Do you guys/girls prefer automatic, assisted, or manual mechanisms? asking because i'm considering a kershaw leek

Manual by far

I have a Leak and broke the torsion bar once or twice. Kershaw sent out lots of spares when I asked for one though. Not a huge deal.
 
gazz98 said:
. I can imagine the reaction I'd get if I fired out an auto. Cell phone out, police called. Yes, I'd be within the law but no need to stick around and talk to the police and waste everyones time.
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Reminds me of this chart someone posted on /r/knives about office carry

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I own many folders of all types -- autos, manuals, assisted -- and, unlike others, I do not have any particular preferences between them.

The only condition I have is that they open smoothly, reliably and easily. All of the folders that I have purchased meet these requirements.

As for the Leek, I owned one briefly but quickly sold it because it was too small for me and because the locking tab would always slide out of position even after being "adjusted." Didn't see the need for that tab on the Leek to begin with because I've never had an assisted folder open on me.

The BEST assisted folder that Kershaw ever made, which was the largest of the same Onion series of which the Leek is a part, was and still is IMO the Shallot.

The Shallot was the 1st knife that I ever paid any "serious" $ for (around $70 in the mid-80s). I carelessly lost that knife but made up for it now that I own 10 of them -- 1 user and 9 variations (every handle/blade variation except the rainbow).
 
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The Kershaw Leek is probably one of the most popular non-knife-people knives from a prolific and reliable company. I prefer Spyderco because of the opening hole and am getting into automatics but if you don’t mind the smooth handle or assisted opening, the Leek is a fine knife.
It may be difficult to deploy with gloves on but as a general EDC knife it will be fine.

I found one in a cemetary a few years ago on Halloween and it only had a bent tip. I gave it to my girlfriend to carry in her purse and have never seen it again.
 
Depends on what I'm using the knife for. And there are always tradeoffs.

Every day when I cut hay strings, I want to open the knife quickly with one hand in a confined space (no flicking) and close it quickly with one hand. That usually means a manual that will drop open and closed such as a Benchmade Bugout or maybe my new Civivi Cogent. An OTF might work, but I don't have one. But I also want the blade to be a serrated non-pointy sheep(s)foot, which means a manual Spyderco. But I think a good auto is just more pleasant to use, if it is not sensitive to dust. But for heavier duty cutting and especially for emergencies, I want a fixed blade or an auto such as a Gerber 06 or Benchmade AFO II. And I like the convenience of an assisted opener for out-and-about carry so I don't have to explain that autos are legal. Tradeoffs. Multiple knives.
 
LegendaryPillow said:
I'm thinking of getting a kershaw leek in the near future, so I was looking to see your guys' opinions on the different mechanism types. The general community (as i've seen) does not favor automatic/assisted mechanisms.
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Manual. Automatic opening and assisted opening knives mean that money was spent on a mechanism I don’t need and don’t want. I’d rather they spend that part of the design budget on better quality or lower price.
 
sgt1372 said:
I own many folders of all types -- autos, manuals, assisted -- and, unlike others, I do not have any particular preferences between them.

The only condition I have is that they open smoothly, reliably and easily. All of the folders that I have purchased meet these requirements.

As for the Leek, I owned one briefly but quickly sold it because it was too small for me and because the locking tab would always slide out of position even after being "adjusted." Didn't see the need for that tab on the Leek to begin with because I've never had an assisted folder open on me.

The BEST assisted folder that Kershaw ever made, which was the largest of the same Onion series of which the Leek is a part, was and still is IMO the Shallot.

The Shallot was the 1st knife that I ever paid any "serious" $ for (around $70 in the mid-80s). I carelessly lost that knife but made up for it now that I own 10 of them -- 1 user and 9 variations (everyone excet the rainbow.
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Yes! The shallot is an awesome knife. I bought a black one before they were discontinued, but I wish I had a couple more. I was kind of new to the knife scene back then, and was buying mostly cheaper knives.
Anyway, I prefer manual as long as it opens easy (no wrist flicking). Autos are illegal here so I don’t carry them often, and honestly they’re not my favorite because they too have tension when closing them.
The leek is a good little knife though. The 14c28n steel is decent, and the blade-lock can be taken off with a T6 bit if it bothers you. They have so many different versions of that knife, it’s like a PM2 in that regard. And it’s made in America if that’s important to you. They come in all kinds of different colors, carbon fiber, copper, CPM-D2, CPM-154 (which are both good steel upgrades). It was one of my first “real” pocket knives, and what ultimately got me into the higher end ZTs and other stuff. IMO it’s hard to find a better small USA folding knife at that price.
 
fuyume said:
Manual. Automatic opening and assisted opening knives mean that money was spent on a mechanism I don’t need and don’t want. I’d rather they spend that part of the design budget on better quality or lower price.
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Yeah , they may have spent a whole dollar on the spring.
 
