Question for anyone who knows about Kershaw knives

[KingNothing]

The Leek knife

Seems like it would be hard(er) to hold on to since the grip is just smooth metal. True? False?

 

[SmoiL]

I sweat like a pig and still find them easy to hold onto.

 

[LS20]

no, i think it has more to do with the size and design of the handle. the ken onion scallion holds very, very nice and its only slightly bigger than my chive. try it out in the store. btw i am NOT satisfied with my chive because of dullness and loosening of the screws

 

[RagingBITCH]

As long as you're holding the knife properly, your hand fits the groove and makes it no more harder to hold than a knife with rubber inserts on the handle. Kershaw sucks btw

 

[KingNothing]

Why does Kershaw suck? Dull blade like LS20 mentioned?

I should mention, I'm not looking for the "ultimate knife" or anything. I'm looking to get a Christmas present for a friend. Don't want to spend more than $30. The Kershaw speed-safe opening system seems cool, I'm going to see if I can find a place selling them locally so I can try it out.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: KingNothing
Why does Kershaw suck? Dull blade like LS20 mentioned?

Dull? Yes. Screws come loose? Yes. Flimsy ass clip? Yes. (I broke mine, got a replacement, the screws like mentioned earlier never held the replacement in place like it should. Neither the original nor the ones that came with it) Before I broke the tip off mine, I managed to bend the serrated teeth on my Kershaw as well. Quality? I think not. The one thing I loved about the Kershaw was the fact that it was lightweight, and the opening mechanism was fantastic. Other than that it sucked. I will not buy another Kershaw ever again.

 

[Conky]

Kershaw knives don't suck. They are actually quite popular and given their price-range a pretty decent deal.

I've been thinking about picking up a Leek or a Blackout myself!

Normally I would direct you to my sig where the forums contain knife sections with guys that could totally answer your questions about Kershaw and any other brand of knife but unfortunately my current webhost is experiencing problems and my forums are down. You might check them tomorrow, they should be back up by then.

 

[LS20]

the opening mechanism thing is indeed super fricking cool.. however i do think other companies offer something similar? maybe benchmade or spiderco or something. if you want a cheap gift that is also useful then maybe get him/her a leatherman micra or squirt... good utility there

 

[OS]

I bought a kershaw knife and it's pretty nice. I was playing with it and cut off the tip of my finger unfortunately.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: LS20
the opening mechanism thing is indeed super fricking cool.. however i do think other companies offer something similar? maybe benchmade or spiderco or something. if you want a cheap gift that is also useful then maybe get him/her a leatherman micra or squirt... good utility there

No, I am way into knives and I can tell you that neither Benchmade nor Sypderco carry "spring assisted" knives like the Kershaws. Benchmade carries auto knives(switchblades) and Spyderco does not. BTW, Leatherman tools are quite nice too.

 

[KingNothing]

bump

 

[HorizonSeeker]

if you don't want to spend more than $30, leek is not likely for you in new condition, even the distributors cost is around that and you have to add in the dealer cost + profit. the chive and scallion maybe more in your rang.

 

[KingNothing]

I might be able to get one off EBay for that price. If not, the Scallion looks ok. The Chive is too small.

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: LS20
no, i think it has more to do with the size and design of the handle. the ken onion scallion holds very, very nice and its only slightly bigger than my chive. try it out in the store. btw i am NOT satisfied with my chive because of dullness and loosening of the screws

You should try returning yours for a different one. My Kershaw Blur hasnt had any issues with the screws, and I've popped the thing open 350+ times at least since I've gotten it. I havent had it for too long, but I spent a couple hours just pulling it out and deploying the blade so that I can now do it without thinking. While it wasnt the sharpest blade I've ever encountered out of the box, its sharp enough to shave the hair off my arm, something my CRKT K.I.S.S. was never able to do.

I am still planning on picking up a MT Socom Elite Mini (which I planned to do prior to buying the Kershaw), but until I do its a big step up in functionality over my old Buck hunting knife.

 

[KingNothing]

I tried the Scallion out, it didn't open fully when I fingered the release mechanism like the Leek did. Don't know if I just had a bad knife or what, but that kind of turned me off to it.

So I think I'm going to get a Leek unless someone can point me to a (legal) knife with an auto-opening mechanism for less.

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: KingNothing
I tried the Scallion out, it didn't open fully when I fingered the release mechanism like the Leek did. Don't know if I just had a bad knife or what, but that kind of turned me off to it.

So I think I'm going to get a Leek unless someone can point me to a (legal) knife with an auto-opening mechanism for less.

"legal" depends on where you live

 

[KingNothing]

Nebraska law says that knives can have up to a 3.5 inch blade before they are considered a "knife".

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: KingNothing
Nebraska law says that knives can have up to a 3.5 inch blade before they are considered a "knife".

Sucker. Texas is 5.5".

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: KingNothing
Nebraska law says that knives can have up to a 3.5 inch blade before they are considered a "knife".

Sucker. Texas is 5.5".

They need to be to cut through the humidity down there.

 

[Monel Funkawitz]

I regularly use Kershaw knives, plus I know a dealer, so I get to try new models. They are well made knives. Like any other tool, they are for specific uses.

Ken Onion designs knifes that look cooler than hell. The Chive is made out of 440A stainless that on average, is about 57 Rockwell. (440A is an oil hardenable, straight-chromium stainless steel. It has extreme wear and corrosion resistance. I use it for tooling at work.) 440A is one of the top alloys to use for knifes that do not rust. You can go with high carbon steel to hold a sharper edge, but it will rust, and the edge can chip. Stainless tends to smear and the edge, when sharp, will outlast a high carbon steel edge in durability.

If you want a knife that will look good forever, hold a good edge and require minimal maintenance go with something made with 440A.

If you want a knife that holds the sharpest possible edge, needs oiled occasionally to keep from rusting, and is cheap, go high carbon steel.

Anyone that breaks the point off thier knife, and bends serrated teeth is using it for something it was not intended for. 440A is alot more tolerant than high carbon steels.

Also, the Chives and Leeks do have a few things that you can improve on. A good three angle hone job and a little dab of locktite on the screws make that knife sweet. Mine's done ALOT of cutting and is still plenty sharp.