The Blur is the knife most people mean when they say “a Kershaw.” 3.4 inches of 14C28N, SpeedSafe assisted opening off a thumb stud, and an anodized aluminum handle with Trac-Tec inserts — a grippy rubberized strip set into the scales that is the reason this knife stays put in a wet or gloved hand. Made in Oregon.

This is the black Cerakote blade with a partially serrated edge — the serrations are at the heel, where they do the work on rope, webbing and anything fibrous that a plain edge skates off.

Specifications

• Blade steel 14C28N
• Hardness 58–60 HRC
• Blade length 3.4 in (8.6 cm)
• Closed length 4.5 in (11.4 cm)
• Overall length 7.9 in (20 cm)
• Blade thickness 0.121 in (3 mm)
• Weight 3.9 oz (110.5 g)
• Blade finish black Cerakote (older production used black DLC)
• Edge partially serrated
• Lock inset liner lock
• Handle 6061-T6 aluminum, anodized, Trac-Tec inserts
• Pocket clip reversible, right side, tip-up or tip-down

How it opens: SpeedSafe assisted

SpeedSafe is Kershaw’s assisted-opening mechanism. You start the blade moving with the flipper or the thumb stud, a torsion bar takes over partway through, and the blade completes its travel and locks. It is not an automatic knife — nothing happens until you push, and the bar resists until you do. But it opens faster and more surely with one hand than a plain folder, which is the whole point when the other hand is holding a strap, a rope or a steering wheel.

About the steel

14C28N is a Sandvik stainless developed with knifemakers: it takes a fine edge, holds it well for a stainless, and resists rust better than most steels in its class. The best all-round choice in Kershaw’s mid-range.

Origin. Kershaw’s own wording for this model is “made in the USA with American and global materials.” We quote the sentence rather than shortening it to “USA,” because the sentence is what they actually say.

Before you order — please read

Knife law in the United States is set at the state, county and city level, and the rules on blade length, on carry, and on assisted-opening mechanisms specifically are not the same in any two places. Kershaw does not publish a jurisdiction list and neither will we — we would get it wrong, and a wrong answer here is worse than none.

What we do instead is tell you exactly what this knife is: the mechanism and the blade length are stated plainly in the specifications above, which is what the law actually turns on. Checking that it is legal where you live, and legal to carry how you intend to carry it, is yours to do before you order. Your local district attorney’s office is who Cold Steel and Kershaw both point people to, and it is the right answer.