- Joined
- Feb 4, 2006
- Messages
- 562
After purchasing the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter I told myself I wouldn't buy anymore knives for quite some time, but I just couldn't resist getting my hands on this little piece of history: The ZDP-189/Ti Leek.
This is my first Kershaw, first assisted opener, first Ti framelock (I have a steel one) and first sprint run knife.
Firstly, the knife is gorgeous. The finish on the blade is a bright satin, though it seems to be coarser than the finishes on my other satin knives. Perhaps Kershaw was going for that effect though, because I love the different finishing directions for each grind (primary grind has vertical lines, swedge has perpendicular finish lines and the flat part has horizontal finish lines). This little detailing, IMO, gives it a semi-custom look.
My particular Leek, however, has an off-center blade which was disappointing, though I'm sure not the norm. I've learned to tolerate some off-centering (~.5mm) in folding knives, but this one is sort of at the edge of my tolerance. The tip almost rubs against the side of the tip lock (it is a tiny fraction of a mm away from it). I don't quite know why blades are sometimes off-center (is it the pivot, the blade, the handles what?), but it has been my experience that playing with the pivot tightness can completely solve the problem (both my BM710 and Rat Trap are now near perfect if not totally perfect).
I tried tightening/loosening the pivot but it was a confusing experience. I turned it in the direction that generally loosens a screw, and it got tighter, so tight that it wouldn't budge. I try the other way, and it was still tight. I go inbetween the two directions and it was back at the starting tightness...Perhaps it is something to do with the assist? But that doesn't matter now, because turning the screw results in the entire pivot turning. I don't quite understand what happened, because if it was loctite, it should have turned the entire pivot from the start. So if anyone has a clue as to what could possibly be the problem, I'd love for you to share
(One side of the pivot is flat, so it should only require one screwdriver)
Anyways, that is a minor problem for now since everything is pretty darn tight with no detectable blade play in any direction. Seeing Kershaw's involvement in these forums also gives me great relief knowing that if this ever does become a problem I can count on them to fix it.
On to the action of the knife. I find the Speed Safe function very cool, though I'm not a fan of flicking knives open out of concern for lock wear (I've had one bad experience with a liner lock developing vertical play with one strong flick). However, upon closing the knife, I noticed the action is VERY gritty, though not tight. Is this because of the speed safe coil spring? Since this is my first Kershaw, I don't know if this is normal or not for their AOs. I have also heard there is normally a click when closing the knife, but mine doesn't do that. Still seems like it's very secure though. I give the Speed Safe function a hearty thumbs up. It is very fun, though of very little use to me and something I would actually like to take out of the knife (I don't want it getting confiscated because it is an "auto").
I find the handle to be very ergonomic, though slightly on the thin side. But given the size of the thing, I'd say that's to be expected and part of the design. It is a little thinner than my Camillus EDC because the washers are thinner. The blade and handles are the same thickness. The Leek is also not as wide as the EDC, but about the same length. Despite being about the same size, the Leek is noticeably lighter, which was a little surprising because I didn't think this little bit of titanium and steel would be noticeably different (the EDC is even skeletonized).
Speaking of the difference between the steel and titanium handles, the difference in pressure required to disengage the lock is like night and day. The steel lock on my Cuda EDC requires what I would guesstimate is twice the pressure to unlock. The EDC even has a longer, deeper cutout in the lockbar! Sure wasn't expecting that either. My confidence in the titanium lock took a blow when I first unlocked it. I'm not so concerned about the thing unlocking on me, but I am concerned about how quickly the lock might wear and the possibility of overbending it when unlocking. Luckily, when the clip is configured for tip up carry, it also prevents overbending the lock (though this puts a lot more of the knife outside your pocket if you do use the clip).
