The Kershaw Chive Knives were designed by custom knife maker and innovator Ken Onion. The Kershaw Chive has the patented Ken Onion Speed-Safe assisted opening mechanism. Speed-Safe is a torsion bar system that assists the blade to an open position, when activated by a push on the thumb stud, or the Index-Open blade extension.
Source: kershaw-knives.net
YouTube review of the Kershaw Chive
The Kershaw Chive lets you unfold the blade quickly and safely while still allowing one hand to remain free to grasp and manipulate objects. The Speed-Safe assisted one-hand opening system swings the blade out smoothly from the handle when the liner is unlocked using the thumb stud or index-open assembly. Simply apply pressure with your thumb or on the back of the handle with your index finger, and the blade deploys. The innovative tip safety lock secures the knife to prevent any accidental opening. An internal frame lock operates with one hand for convenient closing as well. It has 420HC stainless steel blades, while the 410 stainless steel handle and liner withstands years of use in the harshest elements without corrosion or rust. Both the handle and blade have a bead-blasted non-glare finish. Removable, reversible belt clip for tip-up or tip-down carry. Plain edge only. And if you’re looking for a knife with a little more flair, the rainbow version features a durable, scratch-resistant titanium-oxide coating that gives a prismatic effect with a blend of rainbow colors for a stylish touch. Rainbow model won the coveted Blade 2002 Overall Knife of the Year award. 440A stainless steel blade with 55-57 Rockwell hardness rating.
Source: cabelas.com
The Kershaw Chive series features the SpeedSafe ambidextrous opening system for smooth, easy opening by both right and left-handed users. Closed, the Kershaw Chive is less than three inches long—perfect for pocket carry. The blade is made of high-carbon 420HC stainless steel for good edge retention, easy resharpening, and excellent toughness. Some also feature high-tech coatings for enhanced performance and aesthetic appeal. The Kershaw Chive series also offers a variety of handle materials and finishes—Tungsten DLC, Titanium Oxide rainbow, and our “smoked” anodized aluminum finish in three handsome colors. Our newest handle is anodized aluminum in fashionable pink. All Kershaw Chive knives also feature the Safety Tip Lock to ensure the blade stays securely inside the handle until the user releases it, and a removable pocket clip for easy carrying. The Kershaw Chive may be the smallest member of the “Onion” family, but it’s got all the advanced features knife users demand.
Source: kershawknives.com
Kershaw Chive Review
Hey knife lovers! Now, I know a lot of you on this board collect knives, and would spend $100, $200, $300 on a good custom blade. Some of you will go even higher then that. I like knife tactics better then I do the blades themselves, so I only know what is nessicary about the blades to get by. So I won’t be discussing the type steel or craftsmenship, and I won’t be discussing your knives that cost over $100. I’ll let the real collectors give the more in depth reviews on the higher priced commodities.
I am going to give reviews on functioning blades that are relatively inexpensive. Blades that are of a decent quality, but that any martial artist could get their hands on w/o having to worry about breaking their budget.
Anyways, I was at a Wall-Mart on the West side of the state (Michigan) over the weekend. The Fiancee’ and my future mother in law was looking at fabrics that were on sale. This means that I had a good hour to kill. Considering that looking at fabrics for an hour was just way more fun then I could handle, () I decided to look around the store. So, being as male as I am, I migrated to the camping/hunting/firearms section of the store.
While looking at some reasonably priced rifles and shot guns, I decided to see what they had in stock for blades. They actually had a better then flea market grade stock of tacticle folders.
I then noticed the Kershaw label. I didn’t know that Wall-mart carried Kershaw! It is not my favorite label, but they make some pretty decent knives sometimes. So, I decided to look at the “Chive.”
I would like to call this one the ultimate “executive” folder. For a guy who wears a suit all day, like me, this is a great carrier. The blade is only about an inch and a half in length, with only a 2 1/2 to 3 inch handle. It is small and light, and easy to carry with a suit.
As you can see in the picture, the blade shape is a bit unique, with a slight “wave.” This design makes it ideal for thrusting or slicing. Now for those of you who study knife tactics, you know that the capabilities of a small knife should not be underestimated, and in many cases the smaller blade is more of a worry then a larger one.
I’ll cover a little about “grip” on this smaller knife here, because not everyone will know the proper way to handle a small blade, being used to larger “trainers.” The grip on this blade is most useful with the blade up with sharp edge facing away from your body, with the index finger behind the blade, with the handle secured firmly between the middle finger and thumb. You can also grip this blade with the thumb behind the blade, or thumb on the handle behind the “ramp” of the blade. The handle is too small to execute an “ice pick” or reverse grip with blade facing towards, or away from body, and I don’t find the shape of the handle condusive to having the blade up with sharp edge facing towards the body either (unless your “clipping”). These other grips can be modified to make work, but could be dangerous to the holder. The blade is most comfortably held with blade up and outward facing, with fingers supporting to prevent slipping. You can do a blade up grip, with the edge facing off to the side (to the right or left) w/o putting yourself into danger, but because the blade is so small this isn’t advantagious from a tacticle standpoint. If you know how to “clip” (where the blade is upward with edge facing your body, and thumb is out and used to grab a wrist, or body part, while the blade cuts while the thumb grabs) this little blade is good for that also.
What I liked the most about this tool, however, is that it is designed to be able to open quickly. All you have to do is press on the back ramp “button” or ramp on the back of the handle, and it opens automatically. There is no “flipping” needed or gravity needed. The mechanism technically is not spring loaded, so it should be perfectly legal in your state. If drawn appropriatly and with little practice, this knife should open just as fast as any switch, gravity, or automatic opener out there; if not faster. This mechanism is why I prefer the “finger behind Blade” grip; I can open the blade quickly just by pressing with my index finger, and I am ready for action with little grip adjustments needed.
My only critique on this tool is that the belt or pocket clip is “nose up”, when it needs to be “nose down.” A “nose down” so it can draw more quickly. An easy adjustment can be made however. As soon as I get to the hardware store, I can turn the clip around; it has screw holes on the other side of the handle so I can do just that.
Total cost for this knife at wall-mart: 29 buck plus tax!
So, I would say that for someone who wants to carry a vary small blade everyday, the Kershaw Ken Onion Chive is the best bang for your buck, and the best tacticle baby knife you can buy. So, see if your nearest Wall-mart carries this blade. You will see for yourself why I would consider this the ultimate “executive” carrier.
Source: Cruentus at martial-talk.com