Opinions on the Leek needed

So, the local gun store seems to have a whole lot of Kershaw Leek's that they are trying to get rid of. Been on sale in the flyers for the past few months. Last month for $40, now for $30 this month. They are a model with 410 SS handles and a 3 inch 440A blade. I just got my Spyderco a few months back and love it, but at that price it almost seems like a steal, and you can never have too many good knives.

So, what do y'all think about this knife? Good, bad, or not worth the time it took to wrote this? I've been trying to convince myself I don't need one, but if it's a good deal, then I'll prolly go for it. Thanks for the help.

$30 is a great price for the Kershaw Leek. It'd make a good back-up knife. 440a is comparable to AUS6, so its blade is most likely (Depending on the Spyderco you have) not going to be quite as good as the Spyderco. It's better than some of new knives coming out with 420 ss, though.

The Spyderco is a Waved Delica, with VB-10 steel (why can't they just stick with one designation for steel types). And from what I have read that is stronger, and 440A is about as weak as is reccomended for EDC. Also I have read some stuff about counterfeit Kershaws, have to look into that.

The Leek is a liner-lock, correct?

Yes, it's a liner lock. I had 2 of them, they're not bad, if they're the real deal.

I'll preface this by saying that I hate liner-locks and I'm not a kershaw fan. That said, it'd be okay for utility or as a backup but I wouldn't carry it as a primary SD knife, not with so many better choices out there (your Spyderco for example).

The Leek is actually not a liner lock - it's a frame lock. Operates like a liner lock, but is much stronger. It's a feature usually found only more expensive knives.

The assisted opening is handy as well as cool, with the little flapper actuator on the back of the blade.

The knife is very slim, and rides at a nice height - tip up - in the pocket.

The biggest downside to the knife is the 440a blade; it won't hold an edge like a harder steel. On the other hand, it will take an edge in a few minutes unlike say, ats-34 which seems to take hours to get a good edge on.

I think the Ken Onion designed Kershaws are about the best value in cutlery available. There are plenty of better knives out there, but to be able to pick up a high quality pocket knife in any Walmart for under $50 is pretty amazing.

Joe

You can snug up the lock yourself, if you feel it doesn't engage enough (I've had to do this for 1 of 3). It's very much the basic small shiv- light, concealable, and a better thrusting weapon than slashing. Makes a pretty decent palm-stick closed, too. No hard edges to cause you pain.:wink:

Vances huh ? I was looking at those myself. Kershaw is a good name. I thought it might be good starter for me.

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Originally Posted by Argus

Vances huh ? I was looking at those myself. Kershaw is a good name. I thought it might be good starter for me.

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Yeah, Vance's, gotta look up their flyer every month online the day it comes out. Usually some really good deals on there.

The locking mechanism is one of the things that makes me hesitant to buy this. I really prefer something like a back lock for and EDC knife. One of my friends is considering buying one too, maybe I'll see if he buys one first so I can fiddle with it some and see how I like it.

The thing is they aren't in a box in the store that they can be taken out of, but that plastic molded stuff, meaning you can't handle the knives before you buy it. Otherwise I'd just take a look at the counter.

Could someone educate me on some terms? Liner lock, frame lock, back lock? That have been used here. Is a back lock, the usual type of blade lock that most knives have?

Yeah, back lock is pretty normal for lock blades, where you pus in on a spot on the "spine" of the knife and that releases it. Liner locks have a piece of metal in the liner, like where the blade is while closed, that is what locks it in place when opened. frame lock is apparently similar to liner lock, but I'm not entirely sure.

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Originally Posted by Argus

Could someone educate me on some terms? Liner lock, frame lock, back lock? That have been used here. Is a back lock, the usual type of blade lock that most knives have?

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http://www.agrussell.com/knife_infor.../glossary.html

Thanks, that's pretty cool.

Ok, I just got on Kershaw's website, They describe this knife as a frame lock.

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Originally Posted by raytracer

The Leek is actually not a liner lock - it's a frame lock. Operates like a liner lock, but is much stronger. It's a feature usually found only more expensive knives.

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Duh...my bad. I read "Leek" and visualized one of their other models. Frame locks are good to go.