Kershaw Blur Limited Green Spring Assisted Knife Review

Kershaw fans know that there really is nothing like a Kershaw. From award-winning technologies and advanced materials to the solid sound of the blade lockup, when you’re carrying a Kershaw, you know you’re carrying the real thing. And what does the real thing mean? The real thing means value and plenty of it. With Kershaw, you get incredible bang for your hard-earned buck. Kershaw says, “Even our inexpensive models are impressive. In fact, everything about a Kershaw is solid, crafted, reliable. That’s why we can back each of our knives for the life of its original owner against any defects in materials and construction with our famous Limited Lifetime Warranty. And yes, people do own their Kershaw knives for a lifetime. (Although, occasionally, a Kershaw has been known to get accidentally left at a campsite, lost in the garage, or permanently borrowed by a friend.)”
Kershaw’s founding mission in 1974 to now was to design and manufacture tools that knife users would be proud to own, carry, and use. This has meant that every Kershaw knife must be of the highest quality. Whether it’s a hardworking pocketknife, a hunting knife, or a special collectors’ edition, Kershaw always chooses appropriate, high-quality materials and is dedicated to intensive craftsmanship. Along with extremely tight tolerances and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, this ensures that Kershaw knives provide a lifetime of performance.

Kershaw is a brand of Kai USA Ltd. For over 100 years, Kai has been Japan’s premier blade producer. Kai takes an innovative approach to product development based on the close coordination of research and development, production, marketing, and distribution functions. While many of Kershaw’s quality products are made in their 55,000 sq. ft. facility in Tualatin, Oregon (just south of Portland), they also draw on Kai’s resources to provide the very best for the customer.

Today we will be discussing the Blur Limited Green Spring Assisted Knife.

 

The Designer:

             Ken Onion has been a devout knife collector since childhood, he says that he collected mostly production knives along with anything else that he could find. He didn’t even know that there was a custom knife industry until 1989 when he saw a copy of Knives Illustrated at a local drug store. He went on to find a local knife maker named Stan Fujisaka and says that he “begged him to teach me.” The very first knife that Ken Onion made was in 1991 and he hasn’t given it up. Ken Onion was actually the man behind Kershaw’s SpeedSafe design. A few years later (1998) he signed on with Kershaw Knives as their designer. Since then, the has roughly 36 patents on various items including locks, gadgetry, mechanisms, safeties, designs, and even a few trademarks. He says, “I teach knife making, folder making and advanced classes at my home to new makers, as well as experienced makers. I teach designing classes, business theory and strategy classes.  I make knives for numerous celebrities including Steven Segal, Steven Tyler, Nicholas Cage, Johnny Popper, Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson, Wayne Newton, Tanya Metaksa, Wayne La Pierre, Ziggy Marley, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Aaron Nevel, and others who would rather remain anonymous. In an effort to gain public awareness of the custom and other knife arenas, involving celebrities help portrait knives in a positive fashion and help demoralize the public’s opinion of knives as well as help garner interest in making or collecting knives to a broader marketplace.”

With this knife being made by Ken Onion, you know that you will be able to trust it completely.

 

The Blade:

             This knife blade is made out of BDZ-1 steel. This is a martensitic steel that has been chemically balanced and then processed to provide a uniform, fine carbide structure. This steel can even be tempered to a hardness that reaches the low HRC 60’s without compromising its high quality. This steel is a fantastic choice for a knife because of the high hardness and the ability to retain its edge.

The blade has been finished with a stonewashed finish. This finish is created when the manufacturer tumbles the blade in an abrasive material that is normally very small pebbles. The finish works to easily hid scratches while also providing a less reflective nature than a brushed or satin finish blade. One of the more positive benefits of a stonewashed blade is that it is going to be low maintenance and have its original look preserved over long periods of time. The finish gives a rugged, well-worn look, which is very popular on knives that are going to take a beating. This finish is also going to hide the smudges that accumulate over time, which does significantly reduce the maintenance time of the blade.

The blade has been carved into a modified drop point blade that does resemble the tanto blade in plenty of ways. The spine is the same as the drop point knife, with a very slow curve from the handle of the knife to the tip, which is lowered. The lowered tip is where you get all of your control over your cuts. The lowered, or dropped, tip is where the knife got its name. It is also what allows you to perform fine detail work with this knife. However, the belly of this knife is more similar to a tanto blade. The belly is nearly non-existent, reaching form the handle to about 2/3rds of the way up the blade in a straight manner. This lack of belly can interfere with how it operates at a daily basis level. But, because of the tough tip and the tiny belly, you will be able to use this knife as an EDC.  At the 2/3 point, it angles upward to meet the tip. This means that there is going to be more metal near the tip, which is what makes this such a strong knife. The abundance of metal near the tip is what allows you to pierce through the harder materials.

