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LeoKauai
88
Nov 21, 2018
I just got one of these from a retailer from Seattle. I'm not too impressed, but I still love it. I'm obsessed with copper, and I have been wanting a copper knife for a long time. The problem is that a decent copper folding knife is too expensive. Until now! This is worth it the $60 (or $50 if you snatched it here at Massdrop). PROS:
  • Beautiful copper handles. The stone washed look is gorgeous, although I would rather have a polished copper handle.
  • The sharperst factory edge I ever saw. It's even sharper than my Spyderco PM 2 Limited Edition OD/Black blade S30V.
  • Ultra deep deep-carry clip. It disappears in your pocket, and the stone washed clip blends with your clothing.
  • Perfect weight. I thought it would be heavy, but carries almost imperceptible in your pocket.
  • The BEST blade-to-handle ration I've ever seen. I mean, the blade is not too big, but it is huge when compared to the size of the handle. For example, its cutting edge is the same as the Para 3, which is much bigger knife.
  • The handles don't quite give you a four-finger purchase grip, but it's almost there. It is secure and comfortable enough. Any eight of an inch smaller and it would need a lanyard.
  • No thumb studs. God, I hate those things.
  • Gorgeous looking little knife in general.
CONS:
  • Speaking of lanyard, one of the cons is that there is no lanyard hole. You don't actually need a lanyard, but let's face it, we are buying this knife for the looks. So for the sake of looks I would want to stick a lanyard with a copper bead in it.
  • I know the metal lockbar is a characteristic of the Natrix series, but I would much rather have a copper lockbar with a metal insert. The lockbar is metal, but it looks like plastic. Kershaw either couldn't or didn't bother to achieve the same stone wash finish as the blade. It's similar, but because the lockbar goes over the blade when the knife is closed, the difference is screaming on your face.
  • A butt-ugly, cheap-looking back plastic spacer. I would remove it if I found out it is unnecessary. Does anyone knows about it? It's black, and there's a molding mark right through the middle. I really hope someone will come up with an aftermarket lockbar for this knife. I would definitely buy it.
  • It's hard to close. This isn't much of an issue. You just gotta get used to not touching the lockbar when closing or opening. It's difficult to get used to it, though, because it is a small knife and the lockbar takes about 40 percent of the knife's width. But not a deal breaker. You just gotta get used to it.
  • It's also difficult and painful to flip it open right out of the box. Action is way too stiff. I loosened it a little until the blade was uncentered, then pushed the blade back to center and tightened until it was still comfortable enough to flip it. I've had it for half a day, poured some oil over the bearings, and it's now easier, but far from not being painful on your finger. Don't expect to play with it all day, but in order to make it less stiff, playing with it all day is exactly what you need to do. The wide lockbar also gets in the way when opening. If you just rest your finger on it, it makes it even harder or impossible to flip it open. I'm confident that a few days with it will loosen up the knife, though.
  • Speaking of flipping, the flip tab is raw. The ribs have way too sharp edges. Flip it enough and your finger will become raw too.
  • Because of the grove on the upper part of the blade of the Natrix series, when you look at the spine from the top, it's common it to be imperfect. That's the case with mine. Doesn't bother me much, but if it bothers you, be aware.
All in all, there are some amazing copper knifes out there in the $600-$800 range, and some similar quality copper knives in the $150-$250 range. But with this Kershaw at $60, it is a steal, despite the shortcomings. I'd buy it again.