Get to Know Kershaw in
Three Knives

By Clayton Walker Posted in #Gear

It’s amazing how far the cutlery world has come in 30 years. I’ve mentioned before that manufacturers are currently in an arms race to give us better steels at progressively better prices, and the design of each new tool borders on the assiduous. Certainly, this describes Kershaw as much as any other manufacturer.

However, one additional point worth considering is just how accessible good knives are in the current market. At one point, you had to know a guy who’d point you in the right direction, or maybe you’d send out for mail-order catalogs from a good manufacturer. It took near the end of the 1990s for good knives to become easier to find through specialty internet shops, and nowadays, brands like Kershaw are on Amazon and in many major “big box” outdoor retailers. You might have even seen a few of their models at your local gun store.

Though Kershaw is definitely one of America’s most well-known and widespread cutlery manufacturers, they’re certainly not resting on their laurels. Today, let’s take a look at three knives I think provide a good overview of what makes the company exciting. 

The Early Days

First, permit me a small deviation to share a piece of the past. From the company’s inception, quality has been inseparable from the product line. Not long after Pete Kershaw founded the cutlery firm back in 1974, he searched the world over for a manufacturer who could meet his standards. That search led to a partnership with the Kai Group, a Japanese company known for its expertise and skilled craftsmen.

If you’re lucky enough to come across an example of the Japanese-produced Kershaw knives from the first few decades of the company’s operations, they’re certainly worth picking up. Many of the designs are of a “back lock” type with a very high degree of fit and finish, such as my own Model 2105 “Little Stud.” All materials are perfectly mated and all edges are polished smooth, making it a small little work of art. The company’s 1050 and 1040 models, part of Kershaw’s “folding field” series, are also particularly beloved, combining expertly polished black micarta handles with brass bolsters and a wicked sharp blade.

I mention these ancestors for one reason: the three current models I’m about to describe make a lot more sense if you know they come from a company that has always cared about excellent knives.

Kershaw Leek

Despite the quality of Kershaw’s early offerings, many would argue that the modern chapter of the company’s history begins with the Leek. Introduced in 2000 and designed by the famous Hawaiian knifemaker Ken Onion, I’d argue this was the knife that catapulted Kershaw into megastardom. While the Leek wasn’t the very first “assisted-open” style of pocket knife, it did much to popularize the mechanism and quickly became ubiquitous.

Though it’s been around now for more than 20 years, there are no shortage of people who still feel the Leek is close to a perfect carry. It weighs just a scant 3 oz. despite the stainless construction, and everything is nicely radiused, so there’s nothing to tear up one’s pockets. Though the blade will kick out swiftly thanks to the “push button” (as opposed to a “light switch”) flipper design, there’s also a manual lock to make sure the blade won’t accidentally engage.

In terms of performance, the Leek is a small knife that provides outsized performance, combining 4” of handle with a graceful, nearly straight 3” blade. The point is remarkably acute, so it’s great for precision tasks like breaking stitches or making precise draw cuts. Additionally, the Leek’s blade is also hollow-ground, which creates a very thin cutting edge. The blade is made from 14C28N steel, a Swedish compound known for being reasonably tough, yet easy for newcomers to get screaming sharp without too much trouble.

Ergonomically, the Leek is extremely well considered. Although the body of the knife is smooth, jimping on the spine and flipper tab add just a little bit of extra purchase for the thumb and index finger, making sure it doesn’t slip around in the hand. It’s not what I’d reach for to stab through an oil drum, but the Leek is a joy to use for just about every household or office task you’re bound to encounter. MSRP is $124.99, and is on sale for $99.99 at the time of this writing.

Kershaw Dividend

Kershaw’s portfolio at any given moment consists primarily of very reasonably priced knives, and the company has worked hard to dominate the cutlery market in that price range. However, that’s not to say that Kershaw doesn’t also have excellent upmarket models, and the Dividend just might be my favorite of all their knives past and present.

