Kershaw Turbulence - Unimpressed Party of One

1

1robinhood

Joined
Apr 26, 2013
Messages
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So... I picked up a Turbulence at a great price ($29 shipped) But upon receiving it - there are a few negatives that have led me to return it.

1. The liner lock is entirely smooth - there is no tactile nature to it at all and there is no cutaway area to allow room for the thumb to "get in there" and push the lock open to allow the knife to close.... It's a real hassle to close it with my nimble hands withOUT gloves on.

WITH gloves on, it was impossible to close the knife with one or two hands. I have never experienced a Kershaw that did not have a liner/frame-lock that was easy to engage - I would be interested to hear why they overlooked/intentionally made such a hard to unlock knife.

img-kershaw-turbulence-03.jpg


2. The thumbstuds are not useable - only able to use the nicely placed flipper. And the blade finish makes it look uneven/scratched.

I have had a chive, and currently own Echelons and RAMS - which I find both useable and solid... so this experience with the turbulence was a surprise.... serves me right for buying a knife without handling it first.

I suppose the RAM and Echelon have spoiled me - I will be avoiding the lower tier of Kershaw knives unless I handle them from now on.

Is the Compound the same way? liner-lock issue wise?

*** The knife overall was a fine shape, blade is sharp, flipper worked well etc... not saying that the knife is horrible - just pointing out that the liner lock is flush with the rest of the handle so it is very hard to "get at" And therefore it's ease of use - particularly when hands are slippery or gloved - is seriously impaired.
 
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The studs on the Turbulence aren't really thumb studs, they're blade stops. The deployment is primarily (and almost exclusively) through the flipper protrusion.

The liner lock is a bit obstructed, but there are some other models with that kind of setup (like the Packrat). I imagine it's just an older implementation as they don't really do liner locks like that anymore.

The Compound has no studs at all, the stop pin is internal. The liner lock is a bit more exposed, so would be easier to disengage. However it's an import and isn't as polished a specimen as the Turbulence would be. Whatever floats your tuna though, it's cheap enough to just pick up and try out.
 
Uh no offense, but how big are your fingers? I have chunky monkey hands and it worked just fine for me. I would try and practice with it more, you might just not be used to the lack of space.

If not, you can try sanding down the G10 of the non-locking side, to make more open access
 
Sounds like a good knife to me. I prefer the liner to be very difficult to disengage. Makes it less likely that I'll disengage it by accident, gripping it tightly. Heck, I'd ALMOST rather have a knife that I have to pry the lock to disengage it than one that disengages too easily. But that's just me, and the only reason I carry folders is because I can't carry a fixed blade all the time.
 
jhyde7585 said:
Uh no offense, but how big are your fingers? I have chunky monkey hands and it worked just fine for me. I would try and practice with it more, you might just not be used to the lack of space.

If not, you can try sanding down the G10 of the non-locking side, to make more open access
Click to expand...

The knife overall was a fine shape, blade seemed fine, flipper worked well etc... not saying that the knife is horrible - just pointing out that the liner lock is flush with the rest of the handle so it is very hard to "get at" And therefore it's ease of use - particularly when hands are slippery or gloved - is seriously impaired.

That is a good tip to sand down the G10 - thank you.
 
sticktodrum said:
The studs on the Turbulence aren't really thumb studs, they're blade stops. The deployment is primarily (and almost exclusively) through the flipper protrusion.

The liner lock is a bit obstructed, but there are some other models with that kind of setup (like the Packrat). I imagine it's just an older implementation as they don't really do liner locks like that anymore.

The Compound has no studs at all, the stop pin is internal. The liner lock is a bit more exposed, so would be easier to disengage. However it's an import and isn't as polished a specimen as the Turbulence would be. Whatever floats your tuna though, it's cheap enough to just pick up and try out.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I might check out the compound - I am on the hunt for a DLC Shallot right now - Just picked up a DLC coated mini Cyclone - my full size cyclone has been my EDC for 3 years - absolutely love the solid, heavier nature of the cyclone.

I enjoy your video reviews by the way - especially your RAM review and thumbstud/flipper deployment videos on YT.
 
1robinhood said:
The knife overall was a fine shape, blade seemed fine, flipper worked well etc... not saying that the knife is horrible - just pointing out that the liner lock is flush with the rest of the handle so it is very hard to "get at" And therefore it's ease of use - particularly when hands are slippery or gloved - is seriously impaired.

That is a good tip to sand down the G10 - thank you.
Click to expand...
You might also want to try to get at it from an angle, not straight on, if that makes any sense. Tilt the lock side away from you when closing to present a more reasonable position of the liner.
 
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