Kershaw Leek problem

O

OodlesOfNoodles

Joined
Dec 22, 2004
Messages
31
I own a Leek knockoff that I got at a mall cutlery store for kicks. I have a small problem though. The blade no longer engages correctly. It will not stay straight. This is a recent advancement, but I started pressing the little clip on the side of the blade when closing it, as opposed to simply folding the blade. Now the clip doesn't stay down and keep the blade straight. Is this a problem with real Leeks? I love my knockoff, and will purchase a real Leek, but not if this is a problem universal to the design.
 
"clip"? not the pocket clip, right? whatever this problem is, the answer is no. you will not run into any problems to speak of with a real Leek. i have 2, and they're both perfect. my friend also has one, and it's perfect, 1+ year later.

stick that one in a vice, fold it in half a couple times, and throw it out the window of your car, on the way to buy a new Kershaw Leek. :) just kidding, but seriously, don't ever expect a real knife to display ANY properties relating to a knockoff.

i would however be interested in seeing a picture of a fakey-phony Leek. got a digital camera?

abe m.
 
I'm not clear what you mean by the "little clip on the side of the blade" but I doubt a problem with a knock-off has anything to do with the basic design of the real thing by a reputable company like Kershaw.
 
Let my give you a better picture. The pocket clip is on a piece of steel. The steel has a small part cut out of it forming a thin piece. When the blade is open, the piece is supposed to slip downward, and stop the blade from folding. If i can get a good picture up I will, but I have to find my camera.
 
Ah, here we are. The pics aren't great though.

Knock off Leek coming up.

MVC-019F.jpg


More

MVC-021F.jpg


ThHe little clippy thing I'm talking about

MVC-022F.jpg
 
You're talking about the locking bar - and no, you will not have a similar problem with the real Leek. Does that thing have an assisted opening feature? If it does, I'm surprised it hasn't shaken itself apart already. As stated previously in this thread, never assume that a knockoff will have anything other than its silhouette in common with the original. You wouldn't like people to think you were mute because they couldn't get a child's drawing of you to talk, would you?

P.S. - took a closer look at your original post - if you were able to close your knife simply by folding the blade in, it was broken to begin with. What it seems like to me is that you actually bent the lockbar such that it no longer holds the blade open (not that it really did its job in the first place, you have to understand). Either way, follow the other guy's advice and put it in a vise. Then feed it to your worst enemy's dog.
 
ahhh... that's called the "lockbar", as the Leek is classified as a "framelock" knife.

i'm going to attribute this to the cheaper steel used in the frame. if the metal is not tempered properly, it will lose it's tendency to move under the the blade. a real Leek would never do this: the frame will always lock under the blade once the knife is all the way open.

obviously, the locking mechanism is unsafe at this point. if you still want to keep using it, you could take the knife apart, and slowly and carefully bend the lockbar inward. then put 'er back together, and see if it will spring back under the blade again. doesn't sound like a good solution either, but that's all i can think of. chuck it out! :D

abe m.
 
Yeah, I think I'll just get rid of it. However, before I do I think I will see how easy to destroy it. $5 says I break the blade in one blow. Any takers? And yes, I'm going to get a real Leek, or something similar like a Ka-Bar Dozier. Any suggestions?
 
I have a leek, nice knife, my lockbar works fine (my knife is fairly new) but I have heard of people having to replace 5 springs but not heard of any lockbar problems (dont worry about spring replacements, kershaw aknowledges that they break and will replace them free of charge). If you like it alot, i would go out and get a real one.
 
Oodles , I assume you are a young person and have not aquired much in the way of expendable funds and/or have not embraced the saying, "you get what you pay for". When it comes to knives and guns, or any other tool that might bite save your money til you can afford quality.Your body will thank you in your old age. :cool: Kev, the geezer
 
Hmmm, 2 for 3. I really didn't expect much. I must confess that when I bought this I didn't know much about knives, past the Hibben throwing knives I owned. I just bought it due to the speed assist. I DO realize tha you get what you pay for, which I why I'm totally committed to buying quality Iitems. On my list is a Camillus Hea and Cuda MAXX, Cold Steel Recon tanto, and a Rob Criswell katana. *sigh* I need more money. I hate minimum wage. Still its the rat race for me once again during the summer.
 
here's the lock-up on my Leeks:

leeklock.jpg


these are both about a year and a half old. they see regular use every week. and i flick 'em (and open and close 'em) all the time.

abe m.
 
agreed. i picked up the Heat in November, and it's terrific. the blade came razor sharp (with albeit slightly uneven grindlines -- though this seems to be the case with many of Camillus' knives). it just feels perfect in your hand, and gives you a lot to grab onto. the flipper works brilliantly, and the blade defaults into the handle very well, without feeling like it's going to leap open in your pocket.

it is NOT however, a substitute for the Leek. if you're into the slim design of Kershaw's assisted opener, the Heat feels practically twice the thickness, and the blade shape is quite different. beefier in all aspects, it's still quite the knife, and worth every penny (will run about the same price as the Leek, maybe a few dollars more).

also consider the SOG Twitch II. AUS8 steel, 2.7" blade, aluminum handles. comes beautifully machined, super sleek, with SOG's S.A.T. opening mechanism. smaller than the other two, but with a nice lockback design, and quite a gentleman-ly look to it runs about $45. here's a pic of the 3 together:

assisted.jpg


(sorry for the crappy picture, i'm not very good with the ol' camera. that Heat is not the black-bladed version, it's just my darn flash.)

abe m.
 
Which have better steel? The Leek or the Heat? I think the Leek is 440A, and the Heat is AUS 6M. Which is better for edge retention, ease of sharpening, etc? I must confess that I suck at sharpening, but I'm definitly going to try it on my cheap knives.
 
i'm new to the forum but what i've taken from past conversations (have been reading here before i joined) they should be very close in proformance. and all seem to suggest you go for quality manufacturer.
 
OodlesOfNoodles said:
Which have better steel? The Leek or the Heat? I think the Leek is 440A, and the Heat is AUS 6M. Which is better for edge retention, ease of sharpening, etc? I must confess that I suck at sharpening, but I'm definitly going to try it on my cheap knives.
Click to expand...

the Heat uses AUS8, which seems to perform about the same as 440A (at least, in my experience). however, the larger and thicker blade of the Heat gives the impression of a heartier steel. both will an absolute snap to sharpen, with fair edge retention.

abe m.
 
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