Kershaw: Thumbs Up & Black Gulch Review!

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I can't recall when, but some years ago I picked up a Kershaw Ken Onion series locking folder. It was a good little knife, one they don't even make anymore.  If memory serves me, street value on it was right around 20 bucks, and for the price, I was pretty content with it.


As time went on, I lost a few grip screws and spacers, and the knife got to a fairly unusable state. About a month ago, I decided to send it into Kershaw's Warranty Repair Center to see what they could do with it. They have a simple form to fill out that you must include with the knife, and you do have to pay postage to them. For 2 bucks, I was willing to take the plunge.

Two weeks later, I received a letter from Kershaw saying they regrettably could not repair my folder, but gave me 40 bucks in store credit to be redeemed from their website in lieu of the knife- which was equivilent to its MSRP.


I selected the black gulch from the Kershaw catalog, which actually has an MSRP of 45 dollars. I called to redeem my credit and pay the balance, and Kershaw just gave me the Gulch straight up for my credit- which I thought was a pretty nice gesture.

For the rest of the world who would never order factory direct, this knife costs a shade under 20 bucks on amazon.

The BG feels solid, and for a 20 dollar knife I'm pleased with it. My previous Kershaw served me as well as any pocket folder tasked with light to medium duty cutting tasks, and I find I have nothing exceptionally positive or negative to say about it- the little knife was just a tough but unspectacular cutting tool.  The BG also will fit in that category. It came with a  good factory edge, and had a surprisingly good lock-up for a knife in this price range. I was extremely pleased with how Kershaw treated me, and I would buy more knives from them in the future.



So often things are treated as consumables now-a-days, it is easy to take a 10 or 20 dollar pocket knife and give it similar treatment- however Kershaw stood by their product, and even though they couldn't fix the knife I had sent them, they went the distance to make it right and let me select a knife of equal value gratis. 



For those considering the BG, the knife is surprisingly heavy- in part due to the cast frame. As was previously mentioned, the knife ships from the factory with a well done edge and solid lock work.

The knife also includes a functional, but mildly sloppy belt holster that seems fairly well constructed, even if it is slightly over-sized.

For 20 bucks, I'd give this knife a buy- but not for any more than that. For Kershaw as a company and their customer service- I'd give them two big thumbs up.

I'm not sure if this knife is available cheaper anywhere than the listed amazon price ($19.35 at the time of this writing, and that included shipping if you are a prime member). However I consider that to be a pretty fair price for a standard, non-tactical folder that will actually see some use.