ZDP 189 Leek = huge disappointment

Well my ZDP189 Leek just arrived about 30 minutes ago. What a sweet knife. This is one that I would take out on a night out on the town. More of a gentleman's folder IMO. This one is super light and I actually cannot tell that I have it in my pocket. I have other Leeks and am quite impressed with all of them. Due to the blade shape on this model which is different than my other Leeks, it is not one for heavy duty use. Like someone said earlier, it would be used for cutting not for augering out a hole or prying open a paint can lid. This makes my 10th Kershaw Ken Onion designed knife. Now I'm waiting for the ZDP189 Mini-Cyclone to come out (saw that on another thread).
 
They already did!...the green and blue and rare grey Bumps. I really enjoy my green one...but I don't use it for much other than cutting open packages.
 
Patapsco Mike said:
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.
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Im sure im just jumping on the band-wagon, but the Leek has a very thin tip by design, and ZDP-189 is a very brittle steel. Trying to bore a hole with it was probably the stupidest thing you could have dont with it, other than give it to noss4.
 
Kohai999, As long as he is cutting stuff and not stabbing or jabbing,he should be fine.I have talked to a couple people who own them(William Henry H300-C) and say they are pretty secure once gripped.I personally like and will buy a Titan series but for most,$300-$350 is to much for a over the top titanium ZDP-189 button activated folder.


MPE
 
MPE said:
Kohai999, As long as he is cutting stuff and not stabbing or jabbing,he should be fine.........MPE
Click to expand...

WE both know that, was just pointing out the reason for the low MSRP.

Without having to fit up lock tolerances, you take a fairly large amount of time and labor out of the equation.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
That is fine. Next time you may want to make better reference to what you are trying to state then. It sounded as if you were trying to scold me and correcting me about the design.

MPE
 
I still don't get why soft plastic would break a ZDP blade.
Would a S30V be more vulnerable than a 440, if trying to drill a hole in soft plastic. (Not meaning I would do that, just wondering)

So overall:

ZDP-189
-Stays Sharp Longest
-Very Hard, but Brittle

S30V
-Stays Sharp Long
-Hard

In conclusion which blade material do you think is better?
 
The correct answer is Unobtanium.



You have to match a steel spec to its use.... its no secret, just people don't do it.
 
Speaking of secrets, what is the purpose of the Doomsday Machine if nobody knows it exists?
 
Sounds like the ZDP Leek has some problems. I am not hard on my knives but I do expect the steel to have some level of toughness if needed. I know that boring out a hole in a plastic slide doesn't sound like a rough use but that is actually very hard on a blade. I would still expect a decent knife to be able to handle it however.

I have to admit that while I like Kershaw designs, I feel the quality could be better. I have only owned about half a dozen or so of these knives but none of them were perfect and none of them felt like top quality knives except the Bump.

Kershaws I have owned and the related problems:
1. Bump, No problems.
2. Boa, liner lock wearing too fast and weak assist spring.
3. Chive, would open on assist mode fully.
4. Vapor, for the money, a well made knife but the steel is crap.
5. Scallian, coating on handle wore badly after only light carry duty.
6. G-10 Hawks (5-6 of them), uneven grinds, weak detents, loose pocket clips, blade play, liner lock failure.

In general, I feel like it is not worth the risk to buy Kershaw anymore. I want a G-10 S30v Leek and I may give them one more chance but overall, I am not impressed with the quality.
 
Man, lately all those new "SUPER-STEELS" are not what they cracked up to be.

Go with old tried and proven steels like 440C and VG10, you will have less problems and more $ in your pocket.
 
Not at all ZDP189 the best steel available now.
All other steels (in production folders) did not get even closer.

However so far I do not know steel which misuse proof...

Thanks, Vassili.
 
kgriggs8 said:
Sounds like the ZDP Leek has some problems....
Click to expand...
I think a handful of the ZDP Leek's had a few issues, there are many more that have really enjoyed the piece, and have had no problems. We took care of everyone, and as far as I know, there are really no Ti/ZDP problem children anymore.

