Kershaw Vedder Knife Review

In 1974, Kershaw, a sub brand of Kai USA Ltd., was founded along with their founding mission. They wanted to design and manufacture tools that knife users would be proud to own, carry, and use. They knew that this meant that each and every one of their knives must be of the highest quality. So 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 sate of the art manufacturing techniques, this ensures that Kershaw knives provide a lifetime of performance.

 

Kershaw also has a strong commitment to innovation. From award winning technologies and advanced materials to the solid sound of the blade lockup, everything they make and design is innovative and effective. Kershaw has even been the company that has pioneered many of the technologies and advanced materials that are the standard in today’s knife industry. For some examples, Kershaw introduced the first assisted opening knives to the knife market, they called it the Speed Safe assisted opening mechanism. They also introduced the concept of knives with interchangeable blades in their knives that they call their Blade Traders. And one of their more recent technologies that they have introduced is their Composite Blade technology. This technology works to combine two different types of steels into one blade, which effectively gives the user the best of both worlds. For example, the user can enjoy a blade that has extreme edge retention because of the steel chosen for that edge, while also having a very strong spine on their knife, because the steel on the spine is different than the steel on the edge.

 

You know that when you are carrying a Kershaw, you are carrying the real thing. And what does that mean? It means that your knife has value and plenty of it. You get incredible bang for your buck, because even their inexpensive models are impressive. You know that any of their models are going to be reliable. And one of their newest releases is the Vedder.

 

The Blade:

The blade on the Vedder is made out of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. This is a Chinese steel that comes from the Cr series. The best out of the series is the 9Cr steel, but the 8Cr steel falls closely behind. This steel is most commonly compared to AUS 8 steel, however, AUS 8 is actually the better steel out of the two. 8Cr is a little bit softer, a little more prone to rusting or corroding, and a little less durable. However, 8Cr steel does hold an edge for a while and you can get a crazy fine edge on it. And, because it is a softer steel, when you do need to sharpen it, sharpening will be a breeze. This steel can also resist rust and corrosion well, with the proper maintenance. The biggest advantage that 8Cr steel boasts is the inexpensive price tag. This is a steel that is able to get the job done without adding a hefty cost to the overall price of the knife. On the flip side, you do get what you pay for when it comes to blade steels, so this will be an average steel that can get the job done. However, this type of steel does not excel at anything.

 

The steel has a titanium carbo-nitride coating. This coating was developed from Titanium Nitride and is a thin film coating. This coating is also known as TiCN. This coating helps to increase the hardness on the blade considerably, which helps limit the wear and tear that this blade will accumulate. This is one of the harder coatings that is going to last longer than some of the other coatings on the market. The color of this TiCN is a dark, matte gray. Because it is such a dark color and is matte, it does completely reduce glares and reflections on your blade.

 

This blade has been carved into a modified drop point blade shape. This is one of the most popular blade shapes on the market and for good reason. This blade shape is strong, durable, can take a beating, and is extremely versatile. The shape is created because the back, or the unsharpened, edge of the lade slowly curves until it meets the sharpened edge of the blade. This creates a lowered point, or a dropped point, which is where this blade shape got its name. The lowered point has plenty of benefits, one is that it gives the user much more control over their cuts and slices. This is the reason that it is so popular among hunters; they don’t have to worry about piercing any of the organs or damaging the meat of their game. Another one of the benefits that comes with a dropped point is that it creates a much broader point than you would commonly find on a blade. This gives the blade extra strength behind the tip, which means that you will be able to take on most tasks without having to worry about your blade snapping or breaking. However, the broader tip is also one of the only drawbacks to this blade shape. Because it is so broad, it drastically cuts down on any stabbing capabilities that you would have had. Many people consider this more of an advantage, because the benefits certainly outweigh the cons, however, in certain situations, it can be a major drawback. One of the other reasons that this blade shape is so popular and so versatile is because of the large belly that it sports. The belly is large and provides you with plenty of length for slicing. And since slicing is one of the most common things that you will have to do with your everyday tasks, this is a huge characteristic that you should be searching for. Drop points are one of the few blade shapes that prepare you for all of your daily tasks while also preparing you for the unexpected tasks that you might happen across.

