The Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST comes inย black with a partially serrated modified drop point blade. It features โsuper gripโ handlesย and the proven SpeedSafe assisted-opening system. With theย knife in hand, we first noticed the secure grip before anything else. The sides of theย aluminum handles have textured rubber inserts that make them virtuallyย slip-resistant. This holds true even with greasy or wet hands.
Easy Open with Thumb Stud
With just a little bitย of thumb pressure against the thumb studs, the blade swings and locks open. It makes an authoritativeย thwack sound, which we love. The liner lock keeps the blade securely open until you press it sideways to release it. All in all, Kershaw packed this knife with practical features, making it great for everyday carry.
Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST Features
Whenย we evaluate a knife, there are many things to look at. The build quality is a good place to start. The Ken Onion-designed Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST does not disappoint. Starting with the blade, the model we received has a black DLC coating on it with a modified drop-point style.
This blade shape is characterized by a slow, convex-curved top edge that drops down to the point. The drop-pointย design lowers the knife tip for better control yet adds strength toย the point. The blade has plenty of belly on the cutting edge, makingย it good for slicing. The last inch or so of the blade closestย to the tang has serrations. Those work really well for cuttingย things like rope and cord.
Kershaw Blur Blade Steel and Style
This style of blade is probably one of theย most popular designs since. It lends itself to being a fantasticย all-around blade shape. Kershaw made the blade from Sandvik 14C28N steel,ย a proprietary stainless steel developed by the Swedish companyย Sandvik for Kershaw. This specific stainless steel is designed toย have increased corrosion resistance over many other types ofย stainless steel. It still manages to retain the ability to hold a qualityย edge. The flat ground blade of the Blur has a false edge on theย spine that goes from the thumb studs to the tip. Since the bladeย grind starts almost all the way up by the spine, theย taper to the blade edge is long. This makes for a strong edge.
Permanent DLC Coating
Kershawย was one of the first to use DLC coating in production knifeย applications. DLC stands for Diamond-Like Carbon. The DLC coatingsย display properties similar to those of a natural diamond, such asย hardness, wear resistance, and reduced friction. Kershaw applies the DLC coating using a process called Physical Vapor Disposition (PVD). Duringย PVD, metals are instantly evaporated and ionized via a high-current,ย low-voltage arc. The metal ions then get accelerated into a vacuumย chamber. A negative voltage is introduced, which permanently depositsย a thin metal coating on the blades. The benefits of such a coatingย are obvious when it comes to knives because it simply does not wearย or rub off.
Anodized Aluminum Handle
We like the 6061-T6 anodized black aluminum handle on the Kershaw Blur 1670BLKST handle. They CNC-machined the sides of the handles with recesses thatย allow the Trac-Tec inserts to fit within. The Trac-Tec textured hardย rubber-like material offers an amazing all-condition grip. Theย handle feels very sturdy and is securely fastened together. We felt no wiggle or flexing of the two sides. Kershaw built the SpeedSafe assisted-opening system right inside theย handle. It keeps the bladeย closed until you apply pressure to the thumb-studs. Once activated, the blade quickly swings open to the locked position.
Stainless Steel Liner Lock
The stainlessย steel liner lock also makes unlocking the blade easy. The pocket clip is removable and can be positioned to offer either tip-up or tip-down carry. The knife ships with the pocket clip oriented so that the blade is tip-down. The blade-to-handle pivot point is sturdy, and once the blade is opened, there is absolutely no wiggle in any direction. This really goes a long way to inspiring confidence.
Kershaw Blur Testingย and Use
Manyย knife injuries occur because of a poor grip, and we are happy toย report that the Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST offers some good stuff in thisย department. The grippy material is so good that when you tryย to slip the knife into your pocket with the pocket clip, it isย slightly difficult until you get used to it. It actually took a fewย days for things to โwear inโ so that it was easy to take itย in and out of my pocket when using the clip. This is not a bad thingย since it means that once you have the knife in your hand or in yourย pocket, it will stay put.
We have always been fans of the SpeedSafeย assisted opening system, and it does not disappoint on this knifeย either. We love the authoritative way the blade swings open and howย it automatically gets locked into the open position. Since we preferย the blade-down carry position of the knife, we left the pocket clipย the way it came from the factory.
EDC Clip Carry
We did notice that at least 1/2โณย of the knife sticks out of your pocket when you carry it with the clip, so itโs not as discreet as some. We have used the knife for various tasks around the shop, ranging from opening packages toย cutting rope. I am sure that the more I carry the knife, the more Iย will try it out. So far, the blade has continued to be sharp and hasย not required any sharpening.
Conclusion
The Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST offers good looks, fantastic multi-taskingย performance, and high-quality materials. We really like the smooth,ย one-handed opening that the SpeedSafe assisted opening system offers and the confidence inspired by the sure grip of the handle. For our Performance rating, we gave this knife an 8/10 because it represents quality American manufacturing and offers a good levelย of rugged durability. We also gave the Blur a high score of 8/10 for our Value rating.
With its premium stainless steel blade material, DLC blade coating,ย and solid build quality, the Kershaw is competitively priced. Other varieties of this knife are available, including different blade designs, uncoated blades, and even red anodized handles with black Trac-Tec inserts.
