Kershaw Duck Commander Rayne Knife Review

Kershaw knows that there 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.

The real thing means value and plenty of it. With Kershaw, you get incredible bang for your hard-earned buck. Even their inexpensive models are impressive. In fact, everything about a Kershaw is solid, crafted, reliable. That’s why they can back each of our knives for the life of its original owner against any defects in materials and construction with their famous Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Kershaw was founded in 1974 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 has a commitment to innovation and says, “Kershaw pioneered the use of many of the technologies and advanced materials that are today standard in the knife industry. Our SpeedSafe assisted opening knives were first-to-market. We introduced the concept of knives with interchangeable blades in our Blade Traders. Recently, our Composite Blade technology, which combines two steels into one blade, gives knife users the best of both worlds by enabling us to use steel known for edge retention on the edge and steel known for strength on the spine. And we will keep on innovating, bringing new and better technologies and materials to today’s knife making industry and knife-using public.”

Kershaw Knives is a brand of Kai USA Ltd, a member of the Kai Group. 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.

Kershaw says, “If this is your first Kershaw, be prepared. You just may be back for more. If it’s not your first Kershaw, welcome back. We’ve got some cool new blades to show you—along with a wide selection of your favorites. For design, innovation, quality, and genuine pride of ownership, Kershaw is the one.”

Today we will be discussing the Kershaw Duck Commander Rayne.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of 8Cr13MoV steel. You may have heard that 8Cr13MoV stainless is basically the equivalent of AUS8A. And it’s true. For everyday use, even a serious “knife knut” would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a well-made 8Cr13MoV blade and a well-made AUS8A blade. Nevertheless, there are slight differences in the steel formula. While most other components are relatively equal, 8Cr13MoV has slightly more carbon for hardness and wear resistance and slightly less nickel. The key to blade performance for both of these steels is manufacturing quality. That’s where Kershaw’s expertise comes in. Kershaw precision heat-treats 8Cr13MoV steel to bring out its best high-performance characteristics: the ability to take and hold an edge, strength, and hardness. 8Cr13MoV is top-of-the-line Chinese steel and, Kershaw believes, offers our customers an excellent value. This steel has been hardened to a HRC: 57–59

The blade has been finished satin, which is one of the more common blade finishes. It is created by repeatedly sanding the blade in one direction with an increasing level of a fine abrasive, usually a sandpaper. The satin finish shows off the bevels of the blade, while also showcasing the fine lines of the steel, cutting down on glares and reflections, and even increasing the corrosion resistance of this blade slightly.

The blade has been carved into a clip point blade shape. The clip point blade shape is a great all-purpose blade shape that is going to excel at stabbing. The back of the blade runs straight from the handle and then stops about halfway up the knife. At this point, in turns and continues to the point of the knife. This area looks as if it is “cut-out” and is where the blade shape got its name from. This area is referred to as the clip and on the Rayne, it is straight, although on some knives, it can be curved. The clip creates a lowered point, which is going to give the user more control when they are using the knife. And because the tip is so controllable, as well as being sharper and thinner at the spine, a clip point is going to excel at stabbing. This is because it has less drag during insertion as well as having a faster withdrawal. One of the other reasons that a clip point blade is so versatile is because of the large belly that they sport. The large belly makes slicing an absolute breeze, which is ideal for this hunting knife. Of course, every blade shape is going to have its disadvantages. This blade shapes biggest disadvantage is that because the tip is relatively narrow, it is prone to breaking, especially when used on harder targets.

 

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of G10 with a 420HC bolster. G10 is a laminate composite made of fiberglass. The manufacturer makes this material by taking layers of fiberglass cloth and soaking them in resin, then compressing them and baking them under pressure. The result of this process is a meatal that is very tough, very hard, very strong, and still lightweight. This material is also inexpensive to create, although it is not going to be as inexpensive as FRN. One of the bigger advantages to having a G10 handle on your hunting knife is that it is a non-porous material, which means it is not going to absorb any of the fluids that this knife comes in contact with during your hunting process. This makes maintenance a lot easier, because you don’t have to worry about deep down cleaning it. A few of the other advantages for the Rayne having a G10 handle is that it is so durable and lightweight, so it is capable of taking on those harder tasks, but it isn’t going to weigh you down in the field.

