Spyderco Dragonfly2 vs Kershaw Leek - A newbie's perspective

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pharminator

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Perspective is everything.

First thing you need to realize when you read a review is the point of view from the person writing it. Many reviews are written by those who have handled hundreds to thousands of knives. This, on the other hand, is written by a knife-newb, and a guy who probably uses his knives for light-duty only.

I recently got into the world of knife collecting (watch collecting was my first love), and I find it a fascinating world that combines chemistry, aesthetics, engineering, and awesomeness. I came to it via knife sharpening, as I have always tried to get the most out of my kitchen knifes, and the desire to figure out why some knifes are able to sharpen up better than others. You can read how I got here through this post. Now that I have both the Dragonfly2 and the Leek, I can begin to contrast them from my perspective.

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Most of the duties performed by these knifes are clamshell box opening, cardboard breakdown, and the like. For me, most of the review weight is given to aesthetics, comfort, build quality, and sharpness. Both these knifes are more than enough to handle the tasks I will hand to them. In addition, I also realize that I’m comparing two samples of very high run knife models. Someone may have gotten a knife that is better or worse than the ones I have. However, as I said earlier, my perspective is entirely based on my experience with these two knifes.

From the get-go, I have found that the Kershaw is a slightly higher build quality. The blade is absolutely dead centre when closed, and there is no blade play up-down or side to side. The Spiderco has a little up-down, as well as being off centre when closed. It is barely perceptible, but it is definitely there. I can also feel a little rub on the handle materiel when I deploy via the Spyderhole left handed. The Kershaw also came slightly sharper out of the box, but honestly, this is a complete non-issue for me. I have a Sharpmaker (and extra-fine stones), and I really enjoy the act of sharpening a knife. The Leek was sharp enough that I didn’t want to mess with the blade (yet), but I felt the Spiderco could use a touch-up. Don’t get me wrong, they both were sharp, but I like to bring things to hair-popping razor sharpness. The VG10 steel delivered. After some careful sharpening, it is undoubtedly the sharpest blade I have yet handled. Extremely impressed, enough that I plan on working on the Leek when I get a chance to bring them back to even levels of sharpness.

I can tell that the Dragonfly2 could probably take more of a beating than the Leek. If I were to go hiking, I would probably bring the Spiderco with me, as the leaf-shaped blade would probably perform better for heavier tasks. In addition, I would be less concerned with denting or scraping the handle material. I also really like the D2’s wire clip and extreme light-weight. That said, I love the extremely fine point of the Leek. It passes through plastic like it wasn’t there. Great for opening boxes or packing material. In addition, the thing that seals the deal for the Leek being my EDC of choice is the Speedsafe assisted opening. It feels great to move the flipper and have the blade snap open. Extremely satisfying. Every. Single. Time. Which brings me to my next point: if I were traveling (I live right on the Canada-US border), I would bring the Dragonfly. I don’t want to have to explain to a customs officer why a Speedsafe knife is not considered a switchblade. The letter of the law would be on my side, but that still wouldn’t help me if it was to come under scrutiny. The Dragonfly2 wouldn’t put me in that situation and is still by all accounts an awesome EDC knife. I actually bought two of them, and am going to give my cousin one for Christmas. I will be interested to see if his has the same blade play as mine. Before I boxed it up, I gave it the Sharpmaker magic, but I didn’t check the blade play and I don’t want to open it back up again now I have it cleaned and ready to wrap.

So there you go, my perspective one two great EDC knives. It may sound like I’m down on the Dragonfly2, but I’m really not. It’s a fine blade, I just love the Leek a bit more. And Speedsafe is pretty dang fun. Now that I’ve entered the knife world, the hard part is not going out and immediately buying something else. The Cryo II Blackwash is the current front runner, but I need to let the pocketbook cool a bit before my next purchase.

Thanks for reading!
 
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pharminator said:
Mods - any way to change the typo in the title? (Kershaw Leed vs Kershaw Leek)
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Click "Edit Post" and then "Go Advanced". This will open a page allowing you to edit the title.

Nice post! I appreciate your perspective and write up. It's quite an addiction once started, so I'm glad to see you're diving in to the truly nice starters.
 
Good comparison, in a comparable price range. However if you had the G10 version of the Dragonfly, it would blow the Leek away - but at about double the cost of the Leek.

(FWIW, I have a Leek and it's a very nice knife, especially for the price.)
 
I've owned a G10 Dragonfly and several Leeks. Both are awesome, totally capable knives! I hope you enjoy both.

Thanks for your insight, man. I also enjoy the Speedsafe on my composite blade Leek.
 
Nice review! I also started with watches, but I find a lot more use out of knives (and no batteries required).

I've had a leek and it was a fantastic knife for light duty... the geometry is a bit too delicate for most, as I've seen many chipped and bent tips from others who have them.
 
