Blur Olive and Black Pocket Knife, 3.4” Stainless Steel Blade with Assisted Opening, Olive Aluminum Handle with Deep-Carry Pocketclip, Small Folding Knife

Positives: This is the best EDC knife I've owned, period. The USA-made Blur has been in my right front pocket for the majority of the last five years, and you can see in the picture that it shows signs of use. As both an office professional during the day and a farmer during my off hours, I use this knife for everything... opening boxes, trimming zip ties, cutting up apples, cutting rope, removing netting from hay bales, stripping wire, impromptu cooking, and performing minor surgical procedures on livestock and myself. It is light enough to be comfortable (I don't know it is there until I need it) but sturdy enough to perform any job I've asked. With the excellent pocket clip I can remove it from my pocket and replace it with one hand even when wearing heavy leather gloves, and it opens with a flip of my thumb, ready for use. The locking mechanism is air-tight and can also be operated with a gloved hand, which is a huge plus. The blade came shaving sharp, and with minimal maintenance, has stayed that way. I generally use a Lansky to sharpen it, and it takes an edge easily. The 14C28N steel has definitely earned my respect, as it also holds an edge well during regular use. I'll touch it up using medium and fine stones, and then either strop using my belt or hit the honing steel that I keep in my kitchen. The hair on the underside of my left arm doesn't stand a chance. The coating is on the aluminum grip has proved to be incredibly durable, showing wear only on the very edges from continuous rubbing, and there are a few tiny nicks where it has been dropped on rough concrete. The coating on the blade remains wear-free and corrosion has been a non-issue. The inserts in the grip work well for traction, and have not separated at all (this was something I worried about, but that worry was unfounded). Whatever adhesive that stuff is attached with seems to be impervious to anything I've subjected my knife to. I've found this knife to be the perfect balance of weight, ergonomics, edge-retention, blade length, and accessibility. I love the pocket clip, and while it does ride a bit high (and is thus a bit more visible to an observer), I prefer this as it allows my knife to be accessible in emergency situations when on horseback, atv, tractor, or in a vehicle. If you want to be more discreet for polite company, there are deep-carry clips available. The affordability also hits a sweet-spot. This knife, while not cheap, is priced more like a quality tool than an heirloom piece. Somewhere in my mind there is an arbitrary cutoff where something becomes too expensive to carry around in my pocket (probably around $75) and this knife falls under that threshold. If it cost twice as much I'd still think it a good value based on performance, but I'd probably be half-afraid to use it. I have a collection of knives and multi-tools, and I've found consistently that the really expensive ones stay in my drawer because I'd just feel terrible to come in and find that I lost a $150 piece of kit somewhere out in my hay field. Unless I am doing something I know will require a multi-tool, or I am headed someplace where a knife clipped to my pocket wouldn't be appreciated, this is what I grab. It is sufficient for the mundane tasks of daily life, professional use on a farm, and if I was ever unlucky enough to need to, and didn't have anything else available, I wouldn't hesitate to open it in defense. Negatives: Albeit very few, there are some (very) minor negatives that are worth mentioning. At one point I severely bent the pocket clip. This led to two things... first, I had to order a Torx driver small enough to get the screws out (I think it was a T3 or T4, and these aren't something most folks commonly have in a toolbox). A hex bit would be a much easier find, because who doesn't have a drawer full of assorted hex bits? The other issue was that I was going to order a spare pocket clip in case I couldn't bend what I had back into shape, and without calling Kershaw, I couldn't find anything but the deep carry clip anywhere. The second *neutral* opinion I have is the tactical appearance of this knife. My employer is pretty forgiving about pocket knives, but I suspect it would raise some serious eyebrows in most office settings since it is a fairly tactical-looking design (especially with the black blade with a shiny, wicked-looking edge). It definitely makes a statement. I say that this is neutral and not a negative because you can easily see what you are getting from the picture. If you don't want a tactical looking knife, then get yourself a Buck Prince or a Case Stockman like Grandpa used to carry, and no one will think twice. Still, it is worth mentioning that, if you are looking for discreet, this isn't. You'll whip it out of your pocket, hit the thumbstud, and with a loud and authoritative "Click!" you'lll be holding a pretty fearsome-looking blade.

Kershaw's Blur is one of those designs that hardly seems to age a day and in my opinion remains just as relevant for EDC well after it first released in 2004, and it's been one of my go-to choices for a good reason. The anodized aluminum handles make this knife deceptively lightweight for the size and help to make it feel smaller than it actually is while in your pocket, and the rubber inserts on the handle offer plenty of grip without being so aggressive that they'll tear up your pockets. The blade comes hair shaving sharp right out of the box, and the 14c28n blades that come on most models is ridiculously easy to resharpen yourself if you don't feel like sending back to Kershaw for resharpening. The inset liner lock helps to cut down on weight in conjunction with the aluminum handles, and has been plenty strong even after years of use on the Blurs in my collection. Kershaw's "SpeedSafe" assisted opening system is very authoritative when deploying the blade, and definitely helps the Blur live up to its name. Interestingly, I would say the springs on the Blurs feels "gentler" than on other Kershaws I own, such as the Cryo and Link, but I'd say the spring system on the Blur perfectly nails the sweet spot for reliability while still being fairly easy to use. YMMV on the finish though. On older production Blurs with finishes on the blade, they feature a DLC coating on the blade, while current production models have Cerakote applied on the blades. I personally haven't noticed an appreciable performance difference between the two finishes on my Blurs, positive or negative, given my relatively pedestrian use for most of my folding knives, just something to keep in mind if that is something that matters to you for your needs. Honestly, the only real gripe I can offer to the Blur's design is a very minor and personal one, that being the long outdated pocket clip design being unfriendly for left-handers. Even 21+ years after its introduction, its still a right side only design, so your only options to adjust how you carry it is changing from tip up or tip down. I personally am somewhat ambi, but prefer using my blades left handed and carrying my blades in my left side front pocket in reflection of that, so it's a minor annoyance when I have to fiddle around to flip it over to the correct side to deploy the blade, but really it only takes me just an extra second. Beyond my minor complaint about the outdated ergonomics, it really is still one of the best EDC buys for the price even more than two decades after its introduction. Highly recommend the Blur for anyone looking for a nice, pocket friendly blade but doesn't want to spend big bucks on a Benchmade or even some of Kershaw's more premium offerings like the Launch series of automatic knives or the crossbar locking Bel-Air series. Here's to yet another two decades for the Blur!

I'd give it 6 stars if that was possible. Absolutely superb EDC pocket knife. It has a good start as its made in the U.S. It's simple, powerful assisted open feature along with a secure safety lock that is also easy to manipulate and close the knife make one handed use both possible and easy. Out of the box there was no grit present and no roughness in opening/closing. Initial lube with CLP didn't improve functionality which, to me, indicates good design, assembly and packaging as CLP itself is a superb lube for close fitting machinery so, if its not improved it was good to begin with. The blade is 14C28N stainless steel and 'cerakoted' which adds to rust resistance. It was very sharp out of the box and while not as hard as other steels is also easier to sharpen well which is the nature of steel.

Great materials, great design and overall building quality. USA made for the price paid was a great deal. I felt quite dispointed by the lock system that was so close to the edge of the blade that it slipped out. I had to disassemble the knife and readjust the system. It’s not something you expect to do on a new item made in USA by Kershaw. I love the brand and I know that this knife will last for long years to come but from a customer centric point of view I expected a flawless quality control on such an important part of the mechanism. Security is of the essence. Best regards.