The handle is a dark brown and pretty simple. There is a medium sized finger groove, which creates a more comfortable grip. Other than that, the belly is pretty straight. The spine of the handle angels up on the bolster, but then angles sharply down toward the butt once the G10 starts. The handle also sports the Duck Commander Medallion.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife is reversible for either left or right handed carry, which helps to make this knife a little bit ambidextrous. The clip is silver and finished satin, which contrasts nicely with the bulk of the handle. The clip is kept in place by two small silver screws, which match the rest of the hardware on this knife. The clip is slightly hourglass shaped, with a rounded butt and head, but a cinched middle.

 

The Mechanism:

This is an assisted opening knife, which means that it is not fully automatic, but it does have an internal mechanism that helps the user fully open the knife once they have opened it slightly using the flipper. The assisted opening mechanism is a good balance between automatic and manual because you get the efficiency of an automatic knife, but you get the legality of a manual knife.

This knife has been equipped with a flipper, which is a protrusion on the back of the blade that the user can pull back on, or flip, in order to move the blade easily out of the handle. The flipper on the Rayne is thicker than your typical flipper, which means that you are going to have a wider finger guard. Once the knife is opened, the flipper is going to stand in place of the finger guard and protect your fingers. While the flipper does take a few tries to really get the hang of it, it does keep your fingers safer than a thumb stud would. This is because a thumb stud puts your fingers in the path of the blade, while a flipper keeps them out of the blade’s path during opening.

The knife has been equipped with Kershaw’s SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism. 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. SpeedSafe is a patented 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. The heart of SpeedSafe is its torsion bar. Closed, the torsion bar helps prevent the knife from being opened by “gravity;” it creates a bias toward the closed position. To open the knife, the user applies manual pressure to the thumb stud or flipper to overcome the resistance of the torsion bar. This enables the torsion bar to move along a track in the handle and assist you to open the knife. The blade opens smoothly and locks into position, ready for use.

The knife has also been equipped with a liner lock. The liner lock is the most common of today’s blade-locking systems. In knives with locking liners, the handle consists of two metal (usually steel or titanium) plates (the “liner”) on either side of the blade. Handle scales, which can be made from a variety of materials, such as G10, aluminum, plastic, or natural materials like wood or bone cover the plates. When the knife is opened, one side of the knife’s liner, often called the lock bar, butts up against the backend of the blade (the tang) and prevents the blade from closing. The lock bar is manufactured so that it angles toward the interior of the knife, creating a bias for the locked position. To close the knife, the knife user applies manual force to move the lock bar to the side so that the blade is unblocked and can be folded back into the handle. The liner lock provides a secure and convenient way to make using a Kershaw folding knife even safer.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3 inches long with a handle that measures in at 4.1 inches long. When the Rayne is open, it measures in at an overall length of 7.25 inches long. This knife weighs in at 4.9 ounces.

 

Conclusion:

             When Kershaw is explaining this knife, they say, “As a tip of the hat to Duck Commander’s southern heritage, the Rayne is named for the Louisiana city of Rayne and features classic good looks and a solid feel. The clip-point blade is sharpened to a razor edge and satin finished. The blade is quality stainless steel, heat treated to Kershaw’s demanding specifications to bring out the very best qualities in the steel. The handle features a stainless steel bolster with textured G10 handle scales inlaid with the Duck Commander logo medallion. The handle curves slightly to fit the palm for a secure grip. The Rayne opens quickly and easily with SpeedSafe® assisted opening and the built-in flipper makes it a breeze to open the knife one-handed. Once open, a locking liner secures the blade for safe use. The Rayne’s pocket clip is reversible for left- or right-handed carry. For a quality knife that’s perfect for outdoor use or every day carry, the Rayne reigns supreme.” You can pick up this knife today at BladeOps.