Kershaw Leek

Kershaw began its foray into the knife business sometime during 1974. The company was originally based in Portland Oregon, but most early knives were manufactured in Japan. The first US manufacturing plant was opened in 1997 & the company currently offers knives made in the U.S., Japan, & China. Pete Kershaw (an ex Gerber salesman) started the business.
Oldredbone67
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Kershaw Leek

Post by Oldredbone67 »

What is it with the Leek, you either hate or love it?
I have 2 of them, and I listed a never used, no box , stainless steel Leek in the trading section and no interest at all. I talked to a couple of people and they said it was too fragile to be an EDC knife, yet on you tube, when asked about favorite EDC knives, the leek was in the pack of favorite carry. As I said I have 2 of them and I favor slipjoint knives, mainly Case knives. If anyone here wants to trade , let me know. This is a nice one. I do really like the smooth opening of the Leek.
Thanks for letting me vent.
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FRJ
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by FRJ »

I think they are a great knife!
Very smart action and a pleasure to use.
I don't use mine often. I keep it in an inside pocket of a jacket I keep in the car. When I need to slip that jacket on I have another knife on me. I'm glad it's that leek. I don't see it as fragile.
It's just like the one you show, Oldredbone.
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orvet
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by orvet »

I have several Leeks & I do not find them fragile in the least! I often EDC a Damascus Leek second.
Talk about edge retention!!! I will admit the blade is a bit thin to be a good pry bar, but that is why they make pry bar! ::doh::
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jerryd6818 »

Is this an opportunity to show off my Leeks? ::super_happy::
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by orvet »

jerryd6818 wrote:Is this an opportunity to show off my Leeks? ::super_happy::
Go for it Jerry!

Obviously Jerry is one who loves his Leeks! :lol:
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jerryd6818 »

I do love my Leeks. Here's a couple you would love, Dale.
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Kershaw Leek - Marine #25.JPG
Kershaw Leek USMC.jpg
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by sedona »

All 3 of my leeks look like oldredbones knife.I picked up my last one last week at atwoods farm store for $29.99.That is the cheapest I have found them so far.This is a nice knife to wear with dress clothes on the rare occasion I dress up.Doesn't take up much room in the pocket.
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jerryd6818 »

That's an excellent price. I've picked up a few in the low $30's but have never cracked into the $2x range. Do they only have the plain Jane naked handle ones?
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
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This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by QTCut5 »

With regard to Oldredbone's original post, I think the reason you haven't gotten much interest on your Leek offer is because the guys who love them already have one (or 3, as the case may be), and the guys who don't care much for them don't want one.

Personally, I love the Leek. I think it's a great EDC knife. I've been carrying one off and on for years...it's one of my most favorite EDC knives ever. At one time I owned no fewer than eight (8) different Leeks; I sold most of them but kept my three favorites.
PB290269.JPG
And speaking of Ken Onion designed knives (were we?), the Ripple (made by CRKT) is another sweet one that works nicely for EDC. No Speed Safe like on the Leek, though; on the Ripple the Ikoma Korth Bearing System (IKBS) makes for silky smooth flipper opening. And talk about slim and lightweight...the (smaller) Ripple 2 practically disappears in your pocket.
PB290274.JPG
~Q~
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by royal0014 »

I bought a slightly used one of the 'bay just to see
what all the fuss was about. Good for a 'going out' type knife.
I like the pocket clip much better than the Cyro ......
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by bighomer »

Mine is a plain jane no fancy riting on it 26 bucks and change shipped. I don't want to know what the people who say its not a good edc are doing with their knives. ::woot::
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by bighomer »

I lied, I paid 2.60 shipping. Sorry 'bout that G. I.
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by Oldredbone67 »

Oldredbone67 wrote:What is it with the Leek, you either hate or love it?
I have 2 of them, and I listed a never used, no box , stainless steel Leek in the trading section and no interest at all. I talked to a couple of people and they said it was too fragile to be an EDC knife, yet on you tube, when asked about favorite EDC knives, the leek was in the pack of favorite carry. As I said I have 2 of them and I favor slipjoint knives, mainly Case knives. If anyone here wants to trade , let me know. This is a nice one. I do really like the smooth opening of the Leek.
Thanks for letting me vent.
John (oldredbone67)
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by Oldredbone67 »

