Recently I was looking for a smaller EDC than my Spyderco G-10 Police.
A couple of knives I considered were the Spyderco Wegner Jr. and the Camillus CUDA EDC.
After many visits to my local knife shops, I eliminated the Wegner Jr. mostly because it's a liner-lock and the EDC is a framelock, and the EDC gets such awesome reviews here on the forums.
So, off I went to The Knife Shoppe (in Ft. Mill, SC) with money in hand.
However, once I was there I was disappointed to discover that the only Camillus EDCs he had was the Talonite version and the black and gold version. The talonite one was too expensive for my budget and I find the black and gold one unappealing.
I asked Bill if he has any other frame-locks about the same size as the EDC and he shows me the Kershaw/Ken Onion Rainbow Leek.
After admiring its beauty and playing with it for a while I decided to take her home with me.
The first thing you notice is that awesome Rainbow finish (titanium oxide coating I think). It is simply beautiful. Overall, its sorta metallic "rainbow trout pink" with touches of green and blue and yellow--just impossible to put in to words.
I hope the finish holds up well.
Opening the blade: if you have a Speed-safe knife then you already know how fast and slick the blade deploys.
And if you have not tried one, you're really missing out on a very cool and clever opening mechanism.
Although technically not an auto, it's as close as a knife can get without being one.
The next thing you notice is the extemely good fit-and-finish and quality of construction. The attention to details is incredible for a knife in this price range (less than $70.00).
I compared the Camillus EDC and the Kershaw Leek side-by-side in the store, and they both have awesome quality construction for factory knives. Either knife could be a "poor man's Sebenza".
The frame-lock is very secure and easy to operate and the washers on both sides of the blade are metal instead of nylon.
The clip is bright polished and allows the knife to ride low in the pocket. It's also very comfortable in the hand.
The handle design is very slender and extremely comfortable to use. It's large enough so that I can just get all four fingers on it, and it is more comfortable than my Spyderco Delica or my Benchmade 555.
It even fits my hand better than the Camillus EDC did.
The blade shape is simple awesome and elegant all at the same time. It does lack the belly of the EDC but it has a much more precise point. After using a Spyderco G-10 Police for so long, I've come to really appreciate a fine tip on a blade.
I also like the safety on the knife. There is a small sliding safety that prevents the blade from deploying when closed.
I have always disliked liner-locks because they only have the tiny ball-detent to hold the blade closed. The safety gives me more peace of mind when I reach in to my pocket.
I had quickly come to love the Rainbow Leek very much...and so did my wife.
She has taken the "pink" one for her own (replacing her Blue Delica) and I have purchased another Rainbow Leek (this one is predominately blue).
The ONLY thing I would change is the blade steel.
The Leek has a 440A blade, which is not that great of a steel.
However, even with 440A, the blade design makes it an awesome cutter. Since the blade is thin with a extemely shallow hollow-grind, it performs very well.
Some knives can cut surprisingly well even with a more common blade steel (like Victorinox Swiss Army knives and Opinels for example).
Still, I would love for Kershaw to do a limited run of 440C or ATS-34 or 154CM Leeks. That would make it THE PERFECT EDC.
Cheers,
Allen.
A couple of knives I considered were the Spyderco Wegner Jr. and the Camillus CUDA EDC.
After many visits to my local knife shops, I eliminated the Wegner Jr. mostly because it's a liner-lock and the EDC is a framelock, and the EDC gets such awesome reviews here on the forums.
So, off I went to The Knife Shoppe (in Ft. Mill, SC) with money in hand.
However, once I was there I was disappointed to discover that the only Camillus EDCs he had was the Talonite version and the black and gold version. The talonite one was too expensive for my budget and I find the black and gold one unappealing.
I asked Bill if he has any other frame-locks about the same size as the EDC and he shows me the Kershaw/Ken Onion Rainbow Leek.
After admiring its beauty and playing with it for a while I decided to take her home with me.
The first thing you notice is that awesome Rainbow finish (titanium oxide coating I think). It is simply beautiful. Overall, its sorta metallic "rainbow trout pink" with touches of green and blue and yellow--just impossible to put in to words.
I hope the finish holds up well.
Opening the blade: if you have a Speed-safe knife then you already know how fast and slick the blade deploys.
And if you have not tried one, you're really missing out on a very cool and clever opening mechanism.
Although technically not an auto, it's as close as a knife can get without being one.
The next thing you notice is the extemely good fit-and-finish and quality of construction. The attention to details is incredible for a knife in this price range (less than $70.00).
I compared the Camillus EDC and the Kershaw Leek side-by-side in the store, and they both have awesome quality construction for factory knives. Either knife could be a "poor man's Sebenza".
The frame-lock is very secure and easy to operate and the washers on both sides of the blade are metal instead of nylon.
The clip is bright polished and allows the knife to ride low in the pocket. It's also very comfortable in the hand.
The handle design is very slender and extremely comfortable to use. It's large enough so that I can just get all four fingers on it, and it is more comfortable than my Spyderco Delica or my Benchmade 555.
It even fits my hand better than the Camillus EDC did.
The blade shape is simple awesome and elegant all at the same time. It does lack the belly of the EDC but it has a much more precise point. After using a Spyderco G-10 Police for so long, I've come to really appreciate a fine tip on a blade.
I also like the safety on the knife. There is a small sliding safety that prevents the blade from deploying when closed.
I have always disliked liner-locks because they only have the tiny ball-detent to hold the blade closed. The safety gives me more peace of mind when I reach in to my pocket.
I had quickly come to love the Rainbow Leek very much...and so did my wife.
She has taken the "pink" one for her own (replacing her Blue Delica) and I have purchased another Rainbow Leek (this one is predominately blue).
The ONLY thing I would change is the blade steel.
The Leek has a 440A blade, which is not that great of a steel.
However, even with 440A, the blade design makes it an awesome cutter. Since the blade is thin with a extemely shallow hollow-grind, it performs very well.
Some knives can cut surprisingly well even with a more common blade steel (like Victorinox Swiss Army knives and Opinels for example).
Still, I would love for Kershaw to do a limited run of 440C or ATS-34 or 154CM Leeks. That would make it THE PERFECT EDC.
Cheers,
Allen.
