So far in 2023, the knife world has seen a lot of moving pieces land in new places and it’s shaking up what we’ve come to expect from certain manufacturers and price points. This has caused a major blurring of lines in terms of the classifications of production knives.
The biggest and most obvious example has been the crossbar lock mechanism, which, up until last year, was only known as the “Axis Lock” and was proprietary to Benchmade. Whether the patent ran out or Benchmade decided to share its technology with other brands, the adoption of this lock mechanism has spread like wildfire, and for good reason: It’s one of the strongest and most reliable lock mechanisms on the planet.
Kershaw calls its take on the crossbar lock the “DuraLock” and baked it into four new knives: Monitor, Covalent, Heist, and Iridium. Having the pick of the litter, I chose the most expensive of the bunch, the Iridium, and it’s been nothing but good, clean fun for under $100.
The Subtitle is “A great flipping knife for under $100”. From what I am reading, this is accurate. Super weird seeing an “axis” lock on a Kershaw. Or is it just me?
Read the whole thing: