Congratulations youre now in the Gentlemans club or are about to be because you have already
bought or are going to buy the Kershaw Am-3 which is an Al Mar Design.
Speaking of Gentlemans club, this is a job for a stripper.
But when you leave your stripper at work, all you have is your knife.
I hate making XLR.
The Am-3 is one of 3 collabs between Al Mar and Kershaw sorry I mean Kershaw ft.
Al Mar.
The Am-3 is the smallest, so lets look at the dimensions.
Like the overall legnth and weight.
The blade size and cutting edge note my size is correct Kershaws website says 3.4 inch
blade length.
It aint.
The handle size and grip area.
I use cheap calipers to measure.
I double check manufacturers claims spine thickness and handle thickness.
When theyre dimensions and weight are slightly more precise I use theirs.
If its way off I use mine.
The Am-3 is the smallest of the 3 Al Mar Kershaw blades and it features a spear point satin
finished blade with a hollow grind.
The blade is forged from Chinese 8Cr13Mov steel, which is a common steel in Kershaws
more budget friendly knives.
Its long and pointy so I guess in a pinch you can gut a fish while on your lunch break
then go back to opening letters after you eat.
Oh I guess its for stabbing opponents tactically yeah tactical.
Its sharp out of the box- not Sebanza or Spyderco sharp, thats like razors edge this is lets
call it pretty sharp.
You can push cut thicker paper.
The blade is either deployed by thumb studs or the speed safe assisted stud on the back.
Since the thumb stud is more like a blade stop when you close it theyre not as easy
to use.
The knife is small and its hard to get a your fingers under them and out of the way so theyre
just more there for looks.
The flipper stud on the back works the best.
Consistent deployment- you know like speed safes are known for.
Clicky clicky.
When closing, theres some resistance at the end but thats the torsion bar- and thats how
its supposed to feel.
And sorry to that Instagram user I did not try to deassist it.
Its usually a mixed bag when people try to deassist the speed safes But if you check
out my review of the Fraxion, that one feels like an assited, about the same size and price,
and lighter.
Check that one out.
I expect youd either have to overtighten the pivot, because on these compact models the
torsion bar generally acts as a detent.
So the blade will probably flop out.
By the way.. brass washers on either side of the pivot for brass enthusiasts.
Ok the handle.
The handle is an open back deisgn with the most beautiful scarlett spacers Ive ever seen.
One side of the handle is polished G10 with a small nested partial liner, and the other
side is solid steel for the frame lock Because Kershaw still hasnt perfected the heat treatment
on G10 yet- to make it sturdy enough for...
But yeah the lock disengagement aint too bad.
Just regular.
The overall feel of the handle is nice and smooth.
Its a little small for me as is the blade- but if you watch this channel you know I like
mid 3 inch blades the best.
Of course blade retention when closed is great.
I dont own a speed safe that isnt great.
By the way, I forgot to mention on my Fraxion review the last one I did- blade rention is
great on that one too- the detent it strong and it can be flung open when closed.
The pocket clip is mounted on the steel side, and cant be reversed.
Its a tip up carry and blade backward if its in my right pocket.
Sad trombone because no reversible pocket clip.
I mean I assume.
But it is a pretty deep carry so thats nice
Ok in my Fraxion review the very last review I did right before this I did a comparison
segment.
So Ill reedit it slightly for this.
The AM-3 is about the same weight as the 940-1 but that is a bigger knife overall and its
design gives it a bigger handle and blade but keeps the weight way down.
This knife on the other hand is a bit smaller.
Lets compare it to the Faxion about half an ounce lighter overall, its not assisted, but
feels assisted.
Its slightly smaller, but since half of it isnt steel you save half an ounce.Then the
Showtime, which is nearing four ounces and a tad bigger overall, but its all steel- so
its heavier.
The handle is slightly bigger, but honestly overall the 940-1 is light and big and I love
it.
I know my knife reviews have been a bit longer lately so lets finish this one up.
The Am-3 is a compact fairly lightweight blade for light duty office work.
If you like this review subscribe, give it a thumbs up, comment and stay tuned for the
Sebanza review I have coming up soon.
You want to see a yerrible unboxing review on this channel for once instead of a terrible
review here you go.
Watch some of these other videos too.