Specifications:
Overall Length: 6.5"
Blade Length: 2.75"
Blade Steel: 8Cr13MoV
Handle Material: Stainless Steel
Closed Length: 3.75"
Weight: 4.2 oz.
Ahhhhhhh - Finally. I got my hands on the Kershaw Cryo 1555TI Rick Hinderer design assisted flipper folder knife. I have been eye balling this knife for the better half of two months now. I have been debating if I should buy the 1555TI or hold off for the upcoming 1556TI. So last week I noticed there was a sweet deal on Kershaw knives online and the 1555TI was one of the knives available for the discount. It was to good to pass up for the price so I ordered a few to hand out as xmas gifts!
So I got the cryos in the mail and I immediately started scoping it out and playing with it. For the price I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better knife at that price point. I think the closest knives to this Cryo would be either the Kershaw Skyline, Ontario Rat1, or maybe even the Spyderco Tenacious. The Skyline cost almost twice as much and the Rat1 and Tenacious are about $10 bucks more.
The business end of the Kershaw Cryo 1555TI. The blade on the Cryo is a 8Cr13MoV steel measuring 2.75" in length. The 8Cr13MoV steel is fairly easy to sharpen and retains a good sharp edge. Out of the package this knife was very sharp! The spring assisted flipper design with bronze phosphor washers allows the blade to swiftly deploy with absolutely zero blade play. The blade centering on these were dead centered! I've read mix reviews regarding the thumb studs. I personally use the flipper and don't see a purpose for the thumb studs. But I can appreciate that Kershaw incorporating thumb studs for those who rather use them. All personal preference.
The handles on the Kershaw Cryo are constructed using stainless steel with a titanium-carbo-nitride coating. It's a real smooth finish. Here again, I have read mix reviews of people saying it was to slick in wet conditions. I just spent 20 minutes cutting stuff while keeping the knife wet and I didn't have any problems securing a good purchase on the knife. As you can see, It has a frame lock with a Hinderer lock bar stabilizer. Lock up on this knife like I mentioned earlier is very solid with zero wiggle movement even after using it a couple of days to cut stuff.
Here you can see the very nice jimping where the blade meets the handle and the jimping on the underside of the handle. The jimping is cut just deep enough that in wet conditions I was able to have full control of the knife with no slipping. Here you'll also see that the Cryo has a full open pillar design which allows for easy cleaning. There's nothing worse than a knife that's all buggered up with dirt and it's a pain in the butt to take it all apart to just clean it. That's not the case with this knife.
The pocket clip allows the knife to ride deep in the pocket with very little exposure. This clip can be set up for left or right and tip up or tip down carry. Kershaw and Rick Hinderer made this knife very accommodating for just about everyone to carry.
My final conclusion on the Kershaw Cryo 1555TI: For the price, you can't go wrong. This knife has so many neat features incorporated into it along with great quality materials. At the price there going at it was to hard for me to pass up. The only two things I could really gripe about are my personal opinion on weight and the thumb studs. If you're used to carrying a 1-2oz knife the Cryo may seem like a huge jump in weight. And I would agree that it is a substantial difference. I've became accustom to carrying my Benchmade 530 which is 1.8oz and I can say this, the Cryo for me isn't that big of a deal to EDC. But I adapt easy going from a 1oz knife to as much as 7.7oz with my Benchmade 275. If you EDC a knife that weights around 2-3oz I am pretty confident you'll adapt to the Cryo.
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- Scott
