Customer Reviews

Kershaw Ken Onion Black Leek Folding Knife with Speed Safe

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Overall this is a great little knife. It opens fast, is very sharp and holds it's edge well and feels good in your hand. The liner lock is great. I have used some others and absolutely hated them because they were so hard to operate. This one is smooth as silk and located in a great position. Very nicely designed.

I did make a few changes which required going out and buying a torx screwdriver. First,I reversed the pocket clip because it came the facing the opposite direction I was used to on my Spyderco knives. Second, the safety had to go. I found it slipped to the "on" position on its own so the knife did not open when you expected it to and was hard to disengage quickly. Not because it was difficult to operate, rather it is tiny and hard to find blind. If you like the safety though, it definitely does prevent the blade from opening accidentally.

Speaking of safety...the knife arrives razor sharp. I opened my package and promptly sliced a finger badly enough to leave a scar. The tension that the blade is under requires some force to overcome and gives it a different feel when closing the knife from a regular lockback. Be sure you fingers are nowhere near the blade. I am now in the habit of disengaging the lock and closing by pressing the back of the blade against my thigh.

I've got a relatively small knife collection (maybe 15 blades), but this is the one I tend to carry every day. I've got a few Kershaws, and the speed-safe opening is what initially attracted me to the brand. That said, while it's a cool way to open the knife, I've ultimately decided it's mostly a gimmick. I find it's just as fast, and somewhat easier, to open the knife with the thumb stud.

My collection has 3 other kershaws: two chives and an avalanche. The leek is the best size for a carry/defensive knife. The blade is long without being cumbersome, and the shape is sleek and manageable. The knife is also good for chores, although for anything really heavy, I'd use a bigger blade like the avalanche or the blur.

The black finish is nice -- although truthfully, my leek is titanium oxide (rainbow). One of my chives is black, though, and the finish is sleek and holds up well.

This knife is definitely worth the price.

Very nice knife. Very sharp. Very sharp, pointy tip. It will cut you if you are not careful (I have experienced this phenomenon, twice!)
A little small in the hand. Grip is a little "iffy".
It's a keeper until I find something better. ;-)

I did not purchase this knife from amazon, but I *do* own the knife and carry it with me daily. I purchased it after a buddy of mine bought one for use in the military as a utility-knife, and I saw how well it performed for him. It is a beautiful, sleek knife that can stand up to some pretty harsh use. The flat blade makes it easy to sharpen. The assist opening is fast, and sturdy - you'll be amazed that it isn't an Italian-stiletto switchblade with how fast it is (thanks in part to the finger-pull tab section of the blade that you use to open the knife). There is no wobbling of the blade when its open. The only real issue that I've seen so far was that the safety latch can get loose over time, but that is easily fixed with a torx driver. The 3" blade makes it legal to carry for regular use as a pocket knife. If you need a small, light, sturdy knife that's great for utility work, camping, and pretty much anything else you can think of, this knife will not disappoint.

The knife is rock solid, well made of first class materials.

NOTE THE DESCRIPTION ON AMAZON'S PAGE IS OUTDATED : Steel on the LEEK is 14C28N and not 440A stainless steel as advertised!

The Sandvik steel (same used for scalpels and other high precision medical tools) This swedish steel has improved corrosion resistance over traditional 13c26. The hardness of the steel falls more and less into the 59-60 Rockwell category. The Framelock can be a little hard to manipulate at first. The Speedsafe, opening assisted blade is fast and can surprise you, be careful with the sharp tip and edge of the blade when opening!

I own other Kershaws and all of them have a production date stamp on the blade (i.e. OCT 09), near the edge of the handle (or scale), this one does not have that stamp of production. Another difference when compared with other Kershaw LEEK is that this particular blade has the normal imprint of the Kershaw logo on the handles and the text underneath that reads "SPEEDSAFE USA" instead of the traditional KEN ONION USA that acknowledges the designer of the blade and the speedsafe technology used on the knives. (see pictures)

The carrying clip can be limited and awkward, this clip is to be used tip up (right handed) or tip down (left handed) or simply you can remove the clip altogether, clip is secured with a couple of #6 torx screws. (To adjust the blade use #8 torx). The smooth finish on the scales does not interfere with the grip of the knife, way better that the stainless steel version of this knife and less grip than the G10 LEEK)

The Knife comes inside a plastic bag on a little -red-white and blue- Kershaw cardboard box (not on a plastic shell hanging rack display) , with basic instructions, warranty information and patent info too.

