New for 2016, Kershaw introduced the Barge knife: a folding knife that is actually designed to pry. At some point, nearly every knife owner has used their blade to pry something – even with the knowledge that this should never be done. As a result, many knife owners have broken (or at least bent) the knife point or full blade.

With the Barge, Kershaw acknowledges that a small prying tool is valuable to many people. Further, they seem to understand that the knife is often the handiest thing a person has about when needing to pry something. So, the Barge was designed with a prybar built in.

On the Barge, the prybar extendes from the backspacer of the knife. This allows you to keep the blade folded and have an effective prying tool without damaging the blade or slipping and cutting your hand.

The 2.6″  8Cr13MoV blade is a modified Wharncliffe design with a nearly straight edge. It uses a stud opener. The metal has a “stonewash” finish and a polymer resin grip similar to G10. This folder has a pocket clip and is designed for tip down carry. The clip is reversible from left to right.

The suggested retail price on this knife is $34.99. No word yet on a shipping date. While Kershaw knives tend to be inexpensive, I’ve found that they work pretty well as a daily driver. If you want a specialized fighting knife or other cutting tool, there are better choices. But for a daily use knife, I’ve found them to be good values.