Datasheet

If you’ve ever had a knife with a coated blade that looked cool when you ﬁ rst got it, but not so hot after just a year of

use, you’ll understand why Kershaw chooses the coating technologies it does. Because they last.

DLC COATING

Kershaw was one of the ﬁ rst to use DLC coating in production knife applications. DLC stands for Diamond-Like Carbon and, indeed,

DLC coatings display properties similar to those of a natural diamond, notably hardness, wear resistance, and reduced friction. The

beneﬁ ts of such a coating are obvious when it comes to knives.

The DLC coating is applied in a process called Physical Vapor Disposition (PVD). During PVD, metals are instantly evaporated and

ionized via a high-current, low-voltage arc. The metal ions are then accelerated into a vacuum chamber. A negative voltage is

introduced, which permanently deposits a thin metal coating on the blades.

TITANIUM CARBO-NITRIDE

Kershaw also uses titanium carbo-nitride to produce an attractive black or grey blade coating that increases the blade’s hardness, helps

maintain the edge, and increases the overall lifetime of the blade.

TITANIUM OXIDE

When oxygen is introduced into the PVD process, the result is Kershaw’s spectacular “rainbow” ﬁ nishes. The Rainbow Chive, Scallion,

and Leek all feature this amazing multicolored ﬁ nish. And like our other PVD coatings, it won’t scratch off.

ANODIZING

Anodizing is another process Kershaw uses to add durable color our products. Generally, we anodize aluminum handles to create

lightweight handles that are still brilliantly colored. Some of our Leeks, our Blurs, are all examples of anodized aluminum ﬁ nishes.

Anodizing changes the microscopic texture of the surface so that a porous coating or ﬁ lm can be applied that will in turn accept a dye.

Anodizing makes aluminum stronger and anodic ﬁ lms are much longer lasting than other surface colorations.

BLACK OXIDE

A chemical bath converts the surface of the steel to magnetite. Kershaw uses this coating on some blades and pocket clips, mainly for

appearance, though it does add some corrosion resistance.

KERSHAW BLADE COATINGS

KERSHAW HANDLE MATERIALS

Just as Kershaw matches the particular steel’s characteristics to the end use and design of the knife, we also match the knife’s handle

material to its function and style. Many Kershaw handle scales are made of G-10 (see Glossary), which offers good looks, lightweight,

and excellent strength. If we’re trying to reduce a knife’s weight, we might use aluminum handles. Sporting knives, which are often

handled under wet conditions, might feature handles with our new K-Texture grip to make them extra secure.

Kershaw handle materials include: • G-10 • stainless steel • glass-ﬁ lled nylon • titanium • carbon ﬁ ber • anodized aluminum

• P.O.M. • steel with ABS inlay • Santoprene® • anodized aluminum with Trac-Tec inserts • Micarta® • co-polymer • plastic

See glossary for more information on these handle materials.

Glossary

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