Review
Kershaw - 1585BR BABY BOA
by Dexter Ewing - Field Editor for Blade Magazine
So far, knifemaker Ken Onion and Kershaw Knives have enjoyed a highly successful union in factory/custom collaboration knives. Ken’s eye for design and function is unlike any other, combined with Kershaw’s proficient mass-production capacity in their Tualatin, Oregon state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and their skilled craftsmen and women have propelled this duo to the top of nearly every knife enthusiast’s wish list. The 1585BR Baby Boa is the little brother to the larger model 1580 Boa, scaled down to about the size of the wildly popular 1600 Chive. This is a stylish little folder with punch! Let’s take a closer look.
The Baby Boa’s recurve blade is aesthetically pleasing with its high polished finish and deep hollow grind. 440A stainless steel is the material of choice, which provides a good combination of edge holding power, corrosion resistance, and ease of maintenance. The graduated sizes of holes are drilled into the blade along with three small holes leading to the flipper portion of the blade tang enhance the knife’s high tech appearance. Right out of the box, the cutting edge was hair popping sharp. Kershaw is famous for their keen edges, and certainly the Baby Boa doesn’t disappoint in this area! The high polish finish is very nice looking. It’s not quite a mirror polish, mind you, but definitely bright enough to reflect light. This polished finish also seals any tiny pores in the steel that could possibly breed corrosion if the conditions are right.
The Baby Boa’s handle is ergonomically shaped to provide optimum grip with such a diminutive handle size. There are multiple finger grooves that your fingers comfortably sit in as well as a generously sized thumb rest area. However, I felt as if something just wasn’t quite right when I’d grip the handle. So, I experimented around with tying a hangman’s noose type lanyard through the lanyard hole of the handle. This lanyard provided something for my pinky to wrap around when I’d grip the handle. Suddenly, everything felt right! Continuing with the handle description, the backbone of the Baby Boa is dual stainless liners with anodized T6-6061 aluminum scales. Kershaw calls this special finish a “smoked” finish, mainly red with some black mixed in. The results of this anodizing process yields random results, so that the “pattern” isn’t the same from knife to knife, so there are no two alike! The left hand aluminum scale drops down a bit to expose the steel liner above the pivot area of the handle. Again, three holes of graduating sizes are drilled into the liner to boost the overall aesthetic quality of the piece. The left hand scale also has a tear drop shaped hole in which the Speed Safe assisted opening torsion bar can be seen in action as the blade is propelled open. A stylish, paddle shaped steel pocket clip is affixed to carry the Baby Boa tip-down in the pocket. Again, the clip bears four holes of graduating size to complement the rest of those on the blade and handle. The clip also can be removed if the user so desires – since this is such a small folder anyway – by backing out two Torx head screws. There is also a safety built into the Baby Boa to prevent accidental opening. Actuated by a small Torx screw, the sliding switch safety is simple but effective.
Performance wise, don’t let the Baby Boa’s diminutive nature and “cute” looks fool you. It’s a very capable cutter! One thing about recurve blades is that their cutting edges are longer than those of a regular blade of the exact same blade length. Allow me to explain. If you were to imagine the recurve edge of the Baby Boa’s blade to be stretched out in a straight line, that line would be longer than that of a non-recurved blade that is the same exact length – stretched out in a straight line. The Baby Boa has bite! It’ll rip through cardboard with a voracious appetite, and tackle twine, monofilament, and other materials with ease. In essence, it’s a small knife that performs similar to that of a knife that is larger. In other words, it offers the convenience of the physical size of a small gent’s folder. And carrying the knife around is also very comfortable. I found out that the Baby Boa carries very well clipped to the little change pocket that is above the right hand pocket of a pair of jeans. It also carries well clipped to the back pocket of jeans or slacks. It also carries well clipped inside the waistband. And yes, it carries very well clipped to the top of pants pockets in the normal manner that we all like to carry a clip-carry tactical folder.
Overall, the 1585BR Baby Boa is a great looking folder with its gracious, flowing lines of the blade and handle blending together as one. Yes, “cute” also may describe it too but it’s certainly not “all show and no go”. The Baby Boa is a highly functional folding knife for anyone who wishes to carry a small folder, but has the need for a larger knife. Looks to me like Ken Onion and Kershaw have yet another winner on their hands! I actually prefer the Baby Boa over the Chive, it’s just a more stylish piece. How ever you slice it, the Baby Boa is one fine looking and functioning small folder that any Kershaw Ken Onion fan would definitely appreciate!
**The opinions expressed by Dexter Ewing do not reflect those of the staff of Blades By Brown Cutlery**
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