 

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is what really sets the Vedder apart aesthetically. It is made out of a stainless steel but also sports a 3D machined G10 overlay. The stainless steel is a great material to have on your knife handle because of how durable it is. It sports plenty of strength and has the weight behind it to get the harder tasks done. Plus, a stainless steel handle is extremely resistant to rusting or corroding. There are two major drawbacks to having a stainless steel knife handle. The first one is that it is a very heavy material. It has enough weight that you’re going to notice it when it is in your pocket. I wouldn’t say that it is going to weigh you down, but it does have a very hefty feel to it. The second major drawback to having a stainless steel handle is that it can be extremely slippery.

Kershaw decided to coat the stainless steel handle in the same coating as the knife’s blade. The titanium carbo-nitride coating helps add hardness to the stainless steel, giving you an extremely durable handle.

 

While there isn’t much that Kershaw could do about the weight that stainless steel has, they could do something about how slippery it is. And they did. They decided to overlay the stainless steel with 3D machined G10. G10 is a laminate composite made of fiberglass. This material is very similar to carbon fiber, but it can be made at a fraction of the cost, so it does help to keep the overall cost of the knife down. To build or manufacturer G10, the manufacturer takes layers of fiberglass cloth and soaks them in resin, then compresses them and bakes them under pressure. The resulting material is tough, hard, lightweight, and strong. In fact, G10 is the toughest of all the fiberglass resin laminates. To add texture to the G10, Kershaw carved out dimples to provide you with a very comfortable and secure grip. You will have a solid grip on this knife in any environment.

 

The finger groove on this handle is extremely elongated and extremely shallow. However, to protect your fingers, Kershaw did add a finger guard. This finger guard helps to stop your fingers if you slip, so that you don’t end up slicing them. Kershaw also added a lanyard hold into the top of the butt of the Vedder. I could go on about the benefits of having a lanyard tied onto your knife, but the biggest advantage of tying one on is convenience. You can easily tie the lanyard onto this knife and then attach it to either your belt or your pack strap. This keeps your hands free and you won’t have to worry about losing it while you don’t need it. But, it steel keeps it close enough that you can swiftly grab it whenever the need arises. A knife that sports a lanyard hole is a big bonus in my eyes.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip is black to match the rest of the hardware on this knife. The clip is kept in place by two small screws. This is a reversible pocket clip, which helps to make this knife ambidextrous friendly. You can switch which side you carry it on, however, the handle has only been drilled to attach this pocket clip tip up.

 

The Mechanism:

This knife sports a flipper opening mechanism as well as Kershaw’s Speed Safe assisted opening mechanism. The flipper on the Vedder is skeletonized and features an angular sharks fin shape. To deploy the blade, you push down on the flipper, which puts enough pressure on the blade to flip it out. The Speed Safe system is a patented system that assist the user to open the knife with a manual pull back on the flipper. This system works because of the Speed Safe’s torsion bar. When the knife is closed, the torsion bar helps to prevent the knife from being opened by gravity, it creates a bias toward the closed position. To open the knife, the user will apply 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 blade opens smoothly and locks into position, ready for use. This mechanism also allows you to open the knife with only one hand, which is another reason that this blade is ambidextrous friendly. And while this mechanism helps your knife feel like a switchblade, it isn’t a switchblade, so you won’t have any of the strict laws surrounding the Vedder.

This knife also features a frame lock. This is a portion of the handle, in the knife frame, that moves behind the blade to lock it into positon during use. This is a safety feature of the knife.

 

The Specs:

The blade on the Vedder is 3.25 inches long. When the Vedder is opened, it measures in at 7.5 inches long, but when this knife is closed, it measures in at 4.25 inches long. Because of the handle material, this is on the heavier side of things, weighing in at 4.1 ounces.

 

The Conclusion:

The Vedder provides the user with a distinctive look as well as top function. On the style side of things, the Vedder features an attention getting handle. The steel handle is titanium carbo-nitride coated in soft matte gray. But to add a little more depth and character, Kershaw has added two 3D machined G10 overlays that not only look great, but also provide you with a secure grip. On the function side of things, Kershaw started out with a steel that is going to get the job done and can get a crazy sharp edge. Plus, sharpening it is a breeze. The Speed Safe mechanism means that opening the blade will always be fast and easy, and as a bonus, you only need one hand. The deep carry pocket clip is just the cherry on top of this exceptional knife.