Kershaw Barge Knife 1945 Review
This Kershaw Barge Knife 1945 is as much of a prybar as it is a knife! Designed with this integral feature in mind, the Kershaw Barge 1945 is an everyday carry for someone who is looking for versatility in both the blade and the tool itself. Featuring a Wharncliffe pattern blade the Kershaw Barge 1945 provides a unique set of capabilities unmatched by other EDCs.
Specifications
- Blade length: 2.6 in. (6.6 cm)
- Closed length: 4.7 in. (11.9 cm)
- Open length: 7.3 in. (18.5 cm)
- Weight: 5.4 oz. (153.1 g)
- Steel: 8Cr13MoV, stonewashed finish
- Handle: Glass-filled nylon, steel back
- Manual opening with thumb stud
- Frame lock
- Reversible pocket clip (left/right, tip-down)*
Integral Prybar
The Kershaw Barge Knife 1945 has a distinct handle with an actual prybar built into the bottom of the knife. The tapered end that comes to a strong thin point about 3/8″ wide is well suited for turning larger flat head screws. Extending from the prying end along the back of the knife is a beefy rigid spacer. This gives the knife its strength when leveraging as a prybar. The ridged spacer matches the back of the blade and provides the user with a solid grip. This prybar and spacer make for a long handle with little room to house a blade resulting in an awkward ratio of the blade to handle. But overall the shape works for the function of the tool.
Design and Features
The Kershaw Barge 1945 is a manual open blade with thumb studs and a frame lock. The blade is a stubby 2.6 in. (6.6 cm) Wharncliffe pattern with a thick back studded with ridges for grip and comfort for bearing down. The handle is 4.7 in. (11.9 cm) with a prybar and lanyard loop, extending from the thick spacer. Overall the Kershaw Barge 1945 is 7.3 in. (18.5 cm) with Glass-filled nylon, steel back handles.
The knife does have a tip-down pocket clip, but it’s NOT reversible at this time. The two screws fastening the clip on the steel side are not long enough to fasten the clip to the glass filled-nylon side. For such a versatile tool this inability to customize to a left/right preference is a letdown.
Wharncliffe Blade
The blade is a Wharncliffe pattern which adds to its unique look. The Wharnie is a perfect design for cutting and slicing. The thick back and rugged studded pattern allows the user to bear down comfortably on the blade making is apt for splitting as well.
How Much?
The Kershaw Barge 1945 sells online here for a little over $20.00 but is listed at about $35 MSRP.
Overall Impression
The Kershaw Barge Knife 1945 brings a much-needed solution to the EDC category. The Wharncliffe blade satisfies my need to effectively cut, slice and split work, but without the integral prybar, this would be another blade with a broken tip. The prybar supported by the thick spacer in the frame of the knife makes this every day carry as much of an EDC prybar as an EDC knife!
