Kershaw 3200anyone ever see one?

Kershaw began its foray into the knife business sometime during 1974. The company was originally based in Portland Oregon, but most early knives were manufactured in Japan. The first US manufacturing plant was opened in 1997 & the company currently offers knives made in the U.S., Japan, & China. Pete Kershaw (an ex Gerber salesman) started the business.
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knife7knut
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Kershaw 3200anyone ever see one?

Post by knife7knut »

Got this awhile back.
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cody6268
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Re: Kershaw 3200anyone ever see one?

Post by cody6268 »

Glad to see you back, Ray!!!

I've never seen one like it before, but I found this description online: Apparently, the name of the model is the "Ripcord", and it's an OTF folder that deploys and closes using its sheath.
The Ripcord's patented design provides the strength and stability of a fixed blade knife, yet stores as compactly as a folding knife. The key is Kershaw's Out the Front (OTF) design. With OTF, the blade slides out the front of the handle into a secure, fixed-blade position. A high-impact Kydex belt sheath doubles as the OTF deployment/blade-locking system. To open the knife, grasp the handle and pull up. As the knife reaches the end of its travel, tilt it slightly forward to disengage the blade-locking stud from the beveled circular recess. In the fixed position, the Ripcord’s blade is secure and cannot be retracted without the sheath. To return the knife to the sheath, insert the tip of the knife into the Kydex® sheath and lower the blade into the sheath until the beveled circular recess in the knife lines up with the stud. Tilt the knife toward the stud to engage the mechanism and slide the Ripcord into its sheath. The blade clicks securely into place, enabling your to carry the Ripcord tip-up or tip-down. The Sandvik 14C28N blade offers strength and superior edge retention, while the DLC coating enhances performance and looks good doing it. The Ripcord's handle is lightweight anodized aluminum with Trac-Tec inserts for a secure grip.
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QTCut5
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Re: Kershaw 3200anyone ever see one?

Post by QTCut5 »

I have. In fact, I used to have two of them but I gave one to a friend and ended up selling the other one. Initially, I liked the concept of a blade that slid out of the handle automatically when the knife was extracted and slid back into the handle when returned to the sheath. As I recall, Kershaw advertised it as essentially a fixed blade knife that compacted to a more convenient size for carrying. Personally, I found the concept intriguing but the execution a bit less satisfying than I had hoped for. YMMV. I'll have to check back with my friend to see what he thought of it. I believe it has been discontinued.
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Samb
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Re: Kershaw 3200anyone ever see one?

Post by Samb »

knife7knut wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:30 pm Got this awhile back.
Never saw one but I kinda like it!
knife7knut
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Re: Kershaw 3200anyone ever see one?

Post by knife7knut »

Although it is an interesting concept it is not the easiest to operate.
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Madmarco
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Re: Kershaw 3200anyone ever see one?

Post by Madmarco »

Reminds me of the Blackie Collins knife/sheath combo. 8)
8)
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