Kershaw OSO Sweet a hidden treasure
Written: Oct 16 '09
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Lightweight, fast opening, affordable, durable
Cons: Pocket/belt clip could be a little longer
The Bottom Line: A great every day carry knife that's affordable, well made and very sharp right out of the box.
|
|
|
| buggman's Full Review: Kershaw OSO Sweet Folding Knife |
Kershaw OSO Sweet speed assisted opening pocket knife.
I wanted to try one of these knives for quite some time after my first experience with assisted opening knives. I know the Kershaw brand produces good quality knives from first hand experience and I haven't been disappointed with my OSO Sweet.
This particular knife is made in China. Don't let that fool you though; this is a well made knife especially for an import.
The blade steel is AUS6A stainless. It's not the hardest nor most edge retentive material, but for a knife that normally sells for less than thirty bucks you really can't complain.
I believe the only blade type available is a plain, non-serrated version which is perfectly fine for me because I prefer this style of knife with a plain blade. The blade length is 3.5" which is perfect for every day use. Closed length is 4 3/8" which again is nearly perfect for every day use.
As for sharpness, I've had mine for several months and I've yet to tell it's ever been used. It was nearly razor sharp out of the box, actually sharp enough to shave the hair off my arm.
The handles are black injection molded glass filled nylon which features a nice tread pattern for just enough grip to be useful, but not so deep that it's uncomfortable to carry or wild enough to get caught up on your clothing.
A bonus feature with this Kershaw knife is the option to move the belt/pocket clip from tip up to tip down. Tip up means when the knife is clipped onto your pocket or belt, the tip of the knife is pointing to the sky and vice/versa for tip down carry. Only a few manufacturers such as Spyderco & Kershaw offer this handy option.
The locking mechanism is a liner lock which is made from 410 stainless steel.
The liner lock works perfectly; it locks securely but with a slight sideways pressure from your thumb or finger easily allows the blade to release. When locked open, there is no blade play side to side nor up & down the blade locks up tight just as it should.
As for opening the knife, there is only one option: the rear mounted tang extension. A small protrusion on the back of the blade requires a minimal amount of pressure from your finger to quickly launch the blade into the open position.
Don't get this confused with a switchblade, it is NOT. This is an assisted opening knife. You must press the back of the blade to begin the assisted opening mechanism. A switchblade knife opens with the press of a button or switch which is usually not part of the actual blade.
This opening procedure is simple & even my little 7 year old cousin has no problem opening or closing this knife (under adult supervision, of course).
I've opened my knife hundreds of times already and never once has it hung up or failed to open and lock securely. The benefit of a one handed opening knife really comes in handy when you're holding a box in one hand & need to cut into it without dropping something.
Surprisingly, this knife only weighs in at 4.2 ounces.
The one complaint I have is with the pocket/belt clip. While perfectly located on either end of the handle, I would like the clip to be about ¼" to ½" longer overall. Sometimes I feel like my knife will get hung on my shirt (when carrying it on my belt) and knock it off my belt.
Even with the slightly too short for my tastes pocket clip; I still give this knife 5 stars & recommend it to anyone who wants a reliable everyday knife.
A similar knife in size & basic design would be Kershaw's Leek series of knives that mostly feature stainless handles and more pointy blades. I own a few Leek knives and while I like them, I reach for my OSO Sweet more often mainly due to the slightly wider blade.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
buggman
|
|
Reviews written: 113
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.