| | |  | Folding & Lock Back | Home » » » Tactical Folder Ken Onion - Whirlwind Boxed | | | | | | | Description: | | Ken Onion has created some of the most innovative designs yet seen at Kershaw, or anywhere else for that matter. A master custom knife-maker, Kershaw is proud to display the SpeedSafe knives of "The Onion".The Kershaw Whirlwind also has an indestructible polyamide handle, and opens like...well...a whirlwind, with the patented SpeedSafe action. Steel - Quality 440A stainless-steel blades with 55-57 Rockwell hardness ratingHandle - PolyamideBlade - 3 1/4" (8.4 cm)Closed - 4 1/2" (11.3 cm)Weight - 3.5 oz- Heat treated 410 stainless-steel liners- Removable pocket clipWhat is SpeedSafe? A patented, assisted-opening system built into many of Kershaw's best-selling Ken Onion knives. SpeedSafe assists the user to smoothly open the knife with a manual push on the blade's thumb stud or Index-Open system. (Index-Open uses a protruding portion of the blade's finger guard to give the user an alternative to the thumb stud. The user manually pulls back on the protrusion with the index finger to open the blade.) | | | Features: | |
• Whirlwind
• 087171156002
• Limited lifetime warranty.
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 4.7 inches | | Product Width:
| 1.3 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.2 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.3 pounds | | Package Length:
| 4.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 1.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.15 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 13 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 13 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 It's an OK knife...Nov 23, 2010
By DefMunky
It's not a bad knife, but I don't feel it's a $40+ knife. It feels like a $30 knife at most. I have other Kershaws that I love, like my Skyline and my Oso Sweet, I'm just not a huge fan of this design (and I normally LOVE Ken Onion designs) or the fit and finish of the knife straight out of the package.
Some Pros and Cons:
Pros-
1) Blade is VERY sharp as seems to be the case with any Kershaw I have purchased.
2) Nice big blade with lots of belly.
3) Thumbstud is nicely knurled for grip and can be swapped for lefties.
4) Checkering on the handle does allow for a decent grip.
5) Nice, large, well contoured handle for the blade size. Will fit big hands like mine very comfortably.
6) Can be taken apart for thorough cleaning/maintenance and the pivot can be adjusted.
7) Deployment is very fast. I love the SpeedSafe mechanism!
8) Very strong pocket clip.
Cons-
1) The handle could stand to be contoured a bit deeper by the liner lock for easier actuation. As it is it is flush in the handle.
2) Lanyard hole is nigh on useless.
3) Clip is tip down, right hand use only. This could be forgivable if you could fit something thicker than kite string in the lanyard hole. I removed the clip and use it as a pocket knife, but I would love to have a lanyard on the end to make it easier to find amongst the keys and pull out. My preference, you may not care.
4) Barrel bolt used for the lanyard hole seems to be painted. The finish is damaged WAY too easily when taking the knife apart, showing shiny spots.
5) My knife had places in the blade where the edge was already rolled and had to be fixed with a kitchen steel. It was unopened in a blister pack, so there was no tampering with the knife. It was most likely just this knife, Kershaw is a great brand and generally has excellent quality control.
6) My blade had to be cleaned as there was a brownish stain on the blade in places. It came out with alcohol and some elbow grease. Again just a one off QC issue I feel.
7) The back is completely closed, however this may have been done for strength. Just makes it a pain to clean completely. Again this is purely my preference and may not matter to you.
8) Pocket clip tip does not sit flat on the handle. Only one side contacts the knife making a pressure point on your pocket material and not offering as much retention strength as it could.
9) Jimping on top of the blade is made useless as it sits flush in the back of the handle. Not a big deal for my use, but it may matter to some. I just feel that if they are going to jimp the top of the blade, it should be usable.
So all in all it isn't a bad knife and seems very sturdy, I just don't feel like it's worth $43-$45. $30 would be a much better price considering the other knives available at the current price point, however just a few changes would make this knife worth the asking price in my eyes.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent ProductApr 15, 2009
By George C.
Of all the speed assisted knifes, this is the best. It's shape makes it easy to carry and the non-serrated blade is easy to sharpen. I carried my last one for ten years before I lost it. It always opened easily and held a good edge. The blade never loosened. Of all the pocked knifes I have owned, this one gives the most bang for the buck. Plus, it is made right here in the U.S.A.!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent KnifeNov 30, 2011
By Perry A. Walters
"icecoldtexan"
This is the sixth Kershaw Whirlwind knife I have purchased. I gave four of them for gifts and kept two for myself. Very sharp and tough. The speed safe opening mechanism is awesome, just a small push on the thumb stud and the blade springs open. I highly recommend this knife.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
My Everyday Knife, with me always !Oct 17, 2011
By A. R. McLean
"OLEWISEOWL"
Another great item from kershaw , design by Ken Onion simply the best !
Feels natural, well balanced . It is easy work the blade. You will find none better.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Best for hard workOct 04, 2010
By treemonkey
I have two of these knives, one with the straight edge and one serrated. I have carried the same whirlwind straight edge as a work knife for more than ten years now and have never had it let me down. As a matter of fact I totally expect to still be carrying it another ten years or more. If you're looking for a working knife that can take anything you can throw at it, the whirlwind is it. Easy to open one handed with the spring assist, and holds an edge for a long time. I've used this knife for everything from cutting carpet and shingles, digging through rocks and tree roots, unscrewing screws, digging out nails, and pounding it through wire. I've heard others complain about the liner lock being hard on the thumb, I haven't seen this as a problem myself, but I guess it comes down to how delicate your fingers are. Long story short, if you want a tough, no B.S. knife made in the US that you'll never have to replace this is it. And did I mention that the factory will resharpen at no charge? How can you beat that?
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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