Kershaw Blur LinerLock MagnaCut Review

Kershaw is a knife manufacturing company established in 1974, headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon, US while its parent company is KAI Group in Japan. It manufactures EDC and tactical blades that are budget-friendly and mid-range with its production facilities in the US and China.

Kershaw produces knives ranging from sporting, professional, pocket and kitchen knives. Since their inception in the 70s, they have grown into one of the most well-respected and popular knife brands among knife collectors and enthusiasts with a passion for innovation and high quality.

Kershaw formed a strong partnership with a custom knife maker Ken Onion to produce Kershaw Blur. He also invented the award-winning Speed Safe opening mechanism found on several popular Kershaw knives.

The Kershaw Blur has the build and performance of a great general purpose EDC knife. It is an assisted opening knife: all you have to do is push the blade with the thumb stud and the Speed Safe technology springs into action to finish opening the blade. You can close the blade by sliding the liner lock to release the blade.

The Kershaw Blur came in a branded red cardboard box wrapped up in a plastic sleeve and safely secured inside.

The knife came with very fine finishing and texturing. The Trac-Tec inserts helped with a comfortable yet non-slippery grip. The blue anodized aluminum helps set the folder apart and looks very attractive when carrying.

The thumb stud and spring-assisted opener is smooth and flips open easily in one swift motion.

Although the thumb studs look out of place, they are spring-assisted. You can feel it when the knife is in a pivotal position during the lockup and opening. And if you push the spring, the knife flies open fully of its own accord. It is easy to deploy with both right and left hand.

The Trac-Tec inserts are inlayed into the handle scales, so they do not interfere with the overall texture of the handle and is screwed in just the right spots. The screws are fully embedded in the scales, which further makes the handle smooth without any sharp edges protruding out. It is even softer than the texture of G10. It will not create any hot spots in the pocket when carrying.

The Kershaw Blur features a commonly used Liner Lock used on most folding knives, including Spyderco’s. It is cost-efficient, easy to assemble and disassemble and easy to use. The handle fits in an average-sized hand really well.

The blade of Kershaw Blur has fine edge retention and blade geometry. The slight jimping along the spine makes it easier to hold and use the blade in different forms. However, it lacks a finger guard and a choil. However, it does allow you to choke it up and use in various positions.

The MagnaCut had a great factory edge right out of the box with a great finishing. The stonewash finish protects the blade from getting tarnished easily.

The knife has a very discreet black pocket clip that allows you to carry it low in your pocket. The Speed Safe opening system and the tarnished bar keeps the blade locked and secured. When closed, the blade does not show any harsh edges protruding out of the knife. It fits perfectly between the liners and holds its position. It does not sway or opens up from its locked position unless done intentionally. That makes the knife secure. But once the blade is out of the handle, the torsion bar moves along the track and takes over. It flips the blade rest of the way to open smoothly and safely into position.

The Kershaw Blur features a 3.5” drop point blade with a hollow grind, plain edge and stonewash finish blade featuring the premium CPM MagnaCut blade. That makes it a larger EDC knife ideal for tactical use.

The MagnaCut is a Crucible Powder Metallurgy alloy steel that exhibits excellent corrosion and wear resistance with high levels of toughness. Even though it contains only 11% chromium, the key is to eliminate chromium carbides and maximize free chromium via an optimal chromium-carbon balance. It is a premium quality steel that also adds to the cost of the knife.

In addition to the high hollow grind, there is a slight recurve on the edge of the blade that is more pronounced with the rescue version. This slight recurve makes it easier to sharpen the blade. The swedge running atop keeps the tip of the drop point strong.

The 0.12” blade thickness is quite standard for an EDC. It has excellent edge retention and a formidable slicer. The slight recurve along with the hollow grind makes it perfect for cutting and slicing things like thick cardboard and opening packages. The tip provides an excellent balance between strength and piercing ability.

The stonewash finishing of the blade keeps it from rusting too soon. The plain edge makes it an excellent EDC and an all-purpose blade for use around home and office.

The blade also features jimping on the gently sloping thumb ramp, which makes it easier to make precise cuts. It provides just enough comfort and traction to slide up your thumb or index finger to use the tip of the blade.

What makes Kershaw Blur’s handle so unique is the black Trac-Tec inserts that introduces friction yet makes it smooth and comfortable in use. It looks like sandpaper and is actually rubberized material that provides plenty of traction without tearing up your palms.

The rest of the blue anodized scales are made up of 6061 aluminum and features a flow-through design that resembles a pillar construction. The fine finishing of the scales and a neat design without any harsh edges makes it durable. It also makes the knife relatively lightweight.

