Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Handle Feel, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type, Pocket Clip, Weight
Cons: Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Overall Quality
not as classy as it looks
It took days of adjustment to find the sweet spot where the finger pressure matched the detent to release the blade. The biggest problem with this is that, in combination with the small surface area of the flipper, the spring assist does not engage until the blade is a full 40 degrees out of the handle and, for closing it, is already applying pressure on the blade at 100 degrees from the handle. The spring is set way too late and stays active way too long. This knife is heavy if you like that style. When you finally get the spring to engage, it has a strong finish and the frame lock engages securely. The framelock is not nested well, has some chamfering on the inner portion that causes the thumbnail to slip right off, so you're going to have to use two hands to close it most of the time. The handle is a great fit for middle-sized hands and is heavy if you're looking for this in an EDC. Absolutely nothing on the handle is grippy and the carbon fiber inlay just fell out while I was working the pivot screw to get the spring assist to even work. Just fell off. No texture in the hole for glue to even grab onto, and this handle is absolutely ugly without the inlay. The pocket clip has a decent stiffness for grabbing denim and a shape that doesn't dig into the finger being used to pull it out. Unfortunately this blade is too long for conceal carry in the greater Seattle area, and I worry the carbon fiber inlay will just fall out in public someday so this knife is never going to be worn on the outside of a pocket/belt. This is the biggest disappointment I have had with a Kershaw blade at it's price point.
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