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Kershaw Kuro

Best EDC knife under $25?

Several months ago I was walking through my local Walmart and decided to stop and take a look at a few new knives they had out in the display case.  I had been carrying a Benchmade auto for the past year and while it is an excellent knife it was just a little too large (and expensive to abuse) to carry every day.  I had been looking for a small knife for every day carry (EDC) that was decent quality, had some kind of assisted opening feature, and wasn’t too expensive.  I wasn’t having much luck finding something that had everything I was looking for until I noticed the Kershaw Kuro in the back of the case.

Specifications

Overall Length 7.25″
Blade Length 3.125″
Blade Steel 8Cr13MoV
Handle Material Glass-Filled Nylon
Closed Length 4.125″
Weight 4.2 oz

Features

Kershaw Kuro

Kershaw Kuro

The Kershaw Kuro (kuro is the Japanese word for black) is a liner lock design and features Kershaw’s “speedsafe” assisted opening mechanism.  It has a small pocket clip that can be reversed for tip down or tip up carry and can be opened with one hand.  When compared to some of my push button automatic knives, I have found the “speedsafe” mechanism to be just as fast to deploy as my automatics.

The Kuro weighs in at 4.2 ounces and is the lightest knife that I own.  It’s easy to forget it’s in your pocket and mine has almost made it into the washing machine a few times.  The handles are made from glass filled nylon and features a lanyard hole at the rear.

Blade material for the Kuro is 8Cr13MoV which I understand to be the Chinese version of AUS8 steel.  The blade is partially serrated and is carbo-nitride coated black.  It holds an edge well and is not very hard to sharpen or maintain.

From my testing, this is the best EDC knife I have found so far under $25 before tax, making the blade’s high value its best feature.  I picked mine up for $19.95 plus tax at Walmart and most online stores sell them for less than $25.

Wrapping Up

The Kuro has been my primary EDC knife since I bought it a few months ago.  On occasion I will carry one of my larger knives just so they don’t feel neglected but the Kuro is usually in my pocket too.  I don’t think you will find a knife close to the quality of the Kuro for the price.

7 Responses to Kershaw Kuro

  1. Carter April 15, 2013 at 9:25 am #

    Been carrying one for the last year and now I’m spoiled. It’s an excellent combination of practical, fast, priced right and functional. And it keeps a good edge as well.

  2. Nikki April 15, 2013 at 11:10 am #

    My husband has his eyes on a Benchmade Griptillian for EDC. Maybe I’ll snag this one for him and see how he likes it before spending 5 times as much on another knife. Thanks for the review!

  3. Al Cohol April 15, 2013 at 12:58 pm #

    Kershaw makes great knives at a great price. My last 2 knives have been Kershaw and I have a third being shipped to me as we speak. Great blades to carry daily. Their assisted knives are solid and not overpriced like other companies.

  4. Nikki April 16, 2013 at 4:02 pm #

    I did pick this up at Walmart today for my better half. Seems really nice, thanks for the review and the idea!

  5. Nikki April 20, 2013 at 9:50 pm #

    Meant to come back and reply to this. My husband is beyond thrilled with this knife for his EDC and can’t believe the quality for such an inexpensive site. Thanks for making me look good LOL 🙂 I’m actually picking one up for myself, I really like it also!

  6. Kevin B. June 26, 2013 at 10:37 am #

    I had been carrying a Benchmade Mini-Griptilian for the past few years. I recently lost it and replaced it with a Kuro ($20 from WalMart). So far, it seems to be every bit the quality of the Benchmade at a fraction of the cost. Best of all, if I lose this one too, I won’t be nearly as bummed out!

  7. Mark October 23, 2014 at 6:38 am #

    I know this is an older review, would love to see a new one on sub $25 edc blades. My personal pick is the Ontario Utilitac II designed by Joe Pardue. About $24 on Amazob and they could charge 3 times as much while staying justified in price!