The design and textured balance of the Kershaw Blur provides excellent ergonomics. It offers a comfortable grip for small and large hands alike. The handle length of 4.5” makes it a formidable size for fine gripping. It also has a small lanyard hole to further extend the length of the handle if need be.

All the corners of the handle are finely rounded and feels natural in the hands and can get plenty of work done in one go. It is screwed together with three tiny screws on one edge and a large black anodized pivot screw keeping the knife together. It may require more than one hand to unscrew for maintenance.

The pocket clip is matt black finish anodized and wide enough for firm carry. It hangs pretty low in the pocket because of its size but not too low for comfort. It allows for tip-up and tip-down carry but is not ambidextrous. The pocket clip touches the handle that does not include the Trac-Tec texturing, which eliminates any hot spots when removing it from the pocket.

The Kershaw Blur features a Liner Lock as its locking mechanism and ambidextrous thumb studs as its deployment or opener. The thumb studs are strategically placed at an angle that dig into the thumb. The assisted opener makes it easier to use the thumb studs. Although some might find it too fiddly. But most of the folding knives are like fidgets, which makes opening and closing a natural process. The Speed Safe assisted opening is Ken Onion’s own invention that comes pre-installed in the Kershaw Blur. It is robust with a good action. You can also take the spring out if it is not your thing and turn it into a 100% manual knife. The small detent that does not the blade slip out of the handle if you take away the spring-assisted opening.

The liner lock is easy to use and works well on the Blur. It works even better on EDCs and tactical knives. The liner engages earlier on and the lockup is strong without blade movement. It is also very smooth and does not get stuck. The assisted opening and the liner lock are placed well together.

The Kershaw Blur has been an amazing field knife in every way. We used it to cut almost everything from paper to plastic and cardboard packaging and gardening, cutting ropes and trimming hedges. The most amazing thing about the blade of this knife is that it does not require frequent sharpening. So the absence of the choil does not matter very much. It has retained its edge retention even after two years of usage and continues to perform well.

The pocket clip is easy to use and does not create any hot spots in the pocket. It also does not take up too much space in the pocket and does not coincide with other stuff in your pocket. Therefore, it carries really well. It does show signs of wear and scratches after using it for two years, but its performance has not declined.

The spring-assisted deployment along with the thumb studs and liner lock continue to remain intact and smooth. It did not become rigid over time or lost its elasticity. It has worked excellently throughout the two years’ time.

The Trac-Tec infused scales also continue to provide excellent grip and a comfortable hold.

The Kershaw Blur was also able to help us remove the cover of a car’s inside door with ease. It was creating problems during a long road trip, and the Blur came to the rescue. Even after such a rough usage, its blade worked perfectly without the need for sharpening.

The knife is also very low maintenance and will continue to work well in the next coming years. So if you are looking for a good pocket knife and do not know what to get, the Kershaw Blur is a reliable choice that can perform nearly any cutting task.

The Kershaw Blur and Leek are both exceptional folding knives with their own unique features. Both the knives are designed by Ken Onion, so both have excellent ergonomics and blade profiles. The Leek also comes with a spring-assisted opening action with its Speed Safe Assisted Opening mechanism. Its pocket clip is also like Blur and is repositionable. They both have limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects and are made in the US.

The Leek comes in Sandvik 14C28N steel, while the Blue is also available in the same blade material. However, the blade os Leek is smaller than Blur’s at 3” with a closed length of only 4” and an overall length of 7”. It weighs 3 ounces as compared to Blur’s 3.90 ounces.

While the Leek is suitable for EDC tasks, the Blur is capable of performing a wider variety of cutting tasks and is more versatile.

While Kershaw knives signify simpler and practical deign, the Benchmade knives prioritize functionality and ergonomics. However, the Kershaw Blur gives a tough competition to Griptilian in terms of ergonomics with its Trac-Tec inserts.

The Benchmade Griptilian features Axis Lock System and comes in high quality stainless steels such as S30V, M390 and CPM S90V. The handle is made from G10, aluminum or carbon fiber. However, it costs more than the Blur, around $200.

When it comes to performance and durability, Griptilian is an excellent EDC slicer with exceptional edge retention. The Kershaw Blur is more versatile when it comes to cutting different items.

If you prioritize innovative design and high-priced folding knives, then the Benchmade Griptilian is a good place to start. However, if you prefer high-value, low-priced and durable knife, then the Blur is an excellent choice. It will stay with you for a long time.