Over at Amazon, the Kershaw Leek pocket knife, reviewed here, is on sale today, for $24. There are other varieties also on sale today, as part of a Deal of the Day.
The Kershaw Leek has a 3″ blade, SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism, and safety lock. This is a fantastic pocket knife, perfect for EDC (everyday carry), and a wide range of cutting tasks.
Advertisement
Update (12:00pm ET): It looks to be out of stock.
Update (1:30pm ET): Back in stock!!
I called the Leek a “gateway” knife in the title, because it was my first “real” pocket knife. I had a couple of Gerber knives before this one, but my experience with the Leek was different, and it started me down the path of becoming an enthusiast.
This isn’t the best knife out there, but you get phenomenal value for the money. It’s a good knife at an entry-level price.
Check out my review if you want to learn more.
Regular Price: $36-$40
Sale Price: $24
Buy Now(via Amazon)
See Also(Other Leek Styles on Sale)
I bought my Leek for $38 back in 2009. I bought a green aluminum-handled one for $30 when it was on sale in December 2016. The average price seems to be $36 or so, $32 is a good sale price, $30 is better, $24 is “why haven’t you bought one yet?!” pricing.
Deal ends at 3am ET 3/22/2018, unless supplies sell out sooner.
Assisted opening mechanisms are NOT automatic. You should still learn your local knife regulations before carrying a tool like this with you.
fred says
Amazon will not ship this to my default address – because it is illegal to carry there.
Cubbie says
Amazon shows it as currently unavailable. Is the party over already?
Stuart says
Wow, that was fast. Yes, it looks to be out of stock.
There are still discounts on some other models, but the price point isn’t as low.
Mopar says
And they are back in stock. Don’t know for how long.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009VC9Y0/
Stuart says
Thanks!
Weird, but not the first time this has happened either.
Adam g says
You should be able to manually select Amazon as seller and get it when they get more. Warning, it can be a while.
Stuart says
Nope, at least not now.
I updated the link with Amazon-focused code, and it’s still showing as out of stock with “Email Me” availability.
Adam g says
I could when I posted it. It seems they’ve removed the deal from the deal page as well.
Stuart says
That’s what I figured. Usually they have on-hand inventory but will also sell a certain number of backordered inventory.
K dukes says
Looks like the party is over. Unavailable and no way to order.
Mopar says
pssst… it’s 2018 😛
Stuart says
Thanks! I had the URL correct, and so I guess I mis-typed the title. Took me a while to find the mistake.
Joe says
I’ll stick with my ..Chris reeve small sebenza 21..
Stuart says
What knife path did you follow before you got there?
jason says
I have one of these – it’s polished so slick that I had to give up carrying it.
It’s beautiful, but needs a slightly textured handle.
Allen says
Amazon says imported. Mistake ?
Stuart says
Yes. Kershaw’s site still says it’s made in the USA, and there’s a “Made in USA” image on the Amazon listing, under the description down the page.
Amazon’s page has 2 blade sizes, 3″ and 3.5″. My guess is that they combined two listing by mistake. Or a 3rd party seller messed something up.
Nathan L says
Got one just now at $23. Looking forward to trying the knife but i doubt it will make it into my edc.
Charles says
Thanks Stuart, I got one yesterday. My favorite edc knife!
MT_Noob says
Mine just arrived. My first EDC knife that is not a multi-tool.
Stuart, I’m going to blame you if this turns out to be the start of another collection, hobby, obsession.
This thing is awesome, and I suspect it is the tip of the EDC knife ice-berg.
Stuart says
=)
(The next brand I looked at after Kershaw was Spyderco. Their Delica 4 was a nice next-step. After that, Benchmade. After that, my poor wallet!)
Avoid knife and EDC forums for as long as you can. And definitely don’t look at YouTube videos!
MT_Noob says
I can feel my will power already slipping away…
: )
Stuart says
Sorry, I was remembering incorrectly.
I went from the Leek to a Benchmade Mini-Griptilian. Then I explored Spyderco.
After all that, I realized that I wanted to explore more EDC knives for ToolGuyd reviews, and I went in a few different directions.
MT_Noob says
I fear if I look any of those up on line I am going to end up going down the endless rabbit hole.
I am also going to have to get myself over the “this is too nice and shiny to actually carry with me I don’t want to get finger prints on it or scratch it…” mentality.
Stuart says
Well, if you really like the Leek, there are other styles – different colors, handles, etc. Or you could always buy another stainless steel version as a “shelf queen.”
