Kershaw Knives never ceases to amaze me each new year, with the number of new knife designs they come up with, most of which are designed in-house. Today we’re taking a look at Kershaw’s Vedder assisted-opening folder.
No One Knife Can Take Care of All Cutting Tasks
Many people, and I mean many people, just don’t seem to understand that there is no one knife that can be designed to take care of all the cutting tasks we expect a knife to do. It’s just impossible. Ditto is true with firearms. There is no one firearm or caliber that can do everything we expect of it. That’s why there are so many different knife (and gun) designs on the market. Plus, there are many knife collectors out there who, rightfully so, simply love the different knife designs and the artistic talent that goes into designing knives. They are, every last one of them, a work of art. I would love to own just one knife and one gun that could take care of all the tasks I would ask of it. However, no such products have been designed, nor do I expect they will be.
I Am Not a Collector
I am not a knife or gun collector, far from it. I’m an end user. Besides, I couldn’t afford to be a collector like my late mentor, Col. Rex Applegate, was. He had the funds to collect any guns and knives he desired. I was merely his right-hand man for close to three years. During that time, I constantly drooled over his collections.
Buy the Best I Can Afford
While I wish I had the funds to buy the very best of the best, when it comes to firearms and knives, I can’t do it. When purchasing something for myself or my family, what I do is make every attempt to buy the best I can afford. It might not be the very best of the best, but I strive to purchase the best I can, based on my meager income sources.
While I would love to have a custom 1911 from one of the great makers, like Bill Wilson (and I did own a couple of his guns), I simply can’t afford it these days. I simply can’t justify, no matter how hard I try, spending $3,500 for one of his 1911s (and they are worth it) when I can get a very good 1911 for $1,000 that will do all I ask of it. And, the same goes for knives.
I Only Test the Best
I am constantly getting knife samples to test and write about for SurvivalBlog and I only test the best of what I get sent. Many knives I simply won’t bother with, if they are junk. One can tell, in short order, if a knife (or gun) is junk. My time on this planet is getting shorter and shorter, and I don’t want to waste a minute of it testing junk. I spent two hours a few nights ago watching a movie that I thought showed promise in the trailers; however, when the movie was over, I just turned to my wife and asked, “Is that it?” The movie never got off the ground. Two hours of my life, I felt, were wasted. Ugh!
How Many Times Per Day We Pull Pocket Knife Out
I believe that most of us who carry a pocket knife on a regular basis don’t really understand how many times per day we pull that pocket knife out and use it each day, that is until you’ve lost that knife or left it at home. This happens. You would not believe the number of folding knives I’ve lost over the years. Let’s just say it has been more than a couple handfuls. Some get found, but most don’t. It comes with testing and using knives. When I have so many other things on my mind, knives just get forgotten or lost. But you really don’t know how much you use a knife daily, until you don’t have one with you.
Pride in Ownership
Many of my cutting chores, not tests, are rather ho-hum, if you ask me. A decent knife in-hand sure makes the job easier. I used to design and collect upper-end, custom knives, and I had quite a collection at one time. There is pride in ownership when you draw a $400 custom or near-custom pocket knife out and do some cutting. And I’m around enough folks who are into guns and knives that the “wow” factor is there. They ask, “Can I see that knife?” all the time. I’m happy to show them and point out the finer points of the design and materials. On the other hand, when I pull out a factory-made folder, I don’t always feel that pride in ownership. But still, those around me, are always asking if they can see (touch and handle) that knife.
Near-Custom Quality Knives At Prices We Can Afford
Many of the big name knife companies today are producing near-custom quality knives, and they’re doing so at prices we can afford. If that knife gets lost, it isn’t that big of a deal to replace it. Now before the hate mail and comments come pouring in, if you don’t like knives made overseas, it’s real simple, don’t purchase them. I love a good deal on whatever it is I purchase, and if I can get a really good knife at a down-to-earth price, made in China, Taiwan, or Japan, I’ll do so without hesitation.
Kershaw Knives, Kai Corporation
Enter the new Vedder folding knife from Kershaw Knives https://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/. For those of you who don’t know it, Kershaw is owned by the Kai Corporation, a Japanese company. As I’ve mentioned before, if you want to compete in this global market, you simply have to have some of your products produced overseas. Next time you are in Walmart, take a look at where many of the products are made. Many are made in China, so don’t scream that you don’t buy products from China. You do, if you shop at Walmart. And, it is a challenge to find products in Walmart that are made in the USA.
