Pros: None
Cons: None
An Excellent, Small EDC Knife at a Great Price
I received the knife quickly from KnifeCenter, which was great. I pulled it out of the box, opened and closed it numerous times, checked the ease with which I could use the frame lock, made sure it stayed locked in the open position when using it, and then tested it for sharpness. SHARPNESS: It's quite sharp right out of the box, which means I won't have to do any sharpening in the short term. It can easily cut paper and other household materials. SIZE: KnifeCenter refers to it as medium, but I think it's on the small side. I don't think it will fill medium and large hands fully, but that's ok because it's meant to be extremely easy to carry. I can get three fingers on it reasonably well, but my pinky hangs off, which I expected. This is not a defensive knife where you would need your entire hand to use it effectively or a fixed blade that you might baton. This is an EDC folder for basic cutting needs, and I think it will do great in most of those scenarios. LOOKS: I think it looks great. The blackwash makes it have a rugged appearance, which means I won't feel bad when it gets scratched or banged up. It already has that cool, slightly worn finish. EXTRAS: As a test, I ran a keychain ring through the back hole of the knife. It fit fine, not that I will ever carry it that way. NEGATIVES: The only negative is that it's a bit stiff at first, but that's an extremely common experience with folding knives that can be addressed with time and a bit of lubrication, if necessary. It's still very easy to open and close, so that's only an observation, not a complaint. VALUE: I've given this 5 stars because of its value for the money, not because it's the best designed knife with the best materials. Can you spend $300+ to get a 5-star knife built at a much higher level of quality and fit-and-finish with better steel? Of course you can. But this Kershaw Gravel was only ~$35, which means I got a great little knife that didn't break the bank, it'll do almost anything I need it to do day-to-day, and I won't feel bad if it disappears at some point, because it will be easy to replace. If I paid twice as much, I'd give it 4 stars, since I don't think the value would be as good for me for that cost, and it's definitely not what I consider a "high end" blade. But for what I paid and for what I intend to do with it, I couldn't be happier. CONCLUSION: I'm glad I bought it. I'd definitely buy one again. This will be my daily carry for some time to come.
(
