Gear Review-Kershaw 1990 Brawler Speedsafe Folding Knife
Important Specs:
SpeedSafe assisted opening; Liner Lock
Flipper: 4-position pocketclip (tip-up/down, left/right)
Blade: Steel: 8Cr13MoV, black oxide coating
Handle: Glass-filled nylon
Blade length: 3 in. (7.6 cm)
Closed length: 4.1 in. (14.3 cm)
Overall length: 7.1 in. (18 cm)
Weight: 3.9 oz. (110.6 g)
I've been kind of a big knife guy forever. I keep buying them even though I don't need any more (although you can never have too many). There are a lot of things to think about when purchasing a knife. You have to look at price, quality, size, and more. I have a number of knives because there is literally a different one for every occasion.
When I saw the Kershaw Brawler, I was looking for something to replace my Smith and Wesson Assisted Open knife because it was too big to carry every day (3.6" blade and 5" handle). The Kershaw's about an inch shorter closed and the blade is .6" shorter than the S&W. It has a good heft to it and it feels great in my pocket, but it's significantly lighter than the S&W (7.4 oz compared to the Kershaw's 3.9).
I've started using this as my daily carry knife and I really like it. It has an aggressive look, a smooth opening action, and it fits perfectly in my hand. It came razor sharp (I actually cut the bejesus out of my hand playing around with it when I first got it, so be careful). The price was definitely right too at around $21 on Amazon with Prime shipping.
The action of opening the knife with the flipper is smooth but has a nice bit of weight to it. It's not something that will come open super easily, in your pocket for example. But, when you apply a little pressure to it, it opens quickly and smoothly without hanging up (see slow mo video at the end of this review to see it in action). The same goes for using the thumb screw. When you flick that open, it smartly opens in one smooth flick.
In short, I would definitely recommend this knife as a great value for daily carry. I've already used it a number of times for miscellaneous tasks around the house and work. If you're looking for a knife to keep handy that is sharp, a good size, and inexpensive, this would be a great option. There are a lot of inexpensive knives out there, but few also have the quality of this Kershaw.
If you have any specific questions about this knife or my review, feel free to toss up a comment! The whole point of this site is to start a conversation about everything and anything related to Overlanding, so join the conversation. Thanks for reading!
And as a bonus, here is a slow mo video of the knife opening: