Kershaw blades, any good?

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kgriggs8

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I was wondering if the steel on the Kershaw knives are any good, esp. on the Leek and the Chive/Scalion.

I was thinking about getting a Leek, are they good? I have a BM 885sbt Darkstar that I like alot but I want a Warncliff blade and the Leek looks nice. Is the steel on the Leek as good as the ATS-34 on my BM?
 
Yes, and no, respectively. ;)

They are good knives, but I don't think the steel is better than ATS-34. Definately a good buy though.
 
The Leek has 440A Stainless which is pretty good at resisting corrosion but not as hard or edge holding as ATS-34. But for the price the Leek is a very nice knife. Check your budget and see what you can afford. There are other knives out there with the Wharncliffe blade, The Spyderco Kiwi for example. The nicer the steel the more $$ you will pay.

Also the smaller knives of the Kershaw series (Scallion, Chive) use 420HC steel which I believe is not quite as good as the 440A. Do the research, order the knife and enjoy! :D


Greymoor
 
I'm a knife novice so don't take my opinion too seriously. But, I bought a Chive a few months ago and really liked it. It hasn't seen much use. However, I just got myself a Benchmade 771 with a 154 CM blade, and it is FAR superior to the Chive (also bigger, but slightly lighter). I don't know if Benchmades are just sharpened better or if its something about the steel, but the Benchmade knife is noticeably better even to someone ignorant about knives like me. The Benchmade easily shaves hair off of my arm where the Chive does not, and the Benchmade leaves a much cleaner cut on a piece of light paper than the Chive.
 
Originally posted by AlonzoMosely
I'm a knife novice so don't take my opinion too seriously. But, I bought a Chive a few months ago and really liked it. It hasn't seen much use. However, I just got myself a Benchmade 771 with a 154 CM blade, and it is FAR superior to the Chive (also bigger, but slightly lighter). I don't know if Benchmades are just sharpened better or if its something about the steel, but the Benchmade knife is noticeably better even to someone ignorant about knives like me. The Benchmade easily shaves hair off of my arm where the Chive does not, and the Benchmade leaves a much cleaner cut on a piece of light paper than the Chive.
Click to expand...

I'm sure all that is true, but consider how much the Benchmade 771 was! MSRP is $140-160 for the 771, while MSRP is $30 for the Chive. Big difference!
 
The 420HC steel used by the Chive and Scallion has an exceptional heattreat.
A friend of mine had a Scallion until the spring broke and he warrantied away, but he only did little maintanence, and the blade still cut very well before he turned it in for warranty.
The edge is unexpectedly good from a steel that I don't expect much.
 
I bought a Chive at Blade Show West this year and have been pretty impressed by it. I haven't used it much or carried it that much, but the blade was razor sharp. I've used it for small tasks (cutting tape, packages, etc.) and it's held up well; the edge is still razor sharp. It's also fun to play with whenever you're bored.:D
 
The torsion bar on my chive broke last week. Easy to fix and Kershaw mailed a new one immediately but still kind of irritating since I hardly use it.

Based on the positive comments here, maybe I got one that was just not sharpened well at the factory. I'll have to learn how to sharpen, though I suspect that the shape of the Chive blade would make it not an easy one to learn on.
 
the chive is alrite for sharpening
my scallion sharpens great
it's the steel that matters more imo than the shape of the blade
 
I'm familiar with both the Scallion and Leek. It's been my experience that they both hold their edge. As to your question if the "Leek is any good", my answer would be yes. The design is excellent, the ergonomics are good and the size is just about right. I think that you would be pleased.
 
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