Look, we decided to do a boutique run with the Leek in a Ti frame lock. The whole package with this piece was difficult all the way from start to finish. We felt like this would be a cool project to take on. No one has done up ZDP here in the states, so we did it. I think it turned out pretty well, the Ti/ZDP Cyclone was even better. We learned a bunch, and I think future ZDP projects will be even better.

kgriggs8 said:
I have to admit that while I like Kershaw designs, I feel the quality could be better. I have only owned about half a dozen or so of these knives but none of them were perfect and none of them felt like top quality knives...
Click to expand...
You have apparently have higher standards than most kgriggs. We mostly get high praise, even with the forumites.

kgriggs8 said:
Kershaw’s I have owned and the related problems:

2. Boa, liner lock wearing too fast and weak assist spring.
3. Chive, would open on assist mode fully.
4. Vapor, for the money, a well made knife but the steel is crap.
5. Scallian, coating on handle wore badly after only light carry duty.
6. G-10 Hawks (5-6 of them), uneven grinds, weak detents, loose pocket clips, blade play, liner lock failure.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what all this has to do with a ZDP Leek, but you obviously felt strongly in expanding on your Kershaw experiences.
2. The Boa is purposely made to open a bit slower than others. If the lock is wearing, send it to my attention, I’ll take care of you. What is the born on date of your Boa?
3. I'm not sure what you are speaking of with your description.
4. Thanks, the Vapor is a value priced knife, what steel other than AUS-6 should we have used?
5. The Scallion has anodized scales like every other manufacturer uses with aluminum scales, so I’m not sure this is a bad thing??
6. The Hawks were our original AO's from back in 1998/1999. What can I say, it was a while ago, send them back, and we will take care of it. Not too many issues even with these original AO's.

kgriggs8 said:
In general, I feel like it is not worth the risk to buy Kershaw anymore. I want a G-10 S30v Leek and I may give them one more chance but overall, I am not impressed with the quality.
Click to expand...
I don't think there is much risk with us, and I'm not saying that because I represent the company. I believe the product is sound, and I think we take risks outside of our normal volume business.
Our countless patents, awards, industry recognition, and technological advancements in production knives should be given some sort of credit. At the very least we blaze our own trails, and try to be a leader in this industry. Apples to apples, I'll put our stuff against any production knife on the market.

In any case, thanks for your input, and hopefully we can keep you as a future customer.
 
I've had countless Kershaws with no issue at all. However, if anything went wrong I know the customer serv. will take care of any warranty problems, so I buy and use with confidence.

As far as the G10 Leek, I had mine since March '06 as my sole pocket EDC. Gets daily use, gets flicked many times a day and bangs around my pocket the rest of the time. It won't let you down (liner aligns just perfect after all this time) and the S30V blade keeps a working edge forever.
 
STR said:
A delicate thin tip is going to be prone to snaps no matter the steel.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

It is no great surprise that the tip of the Leek will fracture when lateral or other twisting type forces are applied to it. Its a very thin, delicate tip.

Though not so delicate, this is presumably why the tip profile of the Delica 3 (aptly named) became more robust in the Delica 4. Thin pointy things tend to break. JMO.

cheers
 
pkdmslf said:
Well my ZDP189 Leek just arrived about 30 minutes ago. What a sweet knife. This is one that I would take out on a night out on the town. More of a gentleman's folder IMO. This one is super light and I actually cannot tell that I have it in my pocket. I have other Leeks and am quite impressed with all of them. Due to the blade shape on this model which is different than my other Leeks, it is not one for heavy duty use. Like someone said earlier, it would be used for cutting not for augering out a hole or prying open a paint can lid. This makes my 10th Kershaw Ken Onion designed knife. Now I'm waiting for the ZDP189 Mini-Cyclone to come out (saw that on another thread).
Click to expand...

How much different is the regular leek blade and the titainum blade?
Thicker/thinner? Different shape?
 
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