A contoured, machined all-steel handle with a BlackWash blade — Kershaw’s point about the finish is that it adds protection and hides the scratches a used knife picks up. SpeedSafe assist off either a flipper or a thumb stud.

Specifications

• Blade steel 4Cr14
• Blade length 3.39 in (8.6 cm)
• Closed length 4.49 in
• Overall length 7.87 in
• Blade thickness 2.8 mm
• Weight — not published
• Blade finish BlackWash
• Edge plain
• Lock liner lock (retailer; Kershaw does not publish it)
• Handle machined stainless steel, contoured
• Pocket clip right side, 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.

Why there is no weight above. The one retailer publishing a figure lists 192 g, which is 6.8 ounces — heavier than the Barricade and implausible for a knife this size. It is almost certainly a packed shipping weight. We would rather leave the field blank than print a number we think is wrong.

⚠️ That same retailer marks this model as no longer available. Kershaw’s page is live. Ask us to confirm stock before ordering.

About the steel

4Cr14 is a budget stainless. It sharpens very easily and resists rust; edge retention is modest. Appropriate for a knife at this price and honest to say so.

Where these numbers come from

Kershaw publishes no dimensions for this model. The figures above are from knivesandtools, a retailer — not the manufacturer. Treat them as indicative.

Kershaw does not publish the lock, the clip or the weight for this model, so we have left it blank rather than fill it in.

Origin. Kershaw does not publish a country of origin for this model. Retailers list it as China; that is not the manufacturer speaking, so we are recording it as unconfirmed rather than printing it as a spec.

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.