Kershaw knives never ceases to amaze me with the seemingly unlimited folding knife designs they come out with. Today we’re checking out the new Concierge folder, and it’s a slick one for every day carry.
Folding Knives
I’ve been carrying folding knives since I was about five or six years old. When I was growing up in Chicago, just about every kid carried a folder of some kind. We didn’t get into knife fights, either. It was just a tool as far as we were concerned. We also played a game called mumbly peg. I’m not sure what the point was, other than to see if your knife would stick in the dirt or something like that. We also would sit on the front stoop and whittle on an old piece of wood. My grandfather taught me that to pass the time of day. It was fun, period! Today’s kids are too busy with video games to take time to whittle on an old piece of wood just to enjoy passing the time of day. It’s too bad!
School
Today, if you are a kid in school, there is probably a prohibition against carrying a pocket knife. Many school districts will expel you for a year for carrying a weapon. Sheesh, folks, get over it. A knife is a tool, first and foremost. Furthermore, in rural communities, many kids, especially those high school aged, live on farms and ranches and have morning chores they need to do before heading off to school. Quite often a chore will call for the use of a pocket knife. These kids have to do a delicate balancing act of remembering to leave their knife at home before heading to school or chance getting expelled for having the knife in their pocket. It shouldn’t be this way!
Device That Locks Blade Open
When I was growing up, we didn’t have the selection of locking folding knives we see today. As a matter of fact, most folding knives didn’t lock the blade open at all, always leaving to chance that the blade could (and it did) quite often close on your fingers. It was called a “slip lock”, but it really didn’t lock the blade open at all. Many folding knives today, have some type of device that locks the blade open, once it is fully extended. That’s a great invention if you ask me.
Kershaw Concierge Folder
Enter the Kershaw Concierge folder. This is one folder that has a racy design to it as well as being practical for every day carry and use.
Specs Overview
First up in the overview of the Kershaw Concierge is the KVT ball bearing opening. You press down on the flipper and the blade comes out of the handle extremely smoothly, butter smooth. The Concierge also has a liner lock that helps keep the blade locked open under use. This is a very popular lock on many folding knives. There is a lanyard hole in the butt of the knife, and the blade’s steel is 8Cr13MoV, which is a stainless steel that takes a decent edge and holds it for a long time. The handle scales are G10– super tough stuff. The blade is 3.25 inches in length. Then, lastly, we have a single position recessed pocket clip for right front pants pocket tip-up carry. The blade shape itself is a bit different, and I like it. Kershaw calls it a modified drop-point design. It’s really great for close-up cutting chores.
Recessed Pocket Clip Sets This Folder Off From Many Others
Custom knife maker Dmitry Sinkevich designed the Concierge, and what sets this folder off from many others is the recessed pocket clip. It is actually recessed into the G10 handle scales. That’s kinda neat. However, with the thick lip on the corner of my cargo pants, designed specifically for a pocket clip for a folding knife, I found that the Concierge simply would not clip into this area on the cargo pocket. This added thickness is there to help reinforce the pocket. With constant use of a folder that has a pocket clip, this area of the pocket lip wears out fast. I ended up clipping the Concierge closer to the mid-line of the pocket, which is not the best position, but it worked.
Gent’s Folder
The Concierge’s blade, liners, and hardware are all titanium carbo-nitride coated for a classy look, too. I hate to say it, but this is a Gent’s folder. I still carried it, even though no one has “accused” me of being a gentleman lately. LOL! The knife is just classy looking, but it can handle every day chores with ease.
Test Procedure
I carried the Concierge for only a week, as I had a good number of other folding knives I needed to test and carry. However, during that time, I put this neat, mid-sized folder to work around the homestead. It was used for opening UPS and FedEx packages, as well as cutting up cardboard boxes, and even cutting an old rubber garden hose. With the 3.25-inch blade, it had a little difficulty cleanly slicing through some extremely thick blackberry vines with one swipe. I honestly didn’t think it would cut through these thick vines with only one swipe. The blade needed to be a bit longer to really tear into these tough vines. However, on the smaller blackberry vines, it cleanly severed them with one well aimed swipe with the Concierge.
The Concierge was also used around the kitchen, and even though the short blade was not designed for kitchen use, it sure did a great job slicing and dicing veggies and fruit. At the kitchen table, it worked well for cutting meat, too.
The Local Gun Shop
As I do with most of my knife samples, I showed it around to the guys at the local gun shop, who are always only too happy to give me their thoughts on new knife designs. One is highly critical of many knives, and I have suggested that he design knives himself. He’d find out in short order that designing folding knives or fixed blade knives is no easy task. I know; I still design some knives myself. It’s harder than you think it is. All-in-all, everyone really liked the slim look and feel of the Concierge, commenting that they wouldn’t mind owning it themselves for every day carry.
