Knife Review: Kershaw Outright Spring Assist Knife with a Black Blade

The Kershaw Outright Spring Assist Knife with a Black Blade

This is the second version of the Outright Spring Assisted Knife, this time, it has an all-black, stealthy look. This is an unreal EDC because not only does it look sick, it also performs with high quality. The blade is made out of 8Cr13MoV steel, which is known for having high levels of edge retention and strength. Better yet, the blade has been coated with a PVD, which not only provides you with the stealthy look that Kershaw has promised, but it also ensures that the blade is crazy strong and ready to go. The handle is made out of steel with G10 overlay, which is going to provide heft, strength, and the G10 comes in with some serious grip. Finally, the Kershaw Outright Spring Assisted Knife with a black blade sprots SpeedSafe assisted opening, which means that you can open this knife quickly, and even with just one hand. There isn’t much that this knife leaves you wanting. Read on to get the fantastic details about each of the aspects of this knife that make it a perfect EDC.

The Blade:

The blade on this Kershaw is made out of 8Cr13MoV steel. This is known as a budget steel, but it is one of the only budget steels that you don’t have to worry about it performing on a budget. What I mean is that while the cost is limited, the quality is not. This blade steel is known for its edge retention, its strength, and even its hardness. This blade steel is also highly resistant to corrosion, which is ideal for an EDC. An EDC is going to come into some serious action. It’s the knife that you are always going to be reaching for. It’s the knife that sees the biggest variety of tasks. It’s the knife that needs to be able to stand up to anything your day might bring. The corrosion resistance levels of this steel make the Kershaw Outright a perfect choice for your carrying knife. Better yet, when the blade does happen to dull, although it is going to take quite a while for that to happen, this steel is a breeze to sharpen. It takes an edge well and it takes a sharp edge easily. This steel helps make this EDC even lower maintenance, which is always an advantage.

8Cr13MoV steel is a budget steel, even if it operates better than most, you have to remember that it is not a premium steel. However, Kershaw made sure to coat the blade with PVD, in an effort to guarantee that the steel is going to act like an expensive, high-quality steel. A PVD coating is a physical vapor deposition coating, which is a thin film that is applied to the steel in a vapor at t eh beginning. Then, it is processed into a solid material. Overall, PVD does a great job of increases the resistance to all sorts of things—wear and tear, rusting and corrosion, even scratches. It is an exceptional coating, due to how it is applied, it is completely even, which is going to reduce friction and make slicing even easier. The best part of the PVD coating on the Outright is that it is an all-black coating, which adds to the stealthy appearance o this knife This coating is pitch black and won’t let any light reflect off of it, in the instance that you are in a light sensitive tactical mission. Of course, it also lends itself well to your EDC because it is so strong, so tough, and so resistant to everything. It allows you to use this knife without concern of what you are using it for because the blade is going to be able to withstand it.

The blade has been designed in an upswept trialing point. There are a few major advantages to the upswept trailing point. The first is that because it is upswept, it creates a very large belly, which is going to enhance all of your cutting and slicing. The larger the belly means the more cutting surface area that there is, which lends itself to an easier job at hand. The trailing point also creates a sharp tip, which is going to lend itself very well to any piercing that you need to do. With the large belly and the sharp point, there isn’t much that the Kershaw Outright can’t do. This is a great option, although it is a rarer option, for your EDC.

The Handle:

The handle is made out of contoured stainless steel with a G10 overlay front. The benefit of having the base of the handle being made out of stainless steel is that stainless steel is corrosion resistant, rust resistant, and overall a pretty sturdy option. It does pack some weight, which can be a massive advantage. It can be an advantage because it allows you to put some push and strength behind the knife and have the knife add in its own weight to really get the job done. It also feels sturdy and tough, which means that it can take a beating without its integrity being compromised. This allows you to go about your day without the worry of whether or not your knife can handle it. The Outright is going to be durable and tough with the stainless-steel base.

Then, the G10 overlay only adds to the benefits that this knife sports. G10 is a laminate composit made out of fiberglass. This material is similar to carbon fiber, although it is much more inexpensive than carbon fiber. This, like the steel, means that you are saving a lot of money by purchasing this Kershaw as opposed to the competition, but that you don’t have to worry about sacrificing value. G10 is tough, hard, lightweight, and strong. The toughness, hardness, and strength are all qualities that you want in your carrying knife, because like I’ve mentioned before, you never know what you might be coming in contact with. These qualities are going to elevate your carrying knife. Then, the lightweight quality of the G10 is going to come in handy, just because of how heavy the stainless steel is. This allows the stainless-steel weight to not affect the knife quite as much, because you don’t have much added weight to it. Instead, the stainless-steel weight is still an advantage, instead of beginning to be a disadvantage. The G10 also provides grip, which is necessary on the stainless steel handle, as stainless steel does not offer much of it.