 

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of 6061-T6 anodized aluminum with Trac-Tec inserts.

Aluminum is a very durable material that is low density while still giving you the heft hat you want without weighing the knife down. The most common alloy used today is the 6061-T6 alloy because it has extremely high tensile strength to it. When an aluminum handle is properly texturized, it is going to give you a relatively secure grip, but it is going to be comfortable for long periods of time. The secure grip is only enhanced by the inserts that Kershaw added. That being said, aluminum is susceptible to scratches and dings. And, it does have high conductive properties, which means that if you were going to use this knife during the colder months or environments, it might be too uncomfortable to hold.

The Trac-Tec Inserts are a rough-surfaced insert that provides additional friction for a non-slip grip.

The handle on this knife has been anodized for toughness and durability. It has been anodized a bright green which contrasts with the dark black pocket clip and Trac-Tec Inserts. There is a row of jimping right before the blade begins on the spine of the handle. The handle then slowly bulges out, which will create a more comfortable and secure grip. The belly of the handle does have an elongated finger groove that also has a row of jimping. This will give you a comfortable grip while also helping create a very solid no-slip grip. The jimping will help you when you are performing those harder tasks. The butt of the knife is a rounded square. As a bonus, the knife does have a lanyard hole carved into the butt.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife is stonewashed black, which is created when the metal undergoes an acid treatment before it is stonewashed. The clip is kept in place by two black screws, which match the rest of the hardware on this knife. The clip can be reversed for either tip up or tip down carry. This helps you feel the safest while using this knife, because you can carry it in the direction that is comfortable for you. That being said, the clip cannot be reversed for either left or right hand carry and is only attached on the traditional side of the blade. This is a drawback because it means that the knife is not ambidextrous.

 

The Mechanism:

This is an assisted opening knife that has been equipped with both a thumb stud as well as Kershaw’s (and Ken Onion’s) SpeedSafe Opening Mechanism. The thumb stud is going to make this knife easier to use, because it is easy to get the hang of. This opening mechanism is also going to allow you to comfortably open the knife with only one hand. One of the larger complaints of the thumb stud is that it does extend off of the blade, which can get in the way when you are trying to use the knife.

Kershaw was the first to bring SpeedSafe® assisted opening knives to market, launching a revolution in opening systems—and winning numerous industry awards along the way. Originally designed by Hall of Fame knife maker, Ken Onion, Kershaw’s SpeedSafe knives flew off the shelves. Today, almost all knife companies offer some sort of assisted opening knife, but none matches the popularity or proven durability of the original. SpeedSafe is a system that assists the user to smoothly open any SpeedSafe knife with a manual push on the blade’s thumb stud or pull back on the flipper. SpeedSafe is built into many of Kershaw’s best-selling knives. No, SpeedSafe knives are not switchblades. There are many unique features of SpeedSafe knives that make them quite different than knives that are considered switchblades. Unlike a switchblade, SpeedSafe blades DO NOT deploy with the push of a button in the handle or by gravity alone. Instead, the user must overcome the torsion bar’s resistance in order to engage the SpeedSafe system. Because of this, SpeedSafe knives fall fully outside the Federal definition of a switchblade. However, due to the complexity and constantly changing nature of these laws and regulations, it is impossible for Kershaw Knives as well as BladeOps to be aware of every restriction in every location in which our knives are sold or carried. It is the responsibility of the buyer to investigate and comply with the laws and regulations that apply in his or her specific area.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this knife is going to measures in at 3 3/8 inches long with a blade thickness of 1/8 inches. The handle on this knife measures in at 4.5 inches long. It has a handle thickness of half an inch and a handle width of 1.25 inches. When this knife is opened, it measures in at an overall length of 7 13/16 inches long. This knife weighs in at 4.2 ounces, which isn’t overly heavy, but for a knife that you will have with you at all times, it is on the heavier side. This knife is made in the United States of America.

 

Conclusion:

The Kershaw Blur Limited Green Spring Assisted Knife, designed by Ken Onion has top performance and a fabulous clean look. This model, the 1670GRNBDZ, sports a green handle and a stonewash finished plain edge blade. The blade is built from BDZ-1 steel and the handle is built of 6061 T6 aluminum. Made with the SpeedSafe system, it opens very smooth and very fast. Just push on one of the ambidextrous (one on each side of the blade) blade buttons and the blade easily opens with one hand. The handles have Trac-Tec inserts for firm hand grip. Trac-Tec gives you great grip regardless of the conditions. The Blur is a perfect knife for everyday carry (EDC) as it gives you nice strength, easy use and superior cutting performance. You can pick up this Limited knife at BladeOps today while it is still in stock.