Kershaw Brawler Pocketknife, 3" 8Cr13MoV Steel Modified Tanto Blade, Assisted Folder Opening with Flipper, Liner Lock System, Tactical EDC

So I have never written a review on an EDC knife before. I usually stick to writing reviews on things like colognes and speakers/headphones. I am by no means a knife expert, but I do know a thing or two. To start off, I have never owned a high quality/high-end knife. The only knives I have ever owned have been cheap Chinese knives with 440 stainless steel blades. The only good quality knives I have owned to this point were the credit card blades offered on Amazon from Iain Sinclair. Those handy little knives are about as sharp as a box knife if you sharpen them. Anyways this is my first Kershaw knife purchase, and I am beyond impressed with just about everything about this little knife. It did seem a bit small when I first pulled it out of the package, but when i wielded it I realized it fits perfectly in my hand. This knife is definitely not made for people with large hands. The build quality is quite amazing, even if it is made in China instead of the USA. This knife is quite hefty for its size, which helps it feel much more at home in your hands. It feels very sturdy and durable and I expect it to last me a long time considering I don't use knives for much more than helping open boxes and the like. The blade is ridiculously sharp straight out of the box. One must be careful when pulling it out for the first time, as it can and will slice fingers open if mishandled! One of the classic tests for testing a knifes' sharpness is of course trying to slice through a sheet of paper. This blade does so with ease and extreme precision. It is practically effortless to cut paper and anything of similar structure. Another test of sharpness would be trying to shave with the knife. I have not tried it yet but it seems it would most definitely be sharp enough to shave arm or leg hairs. Overall this knife, I feel is worth every penny of the price I paid, which was quite low. I imagine I will be adding several Kershaw knives to my collection over time. The Kershaw Leek is probably at the top of my list right now. Buy this knife, you wont regret it. It is perfect for an EDC, and will easily perform to your satisfaction. I highly recommend this knife if you are looking for something that is good quality and affordable. Especially for a beginner or for your first knife purchase.

I love Kershaw knives. The brawler is one of my favorite knives. It looks super cool. I just found out they're coming out with a serrated version. This knife is kind of dressy, but also has a contemporary look to it. All Kershaw knives are high-quality for the price. It's really just a matter of style for 30 bucks. You cannot go wrong with a knife like this. It opens very smoothly. The blade is very sharp. The grip is perfect for my hand and the clip holds it very tight in my pocket. One day I would like to own all the shot style knives.

For a short summary skip to the bottom. If you want a fair assessment of the sharpness/quality of the knife reading the whole things would be better. For the price I can't knock it. It's smooth when it opens and closes, has a good albeit small clip that isn't too tight, and comes decently sharp. That being said there are some issues. For example, opening with the 'flipper' nub is smooth and has a satisfying click, but using the thumb tacks isn't quite as easy or smooth and doesn't open with the same click. So it seems like the hinge isn't reinforced very well. While the handle does have a good grip I'm not a huge fan of the 'edgy' pattern, but I can't take away points for that because I knew what it looked like when I bought it. It's not too heavy but doesn't feel cheap either. In short, for a little over twenty bucks this is a good knife. I got it to tear down boxes and do other basic work like that, and it does it's job nicely. I can't speak to the longevity of this blade or how well it holds its edge, but really when can you expect at this price point? My main motivation for writing this post was to clear up how sharp the blade is. Some say it's sharp as hell, others say it's incredibly dull, but really the truth is it's neither. Enthusiasts will knock the blade for being dull because they know how to properly sharpen a knife and buy more expensive knives. For those who buy this as their first knife they will say it's sharp as can be because it does cut well. But I want to put this in perspective. This can easily cut through cardboard, thin rope like para cord, and other 'typical' things like that with a little bit of force, but nothing too excessive. But I want to compare this blade to the spyderco tenacious to make a point. These blades are made out of the same steel, but the tenacious was double the price. This blade, from amazon without any sharpening, can shave arm hair (with a bit of force, but nothing too crazy) and easily slice through paper when doing the 'paper test'. It cuts through the same materials listed above with noticeably more ease. But again, it was double the price for the same steel. You can either sharpen this blade yourself, or take it to someone who sharpens blades on the cheap and these knives would be mostly equal in terms of the edge. But would you really spend 5-10 bucks to have someone sharpen a $20ish blade? In short: For the price it's great. Can't complain. It's sharp enough so that it isn't a problem, and the build quality exceeds what I would expect with a knife of this price. But if you have cash to burn and want something that comes really sharp from the factory then look at more expensive knives, and maybe other brands. Just remember, you get what you pay for. I fully expect this knife to have a short life because of it's price, especially if I use it while camping. But if it does break, hey, it was only $20ish bucks.

