I just got a Kershaw Leek with the 1776 Betsy Ross design. I think it's pretty damn icey! Boths side of the smooth handle pays homage to Betsy Ross's original flag.
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| The story goes, George needed a symbol and Betsy stepped up |
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| Kershaw's Leek, Ross Commemorative |
I've always admired Kershaw knives,
especially the Leek design line. Kershaw
expanded the line to include Scallon and Chive, both employing Ken Onion's
SpeedSafe design and sliding safety. I
remember a larger version of the Leek called the Ramp. Ramps are stronger garlic-like onions popular
in West Virginia. But you know what they
say: ramp eaters sit in the back of the bus.
The Kershaw Ramp is
discontinued. I liked the bigger, bulkier
knife.
I wrote about Kershaw's Launch 13
at https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2024/02/launch-13.html. So, forgive me if I repeat a bit.
Pete Kershaw formed his own cutlery
company based on his designs in 1974. In
those days, his manufacturing was done primarily in Japan by Ichiro Hattori in
Seki City. His early work caught the eye
of the knife industry, and by 1977, Kershaw became a wholly owned subsidiary of
the KAI Group. They opened a U.S.
production facility, which Kershaw eventually outgrew and moved in 2003 to
Tualatin, Oregon. Oregon has
knife-friendly laws, and you'll find many companies with facilities there.
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| Ross Leek, complete with sliding safety on left and clip on the right |
During the early stages of growth, Pete Kershaw worked with Ken Onion, Ernest Emerson, Grant and Gavin Hawk, Frank Centofante, Rick Hinderer, and RJ Martin. That's quite a rogue's gallery of famous knife makers.
Kershaw introduced the Leek in
1998. Ken Onion envisioned the Leek as a
fusion of form and function. He wanted a
combination of elegant aesthetics with uncompromising performance. The Leek, with its smooth handle and dagger-like
blade, caught the world's attention. Contributing
to this was the introduction of the flipper and the SpeedSafe torsion opener.
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| Closed M-16 with Carson Flipper |
Kit Carson designed a flipper, often referred to as the "Carson Flipper," for CRKT's M-16 in 1999. The combination of flipper and assisted opening was an earthquake across the knife landscape.
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| When open the M-16 flipper becomes part of the guard |
I'm going to skip who invented the flipper discussion and resulting flame war, to say that the Carson Flipper extends outward to form a finger guard when open, while the Leek's flipper, when open, is hidden in the knife's handle. It is a matter of looks and end purpose.
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| When open the Leek's flipper blends into the handle |
The defining feature of the Kershaw Leek is its innovative assisted-opening mechanism. Assisted-opening knives hit the market satisfying a significant part of the growing demand for legal "switchblades." Many states tried to ban it, but they stumbled on the legal definition: an automatic knife has a button or mechanism that releases the blade when pressed. Assisted-opening knives require you to start opening the blade before the assist takes over.
It is widely accepted that the
first assisted-opening knife was Meyerco's "Strut N' Cut", designed
by Blackie Collins in 1995. It was Kershaw's
SpeedSafe mechanism that brought the technology to main street knife buyers.
A simple spring applies tension to
the closed blade, securing it in your pocket.
When the flipper is depressed, the butt end of the blade slides from a
closed position to a shape that utilizes the energy stored in the spring. Cool design, isn't it?
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| Ross Leek |
The Leek has a high shoulder, concave grind, drop point blade. What appear to be opening studs on either side of the blade are actually over-travel stops. They are too short and poorly placed to act as opening studs. Use the flipper; it's much easier. The blade is bead blasted, giving it a matte finish, and ground from Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel. This steel is a high-quality Swedish martensitic stainless steel from Alleima (formerly Sandvik Steel). 14C28N is known for its excellent balance of hardness, corrosion resistance, and edge retention, while remaining easy to sharpen with traditional stones.
The composition? I thought you would never ask.
0.62% Carbon,
14% Chromium,
0.1% Nitrogen,
and a trace of other elements.
It is a well-thought-of steel used
by manufacturers like Civivi, Ruike, Boker, Bestech, and Real Steel, among
others.
The Leek weighs 3.0 ounces and
features a pocket clip, lanyard hole, and sliding lock that prevents the blade
from opening. You can adjust the tension
on the opening lock if you desire. The knife
locks open with a liner lock that secures the blade open.
I wouldn't take this as my only
knife if I were spending a month in the Alaskan bush. But if that's all you had, you could make
do. This is an everyday carry for work, going
about town, a day at the range, and everything in between.
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| Ready to cut |
But I have to say, I suspect I'd
make this one a barbecue knife. You
know, carry it when I'm out with friends to show off or sitting in the backyard
with the grill and a beer. The finish is
too nice, in my opinion, to get scratched.
You can find them at many purveyors
of sharpened edges, or at
https://kershaw.kaiusa.com/leek.html for $100. It's a good deal, no matter how you slice it.
