The knife is an indispensable tool used by man for millions of years. Often overlooked, it’s probably the most used tool that exists in every home in the world. For some, using it at home isn’t enough. We want to carry it everyday, everywhere we go.
Everyone has their own ideas about what their perfect Every Day Carry (EDC) knife would be like. Here is what’s important to me.
- Large Blade: the blade must be large enough to cut any common materials, such as cordage with ease.
- Good Steel: no fancy super metals and nothing imported. Just a good solid steel that will hold an edge, yet sharpen easily since it will be used regularly.
- Straight Edge: no serrations for easy maintenance and clean cuts (this is the same reason I don’t use serrated knives on my steaks).
- Comfortable Handle: handle should be large enough for a full comfortable grip. No three finger gripping here.
- Assisted Opener: I want to be able to deploy my knife fast and with minimal effort.
- Easy Access: must have a pocket clip
- Affordable: I don’t have money to burn
- Made in USA: It’s not that other countries can’t make good steel. It’s the brands that pay these overseas manufacturers to build crap. I’ll pay alittle more for a company that puts quality before cost.
Meet My Kershaw Blur
While there are literally hundreds of knives that have been designed for Every Day Carry (EDC), one of my favorites and personal choice for EDC is the Kershaw Blur folding knife. Designed by notable knifemaker Ken Onion, the Kershaw Blur met and exceeded all my personal requirements.
First of all, I love the design of the 3 3/8″ length blade. The blade has a slight curve which gives it a nice slicing action, yet provides enough mass to accommodate deep cuts when needed. Kershaw offers the Blur in both S30V stainless steel (model 1670S30V) and Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel (model 1670BLK). While most knife enthusiasts would prefer the S30V for its edge holding properties, I went with the Sandvik 14C28N version (model 1670BLK) with the black coated blade for the simplicity in sharpening and lower price (affordability was one of my requirements and I really don’t mind touching up my EDC blade once a week or so).
Straight, serrated, or combo edge? Well, that depends. They all have their advantages and really depends on your intended use. Since the purpose for my knife was EDC, I wanted a knife that I can use regularly without a care in the world. I would be cutting everything from cardboard to cordage to carrots. With my serrated / combo blade knives, I had many moments of hesitation cutting certain materials (like cardboard), wondering if it was “worth it” to potentially dull the blade unnecessarily. Now with my straight edge Kershaw Blur 1670BLK, I never worry about dulling it because I have no problems sharpening it. Speaking of the blade, did I mention the Kershaw Blur’s speed? The Kershaw Blur is an assisted opening knife utilizing Ken Onion’s patented SpeedSafe Assisted Opening mechanism.
The spring that powers the SpeedSafe Assisted Opening action is no wimp, either. Flick the thumb stud located on the blade (pictured below) and the blade opens with authority and instantly locks into place.
Kershaw Blur’s Handle / Frame
The handle / frame of the Kershaw Blur series folding knives is made from black coated 6061-T6 machined aluminum and is fitted with their Trac-Tec grip inserts.
Trac-Tec is Kershaw’s gripping material is made from what appears to be soft, pliable rubber with a surface texture resembling extremely course sandpaper.
My two cents on the Kershaw Blur handle is that they make the knife very comfortable to handle and the Trac-Tec inserts provide a very secure grip. I tested it bare hands and gloved hands, both wet and dry and the Trac-Tec gripped without any slippage. In fact, I’ve read reviews on the internet with some users complaining that the Trac-Tec inserts are too grippy. “What the!?” I have no complaints about grips doing their job well.
Liner Locks: Good or Bad?
The Kershaw Blur 1670BLK features a liner lock. This is the part that I was alittle nervous about at first. I’ve heard that liner locks are more likely to fail when compared to other locking mechanism, especially when a sharp blow is delivered to the spine of the blade. Is that realistic though? When in your entire life has your knife been struck on the spine while you were using it? It’ never happened to me, but still, it’s a point of failure which must be addressed.
So, when I received my knife, I opened it and tried to simulate the lock failure. I made several attempts to have the liner lock fail by smacking the spine of the open blade against a hard surface (my work bench). For the first several strikes there was zero failures. I wasn’t until I started recording the video that the liner lock failed one time out of nine hits.
It’s not a scientific test nor does it need to be. Something hitting the spine of the blade isn’t realistic to start with, but I tried to simulate what could happen in the real world.
Out of all the real life scenarios I could think of that could mimic the test above, I came up with a “life or death” fight situation. In this instance, I may have to use the knife in a stabbing motion against soft tissue or bone. I believe the amount of force applied during my spine smacking / liner lock test exceeds any backwards force that may be transferred to the knife in a fighting situation, especially if I’m stabbing or slicing soft tissue. The fact is, I can’t ever see myself in a situation where the back of my knife would be hit so sharply that it would cause the blade to fold back and cut my fingers, especially if I’m holding the knife. I think my wrist would give before the lock did. My point is, it’s a silly thing to worry about and shouldn’t keep anyone from buying a knife with a liner lock.
My Perfect EDC Knife
As far as I’m concerned, the Kershaw Blur is the perfect EDC folding knife. Aside from the main parts of the knife mentioned above (blade, lock, and handle), the Kershaw Blur has other features I find desirable in a EDC folding knife. While the weight of the knife is considered “heavy” for an EDC folding knife, I found the weight to be a non-issue. I weigh 170lbs and wear approximately 5lbs of clothes everyday. Another 4oz isn’t going to kill me nor is the weight too uncomfortable for me to bear. The closed length of the knife is 4.5″ which also isn’t a big deal when compared to the blade length.
Personally, I like my EDC folding knife to have a bigger, rather than a smaller blade. So for the added length of the blade I’m willing to carry the added overall length.
The Kershaw Blur also features a reversible pocket clip, although you need a super tiny torx bit to change the orientation of the clip.
The Kershaw Blur model 1670BLK is made in USA and has a retail price of $99.95, but after a week of bidding wars, I was able to pick one up on an eBay auction for $34 + $2.95 for shipping/handling. If you’re not in the mood for an auction, Amazon carries them for about $50. Either way, it’s a smoking deal: definitely a lot of knife at a great price. Proof that Made in USA can be affordable.
On a side note: I wish more manufacturers could do what Kershaw has done: keep manufacturing here and support our economy. I know not everything made by Kershaw is made here, but it’s step in the right direction. And since buying this knife, I’ve noticed more Kershaw knife models being made in USA. So thanks Kershaw for putting us before another dollar.