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Glad you all enjoyed the review. As mentioned, I just started having an EDC, and it's surprising how many uses throughout the day you can have for a knife. Dangling thread? Done. Annoying clamshell package? Done. Want to see the widget inside a Guinness can? Done. (Actually, just did that tonight). I didn't think I'd fine much use for one, but it's really surprising.

Thanks again for the warm welcome!
 
pharminator said:
Glad you all enjoyed the review. As mentioned, I just started having an EDC, and it's surprising how many uses throughout the day you can have for a knife. Dangling thread? Done. Annoying clamshell package? Done. Want to see the widget inside a Guinness can? Done. (Actually, just did that tonight). I didn't think I'd fine much use for one, but it's really surprising.

Thanks again for the warm welcome!
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hahaha, welcome to the last 30 years of my life. :D
We're glad you've joined us!
 
Just thought I would post a little update after I have had a chance to carry and use the Dragonfly2 and Leek for a couple weeks. Much to my surprise, the Dragonfly2 has become my preferred EDC. I think a lot of it has to do with form factor. The D2 is a bit shorter, but it carries MUCH lower in my pocket. That is the main reason why I prefer carrying it. I also really like the Spyderco clip. Also, though Speedsafe is awesome (and trust me, I do love it), the Spyderhole opens just about as fast so it’s become much less of a deal than I originally thought. Next reason I like it is blade shape. I like that it’s easier to cut along the edge of the blade. The tip of the Leek is so prominent, if I’m slicing, the tip is in near constant contact with the board/surface. I began Christmas wrapping, and it was far, far easier cutting wrapping paper with the knives. I figured I would just dull the delicate tip of the Leek by running it over a board. With the D2, I was able to cut with the belly of the edge. Were it to dull, it would be a very simple task to bring that edge back. I’m not sure how easy it would be to re-make that ultra fine tip of the Leek. So again, I really like both knives, but I was initially disappointed with the D2 and figured that the Leek would get the most carry time. Now, I think the Spyderco will get more pocket time.

As a final note, I can’t believe I’ve gone this much of my adult life without carrying a pocketknife. Now that I have one, I find I use it many times per day. What would I do without it now?
 
Hey man, really great write up! Very well written. I couldn't agree more with your thoughts on the somewhat limited abilities of the Leek's blade profile. The other bit I found with the Leek was a slight lack in texture- sweaty hands or wet conditions make her a slippery beast. Those bits said, the Leek is still a fantastic "gateway" knife. I would be interested in reading your future reviews. Maybe some potential for future head to head battles:

Spyderco Delica vs Kershaw Skyline
Spyderco Manix 2 vs ZT 0550 or 0566
Spyderco Paramilitary2 vs ZT 0560/0562
Spyderco Ambitious vs Kershaw Cryo

Welcome to the life!

I've had a few different varieties of the above mentioned, I almost always end up with the PM2 or 0550.

The one nice thing I've found about the Spyderhole on larger folders is the "middle finger flick" deployment method, likely very nearly as fast as some assisted openers, just takes some practice.
 
I have both of these knives. I agree that the Leek as a great fit and finish. But, as was mentioned, the more expensive G10 Df is nicer still. A better size comparison would be the Leek vs the Spyderco Caly3. These two have exactly the same handle dimensions. However, the Caly3 is one sweet knife, albeit about 3 to 4 times the price of a Leek (based on the base model) at about $147.
 
pharminator said:
Just thought I would post a little update after I have had a chance to carry and use the Dragonfly2 and Leek for a couple weeks. Much to my surprise, the Dragonfly2 has become my preferred EDC. I think a lot of it has to do with form factor. The D2 is a bit shorter, but it carries MUCH lower in my pocket. That is the main reason why I prefer carrying it. I also really like the Spyderco clip. Also, though Speedsafe is awesome (and trust me, I do love it), the Spyderhole opens just about as fast so it’s become much less of a deal than I originally thought. Next reason I like it is blade shape. I like that it’s easier to cut along the edge of the blade. The tip of the Leek is so prominent, if I’m slicing, the tip is in near constant contact with the board/surface. I began Christmas wrapping, and it was far, far easier cutting wrapping paper with the knives. I figured I would just dull the delicate tip of the Leek by running it over a board. With the D2, I was able to cut with the belly of the edge. Were it to dull, it would be a very simple task to bring that edge back. I’m not sure how easy it would be to re-make that ultra fine tip of the Leek. So again, I really like both knives, but I was initially disappointed with the D2 and figured that the Leek would get the most carry time. Now, I think the Spyderco will get more pocket time.

As a final note, I can’t believe I’ve gone this much of my adult life without carrying a pocketknife. Now that I have one, I find I use it many times per day. What would I do without it now?
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I could not warm up to the Leek... I don't have a dragonfly, but I own several ladybugs, delicas, tenacious,... and I love the spyderco blades and the spyderco hole. Congrats on finding your EDC.
 
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