What happened to Kershaw?

I equate it to the scenario playing out with Spyderco and Byrd... higher prices for people who can / want to spend that much with Spyderco / ZT, and while still good quality, less expensive Byrd / Kershaw knives.

Or Benchmade and HK.
 
CascadianAaron said:
There are or there were...?

I've seen only a few currently for sale (Damascus blade for example) from the regular outlets, but I have seen pictures of other colors and blade combinations online.
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I think total, non-custom Skylines with discrete model number or unique finishes applied by the factory stands at 17 different Skylines. I'll need to pull my inventory and check for sure. You are correct that most were sprint run production, only available new for a limited time. Currently I think the only models readily available new are the vanilla 1760, 1760bw black wash, 1760dam Damascus and BladeHQ has a few of the S30V black coated blade with CF handles.

You can find some of the rarer varieties here on the Exchange from time to time, as well as on the evil auction site.

If you want more info on Skylines, shoot me a message and I'll try to help you out.
 
The Launch series is epic for the price point, the Camber is a good knife as well. Kershaw proper will probably never put out knives like the Tilt again they have ZT for that now. On the topic of Assisted Opening (AO) knives you would be surprised how many "Non-Knife People" swear by AO knifes it is mind boggling but most of them have never spent more than $40 on a knife so Kershaw is about as good as it gets for them.
 
Bought my first skyline about 12 years ago, great knife, just purchased the cf s30v from bhq, awesome knife. Also have a leek and the breakout full auto. The breakout is an amazing knife!
 
Dean Crail said:
The Launch series is epic for the price point, the Camber is a good knife as well. Kershaw proper will probably never put out knives like the Tilt again they have ZT for that now. On the topic of Assisted Opening (AO) knives you would be surprised how many "Non-Knife People" swear by AO knifes it is mind boggling but most of them have never spent more than $40 on a knife so Kershaw is about as good as it gets for them.
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It's been said time and time again, AO knives are the automatic transmissions of the knife world. Used by 95% of the population but generally disliked by the enthusiasts.
 
I own two kershaws, a leek and thermite. The leek is the better knife but I have a big problem with both. No blade detent on eiher knife. If the spring bar breaks, the knife wont stay closed. The detent ball is there but no hole in the blade. Seems lazy to me. It has turned me away from Kershaw.
 
I don't know how many here were into knives when Kershaw was testing the hard use arena with a few high end models. Seemed that around the same time ZT was introduced. I believe KAI saw a new market in overbuilt knives and focused their energies on the ZT line. The Kerahaw line had to be sacrificed IMO. Then the Ken Onion relationship came to an end and his designs were the bread and butter of Kershaw.
 
The only Kershaw's I own are a CF/s30v Skyline and a Blue s30v Blackwashed (de-assisted) Blurr. I really have no interest in any other knives that the offer.

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ZT has nothing to do with kershaw fall . ZT is the $160+ competition . Back then you had a choice of kershaw knive should I buy a Blur or a mini grip or should I get Ram or a griptilian or a shallot or an Endura or mini cyclone or a delica . All of the knives mention are in the $55 to $85 range . Kershaw is not in the mid range $ game any more .

I guess they don't need to make any new USA design the Leek, Blur and the skyline sell very well . The kershaw Piston was discontinued in my opinion for the $65 you paid it was a great deal . That knife is in the same class as the griptilian and the Endura and other knives . But they didn't sell .
 
It's almost like Kershaw woke up this year and said, you know what, we are going to start moving all production out of the US, especially because of how popular the Link model was. :mad:

......not interested in anything they made for this year. It's all junk steel, and out of the country builds.
 
I absolutely love the Damascus Shallot, and the Blur is quite nice as well, but I agree that most of Kershaw's newer offerings aren't worthwhile. I wish the Emerson collaborations had been USA-made. Mitmaldo was absolutely correct that they appear to be focused on the Walmart market now.
 
I think Kershaw is right where it needs to be, occupying the entry level market for non-enthusiasts. They have two distinct brands for the high and low end of the market. When you push that price point up into the $80-150 price point you run into direct competition with Spyderco and the like. Why battle for that slice of the pie for our business (which is relatively small) when they have an established foothold in the entry level market and they can sell to any goofball who wanders into a Walmart? That segment of the market could care less what the steel is, it just needs to catch the eye and cut stuff.

