KershawBrawler Pocketknife, 3" 8Cr13MoV Steel Modified Tanto Blade, Assisted Folder Opening with Flipper, Liner Lock System, Tactical EDC

For a short summary skip to the bottom. If you want a fair assessment of the sharpness/quality of the knife reading the whole things would be better.For the price I can't knock it. It's smooth when it opens and closes, has a good albeit small clip that isn't too tight, and comes decently sharp. That being said there are some issues. For example, opening with the 'flipper' nub is smooth and has a satisfying click, but using the thumb tacks isn't quite as easy or smooth and doesn't open with the same click. So it seems like the hinge isn't reinforced very well. While the handle does have a good grip I'm not a huge fan of the 'edgy' pattern, but I can't take away points for that because I knew what it looked like when I bought it. It's not too heavy but doesn't feel cheap either. In short, for a little over twenty bucks this is a good knife. I got it to tear down boxes and do other basic work like that, and it does it's job nicely. I can't speak to the longevity of this blade or how well it holds its edge, but really when can you expect at this price point?My main motivation for writing this post was to clear up how sharp the blade is. Some say it's sharp as hell, others say it's incredibly dull, but really the truth is it's neither. Enthusiasts will knock the blade for being dull because they know how to properly sharpen a knife and buy more expensive knives. For those who buy this as their first knife they will say it's sharp as can be because it does cut well. But I want to put this in perspective. This can easily cut through cardboard, thin rope like para cord, and other 'typical' things like that with a little bit of force, but nothing too excessive.But I want to compare this blade to the spyderco tenacious to make a point. These blades are made out of the same steel, but the tenacious was double the price. This blade, from amazon without any sharpening, can shave arm hair (with a bit of force, but nothing too crazy) and easily slice through paper when doing the 'paper test'. It cuts through the same materials listed above with noticeably more ease. But again, it was double the price for the same steel. You can either sharpen this blade yourself, or take it to someone who sharpens blades on the cheap and these knives would be mostly equal in terms of the edge. But would you really spend 5-10 bucks to have someone sharpen a $20ish blade?In short: For the price it's great. Can't complain. It's sharp enough so that it isn't a problem, and the build quality exceeds what I would expect with a knife of this price. But if you have cash to burn and want something that comes really sharp from the factory then look at more expensive knives, and maybe other brands. Just remember, you get what you pay for. I fully expect this knife to have a short life because of it's price, especially if I use it while camping. But if it does break, hey, it was only $20ish bucks.

This is a very good knife, very sharp, lightweight and fast to open

Well made knife at a great price. I normally do not carry a knife since I started work in an office environment, but lately I have found the desire to carry again. I would prefer a smaller knife, but this knife is very fun and works very well.Kershaw is made by the same company that makes the famous (western world famous) Shun knives. They have a reputation for being a quality knife and I have had the pleasure of owning several over the years. This knife is no exception to the standard quality that kershaw makes for a daily carry knife.I would not class this knife as excellent quality, but it is without doubt a sturdy and well built piece that will provide years of use without issue. The blade is good and will serve all my purposes and is very sharp as new. I have not had the chance to use it enough to dull it up, and also have not had to sharpen it.The blade lock is linear and works as expected. The grip is good, but I personally prefer a different grip for a pocket knife. I feel like the grip is smaller than my hand and I wear a large sized glove.The singe finger blade deploy is great and works very well, getting easier with use (not easier because the blade is getting loose). It can be operated with the index finger or the thumb, depending on how you feel comfortable.The handles are rugged and feel like very hard plastic, but not cheap in any way. I have rubbed, scratched, and scraped on them with no marks afterwards.The pocket clip is small, very small, making it all but worthless for me. I will most likely opt to remove the clip completely, although you could also change it to either side for left and right handed people alike.

I got this because I recently "misplaced" another kershaw that I had been using daily as an EDC. The brawler is a great little knife, and it's not even that little when compared to other knives. I have a Kershaw Cryo as well as a Clash, and the Brawler fits comfortably between the two, and I would almost go as far to say I like it better than both of those two knives, even though the clash has a much larger blade (in terms of belly size. it's slightly longer and a pinch wider).The brawler's stippled handles are comfortable, and the sharp angled shape of the knife actually fits quite nicely in your hand. There are nice layers of "chimping" (not sure on the actual technical term) where the back of the blade meets the handle, as well as at the back end of the handle, if you were carrying the knife in a defensive manner.I've always found the black coating on the kershaw blades makes them last longer and protects them much better from rusting over time than the standard silver/unfinished blades. That being said this knife has taken a beating. I use it as a "EDC" knife, but ideally it's my go to cutting tool for boxes, shrink wrapping, cardboard, paper, packaging, tape, label removal, etc. The slight angle at the end of the blade is PERFECT for when you have to cut open a long box or shrink wrapped pallet because it applies more pressure to the material to be cut than the Cryo or Clash which have more pronounced points at the end of the blade.The Brawler size-wise is pretty much on par with the clash, however the clash is a slightly bulkier knife even when closed. The Cryo is definitely the thinnest of the three, but the brawler's plastic handles are far more comfortable over extended periods of use.Only real downside is the thumb studs (on the blade) are almost useless as a lefty, and I wish the thumb stud to actually release the blade from the closed position is a little smaller than I'd like. Locks in place really nicely and there is no wiggle in the blade at all, not that I would suggest prying with it.If you're looking for a nice everyday medium duty knife that you can beat the heck out of, for under $30 you can't really go wrong with the Brawler. If you've got meaty hands you may prefer the bulkier Clash, but I find the Brawler is nearly perfect for my uses.