Kershaw’s blacked-out work knife costs less on Amazon than at Kershaw

If you buy something from a link in this article, we may earn a commission. Learn more

The Kershaw Conduit is the all-black version of a simple idea: a spear point work knife with an assisted flipper and nothing shiny anywhere on it. Amazon sells it for $31.00 today, undercutting Kershaw’s own store by $12.99.

Nothing on it shines. The blade wears a black-oxide finish, the textured handle is black, and even the pivot and clip screws are dark, so the whole knife sits as one matte silhouette from tip to lanyard hole. The whole design serves the job site first, the truck console second and the display case never.

Kershaw Conduit (1407), All-Black
8Cr13MoV spear point · Black-oxide finish · Assisted flipper
Price: $31.00 (save $23.99, 44% off $54.99)
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon

8Cr13MoV steel, a spear point and a black-oxide coat

Kershaw heat treats the 8Cr13MoV blade for a sharp cutting edge, and the spear point puts the tip in line with the handle for the piercing cuts it was built for, on the go or at a job site. The black-oxide finish covers the blade, and the maker credits that coat with a share of the knife’s working performance. Kershaw pitches the Conduit at work first, as a job site knife that also rides along on the go.

The grip wears a raised chevron texture molded across both scales, and Kershaw calls the result highly ergonomic in the hand.

The trade runs like this. 8Cr13MoV is a budget steel, so it gives up edge life, though the maker builds its case on the other side of that trade: it takes a sharp edge and re-sharpens easily when it dulls.

Assisted opening and a clip that flips sides

A built-in flipper and an assisted mechanism open the blade, and Kershaw describes the action as satisfying to run every time, with heavy jimping and a thumb ramp on the spine for choking up on detail work. Choking up puts the thumb on the ramp and the index finger forward, where draw cuts and fine work get their control. The flipper tab sits at the spine, ready under the index finger every time the knife leaves a pocket.

The deep-carry clip swaps between left and right carry with the screws at the butt, and a lanyard hole sits beside them for a fob or a pull cord. It carries on either side.

A work knife at this price lives a rough life, dropped into truck consoles, tool bags and site boxes between cuts. A blade that sharpens back up on a basic stone fits that life better than a harder steel that demands a full sharpening kit and a free afternoon. Kershaw builds it for exactly that rotation of consoles, bags and boxes.

Kershaw sells the Conduit from its own store at $43.99, a 20% cut from the same $54.99 list. The maker’s own sale is real money too, just not the cheapest route to this knife.

Kershaw Conduit (1407), All-Black
Custom handle texture · Reversible deep-carry clip · Lanyard hole
Price: $43.99 (save $11.00, 20% off $54.99) at Kershaw. Amazon has the same knife for $31.00 above
Where to buy: Buy at Kershaw

Buy the Conduit at $31.00 on Amazon if your work knife lives in a truck console or a tool bag, gets carried to job sites in a pocket and gets sharpened when it dulls. Skip it if you hate sharpening, because edge life is the corner this price cuts.

Love our content? Sign up for our newsletter today. No ads, no spam, just links to our latest articles!