ZDP 189 Leek = huge disappointment

P

Patapsco Mike

Joined
Sep 1, 2004
Messages
173
I know, I know, not another Leek thread...:rolleyes:

I jumped on the ZDP-189 Leek when it first showed up. I was delivered one of the very dull ones, my first disappointment, and spend WAY too much time getting it sharp. I wasn't dismayed by the dull blade though, it was a new steel for Kershaw, and these things happen. I loved the lighter weight than my other Leek, and it sure did hold that edge once I was able to get it sharp. For a month, I was in love.

Then, one day, I needed to bore a tiny hole in my kids swingset slide where rainwater was pooling. I already had a hole on one side, which I had made with my Rainbow Leek. The slide had settled a bit, and water was now pooling on the other slide. Out comes my new fancy expensive Leek, into the semi-soft plastic, work it back and forth gently, peeling away a sliver of plastic shavings with each turn, slow, slow, and *snick* 1/8" of the tip breaks off. WTF :eek: ??? Soft plastic vs. super-steel should be no contest. Sigh. So out comes the coarse steel, and I have a quasi-tanto Leek...

Then, I take the knife out in the field. I'm a scientist, and SCUBA dive all over the Chesapeake Bay. We dove in the lower Potomac, and I ended up cutting a few things on the boat between dives- some rope, a couple cable tie ends, etc. It was a 14 hour work day, and I crashed in bed shortly after I got home. The next morning, I took my Leek out to clean it well. I was shocked to see the blade was covered in rust, with small spots/pits aready evident. The knife would no longer fully open automatically either- it would open 3/4 of the way and then stop. Holy crap, this stuff rusts more quickly than any steel I've ever seen. :thumbdn: I've taken my Rainbow Leek in the field many, many times with nary a rust spot. I've had it for years and it still opens perfectly.

I don't care how long ZDP-189 holds an edge. For me, as a user, this steel just will not cut it. I guess I'll be in the market for a new blade to put in this expensive titanium Leek handle.
 
If you know a knifemaker near you, you might ask him/her if they could replace the blade with one made from either Stellite 6K or Talonite...that would pretty well eliminate the rust potential.....but it wouldn't be inexpensive.... either material is expensive and the maker needs to use carbide to drill the pivot hole....and will go through probably several belts to get the bevels ground.
Also would want to make sure all the internal parts are pretty well rust resistant while it is apart....or replace those as well.....

Just a thought....maybe not an economical one but a possible solution.
 
Hmmm. . Did you dive with the knife? You should never put bare steel away wet (except H1 maybe)

The Rainbow leek is coated, so naturally it won't rust.

I would never try to bore a hole with a Leek due to the ultra delicate tip- it is not a matter of the hardness of the blade vs softness of the material.(it would be if you were cutting, and not twisting) The fact that you used a 440A blade to bore a hole successfully might be attributed to the softer steel being more flexible.

But. . . maybe laminated blades is the way to go with harder steels like ZDP189? it would help with rust and flexibility.
 
Now I may be wrong about this, since I have never owned a Leek of any kind.
However, I have seen them and handled one onetime and I have to say that it does not seem like a blade that should be used for anything but cutting.
It seems too skinny to handle a lot of stress.

My EDC is a Native, which has a much thicker and wider blade.
I wouldn't EDC a Leek simply because of the weak appearance.

Again, I may be wrong...
But this is not the first time I've heard of people complaining about their Leek breaking in one way or the other.
 
Unfortunately, this is not the first account I've read of tip breakage with the ZDP-189 Leeks. Interestingly, I have yet to see any similar issues with the ZDP-189 offerings from Spyderco, though the full ZDP Delica does have a thicker tip. The Jess Horn, on the other hand, has a very fine point, and while it is admittedly laminated with 420J2, the very tip is still solid ZDP, and there don't appear to be any issues with those knives either.

As for the rusting, one must understand that many high-end steels require a bit more care. While ZDP-189 should not be as rust-prone as something like M2, if it has been used in an aquatic or marine application, it should be cleaned and dried (and perhaps a coat of protectant applied) before being put away. I treat all of my knives equally in this regard, with the occasional exception of my H-1 Salt 1.

Kershaw seems to be quite good about standing behind its products, so my suggestion would be to contact the company to see what can be done for you. In the future, if you're looking for a good, very low-maintenance folder, I'd recommend the Spyderco Salt series (which I mentioned above). There are a number of different sizes and shapes to select from, and one of them should fit your needs well.
 
I'll be the first one to say, that I'll take it off your hands for a reasonable price.
Let me know, Thanks!
 
I did not dive with the knife, and it did not get wet other than from the slow drizzle that day. A few tiny superficial rust spots would not have bothered me, but dozens of raised spots is just not a practical blade.

My other Leek has stood up to the same tasks that more or less ruined this blade. It's no prybar, I know. No wharncliff blade is. But I was gently twisting in soft plastic, plastic you can easily bend with your fingers. I feel like I paid three times as much for a far less useful knife.
 
Wow. really sorry to hear about your misfortune there. Your tale isn't the first I've heard mention this problem. No sense in a knife that expensive if it's not up to performing simple, day to day tasks.

I certainly won't be racing out to buy one anytime soon!

Ya' gonna at least have a little fun picking out a replacement?:D
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
The fact that you used a 440A blade to bore a hole successfully might be attributed to the softer steel being more flexible.
Click to expand...