The design of the handle is also important and adds to the benefits of this carrying knife. Kershaw has added in three different section s of jimping on the handle, which are ideal or your grip. The first is right where the handle and the blade meet. The second is on the butt of the spine of the handle, and the third is in the finger groove. These rows of jimping are comfortable and will ensure that no matter what the task at hand is, you will have a secure grip on this knife. The handle does feature a finger guard, which is only enhanced by the flipper when the knife is opened. The bell has an elongated cut-out finger groove that takes up about half of the length of the belly. This also helps with the comfort of your grip on this knife. The spine angles upward and then angle downward toward the butt. The ergonomics of the Outright Spring Assisted Knife are comfortable, easy to use, easy to work with, and lend themselves well to being the perfect carrying knife.

SpeedSafe:

The SpeedSafe is an assisted opening mechanism. Kershaw explains it by writing “a push-button lock holds the blade in place, but under pressure form a torsion spring. When the button is pressed, the pressure is released and the blade opens… [this is] sleek, fast, and instant.” There are a couple major benefits to having a spring assisted opening knife. The major one is that it is easier to work with than an entirely manual pocketknife, but that you don’t have to deal with the legality issues that surround an automatic knife. A spring assisted knife works because you have to manually start to open the knife, in this case, with a flipper. Then, when it gets part way open, the assisted mechanism kicks in and automatically opens the knife. This allows less fumbling, more time for you to get the job done, and less energy used to get the knife opened. This is the perfect addition to your carrying knife, because you will be able to open the knife quickly and with one hand, whether you are working in your house or are on a tactical mission.

The Details:

The blade on the Outright measures in at 3 inches long, which is the ideal length for a blade for your carry knife, as it 

provides enough cutting surface that you feel like you can really get any job done, but it does not provide so much length that it becomes complicated or annoying to use. The blade thickness measures in at 0.11 inches, which is a sturdy thickness for a blade. This is just one more detail about why the Kershaw Outright is such a good knife —even the blade thickness provides stability and durability. The handle measures in at 4.4 inches long, which means that the overall length of the knife is going to be 7.1 inches long. The handle length is ideal because it provides enough room for you to have a really good grasp on the knife, without your hands dwarfing the handle or the handle dwarfing your hands. The handle thickness measures in at 0.43 inches. This Kershaw knife weighs in at 4 ounces, which is slightly, and I mean just slightly, heavier than your standard carrying knife, but not so much that it becomes a hassle to have with you. Most of the weight comes from the stainless steel handle and will provide the heft that you want.

The knife features a flipper and a thumb stud. These both are ways to start the spring assisted opening mechanism. The advantages of using (and even just having) the flipper are that when the knife is opened, the flipper works as an enhanced finger guard, the flipper is safer to use, as it does not put your fingers in the blades path when you are opening the knife, and the flipper is super easy to use. The benefits of a thumb stud are that it is easy to use than a flipper and you don’t have to fumble quite as much as the thumb stud is obviously poking out of the blade. Either way, they are both great options, especially paired with the exceptional SpeedSafe mechanism. Plus, you can use the one that you feel most comfortable with, which means that it is going to be a safe option.

The Advantages:

The most unique advantage to the Kershaw Outright Spring Assisted knife is that it is the perfect carrying knife, plus it looks super stealthy. From the design and curves that the knife features, to the PVD all-black coating, to the steel and G10 handle, the knife looks sleek and cool, and it works exceptionally. Barring the design of this knife, the PVD coating is probably the star of the show, as not only does it add the pitch-black coating to the knife, but it also elevates the budget steel into begin a competitive steel.

Wrap-Up:

The Kershaw Outright features an all-black, stealthy look, finished with durable, scratch resistant PVD coating, the Outright has a subtle, attractive look that makes it an ideal carry knife. The upswept trialing point blade makes it ideal for slicing cuts and the SpeedSafe lets you open this knife quickly and easily. This is a strong, durable knife that is ready for action whenever you happen to meet action. It is quality and a perfect choice for your next EDC. Order yours today from BladeOps.