I got this because I recently "misplaced" another kershaw that I had been using daily as an EDC. The brawler is a great little knife, and it's not even that little when compared to other knives. I have a Kershaw Cryo as well as a Clash, and the Brawler fits comfortably between the two, and I would almost go as far to say I like it better than both of those two knives, even though the clash has a much larger blade (in terms of belly size. it's slightly longer and a pinch wider). The brawler's stippled handles are comfortable, and the sharp angled shape of the knife actually fits quite nicely in your hand. There are nice layers of "chimping" (not sure on the actual technical term) where the back of the blade meets the handle, as well as at the back end of the handle, if you were carrying the knife in a defensive manner. I've always found the black coating on the kershaw blades makes them last longer and protects them much better from rusting over time than the standard silver/unfinished blades. That being said this knife has taken a beating. I use it as a "EDC" knife, but ideally it's my go to cutting tool for boxes, shrink wrapping, cardboard, paper, packaging, tape, label removal, etc. The slight angle at the end of the blade is PERFECT for when you have to cut open a long box or shrink wrapped pallet because it applies more pressure to the material to be cut than the Cryo or Clash which have more pronounced points at the end of the blade. The Brawler size-wise is pretty much on par with the clash, however the clash is a slightly bulkier knife even when closed. The Cryo is definitely the thinnest of the three, but the brawler's plastic handles are far more comfortable over extended periods of use. Only real downside is the thumb studs (on the blade) are almost useless as a lefty, and I wish the thumb stud to actually release the blade from the closed position is a little smaller than I'd like. Locks in place really nicely and there is no wiggle in the blade at all, not that I would suggest prying with it. If you're looking for a nice everyday medium duty knife that you can beat the heck out of, for under $30 you can't really go wrong with the Brawler. If you've got meaty hands you may prefer the bulkier Clash, but I find the Brawler is nearly perfect for my uses.

Good edc knife at a price point that I’m willing to abuse or lose this piece. Great for traveling situations where I might lose it. Overall design is great. It doesn’t look comfortable but it really is, and the mechanism is good.

I have purchased several Brawlers over the years, and I can't say enough good things about them. It's my work edc (carpenter), and I beat the hell out of it. It never complains, never fails. Super easy one-handed open and close. Takes a durable, sharp edge without difficulty. Eventually, I wear them out, but they definitely put in the hard miles and don't give up without a fight. I stockpile them when they're on sale, just in case they ever go out of production. Really tough, but comfortable to use little knife. Absolute must have for the quality, durability, and price.

I've purchased three of these over the last 5 years. I only carry one, but I tent to lose them. I'm left-handed so I have it oriented with the clip for a left pocket. As a result, two of them I've lost from a seat belt grabbing them as I get out of the truck. So, one of my favorite aspects is that they are inexpensive. The mechanism to open and close is very smooth. When new, they can be a little tight but the loosen up over time. It snaps open with just an index finger motion and closing is equally easy. Left-handed, it's really easy to close one-handed as the thumb is positioned perfectly to move the locking tab. There are a few minor nuisances: I've had one where one of the two screws holding the clip would no longer stay tight and the blade does lose its edge easily, but these aren't enough to discourage me from buying them. Sharpening is easy enough and only the one knife had an issue with the screw. If you want an inexpensive but very useful clip-it, this is a great one.

Solid knife , very sharp , exceeds expectations .