I just picked this up on an “open box” deal from Blue Creek Knives for $37 after tax & shipping. Couldn’t pass on that deal! I love the fidget factor of crossbar locks. My current crossbars are: gen 1 Hogue Deka, Bear OPS Rancor IV (3.25” tanto), and gen 2 S35VN SOG Terminus XR (non-LTE)
Nice set! I haven’t tried the SOG yet. The crossbar on this is a bit small on surface area on the stepping, so it can be hard to fidget with constantly. It’s a great form factor and ergonomics. How’s that Bear OPS?
It was able to take hair off with a little pull. The secondary bevel wasn’t the most even I’ve seen, but the apex was good with what felt like a 400 grit finish
Many Kershaw models are silly, pocket knives for teenagers are what they seem like, but not the Covalent, this is a knife for those who know knives, knife people. I bought mine, and it's worth every penny.
I like mine too. The clip and the smaller studs on the crossbar are my biggest complaints. The rest of the knife is so good, my biggest complaint is my shorts bunching up in the fold-over part of the clip. Only an issue with very light fabric though!
I guess Kershaw wasn't paying attention when SOG started making those wrap over pocket clips. By leaving that gap at the top, your jean pocket hem works it way over the top of the knife and when you go to pull the knife out, you have to deal with the clip hanging on the hem. Maybe not much of a problem with thinner pants, but with jeans and thick seamed pants, its a real issue. I'm not against wrap over clips, just ones that have a big gap at the top
Thinner shorts and hiking pants haven’t given me an issue, but I haven’t worn this with jeans yet (still 82-90 where I live) so I couldn’t speak to that. Thanks for sharing!👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
After wearing with some thicker pants, I can confirm the wraparound issue mentioned. Walking with it in pocket very much makes it difficult to easily get out of pocket.
Yes, omega springs. Great action, could use some bigger finger studs on the crossbar however. My biggest complaint is the difficulty of lots of usage. It rains on the fidgety parade a bit. Thanks for watching! 👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
Heist is washers not ball bearing so actions not gonna b as fidgety or smooth. But maybe washers are more dirt resistant or hard working version? I like look of heist. Wish it was aluminum(blue) w bearings
The washers definitely keep grit out of the mechanism, but you can effectively rinse out bearings. The Heist is a good knife with great blade retention and a knack for hard-use cases. Definitely not as fidgety, but still a good knife. I recommend if you’re on the fence about it. The Covalent is just great. Better than the sum of its parts. A great “Standard” in knife design, but the way the Dura-lock works is different than any other crossbar lock I’ve tried, and the fact you can open it via the lock without any wrist flick is pretty cool. It’s definitely my choice of the two, but that doesn’t mean the Heist is a bad knife.
Fishing? No. It’s D2 and not very inhibitory to corrosion. Good fishing knife? Try QuietCarry, they have an assortment of corrosion resistant knives and configurations that lean towards aquatic uses
Anything with Vanax, LC200N, or H2 is completely rust proof. I’d avoid H2, as it’s very soft. Spyderco has enough confidence in MagnaCut for it to replace LC200N in their salt series, so there’s that
@@KeithKacanek yes! Thank you! Spyderco has a complete line of corrosion resistant knives that I neglected to mention. I appreciate the call-out. Affordable, at least compared to most!
@@adoseofdrew No problem! I haven’t had a good enough excuse to purchase one yet, but it’s always gnawing at my collector-part of the brain. I thought I’d be good with my 20CV Hogue Deka, but it has surface rust! Very surprised as I’m not in a salty environment (except my sweat)
@@KeithKacanek the Magnacut version is worth it. I’m considering buying another one just to have another version of the Deka. Haven’t had to strop or resharpen it since the first time. I’m convinced we’re in the golden age of pocket knives. That sucks about the rust! Any pitting or damage other than surface rust?
@@adoseofdrew 😂 it's quite addictive though. I got the knife for 1/3 of the real price. It's a great fidgety knife. The blade look too good to be clone. I've fixed the centering issue. I disassembled it, and bent both frames a tiny bit. Believe it or not, that actually fixed it. Now I'm wondering if the real Covelant has such weak frames as well or not? Could you please try to bend yours just for comparison? 😂
@@koningklootzak7788 😂 not gonna try that. But I have pulled it apart. Never a centering issue. Saying it looked too good to be a clone is a bit incomplete. Many Chinese OEMs take the knives that didn’t pass quality checks and sell them domestically, which those Chinese online retailers are. It’s a branded knife that was rejected by Kershaw (or other brands) and is sold domestically because it’s not illegal and the Chinese companies can make a few extra bucks. The return policies are usually crap and you literally have no recourse if the foreign company screws you. IMHO, it’s just not worth the few bucks you save for the gamble on quality.
