I feel like they've reached a bit too low with this years' lineup. Here's hoping it's a huge flop and they get their crap together next year.
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Frankly, 'uppance, I think there's a revolution of some kind going on right now in the whole production knife world, I just can't put my finger on what it is---a lot of changes fast.
 
EChoil said:
Frankly, 'uppance, I think there's a revolution of some kind going on right now in the whole production knife world, I just can't put my finger on what it is---a lot of changes fast.
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What an ominous statement! Please elaborate further, to the best of your ability (given that you have already stated that it's kind of a nebulous feeling)
 
Comeuppance said:
What an ominous statement! Please elaborate further, to the best of your ability (given that you have already stated that it's kind of a nebulous feeling)
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I was afraid you were going to ask that.... :D And I don't want to jack the thread into a big debate over something else, but....

Yeah, it's nebulous. It's kind of the 'Future Shock" thing where it seems things are really accelerating. Not only are there more knives to select from than ever before, designs are becoming more radical, more and more touted steels are coming out, new companies come along...

I'm sure CAD engineering was part of a huge advancement in the industry a while back, just think what 3-D printers are going to do. I expect electric servo flippers and autos to show up soon....probably a few revolutionary new locks, then what, light sabers?

I started paying attention to all this a year or so ago when a few of my most trusted knife dealers told me, "Get ready, prices are about to really skyrocket in knifes." We may be seeing the beginning of that too, who knows.
 
All of their recent offerings are so similar that I couldn't match half of the knives to their names. The Cryo II looked really cool, so I bought one despite the blade steel, and it turned out to be crap. Until then I had been planning to buy a Thermite, too.

I do still love my Leeks. It's probably the only AO knife I like, but it gets it oh so right.
 
I don't know about the pricing thing - I feel like we're seeing lower prices relative to the quality we are getting. Cold Steel, Zero Tolerance, Kizer, Reate, and many others seem to really be stepping up the game without really stepping up the price point. Case in point: you can get a -range- of 204P bearing-pivot folders for under $300, you can get 110V folders for under $150, and you can get S35VN for under $100... And these are all from known brands with warranties and good customer service.

The advances we're seeing in production technology is promising from my perspective; it allows more companies to do more with less expense. Radical designs aren't radical to make, precision engineering is basically the norm now (a lot less talk about "CRK Tolerances" these days...), and the materials available to us are outright mindblowing.

It's partially because of these advances that Kershaw's seemingly rapid decline is almost a complete mystery to me.
 
Comeuppance said:
.......It's partially because of these advances that Kershaw's seemingly rapid decline is almost a complete mystery to me.
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Maybe they'll get it right next time. :)

Like Nap, I forgot to mention I sure like the Leeks a few friends of mine own. Great knife even for a Kershaw.
 
The 1870 Knockout is still one of my favorite Kershaws. The 1085 Diskin Hunter is another. Regretfully the 1086 Strobe doesn't make the cut anymore. It was a great knife while it lasted but I've had the lock bar break in the exact same place on two of them after a couple months of handling. As promising as the Strobe was, with KVT at an entry level price, it has really given me a poor impression of Kershaw's Chinese imports.
 
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I honestly don't know what the state of Kershaw is nowadays. But, years ago (and I've struggled to remember how long that is) possibly 15 years or so at a guess?? I bought a leek. years later I lost it. Three or four years go by, and as I was raking up the gravel in my driveway I looked down and saw the knife. I picked it up and examined it. I was delighted to see there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. It opened smooth as silk, not a touch of rust on it either. It had laid in the open for several summers and winters, I had ran over it with both my truck and my tractor, and it emerged absolutely perfect. I still have it and it still works perfectly and remains a sharp, reliable knife.
 
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