First & Second Generation Kershaws
Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:03 am
For all you Kershaw fans, I thought you might like to see a couple I picked up recently.
The top knife on this picture has the KERSHAW/OREGON USA tang stamp. I think f this knife as the first generation DWO, which came out about 1985.This is the same stamp that appears on the DWO I bought in 1985/86. I am pretty sure this is the first tang stamp used in the DWO series as well as the other early knives in the Officer Ranch series. These knives were made with AUS8A steel. At some point in time (I would guess in the late 1990s or around 2000, Kershaw switched a lot of their models to AUS6 steel, which IMO, does not hold an edge nearly as well as the AUS8A.
The pile side stamp on this knife is: 3000/JAPAN
The bottom knife in this picture is what I consider the second generation DWO. This was made after Kai Cutlery bought Kershaw and they began to oversee more of the operations of Kershaw in the USA. The tang stamp on this knife is stamped; KERSHAW/D.W.O. and has, “U.S Pat. 4741106” stamped on the mark side of the lock bar; which is not on the first generation DWO. The pile side tang stamp is the same as the first generation; 3000/Japan.
When I bought this knife it came with the papers shown in the picture below.
One tells the story of Delley Wade Officer; the other is a mini Kershaw catalog with a copyright date of 1990. I think that the 1990 date is about right for the knife. I think this knife is also AUS8A and not the later AUS6 steel.
I just thought you guys might enjoy seeing a comparison of the two earliest Kershaw tang stamps.
The top knife on this picture has the KERSHAW/OREGON USA tang stamp. I think f this knife as the first generation DWO, which came out about 1985.This is the same stamp that appears on the DWO I bought in 1985/86. I am pretty sure this is the first tang stamp used in the DWO series as well as the other early knives in the Officer Ranch series. These knives were made with AUS8A steel. At some point in time (I would guess in the late 1990s or around 2000, Kershaw switched a lot of their models to AUS6 steel, which IMO, does not hold an edge nearly as well as the AUS8A.
The pile side stamp on this knife is: 3000/JAPAN
The bottom knife in this picture is what I consider the second generation DWO. This was made after Kai Cutlery bought Kershaw and they began to oversee more of the operations of Kershaw in the USA. The tang stamp on this knife is stamped; KERSHAW/D.W.O. and has, “U.S Pat. 4741106” stamped on the mark side of the lock bar; which is not on the first generation DWO. The pile side tang stamp is the same as the first generation; 3000/Japan.
When I bought this knife it came with the papers shown in the picture below.
I just thought you guys might enjoy seeing a comparison of the two earliest Kershaw tang stamps.
