Kershaw Twocan

J-sews · **on:** June 11, 2007, 12:09:31 AM

I've been eyeballing these in the catalogs since they first came out a year or two ago. I use scissors almost as much as I use a knife blade, and the Twocan has both. But it was not really clear to me how well the scissor mechanism would work, and I wasn't inclined to spend the money on an experiment. The price on them has been dropping steadily however, to the point where even a cheapskate like me can afford to buy one. At under $20 I figured there wasn't much to lose. The one I bought two weeks ago showed up yesterday.

The first thing one notices when taking the Twocan out of the box is how small it is. For some reason I had expected the whole thing to be bigger. My version has the carabiner clip (there is also one sans carabiner) and it measures 2-3/4" in the closed position. (70mm) Flick the blade open and it's about 4-1/4" long overall. (108mm)

Like many (all?) of Kershaw's knives, the Twocan is made in Japan. Quality is superb, something you can tell from the moment you get your fingers on it. The little wharnecliff blade is razor sharp, and has a quite shallow grind angle. It would be ideal for picking splinters and such. At only 1-1/2" long though it is a bit shorter than I like for slicing apples.

At the base of the knife blade there is what appears to be a stud for one-hand opening. Try as I might though, it was just too small and improperly positioned to flick open the blade. It wasn't until I took out the second blade, and the Twocan was transformed into a scissors tool, that I understand the true purpose of the blade stud. It is actually a "stop" that halts the motion of the second blade on the downstroke of the scissor. A healthy spring action opens the scissor back up for the next stroke. (Both blades have proper nail nicks for opening.)

As would be expected, the second blade is also deadly sharp, and the scissor action cuts many things with ease. Instead of putting your fingers through looped handles like regular scissors, with the Twocan you simply squeeze the blades together in order to cut. They spring back open, you advance the tool, then squeeze again to make the next cut. Easy.

Except it doesn't work so well on some things. Long cuts on a full piece of paper, for instance, run into trouble after the first couple inches. Trying to push your whole hand into the short length already cut becomes a problem. Also challenging is heavier material, like cardstock or thick fingernails. There just isn't enough leverage on the cutting edges. Don't even think about trying to open up a blister pack.

But short cuts in paper are a breeze, as would be fishing line, packaging tape, and vacuum sealed food packages. This little Kershaw isn't going to replace your full sized regular scissors, but there are many places where it would come in handy.

Oh, and I almost forgot about the carabiner. It is all stainless steel with good spring pressure. Very secure, I would have no concerns of it ever coming off my key chain. All in all, a classy touch to a clever little knife.

Bob

AJ · **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2007, 03:52:03 AM

Nice review and photos.
It does look clever.

J-sews · **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2007, 04:31:05 AM

Thanks!

Clever it is, and useful it is. I cannot help but wonder if a somewhat larger version would be better yet?

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #3 on:** June 27, 2007, 02:27:56 AM

I had one of these for a while and I thought it was a really interesting design. What got to me was how slender it is overall and how it might work in a multitool. Imagine instead of a blade and scissors, if a multitool was to incorporate something like this so you could have both tools in one "slot."

Too bad Kershaw doesn't seem interested in the multitool world anymore.

Def

J-sews · **Reply #4 on:** June 27, 2007, 02:31:52 AM

Quote from: Defender on June 27, 2007, 02:27:56 AM

I had one of these for a while and I thought it was a really interesting design. What got to me was how slender it is overall and how it might work in a multitool. Imagine instead of a blade and scissors, if a multitool was to incorporate something like this so you could have both tools in one "slot."

Def

I'm stunned. That is such a great idea, and rather obvious too in retrospect.

As cheap as the Twocan is on eBay these days (less than $10) maybe it would be a economical to buy one and use the parts on a multitool mod?
Hmmm...

665ae · **Reply #5 on:** June 27, 2007, 03:02:26 AM

I'm sensing an "Incomplete Bob Mod" waiting to happen...

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #6 on:** June 27, 2007, 03:36:11 AM

But what to put it on... start another incomplete mod or build onto an existing incomplete mod?

Def

665ae · **Reply #7 on:** June 27, 2007, 03:47:29 AM

Ooooh... maybe a Spirit One Hander with TwoCan scissors??? That sounds like an awesome incomplete mod!

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #8 on:** June 27, 2007, 03:49:35 AM

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Def

J-sews · **Reply #9 on:** June 27, 2007, 03:57:38 AM

Quote from: J-sews on June 27, 2007, 02:31:52 AM

Quote from: Defender on June 27, 2007, 02:27:56 AM
I had one of these for a while and I thought it was a really interesting design. What got to me was how slender it is overall and how it might work in a multitool. Imagine instead of a blade and scissors, if a multitool was to incorporate something like this so you could have both tools in one "slot."

Def

I'm stunned. That is such a great idea, and rather obvious too in retrospect.

As cheap as the Twocan is on eBay these days (less than $10) maybe it would be a economical to buy one and use the parts on a multitool mod?
Hmmm...

Upon further reflection I think this is a really really stupid idea, and I cannot imagine why I momentarily thought otherwise. :angry:

...now if only I can figure out how to get my Twocan back together again....

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #10 on:** June 27, 2007, 04:09:07 AM

Warranty repair? I'll back you up that it came like that...

Def

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #11 on:** June 28, 2014, 08:26:48 PM

So, from Greg, via Breezy, I am now the possessor of one of these fine tools.

I wanted to throw my thoughts out there on this.

Unlike J-Sews, I found that I COULD one-hand open the blade, if I stuck my pinky in the carabiner clip. The blade retention on mine is good but not too strong.

Once open, the little blade inspires great confidence. It feels super solid. A few quick test swipes shows me the blade is very sharp. I'm not sure how well it would hold the edge, or how much effort it would be to resharpen it, with the chisel edge.

The second scissor blade has micro serrations, making a slight zipping sound against the first blade when employed as scissors. this, coupled with the bobbing motion of the scissors, reminds me of Wenger scissors.

Testing shows that these scissors are good at light duty tasks (paper, thread, etc) and get worse very fast against heavier material. Trying to cut corrugated cardboard with them was incredibly painful, and they failed to cut through the seam of khakis. I didn't bother with a lot of the other materials I normally test with, like heavy plastic and 550 paracord. If you want serious scissors, these aren't really for you.

This thing weighs about .8 ounces. As a comparison, a Vic Classic weighs about .7 ounces. It is all stainless construction, and looks, in my opinion, quite nice. While a bit longer than the Classic, it's also slimmer. This would slide into a pocket effortlessly, and the carabiner makes it a great keychain option. Due to the slim profile, and fairly substantial blade for it's size, this might also be a good choice for a survival tin.

I think it's about the same size as some of the micro spyderco blades in the bug series, and with the stainless finish reminds me of them. The shape of the handle allows a decent 3-finger grip.

I think the Vic Classic beats this tool hands down for usefulness, quality of scissors, and likely in price as well, but it's a neat little piece, and if you get one with less resistant backsprings, it offers an interesting one hand open option for very little weight.