Just the other day I was carving a Jack-O-Lantern with my four year old daughter. Being four years old meant her dad would do all the work and she would take credit for the project. I personally hadn't carved a pumpkin in over ten years or so, but I did remember that it was a tedious project guaranteed to make my hands ache and coat them in a slimly and nasty goo. The slime I could handle but I didn't look forward to the fatigue that was sure to follow as a result of using the cheep 99 cent carving knife. So like any true red blooded American male I went for the one thing that I never leave home without, my trusty pocket knife. Unlike a 1950's boy scout however I carry something a little more robust and in all honesty downright scarier looking than a pen knife. I pulled out my Kershaw Tanto Blur, a tool that I've possessed for the past year that has never let me down. I expected this tool to get the job done with relative ease and would still allow me to do some precise surgical like cutting. Well to make a long story short I made the first cuts of the eyes without any real resistance at all. Seeing the fun that I was having my wife secured the knife from me and proceeded to carve the mouth. Her response was similar to mine, a since of shock that this tool was going through this thick, orange skinned squash like a hot knife through a stick of margarine. After the carving was complete I simply did what I do every time I use this knife, I wiped in on my pant leg and put it back into my pocket, ready for the next project that I might need it for. The next time I know that my simple knife will not let me down, rather it be a pumpkin or some sort of work in the field I know that It will always function smoothly and be as reliable as a good old bird dog.
Lets start the review with the Kershaw company itself. Kershaw was founded in 1974, with one simple philosophy, to make a product that the customer would be proud to own and use. Let me tell you that hands down I've seen flashier and sometime more attractive looking knives, but never have I owned any knife that has stayed this sharp for so long. I purchaed my first Kershaw in 2003 while I was working at a Wal-Mart. My investment was a Kershaw Chive by Ken Onion (knife designer and former Marine). That little knife cut boxes every day for over a year with out dulling. My second Kershaw was the Blackout also by Onion, this knife served me very well in EMS until it was "lost" one day after I left it sitting at the station. Apparently some of my coworkers at that job had some sticky fingers. Which brings us to where I am today, with my Tanto Blur. The only reason I've ever replaced a Kersahw knife with another Kershaw is because the the previous ones were stolen. Kershaw has a lifetime warranty with all of their products. They will repair any manufacture defects for the life of the knife, but only if you're the original owner (ie you have the receipt still with you).
Kershaw knives are made in a 55,000 sq. ft. facility located in Oregon, that means that they're made in the USA. Made in America is something that will always win brownie points from me, because it means that my purchase is providing jobs for my fellow American. It also means that the quality of the workmanship is greater than other manufactures (i.e. Gerber or Smith & Wesson). Kai the parent company of Kershaw will even sharpen your knife back to original spec free of charge, you just pay for shipping.
But since I'm trailing off, lets get to the review of the Tanto Blur. Like many other Kershaws this knife is designed by Ken Onion. It. features a one handed assisted opening blade (think of it like a switch blade, just without the push button). The blade is made from a high grade stainless with a Tungsten DLC coating that will resist corrosion. The side note on the coating is that unlike many other blades that I've dealt with while living in the Gulf Coast of Texas, this blade just will not rust. In the time I've had this knife I've used it every day I'm on the ambulance and it refuses to let me damage it. I've scrapped it on concrete, exposed it to the salty & humid air, exposed it to direct flame only to place it in a near freezing environment. It cuts seat belts, blue jeans and if you're really out for a challenge it will cut through an 8 gauge electric wire as if it were a twig. I've used it as a screw driver and I've even opened an oxygen cylinder with the belt clip,yet it still refuses to show any weakness and it's still as sharp as the day I bought it. Come to think of it, all three Kershaws I've owned have never required sharpening even after years of abuse.
The handle is made of aerospace grade 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy (this particular grade of alloy has a tensile strength of 42,000 psi.....Now thats not your granddaddy's jackknife cowboy !) the handle has inserts that are made of something Kershaw calls Trac-Tec, whatever they're called feels like rubber spay-in bed-liner. This is a welcome addition to the knife, especially when it's covered in water, mud, blood or in my recent case, pumpkin entrails. It has a 3 3/8" blade with a Tanto style tip, making stabbing into a semi-rigid object (i.e. drywall or rubber) easier than a prom date with 3/4 of a bottle of Bacardi in her system ;) the closed length is 4.5 inches with an overall open length of just over 7.8 inches. The entire knife weighs 4.2 ounces making it lightweight, yet it still feels like you've got a mini Ka-Bar in your hand when it's open.
Here is a picture of my knife after a year of abuse.
The cons that I've found to this knife are few and far between. For one thing it's very ergonomic, handle takes up most of your pocket in a pair of jeans, I tend to keep my keys in the opposing pocket. The pocket clip is VERY tight, I would not recommend wearing this knife on your pocket if you happen to be issued a pair of lightweight poly-blend pants, seeing as how the clip could very easily tear the pocket to shreds. It's also not a very quiet knife to open if you want to be stealthy. The assisted opening feature is under an extreme amount of tension, the sound it makes when it opens roughly resembles the sound a Glock slide makes when it's dropped into battery....Not good unless you want to give away a position to every Tom, Dick and Harry in the area.
The Pros far outweigh any cons that I might have about this knife. We won't go into the durability issue that I've sated already due to the fact that I don't want to beat this dead horse with a stick. So the two other points that I can make about it are this. Number one is the finish, it looks good because it's black and dull, it wont come out and say look at me. It's subdued and not a bit gaudy, It doesn't pretend to be a saber or a dagger, it just plays it part as a tactical knife and plays it well. The price is the second feature that is attractive to anyone in the public service industry because it's reasonable. Like most things you get what you pay for and knives are no exception to this rule. For a durable duty knife this is a very reasonable option. Kershaw's web page for this knife
http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=85&brand=kershaw list the MSRP at $99.95. However
http://www.thekershawstore.com/Kershaw_Tanto_Blur_Serrated_Knife_p/k1670tblkst.htm Listed the price at $62.95
In conclusion I would say that if you're in the market for something that will provide you years of service at a reasonable price, then I would recommend the Tanto Blur.
Happy Halloween ! Here is a photo of Jack, carved with my Kershaw Tanto Blur.
-Reviewed by Travis Cloud 10/28/2010
