Common Knife Glossary Terms

Steels

SANDVIK 14C28N
Developed in a partnership between Kershaw and Sandvik Steel. Kershaw worked with Sandvik Steel, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of stainless steel and special alloys, to produce this high-performance steel. Increased nitrogen in the formula enables 14C28N to provide both excellent corrosion resistance and the ability to be hardened to 58-60 rockwell

D2
This “semi-stainless” tool steel is known for excellent wear resistance and good toughness. (Brous Blades, HK)

420
Very stain resistant and tough, 420 is a somewhat “softer” steel. Often used in handle liners as well as blades.

420J
Highly stain and wear resistant, but more ductile, this steel is excellent for use where “flex” is desirable, for example, fi sh fi llet knives.

S30V
This all-around premium knife steel takes and holds an edge extremely well and is also extremely tough and
wear resistant.

65 Mn
A tough, durable carbon steel that is designed for hard-use applications such as Kershaw’s Camp Series machetes.
3Cr13 A value-priced high-chromium stainless steel

Damascus

Steel produced by forge welding layers of or strands of steel to create one homogenous piece. Non ferrous metal are sometimes included in the process. After final shaping, Damascus is etched to highlight the pattern of the steel.

Terms

ABILITY TO TAKE AN EDGE
Some steels take a sharper edge than others. Fine-grained steels take an edge more easily than coarse-grained ones.

ABS INLAY
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a common thermoplastic. It combines strength and rigidity with the toughness of rubber. Inlaid in steel handles, it also offers non-slip grip characteristics.

ALLOY
A mixture of two or more metals in solution; the atoms of one replace or occupy spaces between the atoms of the other, so the materials are inextricably joined

BLACK OXIDE
A blade coating in which a chemical bath converts the surface of the steel to magnetite. Kershaw uses this coating on some blades and pocket clips, mainly for appearance, though it does add some corrosion resistance

CARBON FIBER
A strong, lightweight weave of bonded carbon atoms. Kershaw occasionally uses it in handle scales; a premium material.

CHOIL
The start of the cutting edge. A small scallop or cutout between the cutting edge and ricasso. The choil is unsharpened and can be decoratively shaped.

CLIP-POINT BLADE
A blade shape in which the blade is clipped off at a straight or slightly curved concave angle to the point. Provides a thin, aggressive point, yet sheaths easily.

CNC (COMPUTER NUMERICAL
CONTROLLED MACHINING)
Adds dimension to a knife blade or handle and enhances performance. CNC machines can be programmed to execute a precise
series of machining operations that can result in the production of some of the complex components of a knife. Kershaw was one of the pioneers in mainstreaming the production of 3D-machined knives. We chose to use CNC machines because they give us the fl exibility to create the complex part geometries that some of our knife designs require. CNC also gives us the ability to create just a few pieces for limited-run products or thousands of pieces for knives we produce in higher quantities.

CO-POLYMER
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units and can be either synthetic or natural. A co-polymer is a compound of two or more different molecules, chosen for specific characteristics. The co-polymers used for knife handles generally have a slightly rubbery texture to improve grip security.

CORROSION RESISTANCE
The ability of steel to resist deterioration through reaction with elements in its surrounding environment.

DETENT

A small divot or dimple machined in the tang of a folding knife blade that allows a ball bearing to drop in when the knife is in the closed position to remain closed. Detent is good when a flipper blade opens easily.

DLC COATING
Diamond-Like Carbon coating; a coating that displays properties similar to those of natural diamond, including hardness, wear resistance, and reduced friction. Kershaw uses it to enhance the performance of knife blades and produce an attractive finish.

DROP FORGING
A process by which a knife blade is made by forcing hot steel into a metal die.

DROP-POINT BLADE
A very common blade style providing a strong, convenient point and easy sheathing; very common in hunting blades and work knives

EDC

Acronym term referring to "everyday carry" meaning a knife is good for everyday use.

EDGE RETENTION
The ability of a steel to resist abrasion and wear, so the edge stays sharper longer.

ERGONOMICS
The design science of making products comfortable and efficient for human use.

FLIPPER
Small integral tab near the tang of a folder thatenables you to open a knife with your index finger. Apply pressure to theflipper and the knife opens quickly and easily.Flippers may be found on both manual and SpeedSafe® knives

FULL-TANG KNIFE
A knife which is built of one solid piece of blade steel from tip to butt; scales are usually attached to form the hand

GLASS-FILLED NYLON
Nylon synthetic polymer is reinforced with glass threads for increased strength, stiff ness, and dimensional stability combined with
excellent wear resistance.

HARDENABILITY
The ability of steel to be hardened by heat treatment.

HARDNESS
Like strength, hardness is a measure of resistance to deformation.

HEAT TREATMENT
A controlled heating and cooling process designed to improve the physical properties and characteristics of the steel. Tempering, annealing, and quenching are all forms of heat treatment.

