- Joined
- Jun 30, 2016
- Messages
- 4,672
I've owned plenty of ultra budget blades in the past. Most were fine in terms of function, but left much to be desired.
They would lock open, but had blade play one way or the other. They could be opened with one hand, but would hurt your thumb or open so easily that you worried about them in your pocket. They had a pocket clip, but would slip or destroy your pocket.
This was almost always true for cheap knives of the modern or tactical variety. It would cut things, but didn't really offer any more value than a lowly Opinel. If that.
I've since graduated to bigger and better things. Like many, I've settled in the $100-200 range for my usual carry. It's a price I'm comfortable with and provides a lot of value with some pride in ownership as well.
Since settling in this range I haven't paid much attention to the sub-50 dollar category. Certainly not the sub-20 dollar category. Until this last weekend.
I was browsing BladeHQ, as I often do when my wife is watching something terrible on TV, and stumbled upon a Kershaw sale. I saw a couple knives that really intrigued me:
These are not new models by any means, but not ones that I was really familiar with. The Injection 3.0 and 3.5.
They've a lovely utilitarian Rexford design. Both are comfortable in the hand, have a perfectly tensioned pocket clip, flick open quickly, lock open with no play and are almost perfectly centered. A collection of traits that some higher end manufacturers, looking at you Benchmade, often struggle with.
They also have g10 handles and 8cr13mov steel. Not a super steel by any means, but better than anything my granddad had and he used his knives for years at a time. It'll do.
The most astonishing thing I think is that I paid less than $25... for both of them. $25 for either would be a great deal, but for both is simply amazing.
Budget folders from China in 8cr13mov probably won't take over my EDC, but I couldn't be happier with these two and I think they'll get plenty of carry. Well done Kershaw.
They would lock open, but had blade play one way or the other. They could be opened with one hand, but would hurt your thumb or open so easily that you worried about them in your pocket. They had a pocket clip, but would slip or destroy your pocket.
This was almost always true for cheap knives of the modern or tactical variety. It would cut things, but didn't really offer any more value than a lowly Opinel. If that.
I've since graduated to bigger and better things. Like many, I've settled in the $100-200 range for my usual carry. It's a price I'm comfortable with and provides a lot of value with some pride in ownership as well.
Since settling in this range I haven't paid much attention to the sub-50 dollar category. Certainly not the sub-20 dollar category. Until this last weekend.
I was browsing BladeHQ, as I often do when my wife is watching something terrible on TV, and stumbled upon a Kershaw sale. I saw a couple knives that really intrigued me:
These are not new models by any means, but not ones that I was really familiar with. The Injection 3.0 and 3.5.
They've a lovely utilitarian Rexford design. Both are comfortable in the hand, have a perfectly tensioned pocket clip, flick open quickly, lock open with no play and are almost perfectly centered. A collection of traits that some higher end manufacturers, looking at you Benchmade, often struggle with.
They also have g10 handles and 8cr13mov steel. Not a super steel by any means, but better than anything my granddad had and he used his knives for years at a time. It'll do.
The most astonishing thing I think is that I paid less than $25... for both of them. $25 for either would be a great deal, but for both is simply amazing.
Budget folders from China in 8cr13mov probably won't take over my EDC, but I couldn't be happier with these two and I think they'll get plenty of carry. Well done Kershaw.
