Yog
29-05-04, 01:09 AM
I’ve been toying with the idea of getting one of Kershaw ‘s Speedsafe models for a while, boy’s and gadget’y toys and all that. It was probably going to be the Chive or the Leek as their size was more useful for day to day use. The only problem is that when it comes to folders I admit to being a bit of a steel snob :cool: , and as the Chive is 420HC and the Leek is 440A not steels I would normally go for. I just never got around to getting one, especially as I had so much more on my to get list.
I had heard of a limited run of Leeks, the Random Leek, with a S30v blade, but I wasn’t so sure of the reverse tanto blade and the black coating (I hate black coatings) it came with. Then at Doc’s Hammerin Guy showed me his Random Leek, and I knew I had to get one.
http://www.chesapeakeknifeandtool.com/kershaw/ker184-kom0311.jpg
The Random Leek (with S30v steel) is an exclusive from Chesapeake Knife & Tool (http://www.chesapeakeknifeandtool.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/ker183_4-excl.htm?L+scstore+gjvm6605ff060106+1127271556), and although their online ordering page is set up for US sales only, their customer service is very helpful and more than willing to help with your order.
One other niggle is that to cut costs CKTC seemingly ship by the slowest means possible (I think mine came by trans Atlantic swimmer), so expect a wait of 4 to 6 weeks. :(
The knife itself is a touch smaller than I realised until I saw Guy’s, but it is a good capable size, very slim and came very sharp.
Despite not liking black coatings on blades, it does sort of suit this knife, plus it’s too small to be mistaken for a Rambo fashion accessory. I’ll be interested to see how the coating lasts though.
The reverse (American) tanto blade was the other thing I wasn’t sure about. On a normal tanto design the tip is much closer to the spine, giving it a much thicker tip, just right for poking hard objects. On the reverse tanto the tip is right down on the main cutting edge, which makes the tip very fine and very sharp. Not a tip you want to treat roughly, but it pierces and cuts extremely well.
The Leek comes with a built in keep close lock, which is basically a sliding bolt at the back of the knife that needs to be moved out of the way before the knife will open. However I was talking to Guy at the Hammerin and we both agreed that for a knife that is marketed as being a very fast opener, the idea of a lock that manually needs disengaging is a bit of a waste. Luckily the lock is held in with just a single T6 torque screw, so the lock on mine is now gone.
The Leek comes configured for tip down carry, but can be switched to tip up. Tip up exposes more of the handle above the pocket than tip down, but the very slim black handle blends very well with black jeans, which I nearly always wear outside of work.
Now onto the main event, the assisted opening. The Leek comes with thumb studs which can be used to open the blade but the main method of opening is via the flipper on the top. Open the blade manually about 0.25” and the internal spring takes over and very quickly opens it the rest of the way. In tip up carry the Leek is very fast to open, blade fully open just as the knife clears the pocket.
There is a very slight drawback with the assisted opening. In crowded places where I want to open something easy like a small packet, I’ll just open the knife a fraction and use the point to draw cut towards me, very discreet. Not something you can do with assisted opening, the blade is either closed or fully open.
A warning on the speed safe opening. Although Kershaw have proved under court conditions in the USA that it doesn't come under the classification of an automatic, it has (as far as I know) not been proven over here yet. My personal feeling is that it is so close to an automatic that if you were caught using one in a public place there is no doubt at all that it would be confiscated (at best) by any Policeman that saw you. Even if you argued the point and let it go to court, I honestly wouldn’t be confident of the result. It may (just) fall within the letter of the law, but it certainly doesn’t fall within the spirit of the law.
Overall I really like this knife. The gadget rating is very high, and I’m a kid at heart, but even better it is a very capable medium sized folder. It should see a lot of carry time.
I had heard of a limited run of Leeks, the Random Leek, with a S30v blade, but I wasn’t so sure of the reverse tanto blade and the black coating (I hate black coatings) it came with. Then at Doc’s Hammerin Guy showed me his Random Leek, and I knew I had to get one.
http://www.chesapeakeknifeandtool.com/kershaw/ker184-kom0311.jpg
The Random Leek (with S30v steel) is an exclusive from Chesapeake Knife & Tool (http://www.chesapeakeknifeandtool.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/ker183_4-excl.htm?L+scstore+gjvm6605ff060106+1127271556), and although their online ordering page is set up for US sales only, their customer service is very helpful and more than willing to help with your order.
One other niggle is that to cut costs CKTC seemingly ship by the slowest means possible (I think mine came by trans Atlantic swimmer), so expect a wait of 4 to 6 weeks. :(
The knife itself is a touch smaller than I realised until I saw Guy’s, but it is a good capable size, very slim and came very sharp.
Despite not liking black coatings on blades, it does sort of suit this knife, plus it’s too small to be mistaken for a Rambo fashion accessory. I’ll be interested to see how the coating lasts though.
The reverse (American) tanto blade was the other thing I wasn’t sure about. On a normal tanto design the tip is much closer to the spine, giving it a much thicker tip, just right for poking hard objects. On the reverse tanto the tip is right down on the main cutting edge, which makes the tip very fine and very sharp. Not a tip you want to treat roughly, but it pierces and cuts extremely well.
The Leek comes with a built in keep close lock, which is basically a sliding bolt at the back of the knife that needs to be moved out of the way before the knife will open. However I was talking to Guy at the Hammerin and we both agreed that for a knife that is marketed as being a very fast opener, the idea of a lock that manually needs disengaging is a bit of a waste. Luckily the lock is held in with just a single T6 torque screw, so the lock on mine is now gone.
The Leek comes configured for tip down carry, but can be switched to tip up. Tip up exposes more of the handle above the pocket than tip down, but the very slim black handle blends very well with black jeans, which I nearly always wear outside of work.
Now onto the main event, the assisted opening. The Leek comes with thumb studs which can be used to open the blade but the main method of opening is via the flipper on the top. Open the blade manually about 0.25” and the internal spring takes over and very quickly opens it the rest of the way. In tip up carry the Leek is very fast to open, blade fully open just as the knife clears the pocket.
There is a very slight drawback with the assisted opening. In crowded places where I want to open something easy like a small packet, I’ll just open the knife a fraction and use the point to draw cut towards me, very discreet. Not something you can do with assisted opening, the blade is either closed or fully open.
A warning on the speed safe opening. Although Kershaw have proved under court conditions in the USA that it doesn't come under the classification of an automatic, it has (as far as I know) not been proven over here yet. My personal feeling is that it is so close to an automatic that if you were caught using one in a public place there is no doubt at all that it would be confiscated (at best) by any Policeman that saw you. Even if you argued the point and let it go to court, I honestly wouldn’t be confident of the result. It may (just) fall within the letter of the law, but it certainly doesn’t fall within the spirit of the law.
Overall I really like this knife. The gadget rating is very high, and I’m a kid at heart, but even better it is a very capable medium sized folder. It should see a lot of carry time.