IMPACT RESISTANCE
The ability of a material to resist cracking or breaking due to sudden impact

INCLUSIONS
Non-metallic particles that can either form naturally during the steel-making process or can accidentally get into steel. These inclusions can affect the steel’s quality; the fewer the inclusions, the cleaner and higher
quality the steel.

INSET LINER LOCK
To build an inset liner lock, Kershaw insets a strip of steel inside a knife’s handle, usually when the handle is G-10 or glass-filled nylon. Insetting the lock in this way enables us to create a slimmer knife, while still providing the strength and security of a locking liner.

JIMPING
Notches on the spine of a knife blade, or other places on a knife, designed to help prevent your hand from slipping during use.

K-TEXTURE™
An exclusive, rubberized texture and pattern used on the handle of certain Kershaw knives. K-Texture™ that provides an extremely
secure grip.

LANYARD HOLE
A hole in the butt end of the knife to enable to user to attach a cord or lanyard.

LEFT/RIGHT-HAND CARRY POCKETCLIP

The knife handles on some models are drilled for both left and right hand clip carry allowing the clip to be mounted on either side of the handle and thus ideal for both left- and right handed knife users

LOCK BACK
A pivoted latch connected to a spring and positioned on the back of a knife handle. It locks the blade open. To close the knife, depress the latch to release the blade.

LOCKING LINER
On a folding knife, the liners are the flat plates that support the handle sides, bolsters, spine, and blade pivot. In a locking liner, as the blade is opened, one of the liners moves behind the blade to hold it in the open position. This prevents the knife from accidentally closing. To close the knife, the locking liner must be pushed to the side and the blade folded back
into the handle.

MICARTA®

An industrial laminate composed of layers of fiber embedded in a resin and subjected to heat and high-pressure to make the material extremely hard and dense; has industrial and decorative applications.

PMMA PLASTIC
Polymethyl methacrylate is strong and lightweight material, familiar to most people as acrylic glass. It has good impact strength and is

SCALES
The pieces of material that are fitted to the tang of a full-tang knife or to the liners of a folding knife. There are a wide variety of handle materials available from natural, such as wood and bone, to manmade, such as G-10.

SHEEPSFOOT/WHARNCLIFFE BLADE
A blade with a fairly straight cutting edge with the spine rounded down to meet the point. It is a very strong design for bearing down on a cutting chore.

SKELETONIZED LINERS

Internal steel liners that have been drilled full of holes (skeletonizing) to lighten the handle yet remain very strong

SPEARPOINT BLADE
A blade that is sharpened on both top and bottom and generally found in weapons. SPEEDSAFE® Kershaw’s patented manual assisted-opening system; the user starts the blade out of the handle, then the SpeedSafe®. torsion bar takes over to fully open the knife.

STAIN RESISTANCE
The “stainless” in stainless steel; this is its ability to withstand rust.

STRENGTH
The ability to take a load without permanently deforming. When it comes to steel, strength is directly related to hardness. The harder the steel, the stronger it is.

SUB-FRAME LOCK
Kershaw uses the Sub-Frame Lock to create an extremely sturdy locking frame in our lightweight anodized aluminum or G-10 handles. This enables us to make a larger knife that is still light enough to carry every An epoxy-filled woven glass fiber; it is extremely stable, unaffected by temperature changes, and can be decoratively tinted, ground, and polished. G-10 makes excellent handles and handle scales for knives.

Tang

The part of the blade that connects to the handle. Also serves as the foundation of the handle.

TANTO/MODIFIED TANTO BLADE
A blade with two edges: the bottom cutting edge and a shorter edge angled from the point. Good for punching and multi-purpose
use. Knife makers modify the tanto blade in numerous ways for both style and function.

TEMPERING
The slow, steady heating of steel, followed by a slow cooling phase; this heating and cooling helps relieve stress in the steel to strengthen it.

TENSILE STRENGTH
The ability of steel to resist breakage by stretching.

TIP-UP/TIP-DOWN CARRY
This refers to the position in which a folding pocketknife is carried when clipped to the pocket: with the closed tip pointing up or
down. Many Kershaw knives offer the ability to reverse the clip for either method of carry.

TITANIUM
A lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal with high tensile strength. Often used as handle materials, for liners, or as a blade coating, where it enhances performance.

TITANIUM CARBO-NITRIDE
Produces an attractive black or grey blade coating that increases the blade’s hardness, helps maintain the edge, and increased the lifetime of the blade.

TITANIUM OXIDE
When oxygen is introduced into the PVD process, the result is Kershaw’s spectacular “rainbow” finishes. The Rainbow Chive,
Scallion, and Leek all feature this amazing multicolored finish. And like our other PVD coatings, it won’t scratch off.

TOUGHNESS
The ability of the steel to withstand shock loading without damage; the opposite of brittleness. In a blade, higher toughness means less chipping or cracking. Toughness can be lost in very hard steel, although heat treatment can be used to improve toughness
in a hard steel.

TRAC-TEC (grip tape)
A rough-surfaced insert that provides additional friction for a non-slip grip

WEAR RESISTANCE
The ability of the steel to withstand abrasion (Info taken from KAIUSA, Spyderco)