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Purpose
The Kershaw Dividend 1812 is intended to be an every day carry folding knife. It is not too big, it is not too small, it is simply your EDC pocket knife. We are always looking for better pocket knives. We tend to benchmark most EDC pocket knives like the Kershaw Dividend against the Kershaw Cryo 1555TI. This is mostly because the Cryo is a good knife that has been around a long time.
Expectations
We are always looking for better EDC knives, preferably ones that don’t look menacing or tacticool. Size is relative to the task at hand. Office workers, if even allowed to have a knife in the workplace, may attract unwanted attention from even the smallest knife.
It is expected to be of decent quality so it holds an edge and is sufficiently durable enough. It needs to be comfortable to use but also easily stowed.
Cost to value is relative to features, assuming it meets your minimum requirements.
Size and Weight
The Kershaw Dividend is an average size folder. It is 7.25″ long when deployed and 4.25″ when closed. It is 1.25″ tall. It is 1/2″ thick not including the pocket clip. The blade is just under 3″, depending on how you measure it, but in this case it is 3″ as the crow flies.
The Kershaw Dividend has plastic molded grips to increase comfort. It is still fairly light at 2.80oz or 79.40g. For comparison, the Kershaw Cryo weighs 4.20oz but is all-metal. The Kershaw Dividend is fairly well balanced.
Handle
The handle of the Kershaw Dividend is fairly standard and there is little to complain about. It has a slight hump to it, like many Kershaw knives. It is more or less grip neutral. The flipper/bolster can be a bit uncomfortable for heavy knife work but you will likely not mind. The handle is on the thin side of comfortable for those with large hands but it is way easier to carry a thin pocket knife for every day carry. This is where the Kershaw Dividend shines.
Pocket clips on Kershaw knives have been a mixed bag. This one is also. It works well enough. Some will be sensitive to the sharp edge of the clip when trying to get their hands in and out of their pockets if they have large hands. While the pocket clip can be moved, it will likely come loose regularly if clipped on thick material, even with thread locker on the screws. Kershaw needs to use 3 screws that aren’t linear to each other to maximize retention and reduced permanent bending risk.
The Kershaw Dividend has SpeedSafe which makes deployment excellent and reliable. Furthermore this knife has excellent lockup when deployed.
Blade
The blade of the Kershaw Dividend is made of 420HC steel. Some say this is an outdated material. It is fine for a $30 knife but at $35 it is pushing it. At $40 it really isn’t a bargain anymore. It isn’t worth it at $45.
The blade is an odd shape. It is not a bad shape. It is hollow ground with a long sweeping drop point. This is not a problem in use, in fact it is very nice. The Dividend just has a difficult to describe profile so that is what pictures are for. No complaints on the shape.
The blade is great except it is a little soft. It sharpens as easily as it dulls. It does not take long to dull it when breaking down cardboard boxes.
Value
Value is relative. It is often said that you can value something at whatever you want but it is only worth what someone is willing to pay.
The Kershaw Dividend is a nice made in USA pocket knife. It has a street price of under $35. The market is full of pocket knives in this price range, but this one is made in USA. At $40 I would consider other options. At $45 I would not recommend purchasing it as Kershaw and others have plenty of superior EDC pocket knives at that price point.
The only improvement to be made is that it should have a better steel for the blade. If the steel changes then that will require a change in valuation. 420HC just isn’t quite enough to match the rest of the knife. It deserves a solid 8/10.