Kershaw 3880BW Thermite Folding Knife with Blackwash SpeedSafe

First of all just a disclaimer, I expect serious hard work out of my tools, need them reliable, work both indoors and outdoors, hunt, camp, do carpentry, work on cars. This is my goto tool now. I have had one of these knives for almost 2 years. Out of the box it is sharp enough to shave with. If you take care of it and sharpen when needed and sharpen properly, this is a great product and works great. I bought this after I replaced my Gerber that I had for almost 7 years with the exact same model I had before and it broke in 6 months. The gerber felt cheaper and lighter than the one I had for the 7 years prior. This kershaw is all metal, the spring assist is smooth easy to use. It feels and works like it was built to work, work hard and be there when you need it. The belt clip is tough, holds tight and so far hasn't bent when it's gotten caught on something. Great product, I would highly recommend for anyone needing a general everyday knife for work or play and expect it to be ready to go when you need your goto tool. I now have 2 of these and plan on buying at least 2 or 3 more to have as spares, in case Kershaw ends up going cheap one day. I'm sure even 10 years from now still sitting in the box, this knife will be ready for when I need it. Hopefully Kershaw won't switch to plastic junk like my last experience, but I'm hopefully covered for at least 10 years with the 2 I have.

For the price, this is a five star knife. I was looking for a weekend/beater folder that I wouldn't have to be too careful with when doing odd jobs and when hiking/light camping, etc. This fits the bill perfectly. Very good fit and finish for the price, with outstanding good looks, nice ergonomics (esp. for larger hands like mine), a perfectly centered blade and a decent grind. The blade is a competent slicer and does quite well with things like cardboard, though this steel shouldn't be expected to hold an edge forever, and it doesn't. While a good slicer, it's an excellent carver of wood and stout enough for some prying stress, so it makes a superb campsite or worksite knife--especially since at this price you don't have to worry too much if you do something disastrous. Opening is reasonably quick, though the blade is beefy enough that it's not as quick as some other Kershaws; that's fine by me because it's still fast enough but doesn't have the "switchblade" intimidation factor that a similarly sized knife with lightning speed would have. All in all, a superb design for what it is, and I'd definitely be first in line to buy a version with upgraded steel if Kershaw ever puts one out.

I bought this knife in 2014. I wanted a 3 1/2” blade and this was one of the few available here. It was used daily. I used it to cut open feed bags, bags of wood pellets, baling twine, rope, packages, anything that needed cutting. It is solid. Has no side to side wiggle. Opens easily. Locks up solid. This knife could easily be sharpened and took a scary sharp edge. It held its edge well. One thing I liked most is the blade shape. It has a very durable tip with a shape I find useful. Not too big but big enough to use for self defense if one had such horrible luck to need it for that. For a $22 knife it is a great value. A reviewer claimed they were $40. Not sure where he bought his but they are only $22. Unfortunately I lost mine (left it in hotel room. Maid scored big time.) and came here seeking a replacement. I hope they are the same as my original. I thought I read a review that said they discontinued them. That’s disappointing. I have more expensive knives that are not as good. I also bought a Cryo II tonight so it will be interesting to compare.

This is an awesome knife. I don't know how this could have been discontinued by Kershaw. I like this a lot more than my Cryo. This knife may seem large on paper but it's thin and doesn't take up much pocket space. Sure it has a little heft but I personally like that in a knife, to me it makes it feel more solid. I have medium/large hands and the handle couldn't be more ergonomically correct. It's the perfect size and shape to fit all 4 fingers very comfortably. There's absolutely no play in the blade and the spring assist makes it whip right open with authority. It also has the thumb studs that actually work, unlike the one's on the Cryo. I can open this easily with either the flipper or the thumb studs. This will be my new EDC for the foreseeable future. The only bad thing I have to say (which is unusual for Kershaw) is that this particular knife wasn't as sharp out of the box as some others I've purchased. It only took 5 minutes on the wet stone and it was good to go. I'd highly recommend this knife, grab one of these while they're still available. It's truly a steal at around the 20 dollar mark. Just wanted to update my comparison with the Cryo. I still like this a little better but I can open the Cryo with the thumb studs now and the thing just fly's open. It just took a little practice but once you get it, it's awesome.