Seems like, I’m never at a loss for a new knife to test for articles. I’m actually backed-up on doing knife testing and articles. I honestly wouldn’t mind owning a Concierge or adding it to my meager knife collection. It just has that “something” that sets it apart from most other folders. Maybe it’s the recessed pocket clip or the blade’s design, or maybe it’s the classy overall look of the knife. Whatever it is, it’s a winner in my book.
Full retail on the Concierge is $62.99, and that’s more than a fair price on this classy folder. However, if you shop the ‘net, or the big box stores, you can often find Kershaw knives deeply discounted. So, if you’re in the market for a new pocket folder that’s slick looking, check this one out.
Might be great for righty; not so much for lefties. I am constantly disappointed that knife makers don’t drill and tap the other die of the knife – an operation that, to this uneducated commenter, would not seem to involve that much extra cost.
Emerson knives are usually tapped both sides. They can be pretty pricey though.
JSW,
AMEN!
8Cr13MoV Steel
8Cr13MoV steel is a popular budget brand of knife steel, which is made in China. In its composition this steel is close to the Japanese steel of AUS-8 grade. 8Cr13MoV steel at its low cost demonstrates very worthy characteristics of cutting. At suitable heat treatment of steel the products made of 8Cr13MoV steel retain for a long time the sharpness of the cutting edge and have a very good corrosion resistance. The range of steel hardness is 56-59HRC.
HRC is Rockwell Hardness on the “C” scale.
Knives made of 8Cr13MoV steel keep sharpening well and at the same time they are easy to sharpen, and have highly aggressive cuts on soft materials. Many popular manufacturers often use this steel in their products.
8Cr13MoV steel features
Steel is well balanced with regard to strength, cutting and anti-corrosion properties. Many features made the 8Cr13MoV steel suitable for production of non-expensive tourist and urban knives with good average performance. So You can be sure that when You buy a Skif knife made of this steel grade, You get a reliable product at a low price.
8Cr13MoV steel characteristics:
Chemical element
% (depending on the manufacturer)
carbon 0,8
chrome 13
manganese –
vanadium 0.2
molybdenum 0.2
nickel –
silicon 1
sir 0.03
phosphorus 0.03
selenium –
From http://skif-knives.com/en/publications/8cr13mov-en
Getting expelled from school might be a blessing. Better yet, don’t go in the first place. Too many schools are prisons that keep kids from learning.
When I grew up in Austin, Texas, now a bastion of liberalism, many boys carried a knife. Not to mention the guys that had a long gun riding in the rear truck window. And no one thought to shoot up my school. Less crazy back then, I guess.
Unless we were trying to whittle an object, it was a contest to see who could get the longest piece sheared off a chunk of wood; the long pieces made excellent fire starter.
I’m pretty sure the parents thought up this ‘contest.’ And yes, we all had knives and were taught that they were a tool; abuse or misuse meant loosing the tool and we were than reduced in stature, back to being a little kid. Parents again.
Years ago, I put my entire family….wife and four girls (all school-age at the time) through a two day blade-fighting school with Felix Valencia, a vetted teacher of escrima. Felix, all of 5 feet, 2 inches tall, is a walking blender. He preferred Cold Steel Voyagers, but your preference may vary. Because my kids were in school, I purchased for them, an H&K locking folder with razor-sharp serrated blades with a spear point…about 2 1/2″ long. These were very flat and could readily open with the flick of the wrist- important because the other hand may be occupied with an emergency.
These little knives were undetectable but in the hand of a frightened little girl who knew what to do with it would make an attempted kidnapping very unpleasant.
The serrated edge easily slashes through tough seams on jeans like butter, where a smooth edge probably will not. Same with winter clothing. Thin serrated edge blades are simply devastating.
For JSW, the Cold Steel Voyagers (I like the 5 1/2″ clip-point, serrated-edge model) some drilled and tapped on both sides, but you will likely have to order the left-side pocket clip. It’s a very serious blade and it’s flat, light profile makes it easy to carry all the time. Felix brought in two sides of beef and demonstrated this blade’s ferocious cutting power by bringing it down through the ribs in a slashing motion….we could hear the clicking sound of the blade crashing through the ribs in succession. Then, all students practiced on the ribs. Carry two…..one for cutting copper pipe, chores, and one for serious purposes.
Voyagers come in many blade lengths to fit your lifestyle.
If you paid more than $30-35 for a Kershaw folder you paid too much.