Kershaw G10 Tactical Speed Bump Folding Stud Lock Knife

Those who have done ANY shopping around for knives know that prices go from surprisingly cheap to super-expensive. The Kershaw G10, at about $40, is still reasonable, and has a number of great features: 1)Razor-sharp right out of the box; 2)Solid, hefty construction; 3)3.5-inch recurve blade, providing an extra cutting surface when drawing the blade back; 4)Attractive bead-blasted finish on the blade; 5)Good grip from the handle; 6)Nice assisted opening mechanism, very quick, and with a nice "thwack"; 7)MADE IN USA!!!I have a number of "Made in China" knives, which are not nearly as well-made as this Kershaw. They can be pretty cheap, but it's performance that counts with knives. Cheap Chinese knives are not as sharp or easy to sharpen, often have a lot of play, can be prone to corrosion, and will snap with rugged use. They don't do the job and can lead to injury.So I say go with the G10 if you want a quality folder at a value price. And go USA!

I've had this knife since 12/2011 and since I purchased it I've kept it in my pocket as an everyday tool. So far it's held up to the challenge, and with a quick touch of the sharpener the edge is back to new. I see some people appear to have a Chinese version. Mine happens to say USA on the side for what it's worth.Some things I've used this for:- Opening mail (letters and boxes).- Stripping and cutting through wires. The small holes at the end of the handle work reasonably well to run a wire through and then close the blade most of the way and twist it around the wire to strip it. The shape of the blade does a great job of holding and slicing through wires.- Trimming/shaving/cutting plastic, wood, PVC, carpet, etc. for various home repair/hobby tasks- Drywall punch-outs and trimming drywall. I'm surprised how well it holds an edge even after this abuse!Issues I've had:- At first it felt strange to try to close the knife with one hand making sure my palm wasn't in the way as the blade swung by, but with some practice it's become much more natural.- The ball bearing in the knife end holding the stud in place appears to have got rusty rather quickly. It doesn't effect functionality though.- The belt clip sticks out and occasionally gets caught on things for me. This bends it out, so I occasionally have to remove it and bend it back.2/9/2013: The belt clip got caught on something again and broke in half this time. I went on the Kershaw website and found that there's a lifetime replacement part warranty. I filled out the form and a couple days later got an email saying the parts would be shipped to me free of charge. Excellent that this company backs their products and honors their warranty properly!

Well, ordered the knife because it's got a cool blade shape that I think can act like a Hawksbill (The inner curve) and then a clip point tip. Was curious about the locking mechanism also, and I needed to replace an older belt knife that's a bit on the bulky side (A Crawford Kasper). Knife showed up, and it was a bit on the small side, but that's okay, wasn't looking for a Rambo knife. The assisted opening bit is kinda cool, though that makes it regulated or illegal in a few places I think. To open it, you pull on a nub on the back, which is the base of the blade/guard in the 'open' pic. The knife snaps open on it's own mostly, no real effort needed. Locks in place very resoundingly, and the safety requires 2 hands to unlock, not one, in my experience. To unlock and re-fold the blade, you hold the grip in one hand, and the safety nubs in the other. Pull the nubs towards the blade tip gently but firmly, and the safety disengages, as well as starts the blade folding. It has a bit of resistance to folding until about the halfway point, then folds easily.Showed up sharpened, which is fine, and the grip material gives a good gripping surface, no real worries about losing traction in 'wet' circumstances like working near water or while sweaty. Overall, a good deal and I think I got my money's worth. Not the fanciest knife I own, but far from the worst knife I own. It'd make a good pocket knife for a smaller person, a woman possibly, as long as local laws allow it. I can't carry it in public since local laws say 2 inch blades or less are legal, but anymore and it's illegal or requires a permit.

At first I wasn't that fond of the Gurkha styled blade and the smallish looking handle, but this is a great all around knife. First of all, the speed of the flip out blade is just crazy fast. And the the black thing you see on the blade which normall is the thumb blade opener is now the blade lock and you push it forward to unlock the blade, really cool. Well, different design then i'm accustomed and the blade itselft has a nice overall quality for the price. The handle has cross hatch lines that help with the grip but that little protrusion you use to flick the blade out now protects your pointer finger and that handle just fits into your hand perfectly. It's a great design. I think the handle is made from a black kraton plastic on the outsides with two steel sleeve like pieces that sandwich the blade, and a nice belt or pants clip on the one side. So it feels more hefty then just kraton handled blades. Blade is very sharp out of the box, will look for these in future sales again.