- Joined
- Oct 29, 2005
- Messages
- 19,834
hello all,
after reading the thread on these being discontinued, i decided to pick one up. i have had it about a week and here are some of my initial thoughts and impressions:
fit/finish: excellent. to be expected from kershaw and/or zero tolerance.
sharpness: pretty good. the blade is thick for a folder, and the edge looks a little obtuse. its sharp, but it took some work to cut up cardboard boxes.
action: it has three "stages".
1. from the closed position to about 30 degrees, there is some resistance
provided by the locking mechanism.
2. from about 30 degrees to about 120 degrees, the blade swings freely.
3. from 120 degrees to 180 degrees (locked open) it again meets resistance
from the lock.
it is pretty smooth all the way through, but not really a "flickable" folder.
lock: this is what most interested me. the hawks have come up with some pretty innovative stuff, though this is the first ive owned. it is comfortable to disengage, and i find it easy to close one handed after a little practice.
and the two huge thumbdisks make opening easy right or left handed. it is also pretty simple to close either right or left handed.
i am really curious to see how the lock engages, but can't dissasemble because of the pivot design. probably better i dont anyway.
it does lock nicely with a good audible clack, and there is no play in any direction.
i do wonder what the life of the neoprene around the pivot and lock switch is. around the switch, it is normal neoprene and pretty soft. i would think it possible to tear, cut, or otherwise damage this portion.
size: its big. very big. overall length is fine, as you can see in the pics. thickness, however, different story.
.72" on my caliper. almost 3/4 of an inch thick!
6.9 oz on my postal scale, making this the heaviest folder i own.
in contrast:
sebenza: .45" thick, 4.7 oz.
lawman: .50" thick, 4.5 oz.
clip: deep pocket carry type. not my favorite style of clip. i prefer something that allows me to get a better purchase on the handle when removing it from a pocket. its still a good design, and reversible for leftys.
retention could be better, but i think the weight of the knife helps to keep it in your pocket.
use: it is very comfortable, even though it appears blocky. the beveled layering of the g10 overlays and rounding of the aluminum liners feels great.
i carried it at work for a day in my sap pocket, and i dont think i will be using this at work. it made sitting a bit uncomfortable and it tended to shift frequently. also the deep carry clip required more thought in removing it from the sap pocket.
in the back pocket of jeans or shorts, it is fine.
i think its a keeper, i really like the overall design. but the size will limit carry, it reminds me of a strider ar in that respect. great knife, just too big to carry on a regular basis.
after reading the thread on these being discontinued, i decided to pick one up. i have had it about a week and here are some of my initial thoughts and impressions:
fit/finish: excellent. to be expected from kershaw and/or zero tolerance.
sharpness: pretty good. the blade is thick for a folder, and the edge looks a little obtuse. its sharp, but it took some work to cut up cardboard boxes.
action: it has three "stages".
1. from the closed position to about 30 degrees, there is some resistance
provided by the locking mechanism.
2. from about 30 degrees to about 120 degrees, the blade swings freely.
3. from 120 degrees to 180 degrees (locked open) it again meets resistance
from the lock.
it is pretty smooth all the way through, but not really a "flickable" folder.
lock: this is what most interested me. the hawks have come up with some pretty innovative stuff, though this is the first ive owned. it is comfortable to disengage, and i find it easy to close one handed after a little practice.
and the two huge thumbdisks make opening easy right or left handed. it is also pretty simple to close either right or left handed.
i am really curious to see how the lock engages, but can't dissasemble because of the pivot design. probably better i dont anyway.
it does lock nicely with a good audible clack, and there is no play in any direction.
i do wonder what the life of the neoprene around the pivot and lock switch is. around the switch, it is normal neoprene and pretty soft. i would think it possible to tear, cut, or otherwise damage this portion.
size: its big. very big. overall length is fine, as you can see in the pics. thickness, however, different story.
.72" on my caliper. almost 3/4 of an inch thick!
6.9 oz on my postal scale, making this the heaviest folder i own.
in contrast:
sebenza: .45" thick, 4.7 oz.
lawman: .50" thick, 4.5 oz.
clip: deep pocket carry type. not my favorite style of clip. i prefer something that allows me to get a better purchase on the handle when removing it from a pocket. its still a good design, and reversible for leftys.
retention could be better, but i think the weight of the knife helps to keep it in your pocket.
use: it is very comfortable, even though it appears blocky. the beveled layering of the g10 overlays and rounding of the aluminum liners feels great.
i carried it at work for a day in my sap pocket, and i dont think i will be using this at work. it made sitting a bit uncomfortable and it tended to shift frequently. also the deep carry clip required more thought in removing it from the sap pocket.
in the back pocket of jeans or shorts, it is fine.
i think its a keeper, i really like the overall design. but the size will limit carry, it reminds me of a strider ar in that respect. great knife, just too big to carry on a regular basis.
