The Kershaw Chive is one of the coolest knives that we’ve seen to date (after all, we did create a website about it). It features a short, two-inch, 420HC stainless steel blade with a standard lower-end steel for its handle (410 stainless). Overall, the Kershaw Chive is about five inches in length (which includes both the handle and the blade). While the low-end steel for the handle in the Kershaw Chive might be off-putting to some of the high-end buyers, it really is just an enthusiast’s detail to worry about a high-end steel for the handle; as long as it holds up in terms of hardness, which even low-end steel does, and keeps the blade from playing, the handle is great. Use of 410 steel in the Kershaw Chive in the handle is a great way to both keep the knife from rusting and to lower the overall cost while still maintaining an overall great-quality knife. In terms of the Kershaw Chive vs Scallion debate, the Kershaw Chive and the Scallion actually have a lot in common.
That brings us to the Kershaw Scallion, a knife by the same great knife maker, Ken Onion. The Kershaw Scallion is actually a wonderful knife, as well, and falls into place as the mid-sized knife in the little vegetable-based trilogy of knives (consisting of the Kershaw Chive, the Scallion, and the Leek) by Ken Onion. The Scallion, being the middle-sized of the three, has a two-and-a-quarter-inch blade and a three-and-a-half-inch handle, for a total of five-and-three-quarters in total length while opened. The handle is made out of an anodized aluminum material, which, on the standard Kershaw Scallion model, is anodized to a black color. The blade is made out of 420HC stainless steel, a very decent steel for the price of the model (which ranges from 20 to 40 USD). The Kershaw Scallion, unlike the Kershaw Chive, weighs about 2.3 ounces.
As for the Kershaw Chive vs Scallion aspect of the whole thing, they’re actually very similar knives. The Kershaw Chive is definitely far smaller, having only a two-inch blade (as opposed to the 2.25-inch blade of the Kershaw Scallion). As far as the Kershaw Chive vs Scallion in terms of the blade material, both use the 420HC steel, a hardened version of the standard 420 steel. In many cases, this steel is of much better quality than its supposedly-superior counterparts, and it usually depends on the heat treatment, among other things; Kershaw Knives treats their blades very well. Both the Kershaw Chive and the Kershaw Scallion feature the patented Ken Onion Speed-Safe opening mechanism, which consists of a torsion bar and a finger switch that enables the blade to be opened much like a switch blade (although the “button” is on the spine of the blade). As far as the Kershaw Chive vs Scallion argument goes, here, they’re pretty equal in most aspects. A big difference that we noted was the handle material, being 410 stainless steel in the Kershaw Chive (not to be confused with a lesser steel than 420, mind you, for its purpose). As far as the vs between the two models, the Scallion has a lesser steel in its handle, being T6 aluminum. Also notable as far as the vs debate was the fact that the Kershaw Chive is only 1.9 ounces in weight, whereas the Scallion is 2.3 ounces (a very noticable difference when wielding the blade). Both amazing knives feature the “ocean curve” wave to the blade. Additionally, both blades feature a safety slider, so as to prevent accidental cuts and damaging. As far as a Kershaw Chive vs Scallion debate goes, the difference is really down to the individual’s preferences: would you like a smaller, lighterweight blade that can be concealed much more easily, or a slightly larger, but still small and lightweight blade that can be concealed less easily than its counterpart but still in a number of places? Our choice is obvious, but yours may differ!