Kershaw Volt II Knife Review

There is really 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. Kershaw says, “The real thing means value and plenty of it. With Kershaw, you get incredible bang for your hard-earned buck. Even our inexpensive models are impressive. In fact, everything about a Kershaw is solid, crafted, and 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.) The point is, you can always look to Kershaw for everyday carrying knives that can tame any cardboard box and liberate any purchase from its plastic packaging, sporting knives that make hunting, fishing, watersports, and camping even better, work knives that won’t let you down, and tactical knives that ensure you’re ready for anything.”
They were founded in 1974 with a mission 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.

They also have a serious commitment to innovation. Kershaw pioneered the use of many of the technologies and advanced materials that are today standard in the knife industry. Kershaw says, “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 is a brand of Kai USA Ltd. Kai takes an innovative approach to product development based on the close coordination of research and development, production, marketing, and distribution functions.

Today we will be discussing the Kershaw Volt II.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of 8Cr13MoV steel. It is commonly said that 8Cr13MoV steel is the equivalent of an AUS8A steel. This is mostly true. When it comes to an EDC, you aren’t going to be able to tell the difference between the two. But when it comes to your wallet, 8Cr13MoV steel is the way to go. 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. This is a top-of-the-line Chinese steel that is going to offer a great value. The thing with this steel is that it is going to get the job done for a very low price, and what more could you ask for?

The knife has been coated with a black-oxide coating. The black oxide coating is created with a chemical bath that converts the surface of the steel to magnetite. Kershaw uses this coating on some blades, mainly for appearance, although it also does add some corrosion resistance to the blade. The coating itself, although more for appearance, is going to prolong the life of the blade, purely because the blade is coated. Unfortunately, just like other coatings, if it does get scratched off, it will need to be re-coated to maintain the same benefits.

The blade on this knife is a classic drop point. The shape is formed by a slowly sloping spine that creates a lowered point which is going to lead to more control over your cuts. What really sets the drop point apart is the broad tip which means that you are going to be capable of taking on those tougher tasks. However, this broad tip does mean that you are not going to be as capable of piercing, which usually isn’t too big of an issue because of the strength that you get in exchange.

The blade does have 2-Step Serrations, which Kershaw describes by saying, “Serrations assist in cutting through particularly tough or fibrous material, such as rope or cord.” In essence, the Kershaw 2-step serration is a more aggressive style of serration. This is a combo edge, so only the bottom third is serrated. The upper two thirds are plain, so that you can get fine work done. On the top of the blade, there is a short row of jimping to provide you with more control.

 

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of glass-filled nylon, or GFN. This is a nylon synthetic polymer that has been reinforced with glass threads for increased strength, stiffness, and dimensional stability combined with excellent wear resistance. One of the most unique parts about GFN is that the fibers are arranged completely haphazardly, which means that the handle is going to be strong in all directions instead of just one, like G10. This material is also going to be cheap because it can be injection molded which means that plenty can be produced at one time. One of the last major benefits is that there is zero maintenance. This is the perfect handle material for those people who want a great knife but don’t want to have to work with a finicky material.

The handle shape is pretty simple. The spine has a slight bulge toward the butt of the handle as it angles downward. This bulge is going to give a little bit of a more solid grip. There is the flipper that is going to work as a finger guar. Then there are four finger grooves on the belly, which will give a comfortable and secure grip. The first finger groove is the deepest and the shortest, with each one getting progressively more elongated and shallower. The first finger groove does sport some jimping to give you an even better ability to work with this Volt II.

The handle is solid black, which creates a very sleek look to it. The face of the handle has been aggressively textured with small diamonds to give you a great grip in almost any environment.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife contrasts with the black handle, being a sleek silver. The clip itself is unique, curving around the hardware on the back. The screws that keep it in place are black, which match the rest of the hardware on this knife. It has been slightly skeletonized, with four small holes carved out of the tip in a row, each getting progressively smaller the closer it gets to the tip of the clip. The clip is reversible, with pre-drilled holes in the handle which allow the user to change the tip position as well as the side on which the knife is carried. The Volt II allows the clip to be attached on the left side in tip-down position as well as on the right side in tip-up positon.

 

The Mechanism:

This knife is an assisted opening knife that is equipped with a SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism, a flipper, and a liner lock.

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. This flipper is a rounded rectangular and is much smaller than your typical flipper. One of the benefits about a flipper is that it is going to act as a finger guard when the knife is opened. Plus, when you are opening this knife, it will keep your fingers out of the blade’s path, which is not a benefit of a thumb stud.

The SpeedSafe mechanism 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. Overall, the benefits of the SpeedSafe is that it is going to use a torsion bar to help move the handle out of the blade which will enable smooth and easy one-handed opening. Plus, this is not a switchblade, so it is not going to fall in the same strict category as automatic knives do.

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 Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.25 inches long with a handle that measures in at 3.9 inches long. The overall length of the knife is 7.1 inches long. This knife weighs in at 3.3 ounces, which is an ideal weight for a knife that you are going to keep with you at all times.

 

Conclusion:

             When Kershaw is talking about this knife, they say, “High-voltage looks in basic black. You get the same versatile blade and handle style as the original Volt, but with a non-reflective black oxide blade coating, black handle scales, and black pocket clip. In fact, the only things that aren’t black on this new iteration of the Volt II are the wicked gleam of the Kershaw-sharp edge and the secure locking liner.

The Volt II opens one-handed and with an authoritative “twack” thanks to Kershaw’s SpeedSafe® assisted opening system. A simple pull back on the flipper and the Volt II opens smoothly and easily. We think you’ll appreciate the versatility of the Volt II’s slightly dropped point blade. This classic shape is just about perfect for any task you’ll want to ask it to do. Partial blade serration just extends the Volt II’s capabilities and makes it easy to whip through materials like cord, webbing, or rope.

For a secure grip and a solid, satisfying feel in the hand, the Volt II has finger contours on the handle, diamond-patterned, glass-filled nylon handles, and heavy jimping on the back of the blade. With its great look and versatility, the black Volt II is destined to become a permanent partner for your pocket. You may wonder how you ever did without it.” You can pick up this knife today at BladeOps.