The Leek I traded for a couple of weeks ago has become one of my favorite knives very quickly. I love the bladeshape, thin blade, the semi guard, AO opening (I don't like thumbstuds so AO fits the knife nicely for me), it's thin and light yet just long enough for a 4 finger grip etc. I'm sure you all know. It's a classic knife and I'm just late to the game.
Today though I think I encountered the first thing that's given me any real trouble with the knife. All my previous worries were resolved, such as the AO needing breaking in and reprofiling being tricky because I couldn't get the thumbstuds out. The Leek was in my pocket all day and it was pretty warm out, so I was sweating most the day. Now my Leek is spotted with rust on the blade. Doesn't appear to be on the liners or anywhere else though thankfully.
Knife steel rusting when being exposed to sweat all day is nothing shocking. The only thing that kind of irks me is most my other knives don't exhibit this kind of behaviour. The Leek was spotted all over, and after scrubbing for a minute with a kitchen brush the spots are still lightly visible. I'll live, I'll leave it as is or sand them off, no big deal. It just seems like my Kershaws rust more easily than other knives.
I have a G10 Cara Cara from Byrd and an Endura 3 in ATS55 that have both seen a lot of pocket time while I sweat, neither has rusted at all. My Buck Hartsook (reprofiled flat to the stone, thereby removing much of the blade coating) is the knife I often carry when I plan to be active since it's thin and light, and after a full day of being soaked in sweat it's usually rust free. The only time it rusted at all there was one small spot of rust and it wiped right off with my shirt.
My Kershaw Groove also has some tiny rust marks on the blade near the spine that wouldn't rub off easily. My friends Vapor also seems a little more prone to spotting on the blade than other knives I've used.
Does your experience match mine, in that Kershaw's seem a little more prone to rusting? This seemed a little odd to me for a 440 series blade steel knife, but maybe someone with more knowledge about the elemental composition of the knives I mentioned could chime in.
EDIT: Something I forgot to mention is there was no rust where the edge bevel is (Ground out with a fine diamond stone from DMT), only where the Satin finish is. Does this finish make the knife more prone to rusting? That's how it appears from what happened today.
EDIT: Kind of unrelated, but could someone direct me to a page that has photos and info on all the available Leek variations? I really like the knife and I'm considering the G10/440 model. I'd like some photos comparing the thickness of this model to others as well as a page that just has all the variations so I can compare them and pick out my next Leek. My thanks to Kershaw for producing this fantastic knife as well, you've won a new customer between this and the Groove.
Today though I think I encountered the first thing that's given me any real trouble with the knife. All my previous worries were resolved, such as the AO needing breaking in and reprofiling being tricky because I couldn't get the thumbstuds out. The Leek was in my pocket all day and it was pretty warm out, so I was sweating most the day. Now my Leek is spotted with rust on the blade. Doesn't appear to be on the liners or anywhere else though thankfully.
Knife steel rusting when being exposed to sweat all day is nothing shocking. The only thing that kind of irks me is most my other knives don't exhibit this kind of behaviour. The Leek was spotted all over, and after scrubbing for a minute with a kitchen brush the spots are still lightly visible. I'll live, I'll leave it as is or sand them off, no big deal. It just seems like my Kershaws rust more easily than other knives.
I have a G10 Cara Cara from Byrd and an Endura 3 in ATS55 that have both seen a lot of pocket time while I sweat, neither has rusted at all. My Buck Hartsook (reprofiled flat to the stone, thereby removing much of the blade coating) is the knife I often carry when I plan to be active since it's thin and light, and after a full day of being soaked in sweat it's usually rust free. The only time it rusted at all there was one small spot of rust and it wiped right off with my shirt.
My Kershaw Groove also has some tiny rust marks on the blade near the spine that wouldn't rub off easily. My friends Vapor also seems a little more prone to spotting on the blade than other knives I've used.
Does your experience match mine, in that Kershaw's seem a little more prone to rusting? This seemed a little odd to me for a 440 series blade steel knife, but maybe someone with more knowledge about the elemental composition of the knives I mentioned could chime in.
EDIT: Something I forgot to mention is there was no rust where the edge bevel is (Ground out with a fine diamond stone from DMT), only where the Satin finish is. Does this finish make the knife more prone to rusting? That's how it appears from what happened today.
EDIT: Kind of unrelated, but could someone direct me to a page that has photos and info on all the available Leek variations? I really like the knife and I'm considering the G10/440 model. I'd like some photos comparing the thickness of this model to others as well as a page that just has all the variations so I can compare them and pick out my next Leek. My thanks to Kershaw for producing this fantastic knife as well, you've won a new customer between this and the Groove.
