I have a wild abundance of pocket knives, being of the mindset that it’s nice to have one in my pocket at all times and one in each pack/rack and bag that I use regularly. As such, it’s tough for one to win “king of the hill” and be the blade that I carry every day rather than the one that waits in my ruck for some far-off adventure. The Kershaw Blur with its tanto blade quickly earned “top dog” spot, I’ll tell you why.
Before I do that though, let’s cover the tech specs as provided on Kershaw’s website.
- Made in the USA
- SpeedSafe® assisted opening
- Liner lock
- Thumbstud
- Reversible (tip-up/tip-down) pocketclip
- Steel: Sandvik 14C28N, DLC coating
- Handle: 6061-T6 anodized aluminum, Trac-Tec inserts
- Blade length: 3.4 in. (8.6 cm)
- Closed length: 4.5 in. (11.4 cm)
- Overall length: 7.9 in. (20 cm)
- Weight: 3.9 oz (110.6 g)
The first thing I noticed upon unboxing was the Trac-Tec inserts. They give the best grip I’ve ever felt on a folding knife. Wet or dry, this is an aggressive texture.
This is especially useful given the authority which the SpeedSafe assist opens the Blur up with . Kershaw has balanced the spring and lock well here. I’ve had a few assisted open blades which either hammer open with too much force or have the blade bounce back when the lock fails to restrain the blade. That’s no concern on the Blur, it opens with just a little pressure on the beveled thumbstud and locks up tight every time. The liner lock’s release is also very well done. It requires a minimal effort to disengage, but keeps the blade firmly in place when deployed with no wiggle or wobble.
The heart and soul of any good EDC folder is the blade itself. Kershaw has equipped the Blur with fantastic hollow-ground Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel, which has the sharpest factory finish I’ve ever worked with. The two-step serration has also made short work of everything I’ve thrown at it. The tanto stylings offer both razor-sharp looks and performance. While form comes after function, there’s no denying the Blur is a beautiful piece of commercial grade work.
Made in the USA, Kershaw’s Oregon based knife shop is producing some stellar products. The Blur (in tanto or with a recurved form) is easily one of the best knives I’ve worked with at ANY price point. Kershaw’s asking price of $114.99 is easily worthwhile for an EDC folder that packs not only great features, but has every piece done as close to perfection as possible.
