I heard a lot of positive things about the Kershaw Fraxion last year, but I'm not getting the hype. It feels much cheaper than I was expecting. I've had other budget Kershaws in this price range that seem a lot more high quality. I wouldn't recommend it in the slightest.
It's a decent looking Anso design that lacks any sort of pizzazz. I hate the look and feel of the "carbon fiber" overlay. I'd rather it had been an inlay because I don't like the unevenness of the handle. The quality is what you'd expect from a budget Kershaw. It doesn't have any glaring issues but you can tell it's not the nicest knife in the world. I do like that Kershaw put these out in so many different colors, like tan, black, and green with blacked out blades too.
Moving onto the blade, the Fraxion has a 2.75" 8Cr13MoV blade. That's a perfect size for EDC, though the steel leaves a lot to be desired. For a budget Kershaw, the choice of steel is pretty standard. I don't mind 8Cr13MoV, but this one in particular is starting to get a few rust spots. The blade is a good enough performer despite the subpar steel. With the flipper being on the smaller side, I was worried that it might be a poor flipper. I was completely wrong about that. It runs on Kershaw's KVT ball-bearing pivot which I'm not that familiar with. It takes little to no pressure on the flipper and the blade just flies out. I'm not even kidding when I say I have not had a single bad flip with this knife. The combo of the strong action and sharp flipper tab ends up hurting my finger every time I flip it. This isn't one of those knives that you could sit and flip forever.
Like I mentioned earlier, I hate the overlay. The whole handle, and knife itself for that matter, feels very cheap due to how light it is. It weighs 2 ounces but it feels so much lighter than that. The G10/CF overlay provide little to no grip. The slick feeling also contributes to the cheap feeling. I do like how slim the handles are because it makes it much easier to carry. The liner lock is solid with only a slight amount of side-to-side blade play.
The ergos itself are alright but again, the feel in the hand is ruined by the overlays. I can fit a full four-finger grip on the knife. There's some jimping on the spine that helps add some extra grip. I'm not a fan of this knife in the hand at all.
The clip is basic and works as it should. Again, the weight and slimness makes this knife a dream to carry. It carries exactly as well as you'd expect.
Price wise, these go for around $20-$25 which is on the lower end of the budget range. I'd rather pay more for better materials/design. As a budget knife, the Ontario Rat 2 is still my top pick.
All in all, this knife feels exactly as cheap as the price would suggest. The action is impressive, yet the feel in the hand sucks. I think Kershaw did a good job for the price, though it could be drastically improved if they did a more premium version. I still think the Dividend is one of Kershaw's better budget knives. I don't recommend the Fraxion personally. Thanks for looking!
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