If you’re curious about the Kershaw knife brand, you should be. They make some incredible blades with high-quality standards.
If you’re looking for the best Kershaw knife, you’ll find that it’s really hard to go wrong with any one of them.
None of their knives are lackluster, so your choice becomes more a matter of finding the right knife to compliment your lifestyle.
Reading a Kershaw knives review or two will help you be able to spot the differences between each model of knife that the brand offers.
The best Kershaw knives have innovative features that have been incorporated for your convenience, and most of them are designed to master a specific task.
The best knife is always suited to the job you’re trying to do, although the brand does offer some great general-use pocket knives.
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All About the Kershaw Brand
Kershaw is a knife company based in Portland, Oregon, USA. They create everyday carry knives, as well as outdoor knives, sporting knives, and even kitchen cutlery.
Brick and mortar stores, as well as online retailers all over the world, carry their superior quality products.
They’ve been making knives since 1974, and they continue to innovate all of their knives using leading technology and top-notch construction.
Different Kinds of Kershaw Knives
Kershaw makes unique knives, and almost all of them fold. The only fixed blade knives they create are designed for culinary use.
Kershaw caters to the everyday carry enthusiast as well as the working professional who needs to incorporate cutting tools into their job.
Even if you work in a warehouse where you need to process a lot of boxes, Kershaw makes a knife that will simplify your workday.
Pocket Knives
All of Kershaw’s pocket knives fold down to a compact size. Depending on what you consider to be an acceptable size for pocket carry, you can carry most small-sized Kershaw knives in your pocket.
Kershaw’s pocket knives don’t feature multiple blades or tool attachments like a Swiss army knife would – they place all of their quality emphasis on the blade and the handle.
Task Knives
The majority of Kershaw’s knives are task knives. What makes them so different is their blade styles. Some of them have a high grind that could even be used for scaling fish.
Others have a strong razor knife blade that’s perfect for processing cardboard or carving wood.
They make knives that everyone from the working professional to the camping enthusiast would be able to enjoy.
Kitchen Knives
In addition to their exciting folding knives, Kershaw also makes kitchen cutlery. If you’re impressed with the quality of their task knives and pocket knives, you might want to carry that technology into your culinary ventures.
It’s hard to find decent cooking knives, but Kershaw does an impressive job of creating unique knives you’d love to use to prepare a meal for your family.
Picking the Best Kershaw Knife
In terms of quality, there is no Kershaw knife that fails to meet the highest of standards. When you’re trying to select which knives are going to work best for you, what you really need to know is how you actually intend to use the knife.
A knife that you would keep in your fishing tackle box won’t necessarily be the same as a knife you’d use to cut drywall with.
You might want to consider getting more than one Kershaw knife. Since they’re such reliable knives at affordable prices, you might want to stock up on a few.
One for your tackle box, one for your glove box, one for your camping belt, and one for your work belt means you’ll always have the best tool for the job, no matter where you or what you’re doing.
TOP 4 Best Kershaw Knives Reviewed 2025
Since Kershaw makes so many different knives, this is a sample of all of their best offerings.
There’s one for everyone, and reading each Kershaw knives review will help you understand the specifications of each model a little better.
These are the best at what they do, and everyone should own at least one of these. Kershaw knives all boast the best technology at a price that virtually everyone can afford.
Kershaw 1990 Brawler Speedsafe Folding Knife
This knife has a flat edge for precision cutting, It’s an ideal shape for processing cardboard or opening boxes.
The blade is constructed of steel with a black oxide coating that will hide signs of corrosion and prevent staining.
If you ever get something like tree sap on this blade, it’s easy to clean off without leaving behind an unsightly mark.
The handle is a textured, weighted glass-filled nylon for a better hand feel and improved durability over plain plastic or wood handles.
PROS
- Kershaw’s SpeedSafe assisted opening system makes it easy to open and close this knife securely. It features a tight liner lock and an easy access flipping mechanism to draw out the blade.
- The pocket clip can be moved in four directions. You can keep the tip of the knife up, down, left, or right. This keeps the knife safe and convenient to access from your pocket or your work belt, and makes this knife versatile for left-handed users.
- The 3-inch blade is the perfect size for everyday carry. It’s large enough to handle tough tasks, but not so big that it will stick out of your pocket. The entire closed length of the knife is a modest 4.1 inches.
CONS
- This knife doesn’t feature any serrations or a saw back for sawing tasks.
CONCLUSION
If you want a simple blade for simple tasks, that’s exactly what you’re getting here.
The all-black design makes this knife stylish to look at, and it doesn’t compromise between style and quality.
You’re getting a dependable straight edge blade that’s easy to sharpen between uses, and the steel construction will help it hold its edge for a long time without needing to be touched up.
Kershaw 1555TI Cryo SpeedSafe Folding Knife
This is a portable utility knife with an impressively high grind. This is the kind of knife you’ll want to take with you on a fishing or camping trip due to its special grind.