Mostly manuals for me, though I've got nothing against automatics aside from my visceral dislike of blade play and many aluminum textures, two things they are lousy with. Assisted I like the least, though I've got a Barrage and I like it as it is, it's not your typical gas station folder and all together with the profile, the lock, and the secondary lock, it makes sense that it's the one assisted knife I own. It's complicated and neat and looks like a retro-futuristic interpretation of some kind of dagger, like a basilard maybe.
 
sgt1372 said:
I own many folders of all types -- autos, manuals, assisted -- and, unlike others, I do not have any particular preferences between them.

The only condition I have is that they open smoothly, reliably and easily. All of the folders that I have purchased meet these requirements.

As for the Leek, I owned one briefly but quickly sold it because it was too small for me and because the locking tab would always slide out of position even after being "adjusted." Didn't see the need for that tab on the Leek to begin with because I've never had an assisted folder open on me.

The BEST assisted folder that Kershaw ever made, which was the largest of the same Onion series of which the Leek is a part, was and still is IMO the Shallot.

The Shallot was the 1st knife that I ever paid any "serious" $ for (around $70 in the mid-80s). I carelessly lost that knife but made up for it now that I own 10 of them -- 1 user and 9 variations (everyone excet the rainbow.
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The Shallot's a dang good knife! I still have an S110v version kicking around back at my parents house.
 
gazz98 said:
No autos or assisted openers for me. I could put the spring back in my ZT 350 and make it assisted but I like how it is.

We can carry auto here in MI since a few years ago but never bought an auto. I don't need an auto knife and I have had some problems with sheeple giving me the evil eye after pulling out an Endura. I can imagine the reaction I'd get if I fired out an auto. Cell phone out, police called. Yes, I'd be within the law but no need to stick around and talk to the police and waste everyones time.

I'm totally content with the selection of manual knives out there.
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Yeah, MI has its ups and its downs. That's like the law here in good ol' Texas that allows you to go anywhere publicly with a long gun on your shoulder. Shotgun, rifle, AR--anything not fully auto. Totally legal, but someone might call the cops even still. Can't beat the summers in MI though.
 
I like manuals , automatics and assisted knives. Most of my knives are manuals (thumbstuds and holes). As far as automatics go , Benchmade autos seem to appeal to me the most like the Presidio2 and Rukus2.
 
I prefer the slow roll open and slipjoints at this point in my knife enthusiast journey. I have one auto, my Protech TRM4, and I can't say a bad thing about it. It's a gorgeous, perfectly made knife with a fantastic, powerful auto action. But even in my state where it's legal, I never carry it. I usually have a slipjoint or a regular thumbstud or hole operated knife.
 
Here comes another registered yesterday basic member that asks another general question, and dont participate in the discussion...
Yes, there are groups of users that prefer each one of the listed categories.
 
Skar said:
I have a leek and I don't like it.
It has a safety on it which immediately ruins the knife for me.
My wife has it in her purse.

I prefer the delica for that size range.
Useful well made, fidgety and no safety.
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Despite carrying a Leek for years, I never liked the safety. I made the mistake of thinking it was a superfluous feature. So I started carrying it without engaging the safety, like you can safely do with double-action pistols (not "cocked and locked").

Well, remember that "slop" I mentioned prior to engaging the assist? It was just enough that the blade could be pushed out slightly before engaging the assist. With the safety off, it was enough to get pushed out and stay. Given the blade shape, that meant having the tip just proud of the scales. It was just enough to bite me once... Apparently, that safety is not superfluous. :(
 
Big fan of both the Leek and the Blur. I've carried them for years without breakage or unintended opening, even though I don't use the safety on the Leek.
 
Reswob said:
Yeah , they may have spent a whole dollar on the spring.
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And trigger mechanism, and catch, and the safety, and the machining and testing for all of that. You’re fooling yourself if you think the cost of goods sold for an automatic or assisted opening knife is only marginally higher.

With a flick of my wrist, my Gerber Harsey AirFrame will open just as fast as any automatic knife, no mechanism or trigger that might fail needed.
 
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