Assuming the 440A didn't take a set, the harder blade would be able to do the cutting without harm because it is much stronger when properly hardened, if it wasn't for example then the edge would roll/deform just as easily. The same properties which keep the edge crisp will keep the tip straight. The only concern would be impacts such as stabbing through and hitting concrete/rock.

Patapsco Mike said:
I feel like I paid three times as much for a far less useful knife.
Click to expand...

It is defective (tip breaking), return it. The corrosion resistance of ZDP-189 however is very low compared to 440A as are most of the high carbon stainless.

-Cliff
 
Another ZDP Leek thread? If you were at home, why not use a drill?

Again:

drill bit--$5.00
ZDP Leek--$140
using the right tool for the job--Priceless

The Leek is designed to cut, not pry or twist. I would say you're lucky the Rainbow Leek didn't break the first time you used it to make the other hole. I bet if it had, no one here would have heard about it. I have never had any problems with my Leeks, and I use mine dozens of times per day--TO CUT STUFF! I don't pry or chop or twist or stab with it.

It does suck that a knife as expensive as this is having so many problems in the field, but those of us that use the knife as it was intended are very happy with it. But I am sorry your blade broke Mike. Give Kershaw the opportunity to replace it--they will. Then you can sell me the knife :D Good Luck!
 
nygiantsfan3342 said:
Another ZDP Leek thread? If you were at home, why not use a drill?

Again:

drill bit--$5.00
ZDP Leek--$140
using the right tool for the job--Priceless

The Leek is designed to cut, not pry or twist. I would say you're lucky the Rainbow Leek didn't break the first time you used it to make the other hole. I bet if it had, no one here would have heard about it. I have never had any problems with my Leeks, and I use mine dozens of times per day--TO CUT STUFF! I don't pry or chop or twist or stab with it.

It does suck that a knife as expensive as this is having so many problems in the field, but those of us that use the knife as it was intended are very happy with it. But I am sorry your blade broke Mike. Give Kershaw the opportunity to replace it--they will. Then you can sell me the knife :D Good Luck!
Click to expand...

To cut stuff only, hmmm.

Pack of razor blades - $2
Kershaw Leek - $50
Being an smartass - priceless :p
 
I dunno.

I keep hearing about these ZDP leeks with tips snapping, and there's always someone responding that the knife was being used improperly. a friend of mine had his tip snapped off when his girlfriend used it to cut a sandwich. (hit the table underneath) whup! that's what sandwich knives are for!

cutting sheetrock? whup! that's what razor knives are for!

boring small holes through soft plastic! well, that's what drills are for!

Any decent pocketknife should not need an itemized check list for cutting items. If we all wanted to carry or retrieve a fingernail file, a drill, a sandwich knife, a boxcutter, a linoleum knife, scissors, etc. we probably wouldn't bother adding a poclet knife to the list.

My $6 Opinels have performed every one of these tasks without breaking. As have my $15 Douk Douk, my SAK, my (new) Hackmann Butterfly knife, etc. Heck, for that matter I've worked my wifes Rainbow Leek without a trouble. and my nine year old has been carrying a Chive for a year now, and it's been boyproof. I believe the fact of the matter is that Kershaw made an oops with this series. Not saying they're bad at all (I like kershaw) but everybody makes mistakes, even our favorite knife makers and manufacturers.

If these cheap knives can do such tasks without breaking, I would think Kershaw could make a $140 knife meet the same standards. Afterall, I'm not comparing it to prybars, but other thin bladed knives.

I do however, agree with the idea of returning it to Kershaw. I"ve no doubt they'll make things right if given a chance to. (then I'd sell or trade the new one off in a New York minute)

good luck, whatever you decide!
 
You've discovered why I no longer buy Kershaw---I'd rate them about the same quality-wise as Gerber---but at least Gerbers can be had for a low price.

Was a huge Kershaw fan 5-6 years ago---but the more I used them--the less thrilled I got---bought a Spyderco and haven't looked back--my Kershaw's have been relegated to the sock drawer for years now.
 
Runs With Scissors said:
I dunno.

I keep hearing about these ZDP leeks with tips snapping, and there's always someone responding that the knife was being used improperly. a friend of mine had his tip snapped off when his girlfriend used it to cut a sandwich. (hit the table underneath) whup! that's what sandwich knives are for!

cutting sheetrock? whup! that's what razor knives are for!

boring small holes through soft plastic! well, that's what drills are for!

Any decent pocketknife should not need an itemized check list for cutting items. If we all wanted to carry or retrieve a fingernail file, a drill, a sandwich knife, a boxcutter, a linoleum knife, scissors, etc. we probably wouldn't bother adding a poclet knife to the list.

My $6 Opinels have performed every one of these tasks without breaking. As have my $15 Douk Douk, my SAK, my (new) Hackmann Butterfly knife, etc. Heck, for that matter I've worked my wifes Rainbow Leek without a trouble. and my nine year old has been carrying a Chive for a year now, and it's been boyproof. I believe the fact of the matter is that Kershaw made an oops with this series. Not saying they're bad at all (I like kershaw) but everybody makes mistakes, even our favorite knife makers and manufacturers.

If these cheap knives can do such tasks without breaking, I would think Kershaw could make a $140 knife meet the same standards. Afterall, I'm not comparing it to prybars, but other thin bladed knives.

I do however, agree with the idea of returning it to Kershaw. I"ve no doubt they'll make things right if given a chance to. (then I'd sell or trade the new one off in a New York minute)

good luck, whatever you decide!
Click to expand...

Great post! And I agree with you: Thomas from Kershaw admitted that the Leek Blade style was not the best choice for the ZDP Steel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top