Customer Reviews

Kershaw Ken Onion Tactical Blur Folding Knife with Speed Safe

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I hate to feed into the mentality that causes knifemakers to hype their blades as "tactical," because the last thing we need to give lawmakers is another excuse to heroically protect us by banning the tools we carry. But the first and last thing I have to say about the Ken Onion Tactical Blur is that it is one fearsome knife.

A curved blade would be suited to your usual cutting and slicing applications, such as skinning mastodons and so on. This knife, on the other hand, has a chisel-like tanto point, which is ideal for thrusting effortlessly through beef ribs or car hoods. It would be equally at home cutting up cardboard boxes, linoleum flooring, or metal garbage cans.

Technically, this isn't a switchblade. Switchblades are bad. We know this because our lawmakers have heroically protected us by effectively banning them at various levels. This is only an ordinary liner-lock knife with spring-assisted opening. But if I ever found a switchblade with the deployment speed and cutting power of the Blur, I'd say it was quite a knife.

The blade is shaving-sharp from the factory, and the handle is lightweight but sturdy aluminum with some kind of gritty sandpaper-like stuff glued on to give a better grip should the knife become slippery with any sort of fluid. Use your imagination. I haven't tried shattering any cinderblocks with it yet, but it's sturdy enough to use as a yawara stick in a pinch.

Folded, the whole package can be palmed even in my small hands and feels much like a disposable lighter with a glandular problem. I don't even notice it in my hip pocket, which is where it rides whenever I happen to be wearing pants.

If walking around with something this fearsome seems too naughty for you, remember a couple of things. One is that you can buy it from The Wall for $55, and The Wall would not sell naughty things to naughty people. Another is that crimes, to my knowledge, are not generally committed with knives like these, but with such evil implements as kitchen knives, screwdrivers, and whatever happens to be lying around near the crime scene. Lastly, you will probably not need a knife this fast and ferocious, but if you do, you will *really* need it. And you'll have it.

The knife holds a good blade even after some abuse. The thumb button is a little small and a bit tough on the thumb after repeated openings but does open the knife very well. The textured handle provides a very good grip but works like sand paper on anything else in your pocket. If I lost it I would buy another one.

This is an awesome knife, I've had it for a couple days already. I agree with everything the other reviewer said; the knife is sharp enough to shave with from the factory (not only that, if I try I can cut off the top layer of skin without making myself bleed). The SpeedSafe assisted opening makes opening this knife a real fast procedure. I hope I never have to use this knife defensively; I hope I only have to use it to cut the tape on packages, cut network cables, stuff like that.

One very minor concern I have with it: the finish is very much like sandpaper. This makes it so that you WILL NOT lose your grip on it. The downside is that I wear this knife in the front pocket of my pants (using the pocket clip), and I'm worried that the abrasiveness of the finish will rub a hole on the inside of my pocket. Overall, it's not a big deal though, it's much better than my sometimes clumsy self dropping this knife into somebody's leg, or something bad like that.

I've been in the Army active duty and reserve; enlisted and officer for 20 years. I'm currently working as a law enforcement officer. So, I've dealt with a lot of knives built for various purposes. Taking everything into account I would consider this one of the best knives I've owned. It has a great edge for doing day to day routine cutting boxes, 100 mile an hour tape, I cut slices of bannana bread with it today. However, with the spring loaded action and the sharpness of the blade I have no doubt it would be a great knife to defend your life with. I know, I know odds of that happening are probably slim to none, but like a previous reviewer said, "you will probably not need a knife this fast and ferocious, but if you do, you will *really* need it". 'Nuff said.

You always hear reviews say "if I were to loose this I would buy another one." Well, I bought one when the model first came out and it worked great for more than a year, then it was lost in a cross country move. After a few weeks I realized how much I was missing it for many every day tasks. I have now purchased my second blur. They are great knifes. the only drawback is you cannot sharpen it yourself with the serrated section, but that will get you on any knife. Spring assist functions great without any unintentional openings. Safe, Fast, useful. Highly recommended.

For perspective, my last pocket knife was a Kershaw Sapphire with a plain blade, so this was a step off the beaten track. The handle is wide enough for a comfortable grip but slim enough for my pocket--the sandpaper-like insets snag my jeans but hopefully that won't turn out to be a bad thing. This is by no means a small pocket knife, the blade is large, but stable, and a good balance for the handle. If it wasn't as slim as it is I wouldn't even try to carry it.

The speed safe was a little bit of a surprise, I thought it would be a lot less forceful than it is. To be honest, I wouldn't bring this out in public (the Sapphire was as exciting as a butter knife) because of the attention snapping it open is likely to attract. If anything, that's the only downside to it--it looks as useful as it is. Don't be surprised if you get a "is that even legal?" reaction.

Like jumper cables, duct tape, or any of those ubiquitous domestic tools we all keep handy, the tanto Blur performs mundane functions reliably and efficiently. But a mundane tool it's not.

