The Kershaw Scallion Is A Compact Everyday Carry Knife - Outdoors

Many people carry a knife for everyday applications. Not necessarily for defending themselves but for use in their occupations or just opening the daily mail. A machete or large hunting knife is certainly not practical or legal for most of them. A small, compact lightweight knife like the Kershaw Scallion clips onto or fits easily into a pocket or purse for those times when a knife comes in handy.

Kershaw knives started in 1974 in Portland Oregon. Pete Kershaw was a knife salesman for a large knife manufacturer. He enjoyed outdoor activities like hunting and fishing that required a knife for many applications. He had a number of designs he wanted to implement so he decided to start his own company.

Kershaw, along with Shun Cutlery kitchen knives and Zero Tolerance, a new line of combat knives are currently under KAI USA Ltd. Most of the Kershaw products are manufactured in the United States. Their main manufacturing facilities are located in Tualatin Oregon.

Ken Onion, a legendary knife designer, designed the Kershaw Scallion. The thought was that many people carry a knife for everyday activities. He wanted a knife that was small and lightweight, fit comfortably in the hand and was super sharp right out of the box.

A pocketknife is typically a folding knife. It would be difficult and probably painful to carry a fixed blade in a pocket. Not only would it ruin a wardrobe it would probably cut the legs and hands with the sharp, exposed blade. A folding knife allows the blade to be enclosed in the handle.

One problem with most folding pocketknives is that it takes both hands to open them. A spring or other locking mechanism keeps the blade secured inside the handle. This requires one hand to hold the handle while the other hand pulls out the blade. The ingenious design of the Kershaw Scallion requires only one hand to deploy.

There is two ways to open this knife. A thumb stud is mounted on each side of the blade. Using either the right or left hand thumb, a quick push on the stud engages the spring and the blade deploys. There is also a finger or thumb push on top of the knife that, that when pushed down accomplishes the same task as the thumb studs, the blade opens quickly and locks into place.

Closing this knife is also possible with one hand, although using both hands is safer. Whether the model uses a frame lock or liner lock, simply pushing on the locking mechanism with a thumb or finger will release the lock and allow the blade to fold back into the handle. Caution must be taken when closing the knife, as the blades are extremely sharp and could cause serious injury.

The Kershaw Scallion features a 2.25-inch stainless steel blade. Overall length when opened is 5.75 inches. When closed it is 3.25 inches. Weighing only 2.3 ounces, it will fit comfortably in a pocket or purse. Available in a variety of colors this everyday carry knife is versatile and useful enough for anyone.

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