Pros: Lock Type, Blade Material, Handle Feel, Ease of Opening, Overall Quality, Weight, Lock Ease of Use, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
Excellent knife and incredible bargain
Just opened the box and completed my first examination. I own several assisted knives and several autos and this one will be my EDC starting tomorrow. Before getting into the price aspect, let's talk about the knife itself. It's made in China, and it's very clean workmanship. All the pieces fit, and the hex - not allen - screws are well-set. The lanyard hole has a nice poly grommet to eliminate lanyard wear and chafing. The Ti finish is uniform, no light/dark areas on either the blade or the scales. The thumb jimping runs about an inch, half on the scales and half on the blade. The other area is on the opposite side of the scales under the user's last two fingers. This jimping is smoothly cut with chamfered edges so there's no sharpness or discomfort, but it still enables a firm modified saber grip or, if you're doing detail work, good blade control. The rear jimping compensates for the slick metal bolsters by putting a textured surface under your rear fingers. If you use a reverse grip, edge out, the rear jimping is now under your index and middle finger with the pinky tucked tight against the flipper tang for a good, solid squeeze. The blade has no wiggle at all. It's jammed in tight by the lock, and came from the box with a razor edge. When I get home I'll strop it just because, well, there's always room for improvement. The knife carries Kershaw's lifetime guarantee, including sharpening, which is a handy feature for an EDC that's going to be dinged around. I've seen this knife criticized for being too heavy at 4.2 ounces, but I like it with a little substance. I'd say it's just about right. My other two EDC knives are the Boker Kwaiken and the ZT 301, and after the new toy effect wears off, I'll be carrying them in rotation. For complaints on the weight of the Cryo, I'd point out that the Boker weighs a full ounce more, and the ZT tips the scales at about 8 1/2 ounces, or about double. The other comparison point is the opening; the Cryo is a Rick Hinderer design, like the ZT 301 and you can see the resemblance in the blade and bolster shape. The ZT opens like a bank vault door on sapphire bearings, and the Cryo just feels kind of "light" by comparison. The ZT cost roughly ten times the price of the Cryo, and that can compensate for a whole lot of "light," which is not to say there's anything wrong with the Cryo flip action, it's just different. If you've seen a ZT in pieces, there's a spring in there like a length of rebar, and it's moving a blade with around twice the mass of the Cryo so smoothly that you can lightly push the flipper tang and watch the ZT blade swing out in slo-mo. That's pretty impressive at $350, and out of the question at under $40. There are plenty of knives on the north side of $100 that have an unlikeable flipper mechanism, including the Boker, because you have to catch the tang just right or it's not going anywhere. The Boker has other compensating assets, and you can learn to use the flipper with practice, but right out of the box the Cryo has it beat on ease of operation. Last but not least is the clip. I saw early model complaints about the clip being eyecatching because of lettering, but Kershaw must have fixed that. On my model you have to look hard to see the logo, which is a nice touch. The clip's a deep one, too, so you can carry it in a tac vest or your heavy coat. I ordered this knife the other day for a stocking stuffer for my son, not knowing if I'd like it or not. Now that I've checked it out, I like the Cryo so much I'm keeping it, and giving him one just like it.
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