The blade has a nice profile to it which gives it a nice pointy tip with lots of control. Looks pretty delicate at the tip, though the problems of tip breakage seem a little strange. The first few mm of tip on this is comparable to that of my Paramilitary, though a tiny bit slimmer vertically. Unfortunately, I seem to have gotten one of the models designed to butter bread (so dull that it can barely slice paper). Maybe I should consider sending it into Kershaw for a tune up (I've been having a hell of a time reprofiling my 154CM Camillus on my new Sharpmaker, I don't want to know what ZDP is like). The thickness behind the edge seems quite thick for a blade this size and thickness, perhaps something to do with the fact that it is a ZDP blade and hard to grind? The dullness is a disappointing problem that seems fairly well known on this forum. This is a July model by the way, maybe their August blades are better.
All in all a gorgeous knife that seems to have some QC issues (which could be credited to the novelty of the steel). Obviously not the type of knife you would use hard, though it does look more delicate than my Camillus EDC which is basically the same size. Something I personally wouldn't carry on a regular basis (partly because it seems a bit too delicate and partly because it's expensive), but has a classy look to it and is really fun to play with. Definitely a keeper for me just to look at/play with and occasional use if I ever need to do very detailed cutting. Just might have to send it in to Kershaw though.
In closing I have a couple questions that I would really appreciate an answer or insight for:
1. Is the action supposed to be gritty because of the AO spring?
2. What could possibly be wrong with the pivot? (It tightened initially when turned either way, and now the entire pivot pin moves)
3. If I can get that pivot to work, would it be hard to remove the AO function?
Thanks for reading and if you can answer any of my questions, thanks in advance!
-Jon
EDIT: Figured out how to adjust the pivot without the entire thing turning...you need the clip placed for tip down carry! I guess you just need that friction from the clip to keep that one side from moving...
Also after some playing around with it, the lockbar really "breaks in." When I first used it the lock engaged about half way and now it's engaging a bit more than that. Hopefully these things only break in like that initially and slow down...I have also spotted a scuff on the left side of the blade that looks very much like the scuff found in another thread in General Discussion.
I emailed Kershaw's warranty dept and hopefully they can replace the knife or fix the problems. I'll let you guys know how that goes too. From what I've heard it should go well
This is my first Kershaw, first assisted opener, first Ti framelock (I have a steel one) and first sprint run knife.
Firstly, the knife is gorgeous. The finish on the blade is a bright satin, though it seems to be coarser than the finishes on my other satin knives. Perhaps Kershaw was going for that effect though, because I love the different finishing directions for each grind (primary grind has vertical lines, swedge has perpendicular finish lines and the flat part has horizontal finish lines). This little detailing, IMO, gives it a semi-custom look.
My particular Leek, however, has an off-center blade which was disappointing, though I'm sure not the norm. I've learned to tolerate some off-centering (~.5mm) in folding knives, but this one is sort of at the edge of my tolerance. The tip almost rubs against the side of the tip lock (it is a tiny fraction of a mm away from it). I don't quite know why blades are sometimes off-center (is it the pivot, the blade, the handles what?), but it has been my experience that playing with the pivot tightness can completely solve the problem (both my BM710 and Rat Trap are now near perfect if not totally perfect).
I tried tightening/loosening the pivot but it was a confusing experience. I turned it in the direction that generally loosens a screw, and it got tighter, so tight that it wouldn't budge. I try the other way, and it was still tight. I go inbetween the two directions and it was back at the starting tightness...Perhaps it is something to do with the assist? But that doesn't matter now, because turning the screw results in the entire pivot turning. I don't quite understand what happened, because if it was loctite, it should have turned the entire pivot from the start. So if anyone has a clue as to what could possibly be the problem, I'd love for you to share
(One side of the pivot is flat, so it should only require one screwdriver)Anyways, that is a minor problem for now since everything is pretty darn tight with no detectable blade play in any direction. Seeing Kershaw's involvement in these forums also gives me great relief knowing that if this ever does become a problem I can count on them to fix it.
