TLDR: The livewire is great, but the shift is better. I caved and bought both. Kershaw livewire ultem variant and the axial shift v3 navy blue/bronze tanto. They are both great knives. They both are dead reliable, with smooth actions. They both have magnacut blades. The kershaw is a fantastic knife and will get plenty of pocket time, but there are some things that I don't love. Its a little slippery. That may be due in part to the ultem used on mine, but even the button and the jimping on the chassis are not very aggressive. I find that in order to actuate it you must adjust your grip. The tiny pocket clip is pretty annoying when trying to get it out of a back pocket. The action is very smooth, but has a very slight ting/ring sound, though it is hardly ever noticeable. The visual esthetic of the ultem is hard to beat, but even with a standard aluminum topped version it looks good. The shift is just different. The action is some how smoother, the snap harder. No ringing here, just a solid thwack on the way out and again on the way in. The body has less curves but much more grip. The button never slips, and there is no readjusting needed for a good grip on the body. The pocket clip is full sized, machined, deep carry. I rarely see the point in mentioning the blade play on an otf, but for those who care, the shift has slightly more blade play. Overall, I love my livewire, but if I could only own one, it would be the shift. It will be my permanent daily driver for a while.
by Hobbs_is_hungry
