Kershaw Frame Lock Scallion Assist Knife Review

There really is nothing like a Kershaw, which is what many knife lovers will come to realize. From award-winning technologies and advanced materials to the solid sound of the blade lockup, when you are carrying a Kershaw, you know that you are carrying the real deal.

This means that you get value and you get plenty of it. No matter which Kershaw knife you choose to purchase, including their inexpensive modes, you are going to get incredible bang for your buck. Everything about a Kershaw is solid, crafted, and reliable. That is why they choose to back each of their knives for the life of its original owner against any defects in materials and construction with their famous Limited Lifetime Warranty. And yes, people really do own their Kershaw knives for a lifetime.

You can always look to Kershaw for every day carrying knives that can tame any cardboard box; sporting knives that work to make your hunting and fishing trips more enjoyable; sporting knives that help to make all your watersports and camping even better than they currently are; work knives that are never going to let you down; and tactical knives that ensure that you are ready for anything life throws at you.

Kershaw was founded in 1974 with a mission to design and manufacture tools that knife users would be proud to own, carry, and use. This means that every Kershaw knife must be of the highest quality. Kershaw doesn’t care if it’s an EDC pocket knife, a hunting knife, or even one of their special edition’s, they are going to choose the appropriate, high quality materials, and are always dedicated to intensive craftsmanship. Kershaw also follows extremely tight tolerances and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques that will ensure your Kershaw knife can perform a lifetime.

Kershaw actually pioneered the use of many of the technologies and advanced materials that are toady’s standard in the knife industry. They introduced their SpeedSafe assisted opening knives first on the market. They also introduced the concept of knives with interchangeable blades in their Blade Trades. And more recently, they have introduced their Composite Blade technology, which combines two steels in to one blade, giving the knife user the best of both worlds by combining phenomenal edge retention with crazy strength. Kershaw is committed to keep on innovating, and bringing new and better technologies and materials to today’s knife making industry.

Kershaw knives is a brand of Kai USA Ltd, and 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.

Kershaw warns, “If this is your first Kershaw, be prepared. You just may be back for more.”

Today we will be going over the classic Kershaw Scallion with a frame locking mechanism.

The Blade:

This steel holds a higher carbon production ate than stainless steel. The content is much softer than the higher number steel count 440, yet it is more rugged than other similar products. This steel material has a greater carbon base and is mixed to a harder content than 420 stainless steel. Knives made form 420HC steel are easy to sharpen and are durable even when inconstant use. This steel will make for a really durable knife. A knife made from this level of steel is one of the best products available when on any expedition. Blades made from this steel are less prone to corroding. While rusting is always an issue, you can easily avoid it if you rinse, dry, and oil your knife after use. This steel makes for a high quality outdoor knife, which means that it will also be a really good option for your go to EDC knife also.

The blade has been finished with a satin finish. This finish is created by repeatedly sanding the blade in one direction with an increasing level of an abrasive. It is the most popular blade finish that is in use today and in terms of luster, it is a pretty medium level on the spectrum. This finish shows off the fine lines in the steel as well as showing off the bevels of the blade, giving the knife a very traditional look that will never go out of style.

The blade has been carved into a drop point blade shape. The drop point blade shape is the most commonly found blade style on pocket knives today, mostly because of how all-purpose it proves to be. To form the shape of this blade style, the back edge of the knife runs straight form the handle to the tip of the knife in a slow curved manner, which creates a lowered point. Blades with lowered points prove more control and do add strength to the tip. It is the strength of this lowered tip that makes this blade shape such a good option for your tactical and survival knives. It is this strong point that also sets apart the drop point blade shape and the clip point blade shape, which are sometimes confused. While the clip point blade shape does have a lowered point, its point is much finer and sharper. The clip point does give you the control from the lowered tip, but it also lets you pierce and stab because of how fine the tip is. The clip point can pierce and stab much better than the drop point can. But because it is such a fine tip, it is prone to breaking, whereas the drop point is not going to break. Drop points are so versatile because of their strength, their controllability, and the large belly that the blade style sports. It is this large belly that makes slicing such an easy task with a drop point blade, thus with the Kershaw Scallion. With Kershaw choosing a drop point blade shape for the Scallion, they have created the perfect everyday carry knife that is going to be able to assist you with virtually any task that comes your way.

