I gotta say, I bought some of these the last sale they were up. While a nice knife, it is a little too big to carry as something to slice open boxes and the like. I prefer something in the 3" arena, and this one is in the 5’s. Nice piece for the price, but I think you could be in trouble carrying one and getting police searched. Check your local laws first.
According to A-Z, this knife is from China.
Kershaw makes good knives. These are from their lower cost/lower quality line but they are still a good price here and great all around working knives. Just make sure you put a good sharp edge to them before you use them. I keep one in each of our trucks and gear bags.
I own 2 of these and I like em! The knife has a slim profile when closed and feels good in my hand. My wife even carries one. There isn’t any open assist but still a solid choice at a great price.
I bought 4 of these last time. Great knife, but the knob to open the knife isn’t quite adequate.
Agreed. I bought two last time they were up, thinking to give one to my oldest son for his first pocket knife. WAY too big for that…was thinking they’d be more like the size of my Kershaw Ken Onion Leek.
I do like the knife, though, and it’s not too big for daily carry, but as mentioned, be sure to know what the law in your area specifies for carry. I leave mine home if I’m going somewhere where there’s any question, and carry my leek, which is a good bit smaller.
I can also confirm that these are made in China, which was a disappointment, but should have come as no surprise at this price level.
A nice knife for the price, but if you want a US-made Kershaw, you’ll pay extra for it.
I bought a few of these last time. The knife feels good in the hand, has a good heft to it, but I was thoroughly unimpressed with the sharpness of the blade.
I’ve been using the Kershaw Ken Onion Leek for years now and that thing was razor sharp out of the box (the scar on my thumb is a testament to that.)
I prefer the backside open-assist to the thumbnail destroying stud.
Anyone know what the edge angle is on these?
Be aware that you need special sharpening tools for serrated blades.
I have the earlier version of this knife, the Vapor II.
That one was designed by Ken Onion. Anyone know if he was involved with the Vapor III?
The great thing about my Vapor II (I bought it many years ago) is that it’s from an early run - and made in Japan.
I’ve bought many pocket knives over the years, some of which cost $100 or so. But I still love my Vapor II. If this is anywhere near as good - it will be an awesome knife.
8CR13MoV Blade steel is Chinese steel. It’s very popular in this price range. It gets very sharp but dulls easily. It’s easy to sharpen and good for the price. Frame Lock is very good and Kershaw backs up their products. Even the ones made in China.
Agreed - I got two of these when they were on Woot last month and I wasn’t thrilled with the knob on the blade either.
It probably won’t be an issue if you don’t use the knife clip, but I’ve gotten in the habit of clipping my knife on to the lip of my pocket. It keeps it secure, accessible and out of the way of other items in my pocket.
However, while reaching into the pocket with the knife clipped in place, the knob on the blade has some sharp edges that mildly scratch the back of my hand. It’s not awful, but it’s certainly not a pleasant sensation.
The blades do seem to hold an edge well, and they do have a nice, slim profile.
I may try to replace the knob on the blade…
I bought this last time, thinking I would like the all metal handle. There isn’t anything I love about it though, and it has been sitting in my knife case unused. The thumb stud is useless! It is tiny, pointy and too painful for me to use. I find myself opening it by using my left hand to manually grab the blade near the tip and unfold it. There happens to be an indent for the pinky finger there, how convenient. Once open I find no real problems with the knife, but it’s just too big for me I guess. I also have the Kershaw Burst (as well as a couple other ones), and I love love love that knife. It’s from the same line of cheaper Chinese Kershaws, if you are looking for a slightly smaller knife without the full assisted opening.
I bought one of these last month. I found that if you open and close it enough, you can open it with a quick flick of the wrist and it locks in place. It’s a nice little knife, but it was cheaper last month.
[MOD: I checked back and it’s always sold at this price.]
Got one of these last time they were on Woot a few weeks ago. Clipped to my pocket right now. Love it. Tempted to buy a few more as backups.
Gonna go in for 1, I pray I actually get it this time. Last time this was up I got it like an hour after it was put up only to find out two weeks later that they couldn’t fill my order.
I bought three of these last time for stocking stuffers and really like the quality at this price point. Here in Texas, many of the old style barbecue joints serve your food on butcher paper and you supply the knife. These Kershaws make good brisket knives!
Bought 4 last time. A couple co-workers where in my office when I opened the box, they liked them so much I gave them each one. Ordered a couple more this time to use as presents. Nice knife for the money.
If anyone else is in the Boston area, you might want to know that this has too long a blade to carry legally inside Boston city limits unless you can convince the police that you’re 1) on your way to or from a knife shop to have it serviced or 2) on your way to or from an activity that would legitimately necessitate it. From my understanding, making either case needs to be pretty solid for them to accept it. (So much for innocent until proven guilty, let’s just legislate around that … YAY!)
(The Boston blade-length limit is 2.5", BTW.)