I do agree that the leek is a fine EDC, and second the things said about the ripple knife. I own the smaller, bronze version, and talk about a smooth opening-wow, and very lightweight, don't even know you have it.
Thanks for all the comments on this subject-you guys are terrific in your passion for knives and your knowledge also. I really enjoy this site. I am so glad I found the site.
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by QTCut5 »

I'm not a huge fan of the Yellowhorse (David or Brian) mods in general, but when I stumbled upon this Leek auction just as it was about to end, I couldn't resist. ($53)
P9190001_1.JPG
P9190003_1.JPG
P9190004_1.JPG
P9190005_1.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by orvet »

Nice Q! ::tu::
What is the handle material?
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jerryd6818 »

Cool ~Q~. I like it. Especially the shield.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
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This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by QTCut5 »

orvet wrote:Nice Q! ::tu::
What is the handle material?
Thanks guys.

The handle material is called Kingman Vein Turquoise with black & brown stone inlay.

Truth be told...as much as I like the Leek (I already have three of them), it was actually the shield that caused me to toss in a last second bid. One of the very rare times I got lucky and won the auction; I thought for sure it would sell for much more since I see these Yellowhorse mods selling regularly for two or three times what I paid for it.

~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jerryd6818 »

I don't see customized Leeks very often. Am I just not very observant?
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jmh58 »

Q.. That is FINE!!! NICE!!! John :D
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by QTCut5 »

jerryd6818 wrote:I don't see customized Leeks very often. Am I just not very observant?
You're probably just not looking in the right place. I see more Buck and Case Yellowhorse mods on eBay, and the few Kershaws I happen to notice are usually ridiculously overpriced (IMO). Now that I've got one in hand that I can examine up close in person, I must admit, the custom work is exquisite. I do not understand how Brian Yellowhorse is able to churn out so many customized knives as he does. It seems like each knife would take a fair amount of time given the attention to detail and the quality of the finished product. Either it's simpler than I realize or he must be customizing knives 24/7 non-stop.

Check out this site to see more custom Leeks (and other knife patterns/brands):

http://www.yellowhorsecollectibles.com/ ... f953a1b6fb

~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jerryd6818 »

This is the Leek Rob (whitebuffalo58) did for me. He tried it first with dyed wood but when that didn't turn out he re-did it with bone. I love it.
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Kershaw_Leek_VNSR.JPG
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by QTCut5 »

That is a nice one, jerryd. Very colorful.

I see that he removed the pocket clip and added a bail & lanyard...so, I assume your custom Leek is a double-side mod?

Is it all bone? (the green strips look like they could be malachite or jade)

~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
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jerryd6818
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by jerryd6818 »

Yes, both sides and I haven't checked. The green looked like bone in person and I didn't ask. I just assumed all bone except maybe the black.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
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Re: Kershaw Leek

Post by americanedgetech »

QTCut5 wrote:
jerryd6818 wrote:I don't see customized Leeks very often. Am I just not very observant?
You're probably just not looking in the right place. I see more Buck and Case Yellowhorse mods on eBay, and the few Kershaws I happen to notice are usually ridiculously overpriced (IMO). Now that I've got one in hand that I can examine up close in person, I must admit, the custom work is exquisite. I do not understand how Brian Yellowhorse is able to churn out so many customized knives as he does. It seems like each knife would take a fair amount of time given the attention to detail and the quality of the finished product. Either it's simpler than I realize or he must be customizing knives 24/7 non-stop.

Check out this site to see more custom Leeks (and other knife patterns/brands):

http://www.yellowhorsecollectibles.com/ ... f953a1b6fb

~Q~

I think it is like most other things in life. The first attempts can take hours/days/weeks to complete any project. Then every one after that becomes easier, and faster.

I started making scales a couple months ago. The first one took two days to sort of work out.
Now I can get much better results, and it takes about 2 hours, start to finish.

Engine swaps, bird houses, resume-s, leather belts... it's all the same.

On topic tho, I am a fan of the Leek. It's definitely on my "score" list. I prefer them a little bit dressed up too. Same for all knives... I'm not yet a big fan of the plain steel.
Ken Mc.

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I need a pile side scale. THX!
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