Kershaw Skyline - Review

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Specifications:
Overall Length: 7.375"
Blade Length: 3.125"
Blade Steel: Sandvik 14C28N
Closed Length: 4.25"
Weight: 2.3 oz.
Made in USA

Today I am reviewing the Kershaw Skyline. The skyline is a shining example of what a budget EDC pocket knife should be. Great value, lightweight, good steel, sharp, rugged…the Kershaw Skyline delivers!

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Starting with the business end of the skyline. The blade is constructed from a 14C28N steel. While it's not a "super steel" it is very adequate for this price point. 14C28N takes a SUPER fine razor edge and holds it just fine. Sharpening is easy too. Out of the box it is very sharp! There is next to no blade wiggle when locked open. The flipper works great and deploys the knife nice and smooth. It does have ambidextrous thumb studs, although, for me they are very hard to utilize. Also I wanted to mention the blade point is very thin and you could use this for precise cutting or even removing splinters. Out of the box the blade was perfectly centered!

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Lockup on the Kershaw Skyline is smooth and tight, there is no wiggle room in the blade when deployed. Here you can also see the bronze phosphor washer that attributes to the smooth and fast deployment of the flipper. And you can see the spine of the handle is partially open for easy cleaning and dusting out. The jimping on the lockbar is adequate.

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The G10 scales on this skyline are really nice. Most budget knives use a zytel plastic composite material for handles. The fact that Kershaw integrated G10 with this knife gives it extra coolness in my book. It has a good texture. It's not discomforting and it's not the cheap glossy G10 stuff either. Even in a wet environment you'll be able to get a firm grip on this knife.

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The pocket clip is pretty simple but works great. When it's in the pocket it won't be moving around at all. You can mount the clip for Tip up, Tip Down and Right hand only.

Things I Like:
Value: The Kershaw Skyline has great value in my book. G10 scales, Sharp easy to resharpen blade, flipper, lightweight, thin overall chassis
Flipper: The flipper design is super smooth and fast to deploy.
Weight: At 2.3oz the skyline will work in just about every EDC system.
Handles: G10 scales on a knife in this price point = extra awesomeness !!
Made in USA.

Things I Dislike:
Jimping: No jimping on the spine of the blade and handle.
Thumb Studs: Useless if you ask me.

Feel free to check out my website for other cool reviews - MY WEBSITE.

Nice. Thanks for the review. I am a big fan of Kershaws and carry an RJ II everyday. ( a made in China Kershaw ). I was sold on their product for a number of reasons. The most important of which is their CS. Once, I snapped a blade in half by trying to pry something with it that I should not have even attempted. Sent it to Kershaw expecting to get a price quote by phone/email for a replacement blade. 2 weeks later, I received an entirely new knife in the mail...no questions asked. I'll definitely have to take a closer look at the Skyline.

Yeah Kershaw has good customer service. The blade on the skyline gets uber thin towards the point. So prying with this blade is something I'd probably not do unless you're in a life or death situation. It is a great cutter; damn near took a chunk of my index finger this evening heh. For me, the skyline is a low-medium duty knife and I carry it as a 'backup' blade. Definitely give one a try. Worse case scenario is you won't like it and someone one the forums will take it off your hands I'm sure. If you use the link on my website I think BladeHQ is offering free shipping on them too.

Nice review. I also watched the nutnfancy review of this knife and know that it will end up in my pocket soon. Looks like a great USA made knife for edc. I like your colour combo, however, I am thinking the orange handle one for me . . . easier to find if I drop it. That said, maybe one in the colour combo you have for a back up on a molle vest.

Very nice review. I really like that color combination, and your pictures are great.

A few years ago I broke my 'no liner/frame lock' rule (two have failed on me, one of those caused injuries) and picked up a sweet little skyline. With the thin liner lock and thin blade I never intended it for anything but very light EDC duty (I usually have a multi-tool or larger blade on me), and in that role I've carried it a few times a month since purchasing it. I think the look of this knife is about perfect, and it's crazy fun to play with the flipper.

Having said that, I have had two occasions where lint made it's way into the pivot, causing drag that made the flipper all but worthless until the pivot could be cleaned.

I agree that for deployment the thumbstuds are almost "useless", but for those without a skyline you might want to point out that they serve as the stop pins for deploying and stowing the blade. Without them the knife could not operate.

Keep up the good reviews!

Nice! (like in N....I.....C....E....!)

A bit late to the party, but I was noting the OP was referring to the thumbstuds as being worthless. They would be, if that's what they were! If you examine the design you'll see that they work more as a blade stop against the handles. The flipper is designed to be the primary means of blade deployment. I've carried mine for a little over two years now and haven't found any major faults yet!

Nice review. I've got a skyline and its a great little knife. Mostly gets used as a letter opener around here though. Lol


-BTO-

Man I just love Kershaw knives. I have four of them myself. The first one I bought 20 years ago is still very sharp and functional. :smile: