Looking for a quality EDC or duty knife? Read through my Kershaw DuoJet review and you may find the next knife you need.
While it is not perfect for all uses, it proved to be a quality “daily driver” kind of knife that did not bust the bank when I purchased it.
The Kershaw DuoJet is just one of 16 new knives Kershaw has brought to the market in 2018. This is a remarkable and powerful statement about Kershaw’s dedication to remaining competitive in a knife market that has really exploded in engineering and aesthetic features over the last 20 years.
So, let’s skip the small talk and jump right into my review.
Kershaw Duojet offers titanium gray carbo-nitride finish and carbon fiber inserts.
Kershaw DuoJet
The Kershaw Duojet is a high-quality folding knife, offering users several functional and aesthetic features at a price well within reach of any buyer. The Duojet delivers an 8Cr13MoV Chrome-Moly stainless steel blade in a razor edge configuration. This blend of Chrome-Moly has been viewed by steel and knife making experts as a quality mid-range steel that compares or may even be slightly better than AUS-8 steel. The Duojet blade is 3.25 inches long, which delivers the potential to solve most jobs and remains legal in almost every jurisdiction.
The Chrome-Moly stainless steel blend comes from China, and naturally brings a lot of suspicion about quality. However, it appears the steel and knife makers have reviewed this combination and found it allows the blade to be strong and durable with a sharp edge while being soft enough that any sharpening can be done relatively easily. The stainless steel Duojet blade is coated in a gray, titanium carbo-nitride coating providing the blade a significant corrosion resistance.
The SpeedSafe assisted-opening is very smooth with an assured opening.
Features
- 8Cr13MoV Stainless steel blade with razor edge
- Stainless steel frame
- Titanium gray carbo-nitride finish on blade and frame
- Robust flipper with mild serrations
- SpeedSafe assisted-opening action
- Single-position, blade-down pocket clip
- Carbon fiber inserts
- Lanyard hole.
Kershaw’s DuoJet blade is opened by the use of a flipper style action. Though not new by any means, the Duojet’s flipper is slightly larger than many competitors and offers a gently textured top end for positive traction from the user’s finger during opening.
As the user manipulates the flipper action, the Kershaw SpeedSafe assisted-opening action takes over to complete the opening process and blade locking. When the blade swings to the open position with the SpeedSafe assistance, the opening is fast and sure with a confident locking snap.
The DuoJet uses a flipper design that is supplemented by the SpeedSafe assisted opening.
The action is very smooth and completes the opening process with minimal effort with an assured locking. The Kershaw DuoJet lock is a fairly common sliding frame lock. The lock is solid and offers the user confident use under any conditions.
In addition, the frame (liner) lock places a mild texture only on the inside edge where the user’s finger will come into contact for unlocking. This provides the necessary texture for assured unlocking while protecting the user’s clothing from any unnecessary snagging or rough wear.
The lower edge of the liner lock is machined to reduce unnecessary weight while maintaining structural strength.
DuoJet Specifications
- Open Length: 7.75 inches
- Blade Length: 3.25 inches
- Closed Length: 4.5 inches
- Weight: 4.8 ounces
- Action: Flipper with SpeedSafe assisted-opening
- MSRP: $51.96.
A pronounced flipper and capable liner lock are two features of the DuoJet.
Housing the Chrome-Moly blade is a very nice stainless steel handle coated in an attractive titanium carbo-nitride coating. This means the Duojet is protected all around from the elements and other foreign corrosive materials. The steel handle has very nice carbon-fiber inserts that help reduce overall weight while providing a unique and attractive appearance.
Kershaw gives the DuoJet frame a very nice contour matching the natural curves of the human hand, providing a very comfortable and controllable grip. There is one obvious finger groove for the user’s forefinger at the front of the handle, and very gentle (almost unnoticeable) finger grooves moving back towards the rear of the grip. Those curves leave a wide area for the two middle fingers, and a very slight landing groove for the user’s pinky finger.
There is single position pocket clip offering user’s a blade-down carry method. This may be a sticking point for some users who prefer more options in the way they carry their knives. However, the pocket clip is placed at the upper edge of the frame providing a deep pocket carry with outstanding concealing for users who need discretion. The DuoJet titanium gray finish of the blade and frame are accented nicely by the black pocket clip, carbon-fiber inserts, and mounting hardware.
The gray titanium color is subtle and attractive, highlighted by the black pocket clip and hardware.
Final Thoughts
During our review we found the Kershaw Duojet to be a fine EDC knife with some really nice features. The curvature of the handle fit great in my hands and made the DuoJet feel very natural when held. The gray titanium finish is very attractive, and the black carbon fiber inserts and hardware make a very nice contrast.
The SpeedSafe assisted-opening action is not only stout and fast but very smooth as well. The enlarged flipper never caused a moment’s concern during use or carry, but greatly assisted the opening sequence.
I found the carbo-nitride finish has protected our DuoJet from water and rust, and the blade came out of the box impressively sharp. As needed the blade can be sharpened relatively easily with a nice edge.
During our use we did not perform anything too heavy, but the cutting, slicing and stabbing jobs we used the DuoJet for were performed with ease and very satisfactory performance. The Kershaw DuoJet would make a fine EDC for on-duty, or routine daily use, and will provide the user a quality and confident knife for small and medium-sized jobs.
BlueSheepdog recommends the DuoJet as a viable EDC knife for a variety of on-duty or other daily jobs. I think it compares very favorably to the Kershaw Faultline knife. You may also want to check out my other knife reviews.
The Kershaw Duojet is nicely sized for an EDC pocket knife.
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