 

The Handle:

The handle on this Scallion has been carved out of 410 stainless steel. This alloy of stainless steel is the basic, general purpose martensitic stainless steel that is used for highly stressed parts and provide good corrosion resistance plus high strength and hardness. This type of stainless steel contains a minimum of 11.5% chromium which is just sufficient enough to demonstrate corrosion resistance properties in mild atmospheres, steam, and many mild chemical environments. It is a general purpose grade that is often supplied in the hardened but still machine able condition for applications where high strength and moderate heat and corrosion resistance are required. Stainless steel provides fantastic durability and resistance to corrosion, but it isn’t super lightweight. Stainless steel handles are also known to be rather slippery.

To help with your grip on this slippery knife, Kershaw has created great ergonomics. The knife handle curves perfectly to fit in your hand comfortably. ON the spine of the handle, there is a short row of jimping to give you a little more control when slicing. There is an elongated finger groove and a small finger guard to give you a comfortable place to rest your fingers while also protecting them from getting sliced.

This Scallion does feature a lanyard hole carved into the butt of the handle. This is the perfect addition for your new favorite EDC knife, because it allows you to keep it with you at all times. A lanyard not only adds a little bit of personality to this full silver knife, but it will help you draw your blade out of your pocket a little bit quicker.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife is also silver, creating a completely silver blade. This is a single position pocket clip, which is a drawback to some people. This pocket clip is fixed for tip-down, right-handed carry. But this pocket clip is going to be sturdy and keep your knife safely in your pocket. It is held in place by two small silver screws, which match the rest of the hardware on this knife.

 

The Mechanism:

This knife has a flipper opening mechanism that is enhanced with Kershaw’s SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism. It also features two separate locks: the frame lock and the tip-lock slider.

The flipper 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 where it will lock into place with the two locks on this Scallion.

The SpeedSafe mechanism assists you to open this knife quickly and easily with a pull back on the flipper. It is a patented system that assists the user to smoothly open this knife by using a torsion bar. When the knife is closed, the torsion bar helps prevent the knife form being opened by “gravity;” it creates a bias toward the closed positon. To open the knife, the user applies manual pressure to the 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 frame lock is portion of the handle (the knife frame) that moves behind the blade to lock it into positon during use. This is a safety feature of this Kershaw knife.

The Tip Lock is found on all of the Scallion versions that also feature the SpeedSafe. The Tip Lock prevents the blade form opening when you don’t want it to. To lock your blade closed, all you do is move the slider to the closed positon. You can find the Tip Lock near the bottom of the handle.

 

 

The Specs:

The blade on this Kershaw knife measures in at 2.4 inches long. This Scallion has a closed length of 3.5 inches long, with an open length of 5.75 inches long. This knife weighs in at a measly 2.9 ounces. This knife is the perfect size to be your go-to EDC knife.

 

Conclusion:

When Kershaw is talking about this knife, they say, “The Scallion is one of our most popular knives—and no wonder. With its 2 1/4-inch blade, the Scallion is the perfect size for lightweight and convenient pocket carry. But just because it’s smaller doesn’t mean it isn’t mighty. From breaking down a cardboard box to cutting twine to opening packages, the Scallion is perfect for just about any cutting task you’d care to ask it to do. One of the Scallion’s cool features is SpeedSafe assisted opening. With SpeedSafe, you can open the blade one-handed. Just pull back on the ambidextrous flipper and the blade moves out of the handle, ready for use. The high-carbon blade steel offers good edge retention and excellent corrosion resistance. The bead-blasted finish makes it easy to maintain. This Scallion’s handle is pure stainless steel, which enables us to build-in a frame lock. When the blade is opened, a part of the handle, or frame, moves into place behind the blade, locking it open and ensuring that it can’t accidentally close during use. The frame lock is an exceptionally strong blade lock. The second lock is the Tip-Lock. It’s a slider that locks the tip of the blade inside the handle until you release it, which ensures the knife won’t accidentally open during transport. A great all-stainless-steel look, blade security, and assisted opening…it all adds up to one great little knife.”
Kershaw’s Ken Onion Scallion offers high-performance styling and all the convenience of the SpeedSafe ambidextrous assisted opening system in a slightly larger knife. It’s ideal for everyday carrying. The blade is built of high-carbon 420HC stainless steel for good edge retention and excellent corrosion resistance. This model, the 1620FL, features a 410 stainless steel handle.  This special model is a framelock.  It also has a plain edge blade.  Pick up your new go-to EDC knife today at BladeOps.