Kershaw ET External Toggle

Reviewed 12/02/2011 by Nick Ortiz

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

ever since i first laid eyes upon this knife i was in love. i got this knife and had a blast with it for the first 6 months. there are a ton of ways to open this knife and it each one is innovative. i have never seen such a funky knife. the blade was nice and sharp. unfortunately after a few months i noticed a small problem. when closing the knife, the blade would hit the spring inside the handle. that resulted in a nice chip out of the blade. i tried sharpening out the chip but it always came back. i called Kai USA and they told me the knife was being discontinued and i could send it back and pick out another knife of the same value. i was a little sad that i couldn't just have it fixed. this is a great great collector, but it seems the knife was hastily released without having all the minor bugs worked out.

Reviewed 04/14/2010 by Droppoint1110

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Every once in a while, a knife comes out that really catches the eye. The Kershaw E.T. is just such a knife. I will start off the review by saying that this is definately an unconventional design in all respects. It is based entirely upon Grant and Gavin Hawk's E.T. design. If you are planning on buying this as an EDC or deffensive blade, try to find it in-store and handle it first. The toggle system for deploying and closing the blade does and will take some getting used to. On to the review!

The E.T. utilizes Sandvik 13C26 blade steel and T6 aluminum handles. The blade steel has very good edge retention and isn't a pain to sharpen. The Blade shape is a modified drop point. It has decent belly for slashing and a fairly acute point making it a great piercer. The hollow ground blade makes the edge very acute as well, allowing for a very sharp edge. Out of the box, the knife does have a very minimal amount of side-to-side blade play. This is partially due to the design of the knife and also due to a possible need to adjust the pivot screw. The pocket clip is fixed in right hand, tip-up carry and cannot be removed. However, the knife rides completely within the pocket. The caribeaner clip along the top of the blade nearest the handle is useful for backpacking but not really much else. The jimping on the spine of the blade as well as the finger choil at the front of the handle could be made sharper but it still provides an adequate amount of purchase while in use. The finish on the handle is very well done and doesn't get damaged easily. Depending on the model you choose, the knife may either be satin finish or have a Tungsten D.L.C. coating on the blade. The D.L.C. or "Diamond-Like Coating" does a great job at resisting wear. The finish is also a true matte color. it has no gloss to it at all. Ergonomically, the E.T. feels excellent in hand, both in the standard or saber grip and is particularly comfortable in the reverse grip making it suitable for use as a tactical folder. The most notable feature of the knife is the toggle mechanism. Kershaw includes an instructional DVD with the knife to help get you started.Learning to use the knife is very easy and can be mastered after about a day or so of using the knife. All in all, the unique toggle system coupled with its practical blade design and excellent quality make the E.T. an excellent choice for E.D.C., tactical uses, or just as a very unique collector's piece.