Kershaw and Gerber both suck?

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southbeachlaw

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I'm kinda new to knives...started off by buying a $20.00 Gerber...then read that Gerber knives stink...so, moved on to buying a Kershaw Chive....now in researching the knive...I seem to find a wave of sentiment that Kershaws and Gerbers suck because they are made overseas....I found the Kershaw to definetly be better than the gerber (mini fastdraw). I also bought a Kershaw Grant county which was sharp as a razor out of the box!

Anyone share this opinion?

I can't find a small CASE lockback or I'd buy it....just to have one. I prefer smaller knives for carry..I'm a professional so hard to carry anything over 3 inches...don't want to scare the white collar crowd if they see it anyway. Anyone know of a small CASE lockback? 3"or smaller handle.

Nick
 
The Mini Copperlock is that size. Google is your friend! Oh, and Kershaw's do not suck, in fact they kick ass! I'm sure more will elaborate on this subject soon.
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Nick,
What you are going to run into with the Case is the same problem that everyone is having with the Gerbers and Kershaws, and that is edge retention. I had to take public transportation for a trip a few weeks ago. After arrival, I purchased a kershaw model 1640 Vapor designed by Ken Onion. Awsome design, and I have carried it for a while. Edge is easy to bring up to razor, but doesn't stay long. Steel in the prodution knives just doesn't compare to what can be built. Your best bet would be a custom folder from a good builder, but you will pay more... Good luck!

Ridge
 
However, they are foreign made (which some people don't like) and the Chive in particular probably has fairly crappy (I know my oldish Leek was 440A) blade-steel.
 
A vast amount of the Kershaw knives are made in the USA, so you are covered there. Quality is excellent and quality/price ratio is nearly unbeatable. Also, warranty service is as good as it gets.
 
southbeachlaw said:
I'm kinda new to knives...started off by buying a $20.00 Gerber...then read that Gerber knives stink...so, moved on to buying a Kershaw Chive....now in researching the knive...I seem to find a wave of sentiment that Kershaws and Gerbers suck because they are made overseas....I found the Kershaw to definetly be better than the gerber (mini fastdraw). I also bought a Kershaw Grant county which was sharp as a razor out of the box!

Anyone share this opinion?

I can't find a small CASE lockback or I'd buy it....just to have one. I prefer smaller knives for carry..I'm a professional so hard to carry anything over 3 inches...don't want to scare the white collar crowd if they see it anyway. Anyone know of a small CASE lockback? 3"or smaller handle.

Nick
Click to expand...

So you read somewhere that both Gerber and Kershaw suck....did you use your knives and come to that conclusion or simply take someone's word for it? Even though I own more than a few Case knives....I wouldn't suggest you buy any because I read somewhere that they suck.
 
Kershaw knives DON'T suck. If you don't believe me, take a look & feel of a Kershaw Cyclone sometime...I own 3 of the Cyclones, with another "on the way". I also own a pair of the Junkyard Dogs (I & II), a Chive, and a couple of their heavy duty 1035 & 1050 knives. ALL are razor-sharp and solid. The 1035 & 1050 are somewhere beyond solid, and reek of quality.
 
Kershaw and Gerber DON"T suck. Price and model are your problem. They both make great knives. I owe my life to a Gerber knife. Research is your best key and start with this website!! Ask and you shall receive!! Glockman can tell you first hand that Kershaw does not SUCK.
 
I carried a Chive as my office knife for a couple of years. For the various cutting tasks that come up in a white collar setting, it was perfect, held it's edge just fine. For a more substantial office knife, I bought a SpyderCo Dragonfly.
 
Don't get too caught up in what others think. Have fun discovering for yourself.
Always remember that opinions are like a****les. Everyone has one and a lot of them stink.
 
I have some very good Gerbers and excellent Kershaw folders. The Blackout is my favorite folder. Its a Kershaw. Don't buy the story that there are no good production knives, Many if not most custom knives are made from the same steel as the production knives.
 
A lot of bias exists against some of the knife companies. Also foreign made does not automatically make it low quality
 
southbeachlaw said:
I'm kinda new to knives...started off by buying a $20.00 Gerber...then read that Gerber knives stink...so, moved on to buying a Kershaw Chive....now in researching the knive...I seem to find a wave of sentiment that Kershaws and Gerbers suck because they are made overseas....I found the Kershaw to definetly be better than the gerber (mini fastdraw). I also bought a Kershaw Grant county which was sharp as a razor out of the box!