Bill says
Thanks for the heads up on this little jewel Stuart. I was able to score one last week and it arrived on Friday. It’s a little on the small side for me but I love the fit, finish and precision feel of this knife. It proved to be very sharp right out of the box and I even managed to stick a finger with the needle point. The only aspect that concerns me is the frame lock. In the open position, the frame lock appears to barely engage the edge of the heal of the blade. While I can’t get the blade to collapse with the frame lock engaged it still leaves me feeling a little uneasy. In contrast, my Kershaw Link has a very positive engagement at the heal of the blade; such that the frame lock is almost centered in the heal of the blade.
MT_Noob says
I just looked at mine and I think I see what you are talking about.
How much is the frame lock engaging the blade heel on yours?
(I hope I’m using the right terms). I just got mine last week, and it is engaged for about half the width (maybe 40-50%). Although I can manually push the lock further all the way across to make it fully engaged. So there does not appear to be an obstruction. However it does not engage 100% of the width by default on its own. Since this is my first edc knife I have no baseline for comparison of locking mechanisms. I wonder if it will sort of wear in? At the very least I will make a note to be sure to manually push the locking bar all the way across in the event that I try to do any serious cutting.
Stuart says
Bill, it sound sounds like your knife might warrant replacement, but it’s hard to tell without seeing the knife.
If you think it might be a defect, you could return it for replacement from Amazon. When the replacement comes in, you could inspect it before sending the first back.
If you look at the image in my review, http://toolguyd.com/kershaw-leek-knife-review/ direct image link, that’s what I would consider typical “lock up.”
MT_Boon, You want to see solid lock engagement maybe 40% in. Some people prefer less lock up, I like 40% or so, as it makes me feel more secure.
“Barely engaged” is not good. But half-width is reasonable.
Imagine this was a liner lock. How much engagement would there be?
A lot of people don’t like “late lock up,” out of fear of wear or shifting as a knife breaks in, or over time.
On the Brous knife I bought and returned, http://toolguyd.com/brous-blades-bionic-2-knife-review/ , there was very little liner lock engagement. It was so shallow I knew I’d be uncomfortable using the knife, and so I returned it. Here’s the direct image.
My Spyderco Southard is also a frame lock. http://toolguyd.com/spyderco-southard-knife-review/
Direct image.
Right now, I have a newly received knife that I have to send back. It’s a horrible knife with several issues, but the shallow liner lock engagement is the deal-breaker for me.
It takes a couple of different knife brands and designs to get a good feeling for what is typical, but don’t ever second-guess your comfortability level.
A lock, whether liner lock, frame lock, or otherwise should feel solid and secure enough to make you 100% comfortable and confident in their operation.
MT_Noob says
Interestingly, I jut looked at the photos from Stuarts previous review and the photo under the section “closing the knife” looks almost exactly like mine. With the locking bar about halfway across. So perhaps that is in fact the design. Mine might be a couple thousands of an inch less engaged, but close to what he has in that photo.
http://toolguyd.com/kershaw-leek-knife-review/
Stuart says
Sorry, I was writing out my reply (lots of interruptions made it take a while) and didn’t see yours until now.
Bill mentioned having another Kershaw frame lock knife (Link), and what he described sounds like shallow or “early” lock up. What you described sounds like – and I mean this in a frank and respectful manner – like average lock up. Not too early, not too late.
It might shift over a little with use and breaking-in. Maybe not.
As mentioned in my other comment, you want the lock-up to be wide enough to feel secure, but shallow enough to leave a little room for wear.
Ultimately, the proper amount of lock-up is what feels right to the user. If you look at forums, you’ll see varying preferences.
Things get even more complex when you start talking about lock bar stabilizers (which prevent over extension), steel inserts ( which make up for titanium’s softness and greater wearability), and carburization (which I believes hardens the lock bar face to slow wear).
MT_Noob says
Thanks for clarifying, with about 1/2 the bar engaged it does feel secure and I am comfortable with it, so it is definitely a keeper for me. If it was closer to just 1/4 os something close to that, then I’d be more concerned. Right now the only thing that concerns me at this point is operator error (me) and that very pointy end that bill mentioned.
Stuart says
All I would add is that opening and closing a knife should be done with deliberate motions.
It’s not fun to cut yourself with a sharp knife.
The Leek is a fairly comfortable knife to open and close. Keep your fingers and flesh out of the path of the opening or closing blade and you should be okay.
Each new knife has its own acclamation period, at least I think so. Take this for granted, or get too complacent, and your knife might bite you. The last noteworthy time this happened to me was with a frame lock knife with secondary lock. Spin a little dial, and it locks the frame lock in place.
DP says
Ordered and received last week. Very pleased with the quality/price ratio. Like how thin this thing is compared to the similar sized (blade) EDC knife I’ve been carrying. We’ll see how it holds up.