12/29/2017 update, I'm reducing one star from my review, I purchased a second knife to have in the drawer for a back up and they have changed the knife, the frame is using thinner metal than my original knife, this does make folding the knife easier as there is less tension on the frame lock, but it doesn't feel as sturdy or durable. I've not been able to fully prove this with a Micrometer, but the blades feels lighter as well. In general I doubt this iteration will prove to be as durable as the one I purchased over a year ago Original review-- Great knife for getting work done, I've been using this knife for several months while renovating a home, solid knife that I can pry with, open paint cans using the back of the blade, easy one hand opening while working, and with practice one hand closing. The liner lock is a bit stiff, but with practice you can close it one handed. It holds a nice edge, even with light prying use. I use a Lansky BladeMedic once a week or so just to liven it up. I just wanted to revisit this review, I've been using this knife for over a year now and it still may favorite work knife. I use this knife when I'm working, I have sharper more detail knives I carry when I'm not so in that regard I guess this is not an EDC. Your not going to be shaving with it, or skinning a deer, but when you in the dirt working you can't beet this knife. The blade is hollow ground up to a point but thickens as it gets close to the tip to a flat ground to give you great ability to pry with and not risk snapping the tip off. I've gone to honing the blade once a month or so as I find it keeps a nice enough edge for cutting as long as I'm not too abusive. I've had to use a stone to work out nics only once. The clip is strong, it will not fall out of your pocket once you have it clipped in, smaller or softer hands may have difficulty getting the clip spread to slide into your pocket or remove, but with practice it becomes easy and the texture of the grip will keep it in your hands when the work get's slimy. Again it's not a razor, but 'ts not supposed to be, it's rough, ugly and stiff, but a brute in ways that count on the job. I know eventually I'll push it to far or worse lose it, so at this price I'm getting the replacement now to put on the shelf.

After purchasing the Fatback, I decided to purchase the Thermite for EDC. I was really impressed with the Fatback. The fit and finish was awesome. The speed safe opening on the Fatback worked flawless. It opened with authority and locked the blade in positively. So, I naturally assumed that the Thermite would be the same. The Thermite I received opened very slow. In fact, I had to flick my wrist to open with the authority to lock the blade safely. This would have been okay since I could have "broken" it in. However, the blade shape was a no go. The top grind on one side of the blade was grind too low. It was misaligned with the opposite side. I think I received a "lemon". I decided to return and have Amazon replace it with a replacement unit. I am hoping the replacement is good to go without any issues.

I bought this knife maybe 1 1/2 - 2 years ago, granted then it cost around 40 bucks, but thats beside the point. This knife has far surpassed my expectations! I use it every single day and it has never failed me once! It's been used as a screw driver, a chisel, a pry bar, a hammer, a door stop, a scraper and occasionally I use it for cutting.. I'm pretty sure I've that I've even used it to mix grout before as well.. (I'm sorry to all the serious knife enthusiasts out there) It's showing age for sure, with dents and scratches everywhere. I am surprised by how well the black coloring on the blade has lasted though. The assisted open is still kicking, although slightly slower at this point, it continues to work flawlessly. The only negative issue that I've ran into is that the blade doesn't exactly hold an edge for as long as I've experienced with other knives, but that could also just be the way I use it. That being said, it is fairly easy to sharpen, there's not a whole lot of curves to worry about. All in all, this is by far the best working knife that I own! It holds no sentimental value, it was cheap and most importantly it's survived every bit of punishment that I've put it through.

This is my second Thermite. I still love it. It is a great EDC choice. It is very good at not tearing pants when clipped to pocket. The Spanto shape is a great choice for someone who like the strength of a tanto, but dont like its blade ergonomics. The Speedsafe works wells and this blade is on the slightly longer spectrum of EDC size. I did return mine, only because i wanted a thicker handle in my EDC knife, and I wanted a blade with a Flat Grind. I did use the thermite as my ADC knife when on duty as an armed Security guard. If you want a blade near 4inches and dont want to spend over $35 but want a nice premium design and finish, get it. The blackwash looks fantastic. The deep carry clip is truly deep carry.