It’s easy to do things like fillet a fish or clean a small mammal, such as a rabbit, with the 2.75 inch blade and tapered cutting surface.
The handle is made of solid steel, held together with three screws that are easy to tighten in the event that the knife ever needs a tune-up.
PROS
- This knife features a flipper and a thumb stud for convenient access and safe cutting. If you’re using this knife around something wet, you won’t need to worry about it slipping out of your hand. It even includes some extra jimping towards the top and the back of the blade.
- Titanium carbo-nitride coating helps the whole knife maintain its crisp finish while protecting it from staining.
- This knife features Kershaw’s signature SpeedSafe assisted opening with a full-frame lock, a stabilizer for the locking mechanism, and a deep pocket clip that can be adjusted in all four directions.
CONS
- A compact 2.75-inch blade is perfect for everyday carry or tending to small tasks, but you might want a larger knife for larger campsite or construction tasks.
CONCLUSION
Great utility knives are hard to find – especially ones with such high grinds and sharp points. Any outdoorsman would feel fortunate to have this in his tool kit while he’s out interacting with nature.
This knife could even be used as a self-defense tool in emergencies. It’s plain, but it’s certainly not lacking in quality or durability.
You’d be surprised how often you’ll reach for a solid, compact knife like this one.
Kershaw Leek Knife
This is one of Kershaw’s slimmest profile pocket knives. The blade is made of Sandvik steel, and the handle is crafted of 410 stainless steel.
The all-metal construction means that none of the parts will break or bend with frequent use, and there will be nothing to replace.
Maintenance on this knife is easy. These steel materials are very easy to clean, and they can take a lot of abuse before they start to show signs of damage.
If maintained well, this knife will last you an eternity.
PROS
- The bead-blasted finish on both the handle and the blade will keep this knife looking newer for longer. Small scuffs or scratches won’t show against the texture of the metal. If you take good care of this knife, it will look just as good after a year as it did the day you got it.
- Blade length is 3 inches, which is the ideal size for most tasks suited to a pocket knife. The closed length of the knife is 4 inches, allowing it to fit in your pocket and move with you while you walk.
- The Leek knife is the mini model that contrasts Kershaw’s popular onion range of knives. Onion knives can be a little bulkier and a lot more expensive. If you want the quality of the leek without spending the full price, you’ll find that this is the perfect alternative
CONS
- The blade is completely straight. While the long, sharp tip is great for detail work, you don’t have any serrated edges for sawing tasks.
CONCLUSION
This is the best Kershaw pocket knife for everyday carry. It’s built to last decades, and you’re getting an incredibly sharp and narrow point.
Most pocket knives have simple tanto blades or drop points – almost none of them incorporate this razor-like design.
You’ll appreciate it for small detail work and superior cutting power. It’s so fine, it could cut all the seeds out of a pomegranate without damaging the membrane.
Kershaw Ken Onion Blur Folding Knife with Speed Safe
The Blur range is Kershaw’s most popular premium offering. These knives feature larger blades, coming in at 3.4 inches.
They’re some of the biggest blades that Kershaw offers in any of their folding knives.
This particular model comes in two variations – one with a plain blade, and one with serrations near the back.
If you’d prefer a serrated folding knife, you have the power to choose which configuration will work best for you.
PROS
- The handle is made of aircraft aluminum. It features a special kind of grip tape that will allow you to use this knife safely even when it’s wet.
- A reversible pocket clip allows you to store this knife either tip down or tip up. Some people have strong preferences about which way a folding knife should be clipped, and it’s easy to modify the knife to the direction you prefer.
- Larger blades like this need a very safe locking mechanism. This one utilizes Kershaw’s SpeedSafe mechanism that will allow you to safely open the knife with one hand, but keep it locked when you aren’t using it.
CONS
- This is one of Kershaw’s priciest models. You pay for quality, but some might consider this price to be steep.
CONCLUSION
This is the best Kershaw folding knife. If you shop for quality first and foremost, you’ll find it’s worth it to splurge on one of Kershaw’s premium models.
You’ll never find a folding knife that offers better quality than this one. It’s nearly military-grade in its manufacturing specifications, it’s easy to clean, and it’s easy to sharpen.
The shape of the blade will allow you to do almost anything, and the option to switch the straight blade for a serrated blade truly makes the possibilities endless.
Picking Out Your Own Kershaw Knife
The best Kershaw knife will vary from job to job.
If you’re someone who has a lot of jobs you’ll need a knife for, you might want to consider building a trusty arsenal of Kershaw tools that will help you do all of the things that you need to do.
The best Kershaw knives can handle anything, no matter how tough the task is.
It will be a great tool for bushcraft as well, however, if you are really serious about outdoors, you might want to take a look at the best bushcraft knives as well.
