Let me start by saying I've been a knife geek since before I could remember. My Mama and Pops tell stories from my childhood of me being able to throw and stick knives as early as age 4. I spent much of my early youth stabbing, cutting, throwing, and whittling with blades of all kinds. I can still dig around and produce all kinds of pocket knives, survival blades, and some of the coolest throwing knives you'll ever see. One of my favorites started life as a bastard file that was ground to a point and given a duct tape handle that my dad carried for a long time. I love throwing knives, and I'm fascinated by blades of all kinds. There's a half dozen machetes around here that will attest to my fascination, and who knows how many different throwers and folders are lurking around my place any more. All that matters to me is there's always a knife when I look for one. I even caught myself about to buy a Kukri blade the other day. Now what in the world will I ever need a Kukri for? That doesn't matter one bit, because I'd rather have it and never need it than to need it and not have it.
But for today, I want to offer my review on what I've found to be an absolute pleasure to own. It's my recently acquired Kershaw Scallion. I'm quickly falling in love with this knife. It is a USA made spring assisted folder, and has already put several smiles on my face.
After a few months of paying much more attention to situations, equipment, and looking at life with a more tactical mindset, I felt the lust rising again (seriously, there's several books where Joe Ledger just dominates all that is evil with that rapid response folder). I started noticing how clumsy my traditional folder was, and after a small scare at a gas station I realized it wouldn't be useful for anything more than a fist pack in an attack. That's just not good enough. I've got a hot wife and a limp, and we go all over the place where concealing a firearm isn't an option, but these fists may just not be enough. I NEEDED a new blade, something quick, light, and easy to carry.
I kept thinking back to an old Kershaw my good friend gave me for High School graduation, and how much I liked that thumb stud. So I started looking around and found some very fast opening folders. I handled several different brands and models that just didn't feel right. Capable, yes, but just didn't feel natural in my hands or pocket. Then I got my hands on the Scallion. Nice, grippy outside (one of my favorite features of the CRKT) and that all to familiar thumb stud. There's no telling how many thousands of times I flicked that old knife open through the years. And when you're looking for something to use a defensive tool, that familiarity and practice is far more important than the equipment itself. Clipped it to my pocket and produced an open blade several times with great efficiency and a dialed flick that only takes a fraction of a second. Perfect. Keep practicing with it, and it'll be a natural reaction to any threat. Couple that with the light weight and compact size and I've got a tool I'm very confident in. I know without a doubt that if I can slap an assailant, I can make them bleed. Minimal drag and delay to be in the fight.
The thumb stud is hard to see in my pics, but show up better on Kershaw's site. You just hit the tab on the back with your index finger and the spring assisted blade whips all the way open and locks in place. A much better alternative to those that only open halfway, and a hundred times faster than a regular folder. It also features a pocket clip, but be aware of your local laws. Some places consider a pocket clip on a knife to be openly brandishing a weapon. I carry mine like that every day, but I'm in Texas where you'll see scarier things in Church. Just be smart and carry it like an old pocket knife when you go into a venue of any sort. Out of sight, out of mind. That great blade will do you no good walking back to the car later if security confiscates it. There's also a tip lock that will lock it in the folded position. I'm planning on removing that little guy. I love my new knife, and even though she makes fun of my practice whips and trash-talking the bushes by our house I'm sure my wife appreciates the new efficiency I'll have if it comes down to a defending her honor type situation.
I'm very pleased with my purchase, especially since it didn't sucker punch my wallet! This same knife can be found in a variety of colors everywhere from $40-$60, and it's worth every penny. I'm very pleased with the usability, style, and operation of this knife. Made in USA and super sharp from the box, this wasn't my first Kershaw, and definitely won't be my last!
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