Kershaw 1990 BRAWLER Black

Judging by the rating of this knife, I went against my better judgement and bought a Chinese Kershaw with the odd flipper on the back of the blade for opening. I've collected and used, daily, similar pocket knives for a good 15 years, from the military to labor jobs. I don't judge a knife entirely on whether it is USA made or not because when you want a good knife that at the same time you aren't afraid to use and let get beat up, you don't just want to buy some $200 USA made Benchmade or the like....well unless you have money to burn I guess. I've had excellent knives made in Taiwan and the like by CRKT for example. However I do not like much of anything about this knife. One reviewer gave it a perfect rating and yet said that it doesn't cut very well. Hmmm....what is the most basic function of a knife? If it doesn't cut worth a damn, why would you rate it well. I don't know if this knife is one more victim of the Amazon bandwagon rating system or just people that love Kershaw and will therefore give even a model that sucks a great rating or what, but it should stop. Here's what I like: 1. The blade shape. Yes, it's just a tanto, but they put a more gentle curve on it than most tantos, which I think helps to make it more versatile in its cutting applications. 2. I like the handle grip pattern and shape. I think it is a solid design. What I dislike (mostly hate): 1. Cheap. Cheap. Cheap. The second I took it out of the box I knew I was holding a piece of crap in my hand. Yes, it's a moderately priced knife....no that is not an excuse, because I've had knives of similar price that were significantly better quality. 2. I don't like the handle material. The shape and grip pattern are good. The material almost reminds me of the crappy ABS plastic on cheaper knives of the early 90's. 3. The handle shape would work better if it was larger. I love the style but this knife just feels too small in the hand and doesn't have the solid feel that it should. For such a small knife a different handle shape would be more appropriate....in particular the slant cut at the back of the handle is not good on this size knife. On a larger knife it would be wonderful and conform to the hand, but on small knives it just makes it more difficult to grip. It's like holding a damn ninja throwing star and I don't wear pajamas for a living. 4. The blade does not cut that well. Purely of my own opinion, I think that in an attempt to make this knife seem tougher and meaner they used a thicker blank than necessary for such a small knife and/or therefore too steep of a bevel to the primary edge. 5. The flipper and thumb stud. Here's where I went against my better judgement by actually taking the glowing reviews into account. I thought the thumb stud looked too close to the handle to provide proper leverage in the picture, and it is. It is extremely difficult to open this knife just using the thumbstud because you can't get the proper angle to pop 'er open quickly...it was NOT put in the proper blade location. Also, it is so close too the finger guard that you can't really lay your whole thumb into it, just the corner. I realize that the stud isn't the primary opening mechanism, but that is irrelevant....it's like putting an E-brake on a car that doesn't work and suggesting that that's OK, just because it isn't the main brake. As for the flipper, that I suppose is mostly preferential to the individual. Take it or leave it. I say leave it, I don't like it. Good idea? Yeah, yeah it is. But I can open a regular thumb-stud, assisted-opening knife faster than fumbling with this thing. I don't like trying to hold the little handle with my finger tips and not drop it while using the tip of my index finger to try and flip the flipper in the back of the blade. Here again, maybe I would feel differently if it was a bigger knife, but I sure as hell wouldn't trust not dropping it while holding onto a ladder or the like, and the thumb stud (allowing a proper grip when opening) is totally useless. 6. Blade loosening. I carried this knife around for 2 weeks before the blade started getting "wiggly". That's pathetic. So if you really want this knife, go ahead and throw a set of star wrenches in your Amazon cart too. Overall, I love Kershaw knives but I will never buy a knife with this opening mechanism again or EVER reccommend this piece of junk to anyone I know. I'm thinking of just putting it in my tacklebox since I can't bring myself to throw away a brand new knife, but on the other hand, since it doesn't cut worth a damn it will probably just cause me more aggravation when I need it for fishing too. Read the reviews and make your own call, but for the money you can do a whole lot better. I will only buy USA Kershaw knives from here on out most likely, but if you want a cheapy that is better in design than this one consider the Cryo, or paying a little more for the Leek or Blackout. The last two are some of the best daily carry work knives I've ever had.