On to the action of the knife. I find the Speed Safe function very cool, though I'm not a fan of flicking knives open out of concern for lock wear (I've had one bad experience with a liner lock developing vertical play with one strong flick). However, upon closing the knife, I noticed the action is VERY gritty, though not tight. Is this because of the speed safe coil spring? Since this is my first Kershaw, I don't know if this is normal or not for their AOs. I have also heard there is normally a click when closing the knife, but mine doesn't do that. Still seems like it's very secure though. I give the Speed Safe function a hearty thumbs up. It is very fun, though of very little use to me and something I would actually like to take out of the knife (I don't want it getting confiscated because it is an "auto").
I find the handle to be very ergonomic, though slightly on the thin side. But given the size of the thing, I'd say that's to be expected and part of the design. It is a little thinner than my Camillus EDC because the washers are thinner. The blade and handles are the same thickness. The Leek is also not as wide as the EDC, but about the same length. Despite being about the same size, the Leek is noticeably lighter, which was a little surprising because I didn't think this little bit of titanium and steel would be noticeably different (the EDC is even skeletonized).
Speaking of the difference between the steel and titanium handles, the difference in pressure required to disengage the lock is like night and day. The steel lock on my Cuda EDC requires what I would guesstimate is twice the pressure to unlock. The EDC even has a longer, deeper cutout in the lockbar! Sure wasn't expecting that either. My confidence in the titanium lock took a blow when I first unlocked it. I'm not so concerned about the thing unlocking on me, but I am concerned about how quickly the lock might wear and the possibility of overbending it when unlocking. Luckily, when the clip is configured for tip up carry, it also prevents overbending the lock (though this puts a lot more of the knife outside your pocket if you do use the clip).
The blade has a nice profile to it which gives it a nice pointy tip with lots of control. Looks pretty delicate at the tip, though the problems of tip breakage seem a little strange. The first few mm of tip on this is comparable to that of my Paramilitary, though a tiny bit slimmer vertically. Unfortunately, I seem to have gotten one of the models designed to butter bread (so dull that it can barely slice paper). Maybe I should consider sending it into Kershaw for a tune up (I've been having a hell of a time reprofiling my 154CM Camillus on my new Sharpmaker, I don't want to know what ZDP is like). The thickness behind the edge seems quite thick for a blade this size and thickness, perhaps something to do with the fact that it is a ZDP blade and hard to grind? The dullness is a disappointing problem that seems fairly well known on this forum. This is a July model by the way, maybe their August blades are better.
All in all a gorgeous knife that seems to have some QC issues (which could be credited to the novelty of the steel). Obviously not the type of knife you would use hard, though it does look more delicate than my Camillus EDC which is basically the same size. Something I personally wouldn't carry on a regular basis (partly because it seems a bit too delicate and partly because it's expensive), but has a classy look to it and is really fun to play with. Definitely a keeper for me just to look at/play with and occasional use if I ever need to do very detailed cutting. Just might have to send it in to Kershaw though.
In closing I have a couple questions that I would really appreciate an answer or insight for:
1. Is the action supposed to be gritty because of the AO spring?
2. What could possibly be wrong with the pivot? (It tightened initially when turned either way, and now the entire pivot pin moves)
3. If I can get that pivot to work, would it be hard to remove the AO function?
Thanks for reading and if you can answer any of my questions, thanks in advance!
-Jon
EDIT: Figured out how to adjust the pivot without the entire thing turning...you need the clip placed for tip down carry! I guess you just need that friction from the clip to keep that one side from moving...
Also after some playing around with it, the lockbar really "breaks in." When I first used it the lock engaged about half way and now it's engaging a bit more than that. Hopefully these things only break in like that initially and slow down...I have also spotted a scuff on the left side of the blade that looks very much like the scuff found in another thread in General Discussion.
I emailed Kershaw's warranty dept and hopefully they can replace the knife or fix the problems. I'll let you guys know how that goes too. From what I've heard it should go well