Out of the box (I have 7 or 8 Blurs in different blade configurations): Shaving sharp, precisely machined (no wobble; no tightening or loosening necessary), and backed by Kershaw's well-known reputation for above-and-beyond customer service. This knife at this price-point is an excellent value.

Blurs---like other Kershaws in this price range---definitely hold their own against Benchmade's "blue" line of blades, which usually cost 20%-30% more. I'm not bashing Benchmade by any means (I have a 551S in my pocket right now, and I love it); and I'm not suggesting the Kershaw offerings are superior; I'm just saying: The cost of a Kershaw is generally a virtue, not an indication of poor materials or fitment.

The tanto Blur's pleasing balance, in-line drop-point tip, and full-length hollow grind encourage control and precision for piercing, slashing, push-cuts, and short slices. The SV13C26 blade will make short work of typical cardboard, most ropes and twine, and that all-too-common "protective" plastic packaging. If configured with a combo edge, it'll also back-saw large bushes and woody vegetation with ease. The addition of serrations does take away a full half of the bottom straight edge, leaving not much more than an inch. But it's not likely to be space wasted if you intend to use the knife for everyday tasks, and no piercing power is sacrificed.

The tanto Blur does a respectable job of retaining its sharpness. An occasional two-second touch-up with a little fine-grit compound keeps the edge in shape. Just don't take too much metal off the tip. Unfortunately, while the full-length hollow grind gives the blade a shallow angle on both segments of the tanto edge, it also leaves the tip without much support. This is compensated for somewhat by the classic drop-point configuration of the spine, but don't bury this knife into tabletops, and don't try to use it as a cold chisel to pry your paint cans open. The tip will likely break in short order. If you want a comparably-priced folder that you could plunge straight through your monitor screen with complete confidence, consider something like the SOG Trident tanto, with its hollow-ground bottom edge and heavy, flat-ground tip. But that's another beast entirely.

SpeedSafe (Kershaw's assist implementation for this category) is just a rock-solid joy to use on all of the Blur models (Kershaw's impressive Shallot comes in a close second; SpeedSafe works great on that one too). You have no idea how fun AND functional the Blur SpeedSafe opening is until you try it for yourself. Smooth and super-fast, it's certainly as good as or better than the assist on any other folder I've ever held, no matter the price-point.

Like other Ken Onion knives, the attention to detail sets the Blur apart; e.g. the generous quillon and fat handle belly; a large choil/ricasso area that (combined with the SpeedSafe) makes it quite difficult to cut yourself closing the blade; the durable, comfortable, and highly-functional no-slip textured coating on the handle; the point-switchable pocket clip, the thick and obviously durable liner lock, etc., etc.

Any forward or reverse grip is comfortable, but there is no stop at the heel of the handle, and the thumb-ramp is somewhat slight. Nevertheless, the level of control provided still inspires confidence in my average-sized hands.

BOTTOM LINE: Kershaw has put together a high-quality product that easily provides the best overall value I've personally seen in this price range. 5 stars from me, without hesitation.

I am embarrassed to say that within 90 minutes of owning this blade, I had 16 stitches placed in my hand as a testament to its edge. This blade is *super* sharp. I lost my grip on this blade and in an effort to recover it mid-air, it gave me a gentle kiss on the back of the hand. The serrated portion barely touched my knuckle, and a year later it is still an ugly, scarred, mess.
This is a serious knife that can do serious damage, learn from my mistake. Not for the young or clumsy. You have been warned.

I have owned two of these knives. The first of which was snatched up when I mistakenly laid it down at a police department I was doing work at.

The first good point is that it is made by Kershaw. A lot of wanna-be's will poo-poo a Kershaw because it doesn't cost and arm and a leg. To me, a quality blade doesn't have to cost >$200 to be a "quality blade". So at ~$70 the Kershaw Blur fits the bill nicely.

The design, although looks menacing is quite useful. I spend my days cutting tie-wraps, boxes etc. and this blade has never failed at being the correct tool for the job at hand. The Tanto design lets me get the tip into play to do some smaller cuts (Intricate, for lack of a better term). The rest of the blade is large enough to cut through any other materials that I would use a drop-tip on. The serrated section of the blade has allowed me to make short work of thicker cable-ties, rope and thicker cardboard.

The grip surface is unique in that it doesn't get slippery when it gets wet which is a major plus.

The assisted opener (Speedsafe)has never let me down. It always performs and the speed has not diminished even after five years of use and abuse.

I have not treated this blade the best as it has been underwater for extended periods of time, in sand, dirt, accidentally clipped in my pants when they were washed, dropped. SO I can say that the Kershaw Blur will take a beating and not break.

In short, when and if my current Blur breaks, I will turn back around and buy another.

This is hands down the best knife I own. It has a great feel to it, especially with the skateboard-like material on the sides. The blade material holds an edge for a long time, and with the special coating on the blade, mine (which I have with me all the time) doesn't even have any scratches on in yet. The assisted opening is a great feature and is very dependable. The pocket clip can be flipped depending on how you like to carry the knife. If you are looking for an everyday knife that can stand up to a lot of abuse and still keep an edge, this is the knife for you.