Today’s review will focus on the Kershaw Cryo Hinderer assisted opening 1555BW pocket knife.  I would classify this knife as a small to medium assisted opening tactical knife whose primary purpose is obviously an EDC.  This knife is collaboration effort between Kershaw and Rick Hinderer and is very reasonably priced.   Generally this knife is available for around $30 making it a good entry level knife, and will not bust your budget should you purchase one.   I paid $31.90 for mine on Ebay.   The “BW” indicates the knife has the new black acid wash finish that gives the knife a black “broken in” look, and aids in corrosion protection.  The basic Kershaw 1555 knife comes in the following varieties:

1. 1555BW – black acid wash finish, drop point blade
2. 1555TI - matte grey titanium carbo-nitride coating on both blade and handle
3. 1555TBW – same at #1 except tanto blade

Figure 1 – Deployed 1555, Knife Front

Statistics of my Kershaw 1555BW

Blade Steel: 8Cr13MoV Stainless Steel

Hardness: 58-59 Rc

Closed length: 3 7/8 in (9.84 cm)

Open length: 6 9/16 in (16.7 cm)

Blade length: 2 3/4 in (6.99 cm)

Measured weight: 4.3 oz (122 g)

Handle material: 410 stainless steel

Spacer material: Stainless steel

Thumb Studs: Dual thumb stud for R or L

I purchased this knife because I wanted to try a smaller EDC than I usually carry.   I also wanted to experience a knife with black acid wash finish, see what is was like, find out how well it wears and how long it holds its appearance, how tough it is, etc.  Occasionally I buy a knife for unusual reasons, but for $30, you can buy a knife for observational reasons.  It is my experience that you can read about something like “black acid wash”, but nothing beats actually getting it in your hands and experiencing it. 

To be honest, I didn’t think I would get much of a knife for $30, however I was wrong.  I am really impressed with this knife.  First of all, it is a Rick Hinderer designed knife made by a reputable company like Kershaw.  The Rick Hinderer style is unmistakable, and is like a “mini” ZT 0560, a very popular Rick Hinderer designed large tactical knife.  Another thing that impressed me is how solid this knife is.  If feels as strong as a tank despite its somewhat small size.  I believe the stainless steel handles and frame lock design are responsible for this solid feel.  I would judge the overall quality as very good.  It is a Chinese made knife, and I often feel uneasy about Chinese quality, but I do not believe this knife has quality issues.

Figure 2 – Knife size comparison: back is the Kershaw Leek, middle is the Kershaw-Hinderer 1555 BW, and in the foreground is the Zero Tolerance ZT 0560

The “Speedsafe” assisted opening mechanism is Kershaw’s typical design, deploys very fast, and works very well.  Once opened, I find the lock-up is extremely solid.  In no way is there any hint of looseness or wobble.  Due to their location on the blade, I find the thumb studs are difficult to use to deploy the blade.   I read another similar comment from another user.  This is not a big issue however, since the flipper works very well.  There are brass washers at the pivot that aid in the deployment and also minimize wear.  Although I have not removed the assisted opening mechanism, I read some accounts that this can be done very easily, and convert the knife to a manual open knife if the user desires this.

Figure 3 - Deployed 1555, Knife Back Side

One feature that keeps the cost low is the 8Cr13MoV stainless steel blade.  This is a good entry level steel and is really not a bad steel at all.  It contains 13% chromium, so if falls right at the borderline of a stainless steel.  From literature I have studied, the corrosion resistance, toughness, edge retention, and wear all fall in the good category; not excellent.  Probably the biggest drawback to the blade is it probably will need sharpening a little more than the higher grade steels.  Out of the package, the knife was very, very sharp which pleased me.  I personally like the hollow ground blade shape with the nice swedge at the top.  Also, the blade was/is very well centered between the handles which is pretty impressive for a $30 knife.

The knife is comfortable, but is just a little too short for me to call excellent.  Note my hands are on the large size.  I need a knife that has at least a 4 inch closed length for it to be comfortable for me.  One thing I also noticed is the handles are pretty smooth and there is not a lot there to grip your hand should it become wet.  One time while using it, my hands became sweaty, and in turn, the knife became somewhat slippery.  There is some jimping provided that helps some, but it is somewhat “rounded off” making it less effective than it could be.

The knife has the Hinderer designed lockbar stabilizer.  This is a very nice adjustable feature that prevents the lockbar from translating too far when unlocking the blade and stowing it.  The pocket clip is also a very nice design and permits the knife to seat very deeply in your pocket.  I find the stiffness is just right.  Not too stiff but not weak either.  The pocket clip can be mounted tip up, tip down, left, or right (four total positions).  I find stowing the blade is very comfortable and does not require excessive force to do so.  There is a natural “stop” when the blade is about 90 degrees relative to the knife body.  A nice large lanyard hole is provided for those who desire a lanyard.

Figure 4 – Lockbar Stabilizer

I have used the knife quite a lot for about one month.  Mostly for things around the house and garage like cutting up boxes, cutting cord/straps, opening mail, cutting up food, etc.  My experience has been very good; it cuts through these things like butter and still does not need sharpening.

I have discussed mostly positives to this knife so far however I need to mention a couple things that are not particularly positive.  For its size, the knife it is somewhat heavy.  4.3 oz. for a knife with a closed length of less than 4 inches seems high.  This is largely due to the stainless steel handles.  Still the knife is not all that heavy, and if you don’t mind a knife a little on the heavy side, then you will find this knife acceptable.  Kershaw almost always puts a safety on their assisted opening knives; however, they did not on this one.  (The safety is a feature that prevents the blade from firing open unintentionally)  After playing with the knife and using it for about a month, it seems unlikely the knife would deploy unintentionally.  So for those of you who want a safety, then this knife is not for you.

Figure5 – Stowed 1555, Knife Back Side

In summary I ask you, where can you get a Rick Hinderer designed knife that is well made, solid as a rock, made of good materials, has black acid wash finish, and has high quality for $30?  I think it is great all-purpose/EDC type of knife that will serve you well.  I say this in view of the drawbacks it has.  So if you are in the market for this type of knife, and don’t want to drain your bank account, I highly recommend you consider this knife.

Finally I will finish with Pros and Cons.

Pros:

1. Rick Hinderer design
2. Very affordable at $30
3. Very strong and solid design
4. High quality
5. Smooth operating assisted opening design, easy blade deployment
6. Black acid wash is tough, resists corrosion, and has a worn in look
7. Lockbar stabilizer
8. Great deep seating pocket clip with four position adjustment

Cons:

1. Handles are slippery when wet
2. No safety
3. Somewhat heavy for the knife size
4. Thumb studs are difficult to use to deploy the blade
5. Jimping is rounded off and not as effective as it could be.