Actual grip is a finger behind the flipper. not on the flipper. what are all these reviews with guys choking up on the blade with fingers on the blade?
It’s an overhand grip. Used by fencers, and often by people who’ve swung a hammer. The finger on the flipper gives some torsional control, though it is biased in the push direction. You may not be aware of this, but there is more than one way to grip a knife.
@@adoseofdrew my problem with kershaw is that it's hard to choke up. They make knives where the natural position is choked far back. I'm liking my kershaw heist but the choke position is...... MEHHHHHHHH
I normally like knives that facilitate the grip more too, but I’m not averse to ones that just kind of give acknowledgment of the grip types. The new Fox Chilin is one that keeps ending up in my hand just because of the sheer versatility in grip options and raw utility.
@@dougbotimer8005 but of course! This particular phraseology is not just mine! Please use and distribute as needed. It’s a great pre-Occam sieve 😎👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
Love my Kershaw Covalent it's super addicting to fidget with it haha!
I just got one today, I can hardly put it down 😆
Thanks for a very thorough review of an excellent knife.
Thanks! I really like the way Kershaw took this one. Different than any other crossbar lock I’ve tried. 👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
I just picked this up on an “open box” deal from Blue Creek Knives for $37 after tax & shipping. Couldn’t pass on that deal! I love the fidget factor of crossbar locks. My current crossbars are: gen 1 Hogue Deka, Bear OPS Rancor IV (3.25” tanto), and gen 2 S35VN SOG Terminus XR (non-LTE)
Nice set! I haven’t tried the SOG yet. The crossbar on this is a bit small on surface area on the stepping, so it can be hard to fidget with constantly. It’s a great form factor and ergonomics.
How’s that Bear OPS?
Great video and thumbs up. Question, how sharp was the knife out the box, was it shaving sharp? Thank you.
It was able to take hair off with a little pull. The secondary bevel wasn’t the most even I’ve seen, but the apex was good with what felt like a 400 grit finish
I like this model.itd rated value at 77percent overall.
Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
Many Kershaw models are silly, pocket knives for teenagers are what they seem like, but not the Covalent, this is a knife for those who know knives, knife people.
I bought mine, and it's worth every penny.
I like mine too. The clip and the smaller studs on the crossbar are my biggest complaints. The rest of the knife is so good, my biggest complaint is my shorts bunching up in the fold-over part of the clip. Only an issue with very light fabric though!
I guess Kershaw wasn't paying attention when SOG started making those wrap over pocket clips. By leaving that gap at the top, your jean pocket hem works it way over the top of the knife and when you go to pull the knife out, you have to deal with the clip hanging on the hem. Maybe not much of a problem with thinner pants, but with jeans and thick seamed pants, its a real issue.
I'm not against wrap over clips, just ones that have a big gap at the top
Thinner shorts and hiking pants haven’t given me an issue, but I haven’t worn this with jeans yet (still 82-90 where I live) so I couldn’t speak to that. Thanks for sharing!👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
After wearing with some thicker pants, I can confirm the wraparound issue mentioned. Walking with it in pocket very much makes it difficult to easily get out of pocket.
I might get one soon.
I highly recommend this one. It takes an edge well too!
Thank you for sharing. Question: does this use any kind of springs (i.e. omega springs) on the opening mechanism?
Yes, omega springs. Great action, could use some bigger finger studs on the crossbar however. My biggest complaint is the difficulty of lots of usage. It rains on the fidgety parade a bit.
Thanks for watching! 👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
Heist is washers not ball bearing so actions not gonna b as fidgety or smooth. But maybe washers are more dirt resistant or hard working version? I like look of heist. Wish it was aluminum(blue) w bearings
The washers definitely keep grit out of the mechanism, but you can effectively rinse out bearings. The Heist is a good knife with great blade retention and a knack for hard-use cases. Definitely not as fidgety, but still a good knife. I recommend if you’re on the fence about it.
The Covalent is just great. Better than the sum of its parts. A great “Standard” in knife design, but the way the Dura-lock works is different than any other crossbar lock I’ve tried, and the fact you can open it via the lock without any wrist flick is pretty cool. It’s definitely my choice of the two, but that doesn’t mean the Heist is a bad knife.
Kershaw moving forward in knive degins..
The crossbar studs could be a bit more prominent to make the hold better. The Iridium is definitely better in that respect.
👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
I’m out for a fishing knife. Durable and strong, don’t want to clean it every month. Is this a good choice? Or what would you recommend?
Fishing? No. It’s D2 and not very inhibitory to corrosion. Good fishing knife? Try QuietCarry, they have an assortment of corrosion resistant knives and configurations that lean towards aquatic uses
Anything with Vanax, LC200N, or H2 is completely rust proof. I’d avoid H2, as it’s very soft. Spyderco has enough confidence in MagnaCut for it to replace LC200N in their salt series, so there’s that
@@KeithKacanek yes! Thank you! Spyderco has a complete line of corrosion resistant knives that I neglected to mention. I appreciate the call-out.
Affordable, at least compared to most!
@@adoseofdrew No problem! I haven’t had a good enough excuse to purchase one yet, but it’s always gnawing at my collector-part of the brain. I thought I’d be good with my 20CV Hogue Deka, but it has surface rust! Very surprised as I’m not in a salty environment (except my sweat)
@@KeithKacanek the Magnacut version is worth it. I’m considering buying another one just to have another version of the Deka. Haven’t had to strop or resharpen it since the first time. I’m convinced we’re in the golden age of pocket knives. That sucks about the rust! Any pitting or damage other than surface rust?
A real beauty
So far the best of the Dura-lock knives I’ve tried
I got this new for 18 euro😎
Great deal!!
@@adoseofdrewAliExpress! The blade don't want to stay centered no matter what I try. Also came with one screw missing, under the clip.
I would suggest not using AliExpress ever.
@@adoseofdrew 😂 it's quite addictive though. I got the knife for 1/3 of the real price. It's a great fidgety knife. The blade look too good to be clone.
I've fixed the centering issue. I disassembled it, and bent both frames a tiny bit. Believe it or not, that actually fixed it. Now I'm wondering if the real Covelant has such weak frames as well or not? Could you please try to bend yours just for comparison? 😂
@@koningklootzak7788 😂 not gonna try that. But I have pulled it apart. Never a centering issue. Saying it looked too good to be a clone is a bit incomplete. Many Chinese OEMs take the knives that didn’t pass quality checks and sell them domestically, which those Chinese online retailers are. It’s a branded knife that was rejected by Kershaw (or other brands) and is sold domestically because it’s not illegal and the Chinese companies can make a few extra bucks. The return policies are usually crap and you literally have no recourse if the foreign company screws you.
IMHO, it’s just not worth the few bucks you save for the gamble on quality.
Actual grip is a finger behind the flipper. not on the flipper. what are all these reviews with guys choking up on the blade with fingers on the blade?
to be fair, good review though, informative.
It’s an overhand grip. Used by fencers, and often by people who’ve swung a hammer. The finger on the flipper gives some torsional control, though it is biased in the push direction.
You may not be aware of this, but there is more than one way to grip a knife.
@@adoseofdrew my problem with kershaw is that it's hard to choke up. They make knives where the natural position is choked far back.
I'm liking my kershaw heist but the choke position is...... MEHHHHHHHH
I normally like knives that facilitate the grip more too, but I’m not averse to ones that just kind of give acknowledgment of the grip types. The new Fox Chilin is one that keeps ending up in my hand just because of the sheer versatility in grip options and raw utility.
@@adoseofdrew para 2 is still a king folder for me... the shape and beauty...well not really it's a 5/10 but the ergo is a 10/10
Don't waste your money boys
Is there a specific reason, or do you just like jumping in and asserting yourself without substantive information?
@@adoseofdrewWell put, may I quote you when responding to similar inane comments?
@@dougbotimer8005 but of course! This particular phraseology is not just mine! Please use and distribute as needed. It’s a great pre-Occam sieve 😎👍🏼🙏🏼🖖🏻
Explain how this is waste of money?