Anyone share this opinion?

I can't find a small CASE lockback or I'd buy it....just to have one. I prefer smaller knives for carry..I'm a professional so hard to carry anything over 3 inches...don't want to scare the white collar crowd if they see it anyway. Anyone know of a small CASE lockback? 3"or smaller handle.

Nick
Click to expand...

I don't remember reading anything about poor quality in a Kershaw knife. Quite the contrary. There are an awful lot of satisfied Kershaw customers. While it is true that some Kershaw models are made overseas, most are made in the USA. I have not read any threads complaining even about the Kershaw knives that are made overseas.

Personally, I have had several poor quality Gerber knives. So have a number of other posters. So, yes, I would approach Gerber products with caution. But there just is no way I would put Kershaw in anything like the same category as Gerber. If I found one with a design I liked I would have no qualms about ordering one online.
 
A chive is an inexpensive Kershaw made of 420 steel which makes it very easy to sharpen. I owe over a dozen Kershaws and carry a chive as an EDC knife. Why carry it as an EDC? Because it is cheap and sharpens very easily. If I lose it it is no big deal. It performs flawlessly 100% of the time and seems indestructable. Every Kershaw I own has been trouble free.......
 
I'm new to this forum - but have to agree that neither Gerber or Keshaw make bad products - both make products across a broad range of price points ( this probably has something to do with them staying in buisness).
In particular I think the Gerber LST is a simply outstanding bang for the buck product - plain and simple it's a damm fine tool.Very much in the same vein - the KaBar Dozer 's show up for as little as $13 on sale -$20 or so regularly - again a useful tool for a very fair price. I've brocken the tip off of LST's - not surprisingly by using them to pry with - not something I can blame the knife for.
I recently returned a very cosmetically worn kershaw 1580 to them because the speed safe had quit - this was my EDC for 4 or 5 years ? used constantly - they replaced it with a new knife ! The only limitation I've run into with kershaw is they aren't big about replacing /warranty repairing tip brocken blades. In 50 years of knife use - I average a brocken tip every 6 or 7 years - it's always my fault - not the knives. These tools really aren't designed to be chisels or pry bars.
I don't worry much about a Gerber or Kershaw failing me - I do worry about simply losing them. The Kershaw Boa probaly served me longer than any other knife in my life - simply 'cause I didn't manage to lose the thing
 
My experiences with Gerber are not good. I like alot of the Kershaws designs, but I don;t own any and, like someone already said, a good portion of their stash is made in the U.S. Anyway, a knife is not bad because it's made overseas, but I personally believe it's bad form (for me) to invest in more than a few knives made elsewhere. I will say, however, that the absolute most POS knife I was ever given, a knife that should never have been sold for more than .0003 cents [and certainly never then given to a friend, let alone a relative!!], was made in China (and it had the Mexican flag and "Viva Mexico" on the scales) <----- this is true..... the only gift I ever just threw in the trash with nary a nag at my conscience.
 
Kershaw makes excellent knives. If anything, they have improved over the years to where I consider them equal to Spyderco and Benchmade.

My Kershaw Avalanche is equal in sharpness, edge retention, build quality, pocket clip retention and ergonomics to anything I"ve owned, which includes Emerson and Microtech. Even my now-traded Starkey Ridge was an excellent knife. I conside the $20-something Storm one of the top bargains along with Spyderco's Byrd Meadowlark in that affordable price range.

Don't believe what you've heard. Investigate and experiment for yourself.
 
Get a good blade. Get what suits you and works for you. There are a lot of blades that are made over seas that far surpass US made Case knives. I have handled many Kershaws and don't like them. I won't ever buy one. I don't care how good people say they are. Find what works for you. There are many places to start; Buck, Spyderco (you can get a Native at Wal-Mart for a good price), CRKT and more. But, I recommend that you handle the knives first before you buy any.
 
My Kershaw Leek has been my main EDC since the day I bought it. To me that's kind of obvious of what I think of it, how it compares to all my other knives in quality and practicality.
 
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