Kershaw Al Mar

[JShirley]

Kershaw has done some recent collaborations with makers who usually have much higher priced knives, such as Emerson. I think these are great, because Kershaw can put out a product with name recognition, the original maker gets credit and a share of the profit- but especially, the consumer gets to try a knife they may have never been willing or able to purchase at a higher price point.

Kershaw has partnered now with Al Mar. I have long admired the clean lines of Mar knives, but they aren't cheap. This SERE Folder, for instance, is one of their "value" knives, and even with Chinese steel and a linerlock, it's $62. The "real deal" SERE with VG-10 steel currently runs $226. A few days ago, I got an email advertising a Kershaw/Al Mar, and ordered a green AM-4 off Amazon. It got here yesterday.
(1)

 

[JShirley]

The good: the Al Mar came in the typical Kershaw red box, not a less attractive clamshell.



This is a framelock, which I will take any day over a linerlock. The scale side is an attractive green.



The Al Mar logo is one the clip, and tasteful.



Opening is fluid and lockup is solid. The lock is well engaged.



The blade profile is sleek and I find it beautiful.



The knife came very sharp, on both tip and edge. It cut tape and cardboard easily.

++ ++ ++
The bad: if it's a concern, this knife is made in China.

I don't love the look of the framelock with one scale and bare metal on the other side.



The G10 on this knife is a good/bad proposition. It's smooth enough to not tear up pants, but also it's smoother than I would like for a really secure grip.

Knife steel: 8Cr13MoV is perfectly fine, in line with AUS-8: good using steel, but not VG-10.

Blade shape is another good/bad situation. It's compact for its 3.5" blade length, but the very sleek blade and handle shape are not optimal for some tasks, as there is no real belly.

In general, I'd say this knife offers excellent value. I don't find it as useful as my favored Spydercos, but I have no problem offering it as a good buy.

John

 

[bikerdoc]

John, What steel is the AM-4?

 

[JShirley]

8Cr13MoV

will lose its edge quicker than higher grade steels (S30V, VG-10, ZDP-189)

easy to sharpen

 

[bikerdoc]

Not a bad steel, I was expecting 440B

 

[hso]

Since Al Mar was bought last year the production will primarily be in China now. A buddy is the president (former head of Gatco/Timberline).

8Cr13MoV is a good inexpensive corrosion resistant steel...when properly heat treated.

 

[hso]

I don't love the look of the framelock with one scale and bare metal on the other side.

Yeah, that's a "thing" now to get framelocks and composites together.

 

[JShirley]

Forgot to add: this is a "flipper" with a thumb stud. I would always use the flipper tab with an assisted opener like this. This does make the knife less "tactical", because a grip change will be required before use.

 

[sparkyv]

Pretty nice knife, JShirley. How does it compare with the Leek? Size/weight/heft, etc?

 

[ugaarguy]

Not a bad steel, I was expecting 440B

I'm always perplexed by people who like 8Cr13MoV, but don't like 440B or 440A.

 

[hso]

I'm always perplexed by people who like 8Cr13MoV, but don't like 440B or 440A.

You know that's an oxymoron. There's nothing wrong with either in the right application.

 

[JShirley]

Pretty nice knife, JShirley. How does it compare with the Leek? Size/weight/heft, etc?

Leeks are very, very skinny/flat. These are also sleek, but the handle is more round than flat. The blade is .5" longer, but not as wide

 

[JohnKSa]

Knife steel: 8Cr13MoV is perfectly fine, in line with AUS-8...

Yup.
http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=8cr13mov,AUS8&hrn=1&gm=0
Composition is very similar to AUS8. A little less Nickel, a little more Manganese. Assuming QC/heat-treat is similar between the two, one would expect that performance should be pretty much identical given the nearly identical ingredients.

 

[EMT40SW]

I have the smaller version of the Al Mar & Kershaw knife. I like it for light duty or as a gentleman’s knife when in dress slacks. The thumb stud is useless, but overall it is a cool knife.

 

[lemaymiami]

I only have one Al Mar blade at present and I like it enough - although it's kept in back-up mode in my vehicle. That new blade from Kershaw will definitely get a close look from this corner the next time I'm in the market for a pocket folder... I'm not a collector in any sense of the word so each of my blades fills a particular need or it's not on board.