In my opinion they should focus on unique and practical designs at the low end, with the low end materials. If something catches on, then offer it in better materials for enthusiasts, like the leek etc. They have some good looking designs in this years crop (I actually enjoy my Entropy) so I dont think it would be that difficult for them to do. Dominate the low end, and keep the quality high on the ZT end. That's just my 2 cents, and I know I'm a bit of an outlier here because I could care less where a knife is made.
 
I think we sometimes forget that those of us here on this and other knife forums that know about knives and steels, F&F, grinds, handle materials etc: are a minority or niche market. Most knife purchases are impulse buys because of point of sale merchandising or specific use such as work, camping or hunting trips or for young people that just want something cool. That's the reason companies like M-Tec and Tac-Force are alive and well. So Kershaw like any other profitable company are producing knives for that majority market with a few "bones" thrown in for those of us that that think nothing of spending a $100 and up for a knife because most people think that anyone who spends more than $50 for a "pocketknife" is crazy. So for me I just go with the flow and if a company starts decreasing their quality in production and or materials I move on. Gerber is a good example I bought a lot of Gerber's in the 80's and when they started slipping I quit buying them and still don't even look at them but my decision to pass did not affect them at all. My CRK small 21 cost $350 my Kershaw Burst about $20. They are about the same length and though not the same, similar blade shape. Which do you think the majority of folks buying a knife would choose?


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I see lots of guys loving the Launch series and I'm confused....this happens often.
I have a 1 and a 3. Decent knives, but unless I hold the knife with blade spine facing up blades do not lock up. They kind of 'bounce' open.
The spring is not engaged for full length of travel.....only engaged bout half way.
Both mine were bought new. Every other auto I have, Pro Tech & Microtech, never 'bounce' open. The springs are engaged for the full travel.
Am I the only one experiencing this?? Totally turned me off and I never carry either.
Joe
 
I have no idea what Kershaw is up to but they were once making good knives. The whole playing field has moved on again. In the last 15 years we have probably seen three upgrades in machinery for production knives, let alone the new steels on the block. Any company that doesn't keep up is going to be left behind. The finish now from the most up to date machinery can give Chris Reeve a run for its money.

We are enthusiasts and $100-$250 is not unusual, but a huge amount of people think $40 is plenty for a knife; $75 over the top and $120 is Christmas. For under $100 its a vast numbers game and little time for human input. Older machines that have already paid for themselves may keep the price under control but can't compete finish wise with the very latest technology. Bottom line price sells but the competition is fierce and those with the most recent investment will win. There really isn't any reason for a poor knife, though some are still being produced to such a low price they are junk. Junk is junk, but at least is pretty obvious.

I also think mid range main producers are losing focus on deep quality in their enthusiasm to cater for fashion. Prices have crept up on older respected designs, though probably not in real terms. There are also some right old gimmicks being tacked behind the classics, and these new offerings are more fashion than actually adding much.

Anyway, had to say my peace somewhere.
 
As many have said Kershaw has gone to the Wal-Mart way. Much like Buck and some other brands. I was shocked a few years back when I went to a local sporting goods store and found that every one of the Kershaws in stock were made in China with the exception of the assisted opening models which I don't have interest in .It seems KAI have begun focusing less on Kershaw and making it the every man's knife while ZT is the premium option for the knife nuts.

Sigh...
 
I really like my de-waved Kershaw/Emerson but I've never owned a knife as pricey as a ZT. Not judging, I've had s couple of custom pistols some people would call stupid expensive. I love having 1st world probs.

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Kershaw has repeatedly done this throughout its history. They make cutting edge, great knives for a while, discontinue them, come out with junk, then discontinue those, then come out with good stuff, then...
 
I'm sure KAI knows their market well. If they saw an opportunity to make more profit selling a US-made CQC-6K with S30V blade for $70 (no idea what the actual price would be) instead of Chinese-made one in 8Cr13MoV for $30, I'm sure they'd jump on that.

That said, there are still a lot of cool designs coming out on the Kershaw side, and a typical retail price of $30'ish, it provides a relatively inexpensive way to try out a wide variety of different designs, shapes, and sizes. The build quality is great, and the knives are backed by the same fantastic customer service and lifetime warranty. They are perfectly functional tools for the "average" person, and they can serve as a great gateway for the prospective enthusiast.
 
Comeuppance said:
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.
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Agree with this. It is puzzling that the increase in production technology/abilities hasn't fully trickled down to the bottom end. That being said, imho we are in the middle of the greatest time ever to be a knife knut. The steels, production tolerances, locks and openers variety, blade shapes, grinds, etc. are insane. You really can get almost anything you want from a knife. My only problem is that I'm falling in love all the time.
 
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