Thread: Kershaw, is there something wrong here?

I'm fairly new to knives, but I always thought it was supposed to be Ken Onion Design, not Ken Onio Design. Am I a newb or is something wrong?

I'd say you have yourself a knock-off there...

Where'd you buy it?

A well established knife store at my local mall. It's been there forever. If it indeed is a knock off, I will be less than pleased with this store.

I'd say it definitely is. First off, it is Onion, not "Onio". Second, a google image search shows blades marked "made in usa" where your's says "ken onio design". I would probably contact Kershaw. Is this mall store an authorized dealer?

I've contacted Kershaw, they are apparently not open on weekends, so I've sent them an e-mail with two types of contact info for me. I went back to the store, they had another one just like this one except it said Ken Onion. They called their supplier and had them look at one and it said Ken Onion Design as well. They said they would exchange it for the other, but as you stated, any other image I see of this knife says "Made in USA". I'm going to wait and see what Kershaw says, then decide how to go about it. If it is a knock off, it appears to be built very well. Regardless, I hope to get some answers from Kershaw soon.

The exact store I went to is not listed as a Dealer, but two other locations of the same store are listed as dealers.

Missprint maybe?

I'm kinda hoping. The fit and finish is top quality so im leaning towards a misprint but it was mentioned above that on all other examples I've seen online it doesn't say Ken onion design. It says made in USA. I can hope though!

Is there anything else 'different' about it?



I'd also say it's a knockoff.....I'd return it and go with another vendor.

Couple things. Under the Kershaw on the handle, it says "Speedsafe USA", but I did see that on another on Google. I also do not see the date stamp near the blade attachment, and that's something I see on everyone on Google. Other than that it looks stunningly similar, and like I mentioned, the quality is top notch, if it is a knock off, it's a high quality one, which isn't any better IMO.

I'm gonna wait and see what Kershaw says. If they deem it to be a fake, I'll return it to the store and go elsewhere. If it's real and just slipped past quality control I'll see if they want to buy it back, if so, done deal. If not, I'll still return it to the store and go elsewhere.

I say missprint I buy a lot of Kershaw and it happens time to time but usually it has XXXX on it and is considered a 2nds knife.

Are misprints worth anything more when it comes to knives?

Originally Posted by Tactical SS

Are misprints worth anything more when it comes to knives?

My uneducated guess is probably not. There is a chance they could be sold as seconds. But I rather think the ones that dont pass inspection are either made right and sold or just recycled into new product.
If its as good of shape as the OP is describing then I doubt its a knock off.

Every winter they have a huge weekend sale for all the seconds and blemishes. Just guessing the laser messed up. I have that knife and it says made in USA there. It says ken onion on the outside by the loop hole. I would presume its real. They do change their design.

Originally Posted by chase

Every winter they have a huge weekend sale for all the seconds and blemishes. Just guessing the laser messed up. I have that knife and it says made in USA there. It says ken onion on the outside by the loop hole. I would presume its real. They do change their design.

^^^
This. Kershaw's quality control is top notch. I have a ZT 0400 that has the XXXX marking for a second that I bought at their big winter sale. I looked it over well and the only reason I could think of were two tiny litle patches where the coating on the blade wasn't perfect, but the quality of the materials and build were excellent. For what I paid for it, I was very happy.

Not for sure, but I'm betting they also make seconds available for sale to authorized dealers in some cases.

Different production runs (older or newer) may have changed the wording in locations compared to the stock images out there on Google. Many of my Kershaw knives have things in the words "Made in USA" and "Speedsafe" and "Ken Onion" in different locations than the stock images. They do that from time to time, as well as running custom one-offs with different scales, etc. Obviously the missing "n" in Ken Onion is a misprint - and most of the time things like that do end up at the factory blemish sale with the "XXXX" mark on the blade (as has already been mentioned). But if it's from a reputable dealer, I'd be less inclined to believe it's a fake. If the mis-print bugs you, then either the dealer or Kershaw themselves should take care of it pretty easily (Kershaw will under warranty for sure).

Best of luck. And nice choice of knives!

I talked with Kershaw and they confirmed it was an authentic Kershaw, but were quite astonished it made it out of the factory with such a blemish. They offered to replace it under their warranty, but seeing as how I already purchased another one for $50 less, I just returned the original to the store.

In the end I have the same knife and $50 back in my pocket. I can't complain.

Thanks everyone for your help

Mine of the same model, but the snap-on edition says,
1670BLKSO
KAI Patented
MADE IN USA

Interesting it's just a misprint. BTW: I see so many people with this knife now it's ridiculous. Just a count, how many people here own a Kershaw 1670BLK in any configuration?
*Raises Hand*

i own 6 of them, all different, one on me now. great blades.

the kershaw speed bump is nice too, and i have an extra one for sell for $60

After a couple weeks of carrying it around, I'm still loving it. Definitely a good purchase!