The New Vedder Assisted-Opening Folder
The new Vedder is an assisted-opening folder. I believe Kershaw really pioneered the first major use of assisted-opening folding knives. They are not automatic opening knives. You have to manually start the blade to open with your thumb. When the blade is 15%-20% out of the handle, the assisted-opening takes over and opens the blade. Kershaw calls their assisted-opening “Speedsafe”, while other companies use a different term and/or different techniques for opening their blades.
The Vedder has a frame lock, which is one of the most popular methods for keeping the blade locked in the open position. I like the flipper on the Vedder. It makes assisted-opening that much easier. Simply push on the flipper and the blade opens. I also like the reversible deep pocket carry clip.
Stainless Steel Blade and Handle
Popular 8Cr13Mov stainless steel is used on the Vedder, and it is titanium carbo-nitride coated for even more protection against the elements and for a stealth tactical look, too. The handle is actually the same stainless steel; however it has 3D machined G-10 overlays. It’s very cool looking. The blade is 3.25 inches long, with an overall open length of 7.5 inches long. This is about perfect for many chores. The knife weighs in at 4.6 oz.
Test
I carried the Vedder in my left front pocket for two weeks and used it for all manner of cutting chores on my very small homestead. Regular readers are probably tired of hearing how I test all knife blades against blackberry vines, but it is one tough natural material, and many knives have blades that slip off these vines instead of cutting through them with one swipe. The Vedder didn’t let me down. I also tested it on some 1-inch poly rope.
While it didn’t slice right through it with one swipe, it only took a little more effort to completely cut through this slick rope. It’s a great media to test any knife blade against. Also, the knife was used around the kitchen as well, and it never let me down. I didn’t need to touch-up the razor-sharp blade, either. However, I know this steel is easy to re-sharpen without a lot of effort.
Deep Pocket Carry
The deep pocket carry pocket clip really lets the Vedder ride low in your pocket so that it’s almost invisible, except for the pocket clip. That’s nice, really nice.
Saved the Best for Last
I saved the best for last, and that is the retail price. It is only $59.99. However, if you shop around, many of the big box stores have it for a considerable discount. It pays to take a little time shopping around.
While the Vedder isn’t a $400 custom-made pocket knife, it will sure be up to all the everyday cutting chores you might have for it . Furthermore, for the full retail price, it is a great deal, if you ask me. Check one out.
No such thing as “enough knives”.
Like, “enough guns”, “enough ammunition”, “enough rope”, etc. No such thing.
Have you ever considered documenting your knife tests, like how many cuts through manila rope before dulling, as compared to other test knives or some similar tests rather than it cuts blackberry vines but no mention of how many times, etc. Maybe compare your Chinese knives to US made or Japanese made or German made knives. I would think this might give us a better idea of how good these Chinese knives are. keep up the good work.
In my opinion, COLD STEEL makes the best knives now, period.
Oddly, the only folding knife I’ve owned that I didn’t like is the commemorative knife designed by James Wesley Rawles. And the main reason I didn’t like that was it’s chisel grind blade. I can understand why some people might like the strength of the grind, it’s ground for left-handers because it’s ground on the left side. To get it to bite into wood and other materials, one has to hold the knife in one’s left hand and push cut away from one’s body. If one holds it in the right hand, the bite is gone and the ground part slips along the cutting material.
The reason the knife is ground on the right side is because that’s the side of the knife we look at when we open the knife and look at it. And it’s the one that gets photographed by the reviewers when they’re tested! Winchester figured all this out years ago when they put out an inexpensive knife that was chisel ground. They ground it on the right side and put their name on the right side of the blade–and it’s the best chisel grind knife I’ve ever had. Still not crazy about chisel grind knives as cutters, but if I’m going to own one, it’s gotta be for right-handed people!
Blade material is another issue. I’ve got a COLD STEEL Recon One Tanto and I love it. Got it on sale and it’s one of the finest knives I’ve ever owned. The CTS-XHP steel is sharp but don’t yet know how tough it is if it’s whacked on!