Anyone EDC a Kershaw Leek?

[Planterz]

I hope I'm not hijacking the thread here, but I had a related Leek question. I notice a couple of people mentioned that they carried Rainbow Leeks. I always thought that was a super-cool looking knife, but I wondered about durability of the finish. Does the titanium-oxide coating hold up well to EDC?

Thanks!

It holds up pretty well actually. Much better than TiN or boron oxide.

 

[ahgar]

I have a leek in rotation and really like it. I had to put a fob/lanyard on it to give me a little more to hold onto. overall great little knife. later, ahgar

 

[brewthunda]

I use a framelock leek as my weekend errand, gardening and grilling knife. It gets used to open a lot of bags of mulch, bags of meat, cardboard boxes, etc.

Why I like it: It's really slim and smooth and disappears when clipped to my pocket. My griptillian fills my pocket too much and the texture scratches my hand when I reach to get other stuff out of my pocket. It's also very easy to open, use, close and return to pocket in under 5 seconds.

 

[mugwump867]

I finally broke down and ordered one of the polished G10/S30V Leeks for EDC. I've been carrying a Kershaw Centofante for the past month or so and I really like the blade shape but it's a tad too small to carry as my only knife. I also own a Chive that suffers from the same problem. I figured it was time to upgrade to the full-sized model. It's the most I've ever spent on a knife so I hope it fits the bill.

 

[jpfaff]

How do you know what type of blade steel youhave on aLeek???

 

[puukkoman]

I don't think they're marked (at least the one I had wasn't), so you have to figure it out based on the handle type and date of manufacture.

 

[UnknownVT]

Yes, my at home EDC is the Black "boron" Leek.

However I like the Leek so much I now have 3 others (OK different versions )

Kershaw/Ken Onion LEEK (pics)

Kershaw Rainbow Leek - a pictorial review

and recently -

G-10 S30V Leek (matte version)

I had EDC'd at home the original all steel Leek since I first got it - that was back in Feb/2003

of course - check out this monster thread -

EDC - What's in Your Pocket(s)??

--
Vincent
http://UnknownVT2006.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT2005.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/

 

[UnknownVT]

How do you know what type of blade steel youhave on aLeek???

According to Kershaw's catalogs - all the Leeks are 440A stainless steel -

except for the most recent G-10 S30V Leek
and a special Random Leek which was also in S30V.

The G-10 S30V Leek has the steel designation etched on the tang of the blade -

--
Vincent
http://UnknownVT2006.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT2005.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/

 

[Thomas W]

BTW, Thomas-how hard is it to swap blades in the Leeks. An S30v blade would be a nice upgrade

Sorry Fudo, nothing we can do at the factory about swaping out blades.

 

[Bilker]

I carry my Random with my Boa on weekends for "gentleman's activities"

 

[ginshun]

I got a G10 S30V Leek not too long ago. It is quite nice.

Also, not to hijack, but is it possible to un-assist a Leek?

I love the knife, but have never een much of a fan of assisted opening in general.

 

[sjahn]

ginshun, you can remove the torsion bar that works AO, I think. Or, you can utilize the thumb stud/blade spine to control blade openning without disabling AO. Use you thumb to prevent the blade flip open and open the blade smoothly with your thumb. It worked with steel Leek. With G10 Leek, it seems a bit more problematic. I just tried.
Leek is quite useful and easy to open with AO removed. My steel Leek has its AO broken, and I just like it as it is. I left it at that and use it as a manual opening.

 

[Planterz]

On the framelock Leeks there's no detent to keep the knife closed (there's the ball on the frame, but no corosponding indention on the blade). I can't speak for the linerlock ones, but since they apparently use the same blades, probably not. There is of course still the safety that could keep the blade closed, if you don't mind fussing with that.

 

[Jerok]

Have three, and have one in the pocket or briefcase every day. Love the lines and snappy opening!

Jeremy

 

[ginshun]

On the framelock Leeks there's no detent to keep the knife closed (there's the ball on the frame, but no corosponding indention on the blade). I can't speak for the linerlock ones, but since they apparently use the same blades, probably not. There is of course still the safety that could keep the blade closed, if you don't mind fussing with that.

That is one of the things I was kind of wondering about, the detent with the spring removed.

hmm... wonder if there is a way to make an indentation for the ball detent in the hardened S30V blade...

 

[sjahn]

There's no detent on the blade, indeed. I wondered about that too. But it seems that it holds reasonably well.
My steel Leek with broken AO, the blade remains closed all the time. No accidental blade opening in normal circumstance, though it will open with a flip of hand. (a good snap is needed even then)

I wonder if you can make a detent with a good punch and enough tap with hammer. For me, I wouldn't try it.
There's still the safety. You can rely on that as I do with mine.

 

[Terry M.]

I EDC'd one for quite some time. I really liked it. This was when I worked in an office setting however. I've recently moved to a field service position and the Leek just isn't enough knife for my taste. I went with a Spyderco Scorpius. I still carry the Leek on weekends or as a gentleman's knife.
I don't think you can go wrong with buying one.

 

[Lindey]

Bought one for my Dad around Christmas time and he seems to be quite happy. Aside from the blade steel its a great little knife. Classy, compact and the blade shape is really easy to sharpen and even has a cool snap with the assisted opening mechanism. Not to mention all the cool handle options.

-Lindey

 

[Charlie Fox]

I've carried mine now for about two years non-stop. I removed the pocket clip and carry it inside my pocket. I've never had a problem with it opening when it shouldn't. Shrpening is a challenge though. Mine's partially serrated and it takes a little longer than usual on my Spyderco Tri-angle. Other than that its been, and will continue to be, a great companion.

 

[tristram]

Yes, my at home EDC is the...Black "boron" Leek...

I had EDC'd at home the original all steel Leek since I first got it ...

That's spot on - the all steel framelock Leek is great at home, just a tad heavy for outdoor carry due to the steel grip (the same doesn't matter so much with the smaller Chive).
The S30V / G10 Leek makes a great EDC, though it's not as beautiful as the monochrome Leeks, esp. the Rainbow one, imo.