The Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST comes in black with a partially serrated modified drop point blade. It features “super grip” handles and the proven SpeedSafe assisted-opening system. With the knife in hand, we first noticed the secure grip before anything else. The sides of the aluminum handles have textured rubber inserts that make it virtually slip-resistant. This holds true even with greasy or wet hands.
Easy Open with Thumb Stud
With just a little bit of thumb pressure against the thumb studs, the blade swings and locks open. It makes an authoritative thwack sound which we love. The liner lock keeps the blade securely open until you press it sideways to release the blade. All in all, Kershaw packed this knife with practical features, making it great for every day carry.
Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST Features
When 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-point design lowers the knife tip for better control yet adds strength to the point. The blade has plenty of belly on the cutting edge making it good for slicing. The last inch or so of the blade closest to the tang has serrations. Those work really well for cutting things like rope and cord.
Kershaw Blur Blade Steel and Style
This style of blade is probably one of the most popular designs since. It lends itself to being a fantastic all-around blade shape. Kershaw made the blade from Sandvik 14C28N steel, a proprietary stainless steel developed by the Swedish company Sandvik for Kershaw. This specific stainless steel is designed to have increased corrosion resistance over many other types of stainless steel. It still manages to retain the ability to hold a quality edge. The flat ground blade of the Blur has a false edge on the spine that goes from the thumb studs to the tip. Since the blade grind starts almost all the way up by the spine, the taper to the blade edge is long. This makes for a strong edge.
Permanent DLC Coating
Kershaw was one of the first to use DLC coating in production knife applications. DLC stands for Diamond-Like Carbon. The DLC coatings display properties similar to those of a natural diamond, such as hardness, wear resistance, and reduced friction. Kershaw applies the DLC coating using 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 then get accelerated into a vacuum chamber. A negative voltage is introduced, which permanently deposits a thin metal coating on the blades. The benefits of such a coating are obvious when it comes to knives because it simply does not wear 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 that allow the Trac-Tec inserts to fit within. The Trac-Tec textured hard rubber-like material offers an amazing all-condition grip. The 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 the handle. It keeps the blade 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 stainless steel liner lock also makes unlocking the blade is easy. The pocket clip is removable and can be positioned to offer either tip-up or tip-down carry. The knife ships with 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 inspire confidence.
Kershaw Blur Testing and Use
Many knife injuries occur because of a poor grip and we are happy to report that the Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST offers some good stuff in this department. The grippy material is so good that when you try to slip the knife into your pocket with the pocket clip it is slightly difficult until you get used to it. It actually took a few days for things to “wear in” so that it was easy to take it in and out of my pocket when using the clip. This is not a bad thing since it means that once you have the knife in your hand, or in your pocket, it will stay put.
We have always been fans of the SpeedSafe assisted opening system and it does not disappoint on this knife either. We love the authoritative way the blade swings open and how it automatically gets locked into the open position. Since we prefer the blade-down carry position of the knife, we left the pocket clip the way it came from the factory.
EDC Clip Carry
We did notice that at least 1/2″ of the knife does stick out of your pocket when you carry it with the clip, so it’s not as discrete as some. We have used the knife for various tasks around the shop that range from opening packages to cutting rope. I am sure that the more I carry the knife, the more I will try it out. So far, the blade has continued to be sharp and has not required any sharpening.
Conclusion
The Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST offers good looks, fantastic multi-tasking performance, and high-quality materials. We really like the smooth, one-handed opening that the SpeedSafe assisted opening system offers and the confidence that is 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 it offers a good level of rugged durability. For our Value rating, we also gave the Blur a high score of 8/10.
With its premium stainless steel blade material, DLC blade coating, and solid build quality, the Kershaw comes with a competitive price. Other varieties of this knife are available that include different blade designs, uncoated blades, and even red anodized handles with black Trac-Tec inserts.
