Kershaw Cinder Pocket Knife, Small Lightweight Keychain Knife

I wanted to put together a very small kit with some emergency essentials for hiking. I wanted a knife, magnesium fire starter, compass, some cordage, and a few other odds and ends to keep in a pocket in case of an emergency in the wild. I really wasn't planning on buying another knife for this-- I was planning on using a Swiss Army knife that I've had forever-- but the Cinder caught my eye. For $10 it was worth the gamble so I bought it and began evaluating it. It was fairly sharp out of the package but I spent a few minutes honing it and got it to where it will shave arm hairs. No, an emergency knife doesn't have to be this sharp, but it doesn't hurt and it's nice to have a sharp edge to cut paracord, etc. The short, slightly curved blade is very controllable for making fuzz sticks for kindling. It will also strike a decent spark on a magnesium fire starter. I also like that the blade locks into position. Since this is a knife that may see some abuse if it gets needed in an emergency, I wanted a blade that would be less likely to accidentally close. Everything else about the knife is fine. I like the option of using a lanyard, especially in an emergency. I put a couple of drops of oil on the pivot and the knife opens and closes smoothly. It's so small that it takes up very little room in my emergency kit, and it's so light that I hardly know it's there. It's a good choice if you want a knife that will be unobtrusive until it's needed.

I am obsessed with my Kershaw Cinder pocket knife! It's like a tiny superhero that I carry with me everywhere. The 1.4-inch steel blade is so sharp and durable, making it perfect for all my daily cutting needs. The stonewashed finish gives it a cool rugged look that I love. The handle is made of glass-filled nylon, which makes it super lightweight and comfortable to hold. I can't get over how convenient the liner lock is, keeping the blade securely in place. And the bottle opener and lanyard hole are just the cherry on top! It's only 0.9 ounces, so it's like it's not even there until you need it. I highly recommend this little guy to anyone looking for a reliable, versatile, and stylish pocket knife.

This is an amazing everyday carry. It is a great little knife that is sharp enough to cut what you need and small enough to not get in the way. The blade holds it's edge really well and did not need to be sharpened for the months I had my first one or the year I had my second. My only complaint is actually part of my compliment. It is so small, I've lost a couple of them. They are probably in my car or under a dresser or desk thanks to one of our cats. If I loose this third one, I'll be getting another and hope that one day I'll find where the cats have them all hidden.

There are other tiny EDC knives like the Gerber LST ultralight (https://amzn.to/3Ko11Ni) which I own and love. But this in the only one I have found that has one-handed opening. I grab the thumb stud with my thumb, add a bit of wrist snap, and the blade is open and locked. This is a great feature for when you don't have two hands free. In terms of other issues that other reviewers mentioned: 1. Yes the blade is very short, that's why it's a very small and lightweight knife. The knife is the same length closed as my Toyota key. The above-mentioned Gerber knife as a 1.6 inch long blade while this guy is only 1 inch. But for opening boxes and such the short blade works fine. 2. price: I think the knife is very fairly priced. Most of my little EDC knives cost at least 15 or $20 so for the seven dollars that I paid I am quite happy. 3. The blade opening in your pocket. I'm not sure how this would happen, as it takes quite a bit of force to separate the blade from the magnet inside the blade case. Perhaps there is individual variation between different knives, so I will check the other two that I bought. I checked the other two Cinders, and they have even stronger retention magnets, so even less of a problem. 4. The only valid criticism is that the can opener/ Bottle opener is a little bit too short. So if you're buying this to open a lot of beers then I'd probably add a real bottle opener to your keychain. I never use a bottle opener so I didn't care about this. I might grind it off entirely. 5. All three knives I purchased the blade was razor-sharp. I haven't cut open a million boxes so not sure how it will hold the blade sharpness, but I don't mind resharpening it occasionally. My Gerber LST ultralight is .6 ounces and this one is .9 ounces, not a big difference. Although I love the Gerber it has a slip blade opening, so needs two hands. For now this little Cinder will be my keychain knife. I think it is a great knife for keychain or watch pocket carry, and perhaps the smallest single hand open and close knife on the market. For seven dollars and change, you can't go wrong. I bought one for every keychain.

I just received this little knife from Kershaw and it is now my daily use pocket knife. I love how small this is with a blade that is about a half inch long. The blade includes a nub to help you open the knife with one hand and also has a blade lock. It does not have a clip but includes a hole for a lanyard, which I am using. The blade is sharp enough for my purposes, cutting twine and opening packages. It even has a solid bottle opener. My only concern is forgetting to put this in checked baggage when I travel as I would hate to have TSA confiscate it. If that happens, though, it is easily replaceable at less than $10.

These Kershaw pocket knives Are great for my older sons keychains. They’re not heavy at all and are sharp.

Blade is curved, nice little knife for keychain, it is light.

This is a case of could be great, but isn't. Is it better than the 99 cent HF key knife I currently have? Of course it is. But...why is there always a but? If the knife had two changes it would be excellent. 1. the blade has only a 1-1/16" edge. NOT 1.4" blade as advertised. How hard is it to lay an object on grid paper to actually show honest dimensions? Even worse, there is room for a larger edge, but for some unknowable reason the blade ends with a cutout divot instead of continuing its arc. It would take no more length, and when closed, it can be seen there is no reason at all for the blade to end there. An ACTUAL 1.4" blade drawn all the way to the base would be much more useful. 2. A bottle opener...a pointless bottle opener that COULD be the key chain hole, instead. And then the current key chain hole that sticks out could be COMPLETELY removed to shorten the entire knife body by nearly 1/2" and make it much better for...keeping on the key ring. Two simple changes and the knife is both shorter for key ring, and actually useful to have other than for cutting tape. Why even go to the effort to manufacturer this knife without thinking it through? EDITED to add: I'll leave it at three stars but I have indeed had this little knife open while in my pocket or pulling the keys out. It does not have enough leverage to stay reliably closed. So I have taken to wrapping x4 a small rubberband all the way down to hold the tip of the blade closed. Then roll the rubberband down a little further to open the knife. The rubberband sits on the bottle opener cutout, basically. It is a good little blade, useful, even used it for squirrels a few times when I forgot my little kabar.