The Kershaw line of knives are pretty nifty tools, especially if you’re looking for a pocket knife to add to your regular repertoire of tools. Pocket knives like the Kershaw Chive fit snug into a pocket or bag, but might be a bit too small for some to comfortably use.
The Kershaw Shallot, on the other hand, might be the alternative that fulfills those needs. This Ken Onion branded knife is a little bigger than its Chive counterpart, sporting a blade measuring 3.5 inches long. It’s more of a EDC knife than anything, what with its ideal size and innate adaptability to any situation that requires a blade.
So, should you consider buying the Shallot in all its glory? Stick around for this review to find out.
Like all Kershaw branded knifes, the knife was produced by the company’s in-house team. The Shallot was designed by the master knife builder Ken Onion for Kershaw.
Knife Materials
Like many other Kershaw offerings, its blade and handle are made from stainless steel. The Shallot handle is also produced with other materials and colors, such as its ‘Black Shallot’ version that’s produced with a black DLC coating for both blade and handle.
Blade
The 3.5 inch blade is made from Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel, cut in a sleek recurve design that makes cutting through anything a pinch. The recurve design helps the knife perform well, while the 14C28N stainless steel produces a tough blade that resists corrosion and general wear. Variants typically have a partially serrated or smooth blade edge.
Handle
The handle is made from 410 stainless steel, which produces a hardened and resilient handle. Several versions of the Shallot also have different finishes, which produce different colors and/or textures. The handle (when blade is closed), measures 4 3/8 inches.
SpeedSafe
As mentioned in our review of the Chive and our many other Kershaw reviews, the Shallot also features the assisted opening system known as SpeedSafe.
Of course, the Speedsafe feature makes opening and closing the knife simple and easy. Just pull back on the flipper and Speedsafe takes over and quickly flips out the blade.
The flipper is a portion of the blade that sticks out from the top of the handle, it’s a quick and easy way to open the knife. Many other Kershaw knives utilize the flipper, such as the Skyline, its highly popular due to its quickness of the blade flick.
Once the blades is opened, it’s securely locked into place with a frame lock. The frame lock helps secure the blade into position when it’s open and keeps the knife from closing when in use.
Pocket Clip
The pocket clip is reversible, you can opt to carry either tip up or tip down, or you can choose to carry left or right side.
Also the pocket clip improves the grip of the knife, the 410 stainless steel can tend to get slippery when wet, so the raised torx screws and clip help in preventing any accidental slips.
Shallot Ergonomics
I find that the Shallot feels great to use on a regular basis. It fits comfortably in both palms, whether using your right hand or left , due to its larger handle there is plenty of real estate to operate the knife safely.
The pocket clip helps keep the knife locked and secure in your pocket—and speaking of pockets, despite its slightly larger size, it fits comfortably in any pocket. So, you can definitely take this knife on the go.
Other Versions
Several versions of the Kershaw Shallot do exist. Much of the variation happens to the handle style and knife finish.
Kershaw Shallot – Plain Edge
Partially Serrated
Black DLC Coated
Black DLC Coated Partially Serrated
The black DCL coat produces a tactical style looking black knife, the DLC coat is scratch resistant and makes the surface of the Shallot non-reflective.
Pros and Cons
Pros ~ What People Liked
- The blade comes very sharp, it cuts and slices very easily.
- The knife is low profile and fits snug into your pocket.
- The blade seems much larger than other similar pocket knives.
- The handle feels good to hold when in use.
- The SpeedSafe and flipper combo makes blade deployment fun and easy.
Cons – What People Don’t Like
- The blade really isn’t suited for cutting through very thick material.
- 410 stainless steel handle can get slick in wet conditions.
- The blade material is just ok, softish steel requires sharpening more often.
- Pocket clip is only reversible, not 4 way interchangeable.
Final Thoughts on the Kershaw Shallot
Overall I think the Kershaw Shallot is a great pocket knife, as an EDC knife it fits the bill just fine. Does is have the best blade steel, no, but other areas make up for this deficiency.
Personally I love the flipper with the SpeedSafe, it’s really fun to just flip the blade open over and over again. If you haven’t had the pleasure of using a pocket knife with a flipper, you have to try one out, it’s addicting.
The Shallot is a larger knife, at almost 8 inches total length it’s large enough to handle some pretty tough jobs. While it may not be the ultimate pocket knife, its pretty dang good and doing most jobs.
