Kershaw

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends Kershaw

11 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 30, 2025

  A few brands I'll probably stick with for life

  Toyota, Glock, and Kershaw is my type of BIFL, the Holy Trinity.

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• #2Dec 30, 2025

  A few brands I'll probably stick with for life

  For me, it’s been Origin USA for my clothes & boots. Glock for pistols, kershaw (only the USA made ones) for pocket knife’s, wusthof for kitchen knife’s, Toyota for cars/trucks, saddleback leather for wallet/belt/briefcase/totes. Side note, Saddleback just started making boots but they are more than double the price of my tried & true OriginUSA boots. I still love my iron rangers from red wing as well so they’re a great buy.

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• #3Dec 4, 2025

  What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?

  Holy hell that's an expensive knife! I consider pocket knives to be durable/expendable, so I won't spend too much on one, but I won't carry trash either. My Goldilocks is the Kershaw Cryo. $40 for a simple drop point that's good enough steel to hold an edge as long as I need to use it and easy enough to sharpen with regular maintenance, but cheap enough it's nothing if it gets lost or damaged. I've gone through two in over a decade, and now I have three on hand to always have one.

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• #4Sep 5, 2025

  What's a purchase under $50 that has genuinely improved your daily routine?

  decent but no-frills pocket knife. I've gotten ones I like from Kershaw, Civivi, and CJRB, but I'm sure there are even more. You can easily spend more than $50 on your perfect pocket knife, but it won't be _that much_ better unless you have very specific needs... and it'll suck way more when you inevitably lose it.

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• #5Jun 7, 2025

  What's a high quality BIFL that you carry with you every day and can't leave home without it.

  My space pen and my kershaw Belvedere. I’ve grown quite smitten with the magnacut steel.

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• #6Jun 7, 2025

  What's a high quality BIFL that you carry with you every day and can't leave home without it.

  You're paying for their name and warranty. IMO they're overpriced for the materials they use (plastic scales and less premium steels.) You're still getting a great product but you can get the same or better for less money. Another user mentioned the Hogue Deka which is IMO the best dollar for dollar knife out there if you can catch it on one of the bigger sales where they go for less than $100. Or you can buy a Kershaw Belair right now at MAP (minimum advertised price) with better materials and cheaper than a Benchmade.

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• #7May 10, 2025

  How are the mighty fallen

  Yeah there are tons of great knife brands if you want a BIFL pocket knife. If you have the budget, I will always and forever recommend a Chris Reeve Sebenza, they are truly excellent knives and will last your entire life. CRK has a program to refresh your knives for a nominal fee including lock bar and blade replacements, replacement thumbstuds, re-finishing, whatever you need. Sebenzas are around $550ish. I especially recommend the ones with inlays, as they feel even more premium than the standard titanium frames. If you want something that's really fancy, Rockstead or Shirogorov. Shiro is made in Russia, Rockstead in Japan. Rockstead does some of the best blade work in the world, with ZDP-189 and true DLC over mirror finishing... truly impressive stuff. Shirogorov has amazing flippers that will last forever and are so incredibly beautiful, but you're going to pay at least $800 for a Shiro or $1200+ for Rockstead. You're in custom territory at that point. Not everyone has that budget, so the next wrung down would be Microtech, I'd take a look at a SOCOM. I carry a SOCOM all the time, and it's a great GADA type knife. They do everything well, and you can get the Rike made versions around $300ish, those are really impressive for that money. Zero Tolerance, which is the higher end brand of Kershaw makes great knives between $200-$300. Occasionally you can find blowout old stock ZTs and they always make great buys. My last ZT that I bought a few years ago was a ZT 308, which is a titanium framelock, and it ran me around $220. Absolutely awesome knife for that money. Then you have the perennial favorite, which I always recommend to my friends as a best "first good knife" - the Spyderco Paramilitary 2. Seriously, if all you want is a great everyday user and you don't need something that's built like an absolute tank and you pinky promise not to use it as a prybar, just get a PM2. The S30V versions are awesome, but they come in so many colors and steels that it'll make your eyes water. I don't recommend anything with a super high vanadium content on the steel, just stick with something reasonable. If you like crossbar style locks, The Manix 2 from Spyderco is also an awesome bet. All of the same commentary applies, it just has a really wonderful locking mechanism thats maybe a bit better for lefties. Avoid all assisted opening knives like the plague. I know a lot of people are tempted by Kershaw's Speedsafe assisted opening knives but in my experience they're junk. They have a torsion bar inside the scale that breaks all the time. CRKT is also famous for putting out trash-tier AO knives... IMO I'd just avoid all AO knives. The only good AO mechanism is Benchmade's old Nitrous system which they no longer make anymore, which is a shame bc it's really good. Under $100, you're primarily in import territory now. People really like Civivi in that price range but I have no experience with them. They're the el cheapo cost reduced brand of WE I think, and they seem okay. I also recommend Victorinox Swiss Army Knives all the time. The aluminum handle SAKs are kinda great EDCs. I carry one everywhere I go as a spare knife, just because theyre thin and light, and they have scissors which I find infinitely useful. Nothing wrong with a SAK. If you have less than $70, try a Kershaw Iridium. That's a solid knife with a solid lock for that money. I don't love Kershaw as a brand but that's a solid knife for that money. Less than $40, you're really pushing the BIFL thing, but maybe an Opinel might be in that category. These are simple traditional folding knives from France and they're pretty well made for the money. They might not be BIFL but they DO last a long time and they're really cost effective.

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• #8Mar 8, 2025

  Looking for a good BIFL pocket knife.

  Pocket knife only? Buck 110/112 series. They are heavy. For something lighter, Spyderco pm2 but it’s more expensive. Benchmade 940 as well but they are expensive for a pocket knife. Kershaw leek is a nice alternative to it. Avoid gerber and buck (either than 110/112), SOG as well Multitool knife? Swiss Army knife by far, they will last a lifetime. Leatherman for heavy use, particularly the higher end ones like the surge or wave or charge

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• #9Jan 6, 2025

  Has everything we buy reduced in quality over time? Has anything increased in quality or stayed high quality and durable?

  Civivi, cjrb, vosteed, bestech, kershaw, crkt, cold steel. All of the above have some pricier stuff but all have stuff that’s decent under $50 if you catch a sale.

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• #10Dec 2, 2015

  BIFL : Commander by Emerson Knives the only knife you can completely take apart and the warranty is still good

  A lot of manufacturers let you do this. Kershaw knives are cheap but quality built with a lot of the same features of the more expensive brands.

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• #11Dec 2, 2015

  BIFL : Commander by Emerson Knives the only knife you can completely take apart and the warranty is still good

  Going to have to agree with Pig0r I had a 2000 commander,f or the money i was disappointed the chisel grind is a joke, like buying a half finished knife. they try to sell it as being superior, but its definately not. if you want a rough and tough knife, i grab a strider if you want to try the wave feature out, get a kershaw/emerson collaboration--> made in china, but better fit and finish than my real mcCoy emerson.

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