Kershaw Thermite 3880BW, blackwash

Saturday, 7 January 2017

Sunday, 22 May 2016

Having bought a couple of Kershaw knives before I expected to receive a reasonably well-made product: The Thermite more than met my expectations. The fit and finish of the knife are very good, the lock engagement is solid, the blade is reasonably sharp when delivered (a few minutes work can produce a razor edge) and edge retention is good. Blade shape makes it easy to sharpen, with no fussy re-curves or serrations. The handle fits well in a large hand. Handle material is reassuringly grippy. Flipper action is smooth. Blackwash finish is nicely subdued. Only negatives so far are a weight bias towards the handle (prefer balance at the pivot or slightly blade-heavy) and the thumb-studs are superfluous. Overall, this is a lot of knife at a budget price. You could easily spend two or three times more and not find a better assisted opener.