Overall the Knife is solid! If you are looking for a Every Day Carry knife (EDC) that can be classified as a gentleman's knife, this one is for you. Keep in mind that despite the high quality of the steel, the design of the blade makes the tip a little fragile, do not pry open cans or throw the knife against a tree.... You wanna hunt, or play Rambo...well, this is not the right knife for you then!

After more than 2 weeks of heavy use, cutting, chopping, peeling and scrapping, the blade edge still razor sharp! (BTW, Kershaw will sharpen and service your Kershaw blades for free, just pay one way shipping to them and you'll have you knife pampered by their staff!).

This is one of the best one handed opening knives i've seen. Kershaw's Speed Safe really is speedy. Having the options of using the index opener of the thumb stub makes it a rather versital tool. You get it sharp and thats how it stays. Overall, its a really study, reliable, and useful tool. Definately worth the price and you'll have it a long time.

Very subtle and dare I say.... sexy, was my first impression regarding the look. However, the Leek is amazingly functional because it really is a one-hand opener. Bought this for general use, but it is totally capable for a self-defense carry. Very well crafted and machined, smooth as silk operation. Some people prefer the speed-safe taken out (as you can remove it, yourself), but I think it works tremendously and is very well implemented, especially because the Assisted Opening mechanic work so dangerously well.

Chipping of the black finish coat should be expected and is normal. This is a serious blade and it comes very sharp! You seriously feel the grade of which this knife operates at. Again, it's a serious steel to pack no matter how you look at it. I still don't know how it'll stand up against hiking or camping use, but I will find out this year.

I live in California with pretty good knife carrying laws. A little research would show that the Kershaw Assisted Opening mechanics are totally legal as it does not fall into the 'switch-blade' category. Make sure you read up on your local laws to psychologically prepare yourself in carrying a knife like this one. Remember that if there's ever a confrontation with the authorities concerning this knife, a good rule of thumb is to express politely that you are carrying a knife that is legal under California law.

It is VERY important to be aware with current knife laws in your state.

I am completely happy with this purchase. Well worth the 35 clams. I'm sure you'll feel the same once you own this Kershaw knife.

I am not a knife collector. I do not need a knife for self-defense. I need a knife to cut things and I need it to be sharp and easy to get to and use. This knife meets my criteria. The blade is thin which helps with actual cutting, but I would never use it to pry something unless it was a real emergency. Expect the blade to break if you use the knife for anything other than cutting. The knife body is very thin which makes pocket carrying very comfortable. I removed the clip and the knife virtually disappears.

The speed safe feature makes the knife. I have a hand strength problem and the assisted opening makes the knife a pleasure to use. It is easy to open and easy to close. The locking feature feels very sturdy and secure and yet is easy to disengage. The size of the knife fills my medium sized hand and feels comfortable to grip. It is hard to imagine a more functional single blade knife than this one. It is very well designed and very well made. I am very pleased.

After owning several knives with 4"+ blades, I decided it was time for a knife a little smaller, but still with a somewhat aggressive design. Based on price, shape, and reviews, this Leek was the best option. When I first got it, I was a little disappointed because the spring assist often failed to open the blade all the way (the spring is only in effect from about 40º to 95º of being opened. However, after a couple days of opening and closing it, the knife got broken in and it now opens completely every time.

I know this isn't a permanent quality about the knife so usually I wouldn't mention it, but this knife is SHARP! I have an unused current model Spyderco Edura which is downright dull by comparison. The tip is also the sharpest I've ever seen on a knife. The downside to this is it's rather delicate, and I broke a small bit of the tip off within the first week, but it's really only noticeable under a microscope and it still has the sharpest point I've seen.

The pocket clip comes attached for point down carry, which is opposite of many higher-end folders. Using a T6 torx bit, the clip can be switched for point up carry (cannot switch right and left side though). However, I felt this knife was better suited for point down carry- one of the reasons being that for point up, much more of the knife is exposed above the pocket. The frame lock is solid and great. There is a safety tab at the point end of the frame that slides over the tip of the blade to keep it from opening. I keep this in the disengaged position though. You may have to tighten the torx screw on this safety to keep it from accidentally sliding back into the safe position.

This is a very nice knife, it opens very fast and is extremely sharp. The only thing I don't like about it is that the tip of the blade is very thin and can snap easily, mine snapped a couple of weeks after I bought it, it is definitely not a knife for rough use. Other than that it is an awesome knife!