A quick review on my 4 year old Kershaw Vapor II folder. Model # 1650BLKST.
This knife was purchased in 2006 and used daily for well over a year. It now rides along in my EDC bag in semi-retirement. It’s a Ken Onion frame lock design with a flat-ground, 3.5″ x .118″ thick blade. The blade is made from AUS6A and the frame is built from 410 stainless. The entire knife is coated with a very tough black titanium nitride (TiN) coating. The length of this knife is 8″ when opened.
The blade is about 1/3 serrated. I’m not a real big fan of serrated blades but I can’t recall the serrations ever getting in the way of this blade’s functionality. I’m not sure of this blade’s hardness, it holds an edge very well as compared to other 6A blades that I’ve used.
The coating on this particular knife is impressive. I lost this knife while clearing brush one day in early spring. I thought the knife was gone for good but my son found it the following fall. It spent the entire summer at the bottom of a brush pile and only suffered some slight blemishing on the blade. You can barely spot the discoloration in the above photos.
The structure and mechanics of this knife are good. The frame is solidly built with no “play” between the frame and blade, even after 3 years. The lock-up is solid but as you can see below that the lock only engages one half of the blade.
PROS:
- Excellent coating, very durable and attractive
- Great blade, the shape is very functional and it holds an edge well
- Solid frame. Locks tight, very beefy hinge pin
- Pocket clip is anchored very securely, it’s never loosened
- Slim profile, lightweight and very comfortable to use
- About $20 at the time this review was written
CONS:
- Pocket clip can only be used in one position, there are no other mounting locations
- Thumbstud is single sided, it must be removed and re- installed for left-handed use
- Made in China, blade is clearly marked “China”
Overall, this knife is a great value.
Justus
