Kershaw Showtime Review

The Kershaw Showtime is a classy looking folder that would be a great addition to any knife enthusiasts collection. Designed by Todd Rexford, the Showtime looks like it belongs in the pocket of a tuxedo rather than in a pair of jeans.

The black and steel accents accompanied by the grey handle give it a sleek & distinguished look. Despite looking fancy, the Showtime is a well designed EDC knife with quality materials and finishes that make it great at home or in the outdoors.

For the custom design, function, and materials, we give this knife 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Kershaw Showtime Features

Blade – The blade of this knife is made from heat treated 8Cr13MoV steel. It features a standard drop point blade that is very sharp. It can handle most every day cutting tasks around the house and is also an excellent outdoor knife for scaling fish and general utility cutting. The black oxide finish offers improved durability and a great look regardless of the environment.

Handle – The handle of the knife is also made out of steel and is black oxide coated to continue the look from the blade to the handle. The handle itself is fairly straight with a slight curve towards the butt of the knife. It features a relatively large finger space and the additional heft of the steel handle adds weight when cutting with the knife. 

Deployment and Lockup – This knife is an assist open flipper with a Speedsafe open feature to ensure safety when opening. This allows the knife to be opened quickly without endangering the hand of the user. 

For lockup the knife uses a solid steel frame lock. The frame lock is very secure and helps to hold the blade stable when closed. It also adds a bit of depth to the handle which improves stability when holding the knife for intense cutting tasks. 

Design – The Todd Rexford design of the knife makes it look like it belongs in the pocket of a tuxedo. The quality of the materials and the deep pocket clip make it clear that it is a highly suitable every day carry or utility knife. It just happens to be dressed well.

Blade Make and Function

The blade of the Showtime is a standard drop point made out of heat treated 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. The steel is natural corrosion resistant and very durable but the heat treatment increases these qualities.

The black oxide coating also gives the blade a nice look and also improves on the durability and corrosion resistance of the blade. Additionally the blade has a satin finish and has great edge retention thanks to the treated steel. This keeps it sharp during most tasks and the 8Cr13MoV is easy to sharpen to prolong use. 

Coming in at 3 inches, the blade has plenty of cutting surface for utility cutting of rope, cardboard, or other light to medium material. The drop point blade is not ideal for piercing but is still suitable for delicate tasks like scaling. The jimping on the backside of the blade helps improve grip.

Handle Design and Ergonomics

The handle of the Showtime continues the tuxedo look and is also made of solid stainless steel. This means the entire knife is corrosion and rust resistant. This is a benefit in that the knife requires less maintenance.

The handle has a slight curve at the back end with plenty of finger space for gripping. Some users do complain that steel is slick when held which can reduce grip when working with the knife. Another concern with a steel handle is that it chills during extreme cold which can make it difficult to hold.

Despite the complaints, the handle is extremely durable and the deep carry pocket clip is reversible for either left or right sided carry. The handle itself is 4 inches long with the knife measuring 6.75 inches when fully extended. This is a solid length for an EDC knife.

At just under 4 ounces in weight it is not extremely light for a pocket knife but not overly heavy either. The extra heft of the steel helps stabilize the knife when doing heavy cutting.

To keep the design looking fluid the knife features no protruding thumb studs and all accents are steel which matches the black and grey of the handle and blade.

Deployment and Lockup

For deployment the knife uses a standard Kershaw Speedsafe flipper that uses a tension bar to help the user flip the blade open. This makes for speedy deployment of the knife and keeps the user’s hands safe in the process. The flipper is suitable for ambidextrous use and makes the knife easy to open one handed, with either hand. 

The SpeedSafe tension bar is biased towards the closed position of the knife. This is so that the blade stays securely closed. The stainless steel frame lock is very durable also and when combined with the Speedsafe tension bar, ensures that the blade will not slip loose when carried.

The added heft of the frame lock and the increased handle thickness improves sturdiness during use as well as overall handle strength which improves cutting ability when handling delicate or difficult tasks.

Kershaw Showtime Review – Final Thoughts

The Kershaw Showtime is certainly a unique looking knife. The black, grey, and steel motif of the blade makes it look elegant in any situation.

This aesthetic does not diminish the utility of the knife however. The sturdy corrosion resistant blade is useful for most cutting tasks and situations. The stainless steel handle makes the entire knife rust resistant and means there’s little to no maintenance necessary for prolonged use.

The assisted flipper makes the knife easy to open and close securely with one hand and the pocket clip makes it easy to conceal. These features make the Showtime an excellent choice for an EDC pocket knife, the fact that it looks great is just an added bonus.