First thing’s first: the blade on the Dividend is certain to turn heads. Its sawtooth pattern is reminiscent of the “shark mouth” designs painted on stealth jets, though it’s not just for show: what you’re seeing is actually a composite blade made from two different materials fused together. The upper portion of the blade is made from N690, a true stainless steel known for being extremely hard and resistant to deformation. The bottom half, however, is CPM D2 steel, which has remarkable edge retention.

What makes the Dividend special is just how remarkably slicey this blade is. Like the Leek, the Dividend’s 3” of blade gets remarkably thin behind the edge and doesn’t have too thick of a spine, so it cuts like the dickens and doesn’t tend to get stuck in material. It’s a perfect marriage of good steel, good edge geometry, and a consistently excellent factory grind.

You might also guess from the pictures that the Dividend is a little more “tactical” inspired. The knife features a more prominent flipper tab and would have likely worked just fine as a non-assisted folder. However, with Kershaw’s assisted opening tech, the blade rockets into place and locks up solidly with just a finger flick. The frame is olive-anodized aluminum, and mine still looks beautiful despite ample carry time. At 2.8 oz. of weight, only about a third of an inch thick across the body, and thanks to a very discreet deep carry clip, it also positively disappears into a pocket. It begs to be part of an EDC loadout.

One last plus, and as one might infer from the American flag laser-etched on the handle, the Dividend is proudly made in the USA. MSRP is $224.99, and it is on sale for $179.99 at the time of this writing.

Kershaw Mini Iridium

For a good 20 years, the Benchmade company held an exclusive patent on what it called the “axis lock,” a locking mechanism originally invented by Bill McHenry and Jason Williams. The gist of the design is that a metal bar is driven behind the base of the blade in the open position, preventing any rotational movement. When those patents expired in 2018, the gates were flung open and every other knife maker was off to the races.

The reason why everyone wanted their own version of what’s now generally known as the “crossbar lock” is that it works, it provides an excellent level of mechanical strength, and because it’s real fun to fiddle with. The lock also allows for totally ambidextrous opening and closing, and by pinching the ends of the bar backwards to fold the knife away, none of your fingers need to get into the path of the blade. (Incidentally, Kershaw refers to the models incorporating this mechanism as utilizing its “DuraLok” technology.)

Perhaps it was inevitable for a company as big as Kershaw to throw its hat into the ring with respect to a crossbar lock, but the Mini Iridium really goes the extra mile when it comes to building a feature-rich knife around the design. The Mini Iridium’s blade rides on caged ball bearings that surround the pivot, making deployment buttery smooth. Additionally, the lockbar is sprung just about perfectly, and it feels great to deploy the blade with a thumb flick or by slow-rolling it into lockup.

The blade on the Mini Iridium is made from D2 steel. This isn’t a true stainless compound, but most users are fine trading a little corrosion resistance for gobs of edge retention. Kershaw has designed the blade of the Mini Iridium as a spear point style with a little more thickness at the tip, so for a smaller knife it has more utility when it comes to poking through harder materials.

Beyond that, the Mini Iridium is a remarkably handsome knife. Most of the knife world (including much of Kershaw’s own product lineup) consists of bright stainless blades and black handles. Here, Kershaw mates an ice blue anodized aluminum body with gold accents. It looks and feels quite a bit fancier than one would expect at the price point, and should win over anyone fatigued by dark colors and FDE. MSRP is $104.49, and it is on sale for $83.59 at the time of this writing.

The Wrap-Up

I bought a lot of knives when I really didn’t know much about anything, and a lot of “gas station” quality cutlery found its way into my collection in my teenage years. However, whether they were gifted to me or whether I’d sought them out, the Kershaws that came into my possession were special and easily distinguished themselves by way of craftsmanship, material selection, and edge retention.

Nearly thirty years later, I still consider myself a true-blue Kershaw fan. Certainly, I drool over the work of custom knifemakers and know of just about every new “super steel” that hits the market. Even so, a company as big as Kershaw always seems to have something exciting to catch my attention.

I hope you’re able to see in these three models what makes the brand special to the newcomer and enthusiast alike. These knives certainly aren’t the end-all, be-all of Kershaw, but I think they paint a good picture of what the company is doing now and where you can expect them to head in the future.

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Kershaw Leek

Kershaw Dividend

Kershaw Mini Iridium