Kershaw Blur Knife
The Kershaw Blur is one of my favourite Ken Onion designs from the Kershaw line. I love the grip tape look that was made popular by Microtech several years ago. The Blur takes that signature Onion style and takes a more tactical flat handle approach, which is not typical of Ken Onion designs.
Ken’s knives tend to be more organic in their execution, and handles are typically void of any flat spots at all. Kershaw’s Chive/Scallion/Leek line does indeed have flatter handles, but the Blur stands out as being the least Onion-looking fo the bunch.
The biggest downside to this knife is the lack of a trigger. I really wish Kershaw put a trigger on this one, because I do not like using speedsafe knives with only a thumbstud. I feel like I’m going to cut my finger when it flies open, even though it’s never happened before. Almost all the early Speedsafe designs suffered from this flaw until the Boa was released.
You can snag the Blur online for around $60 or so, which is pretty amazing for the amount of knife you get. Granted, the blade steel is only 440A stainless, but its a tough using steel and unless you are a steel snob like myself, you won’t have any problems with it. Handle is anodized 6061-T6 aluminum and comes in various colors such as Black, Red and Grey.
One problem I do have with almost all of Kershaw’s knives is that the blades are almost all bead blasted and the Blur is no different. Why do I have a problem with that? Rust. It gets on the blades almost invariably. Perhaps it is the moist, west coast climate, or maybe it is where I store my knives. Either way, the blades eventually get specs of rust on them. I treat my bead blasted blades with a bit of militec to keep them rust free, but even my carbon steel blades seem to have no problem staying clean in my display cabinets.
However, at approximately 3.5″ blade length, and a nice wide recurve blade, you can’t do much better than the Blur at this price. It cuts like a champ and comes razor sharp from Kershaw. Also available in S30V and SG2 Laminated blade steel.
Blade Length: 3 3/8″
Blade Steel: 440A
Closed Length: 4 1/2″
Handle: Aluminum
November 22nd, 2007 at 6:28 pm
hey i own the tactical version of this knife. i like the way it looks. my ZT is the 0400ST SCAVENGER, and these two knives look a lot alike. i also own two other KERSHAWs and my Leek was put up semi wet so it got a few spots of rust. any ways great review and like you said i would much rather use the “flipper” than the thumb studs.
August 20th, 2009 at 10:51 am
i have to agree with you on the flipper issue, i wish this knife had it. i’ve got a red plain edge and it’s a great knife, i love the recurved blade, but i end up fumbling the openig half the time. most of the other kershaws i own have the flipper, some with speedsafe and some without. they are much more reliable for me.
August 23rd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
yeah.. without the flipper I would have prefered this knife not have the speedsafe mechanism personally.
February 11th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
The reason Kershaw does not use a button to release the blade is for legal reasons. It would then be viewed as a switchblade and there are already some out there that give it flack because it is spring loaded being to similar to a switchblade.
February 12th, 2010 at 12:52 am
That’s right, but no one said any different.
March 15th, 2010 at 12:33 am
The Kershaw Blur I have does not have a blade made out of 440A. It cuts like a razor and maintains an edge for a long while. I prefer the Speedsafe over a flipper but I guess that comes down to personal preference. I do recall seeing a ZT knife which looked almost identical to the Blur except being automatic (no thumbstuds). The Blur is a fantastic folder from Kershaw which has been a great daily carry knife for me!
March 16th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
The flipper is used in conjunction with the speedsafe.. it has both a flipper and speedsafe. There are many versions of Blur now, with a multitude of blade steels as well. Glad you are enjoying yours!
November 23rd, 2010 at 1:14 pm
So you find that bead blast rusts more? I think I’ve heard someone else say that too. That concerns me a bit because my Godfather is bead blast. I’ve had it for a few months and it looks ok. Do you think an occasional coating of Tuf-glide is sufficient?