KershawStrobe 1086 Plain Edge Folding Blade Hunting Knife, (Box Version) 3.3" grey

The Kershaw Strobe is an excellent EDC knife. Mine did not come perfect, but it's still very good. The KVT bearing pivot is extremely smooth, but not dangerously so. The flipper opening is perfect; opening the Strobe is natural and effortless. It doesn't take a technique like a push-button or preloading--just a pull on the flipper and it flies out.The steel is 8Cr13MoV, which Kershaw uses on basically all its budget models; basically, it's cheap and won't stay sharp for a really long time, but it does alright and it's easy to sharpen. It's not the most rust-resistant, but the great stonewash on the blade helps with that. The blade is about .11 inch thick, which in my experience is close to perfect for a three-inch blade; it's sturdy, but also thin enough to slice well.The grind is mostly great, a high flat grind that makes it an excellent slicer; the problem is that it's relatively thick behind the edge. This means that, although it glides through cardboard, it doesn't "bite" particularly well; it's not the easiest knife to get started cutting.The handle is also great; it's curved to fit at least my hand perfectly; and it's the first knife that I have not felt the need to "choke up" on while cutting. The steel liners are nicely chamfered and the scales are rounded, making it extremely comfortable and hand-filling.The scales are glass-filled nylon with Kershaw's "K-Texture," which is somewhat (though not particularly) grippy but feels cheap and looks really tacky. The prototype had contoured G10 scales, which would have made this much nicer, but also more expensive, so I guess you have to compromise. There is no jimping except on the backspacer and the lockbar, and that is not functional. Still, it's an EDC knife, and I have not had a problem with the grip. The pocket clip is a good design, at least in theory; a nice over the top deep carry clip that really buries the knife in the pocket. However, probably because of the texture of the scales combined with the fact that none of the knife protrudes from the pocket, it can be very difficult to take it out of the pocket.The lock is basically a framelock, but with the scales over the frame, it could be considered a liner lock. My knife has a little bit of blade play, both vertical and horizontal. However, I think this is because I need to tighten the pivot screw and not because of a problem with the lock. I can't force it closed, and I've never had it fail (nor, for that matter, have I had any Kershaw liner lock fail).Ultimately, the Strobe is a great knife for what it costs. There are problems in its execution--most notably, a blade that is too thick behind the edge, a pocket clip that's too tight, a pivot that's not tight enough, a swedge that's not evenly ground, and a plunge grind that doesn't match up well with the sharpening choil--but most of these are cosmetic flaws. I'm not pleased with them, but this isn't a high-end knife; it's a fun, inexpensive user that works extremely well. If you want to get a Matt Diskin knife for cheap, wait until ZT makes their version of this. But if you want a great EDC user, this is a much better option than any of the Kershaw Hinderer designs, and I think it's at least the equal of the Spyderco Tenacious, and here, at a much better price than any of the above.

Proper beater / user knife.Cons: Blade Steel - but only if you don't sharpen or strop your own knives or plan to use for extended periods without access to sharpening. Weight - 4.6 ounces for a knife this size is heavier than I am accustomed to. Balance: This baby is back heavy. The balance point falls too far behind the finger groove. Not a deal breaker for a knife this size I suppose, just not ideal. Clip screw isn't seated deeply enough to afford full use of the deep carry clip.Pros: Strong Detent and no speedsafe system: Blade flings out once detent is broken. Haven't been able to fail deployment yet. Some might find the strength of the detent to be a con. Lock-up: fairly early lock-up and looks like it should wear into place well over time. Stood up to light spine whacks without failure. Awesome blade shape for EDC use cases. Proper sharpening choil. Good ergonomics. Price: I got mine for just over $20 delivered. Milling: The show side scale is milled beneath the overlay to reduce the weight some, which it needs. Attractive: While highly subjective, I find this model very attractive.Wrap-up:The Strobe, at this price point, shows where 8cr13mov should be selling at as opposed to the $30 to $50 range it can often be found at on Kershaw knives. It's a solid knife, one could be happy to carry as a primary EDC / light work knife and inexpensive enough to be a great beater/loaner/spare.Mainly, deductions are for weight and balance. Model could have had thinner steel scales, more milling and milling holes placed more strategically for improved balance.The biggest reason this gets 4 instead of 5 stars (for the money) is because Ganzo is putting out D2 blades of the same relative size with better balance and much less weight for like $5 more at the time of this review, and with a steel that has better edge retention.It's worth the money if you don't mind 4.6 ounces.

This is a nice little knife with a cool design. Came wicked sharp...BUT.. if you read the reviews they range from 'perfect flipper action' to 'I could barely open it with two hands'. The one I received was of the second kind. I own 2 other Kershaw knives (and numerous other flippers), and comparatively this one was absurdly hard to open, to the point that it was leaving my finger bruised. Obviously they have a quality control issue regarding the blade detent mechanism.I was very disappointed, but I find returning things an annoying hassle, so instead I watched a few youtube videos on adjusting the detent, and figured it out. It took me about 40 minutes to take the whole knife apart, smash the little retaining ball a little deeper into the frame lock arm with a pair of vice grips, test it, and then reassemble it. I could have just sent it back and tried to get another one, but I'm impatient, pretty crafty, and was curious if it would work. It did. Now it functions just fine, with good action. However, a person should not have to do that with a new knife, even if it was a pretty good deal at around $17.So, overall the knife is good in other respects, but I removed 2 stars for all that.Perhaps you would be lucky and get one that works great out of the box... perhaps not.UPDATE: So, I was pretty hard on this knife over the whole detent thing, but after having carried it around for a few months I have to say, it really is a decent knife- so I added 1 star back. (If you get one that doesn't work right, just return it and get another! lol). I really like the belly of the blade, and how small it folds up.Also, out of curiosity I removed the scales, as some other reviewers have suggested, and I love it! It's super slim and smooth in the pocket, yet still grippy enough. The all-metal has a cool 'technical' look.

le mécanisme est très agréable, la lame est centrée (chose rare dans cette gamme de prix) , la prise en main est excellente et un design très sympas bref vivement recommandé