Datasheet

Inclusions Non-metallic particles that can either form naturally during the
steel-making process or can accidentally get into steel. These inclusions
can affect the steel’s quality; the fewer the inclusions, the cleaner and
higher quality the steel.
Inset liner lock To build an inset liner lock, Kershaw insets a strip of
steel inside a knife’s handle, usually when the handle is G-10 or glass-
fi lled nylon. Insetting the lock in this way enables us to create a slimmer
knife, while still providing the strength and security of a locking liner.
Jimping Notches on the spine of a knife blade (or other places on a
knife) designed to help prevent your hand from slipping during use.
K-Texture
An exclusive, rubberized texture and pattern used on the handle of certain
Kershaw knives. K-Texture which provides an extremely secure grip.
Lanyard hole A hole in the butt end of the knife to enable to user to
attach a cord or lanyard.
Left/right-hand carry pocketclip The knife handles on some models
are drilled for both left and right hand clip carry allowing the clip to be
mounted on either side of the handle and thus ideal for both left- and right-
handed knife users.
Lock back A pivoted latch connected to a spring and positioned on the
back of a knife handle. It locks the blade open. To close the knife, depress
the latch to release the blade.
Locking liner On a folding knife, the liners are the fl at plates that
support the handle sides, bolsters, spine, and blade pivot. In a locking
liner, as the blade is opened, one of the liners moves behind the blade
to hold it in the open position. This prevents the knife from accidentally
closing. To close the knife, the locking liner must be pushed to the side and
the blade folded back into the handle.
Micarta
®
An industrial laminate composed of layers of fi ber embedded
in a resin and subjected to heat and high-pressure to make the material
extremely hard and dense; has industrial and decorative applications.
PMMA Plastic Polymethyl methacrylate is strong and lightweight
material, familiar to most people as acrylic glass. It has good impact
strength and is highly versatile.
POM Polyoxymethylene-Delrin® (POM) is a rigid, high-strength
engineering plastic. It is often used in food applications as it offers
extremely low moisture absorption, high-impact resistance, and is very
easy to clean.
Recurve blade A blade with a concave curve off the choil that fl ows
into a deep belly. A recurve blade is built for multi-tasking, offering
minimal mass, and maximum performance. It provides leverage for tough
cutting tasks and a precisely centered point for piercing.
Rockwell Hardness Scale A measurement of the hardness of a
material based on the depth of penetration of a diamond cone pressed
into the material at a constant pressure.
Santoprene™ A high-performance elastomer that offers fl exibility and
low compression with the manufacturing ease of thermoplastics. It has a
dry, silky feel for a secure grip.
Safety Tip-Lock A small slider that locks the tip of the blade in the
handle until the user releases it. It is available on a number of our
SpeedSafe® models.
Scales The pieces of material that are fi tted to the tang of a full-tang
knife or to the liners of a folding knife. There are a wide variety of handle
materials available from natural, such as wood and bone, to manmade,
such as G-10.
Sheepsfoot/Warnecliffe blade A blade with a fairly straight cutting
edge with the spine rounded down to meet the point. It is a very strong
design for bearing down on a cutting chore.
Spearpoint blade A blade that is sharpened on both top and bottom,
generally used as weapons.
SpeedSafe
®
Kershaw’s patented manual assisted-opening system; the
user starts the blade out of the handle, then the SpeedSafe® torsion bar
takes over to fully open the knife.
Stain resistance The “stainless” in stainless steel; this is its ability to
withstand rust.
Strength is the ability to take a load without permanently deforming.
When it comes to steel, strength is directly related to hardness. The harder
the steel, the stronger it is.
Sub-Frame
®
Lock Kershaw uses the Sub-Frame Lock to create an
extremely sturdy locking frame in our lightweight anodized aluminum
or G-10 handles. This enables us to make a larger knife that is still light
enough to carry every day. One side of the handle is fi tted with an inset
plate of stainless steel. The stainless-steel plate is integral to the frame and
is the part of the frame that moves into place behind the blade to secure it.
Release the Sub-Frame Lock just as you would any other frame lock.
Tanto/modifi ed tanto blade a blade with two edges, the bottom
cutting edge and a shorter edge angled from the point. Good for
punching and multi-purpose use. Knifemakers modify the tanto blade in
numerous ways for both style and function.
Tempering slow, steady heating of steel, followed by a slow cooling
phase; this heating and cooling helps relieve stress in the steel to
strengthen it.
Tensile strength the ability of steel to resist breakage by stretching.
Tip-up/Tip-down carry this refers to the position in which a folding
pocketknife is carried when clipped to the pocket: with the closed tip
pointing up or down. Many Kershaw knives offer the ability to reverse the
clip for either method of carry.
Titanium a lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal with high tensile
strength. Often used as handle materials, for liners, or as a blade coating,
where it enhances performance.
Toughness the ability of the steel to withstand shock loading without
damage; the opposite of brittleness. In a blade, higher toughness means
less chipping or cracking. Toughness can be lost in very hard steel,
although heat treatment can be used to improve toughness in a hard steel.
Trac-Tec A rough-surfaced insert that provides additional friction for a
non-slip grip.
Wear resistance the ability of the steel to withstand abrasion.
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