Blown Away By This $30 knife

rogatsby

rogatsby

Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
321
Just picked up a Kershaw Atmos on a whim. I was hesitant at first because it has 8cr13mov blade steel, which I usually try to avoid.

But boy, am I glad I bought this.

The build quality is great. Blade centering was perfect right out of the box with no adjustment. Lock up is rock solid, with no blade play at all. Blade was sharp as a razor. The design is beautiful, and fit to bear the name of the designer, Dmitry Sinkevich. It has pretty carbon fiber inlays. Best of all, the action is just unbelievable for such a cheap knife. Runs on bearings, flips open 100% and almost drops shut when the lock is disengaged. Again, no adjustments or disassembly required for this action.

And you get all of this in a $30 Chinese made knife. I am astounded.

Literally the only downside is the 8cr13mov. But I'll just keep my strop close by. No problem whatsoever. It slices very well, and has a nice, thin grind. This knife is making me rethink cheap Chinese folders. Wow.

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Folks keep on lauding this little guy! Might have to give it a try!
 
Man, my wife got me this for Valentine's Day this year and at the time I owned Sinkevich's ZT 0450CF. This Atmos fires 95% as hard at the 0450 does. I had the same experience with mine, the thing flips absolutely 100%, was razor sharp out of the box, and blade centering was perfect with no blade play. The flipper tab was pretty rough, but a little sanding fixed that right up. The fit and finish is quite good for a $30 knife. Honestly, the detent on this is better than many of my $200 knives. Would definitely recommend checking out the Atmos for anyone wondering.
 
I would easily pay double the price if they offered it in 14c28n (like they use in the leek)...
I expect they could even pull off $50 map pricing and still make more than they do with 8cr13mov
 
Deinos said:
If you aren't careful... you are going to end up with a ZT 0470 in no time ;)
Click to expand...

Saw the resemblance, the big question to myself if would I beat on the 470 and use it as a drawer knife as I would the Atmos. I find that's my big problem whenever I get something priced over $250. It ends up being some pocket bling for me. The 470 is snazzy as all hell though!

Edit, I'm always conflicted in trying to upgrade my knife life... but I've been having to admit to myself lately that I really need more "drawer knives" and slim pocket edcs more than the honking big knives that I'm drawn too, Lol.
 
I can see that. For a fixed blade, I have no problems using them regardless of price. Folders... my limit is probably under $200... but I have no problems using those within spec for their builds. Will see how I feel if I ever pick up a CRK, etc.
 
rogatsby said:
This knife is making me rethink cheap Chinese folders. Wow.
Click to expand...

Looks like a nice little knife! I had the same feeling when I got my Civivi Wyvern last week. Some impressive stuff coming out of China especially for the money. Reminds me of the Japanese auto imports of the 80s. Lots of people called them junk at the time. A decade later they were dominating the industry and the USA manufacturers were looking around like how the hell did that happen?!?!
 
Owned the Atmos twice. First one was solid like yours, no issues. Sold it because I wasn’t carrying it. Decided to grab another because despite not using it the first time around, I really like the design. This one sucks: bad detent, sharp edges on the handle and the pivot backs out as it gets flipped, resulting in blade play and it being off-centered. Loc-Tite helped with that part though.

Now the Fraxion is the Chinese Kershaw that blew me away. Ultra smooth, rock-solid and a great size. The detent is perfectly dialed in and nothing has changed after ~1000 flips.
 
I have been carrying kershaws every day for about 11 years. I carried ken onion scallion for about 10.8 yrs. I retired it just because I got sentimental and didn't want to lose it( which i have done a few times). Replaced with a $15 Kershaw Injection. Been carrying for a couple of months and the 8cr13mov blade still shaves my arm hair. I like it:)
 
Hearing lots of good things about the Atmos.

Don't knock the affordable knives..many of them are really good! Kershaw really does put out some nice knives such as the leek and the poor mans Hinderer the Cryo 2 ( not an insult, its the only hinderer I own LOL )
 
I too have been enjoying the Atmos. The first one I got looked okay but the G10 toward the blade was sharp and not contoured on one side. Rather than return it I carefully reshaped and contoured it myself. Ended up giving to a friend who needed a really lightweight knife that could be clipped in a pair of scrubs.
I missed it so got another for myself, this time the tan version. Fit and finish on this one was perfect. It's a genius design all-around, and the clip is perfect. As mentioned above, I would pay double for an Atmos with better steel. I'd even be happy with Chinese D2.
For the money, it's a better knife than the RAT 2.
 
There's value on the lower end for sure. As long as you can sharpen yourself it's all good. But even the super steel pricey knives need sharpening. And you won't have a heart attack if you lose it. I have more than a few other knives in the same steel. Few licks with a DMT and they're back in service.
 
What the heck? I was going to order this from Amazon and they say they say this is illegal in NY. What?
 
Thanks for your review and pictures. That really does remind me of the 470 - which is also a great knife.

best

mqqn
 
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