Yes..
IIRC, that is one of the reviews I read a long time back, before I bought mine.
Did not think of that when I wrote the recommendation though...

Hey guys,

It’s been a while since we discussed this. In the meantime I found my Blur back. (A month later, somewhere hidden in a cupboard… Is there an English expression for this?)

Nevertheless, I don’t like the blade shape of the Blur anymore. It’s got a recurve and is far too wide for my purposes.

I’m still looking for a replacement. I think the Kershaw Leek comes closest to what I am looking for. The only things I don't like about it is that is has hardly any belly and that there are no versions with a grippy handle (like G10).

The SOG Flash II is great too, but I think I like the assisted opening of the Kershaws slightly better. I could go through the entire BladeHQ catalogue to find something better, but maybe you guys have suggestions.

Here’s my wish list.

• Simple no frills knife, blade doesn’t have to be made of an advanced steel
• Relatively thin and small (3-3.5“)
• Very easy single-handed opening and closing. This is why I prefer an assisted opener (easy opening) and also why I prefer Kershaw assisted openers over Benchmade ones (which are not easy to close single-handedly)
• Blade shape: not too wide, no recurve, slight belly

Currently my Benchmade 940 functions as my EDC. It is near-perfect for my purposes. It opens very smoothly, but I’d still like it to be an assisted opener. And the blade is not too wide, I’d only wish it were more “pointy”. (Don’t know how to express this, but the blade shape of a Spyderco PM 2 is perfect.)

I the meantime I also tried two Spydercos. The Tenacious was ok, but its blade is a little too wide for me. The Paramilitary 2 was near-perfect. Only it has got its (“compression”) lock on the back. Maybe it’s just me, but this makes single-handed closing much more difficult.

Any suggestions for a Benchmade 940 with assisted opening and a PM 2 blade shape? Or should I just go for the Leek? Or does Kershaw have more assisted openers that fit my wishes?

Thanx!

I've got a Kershaw Random Task II coming next week... you might look at that, although not as "pointy"... it's gotten some good reviews on other forums, so thought I'd give it a spin.

I just ran across they're now making the Zing assisted opening... although they switched to their 8Cr13MoV steel in it. I've got a non A/O one (in their 14C28N)... though it's so smooth you'd never know it wasn't A/O.

Still hard to beat a Leek... if you're attracted to it... go for it. You can snag one so cheap occasionally, it's hard not to have one or two in your collection.

Edit: Also check your PMs.

Hi Mark

I am new to the knife game so take what I say as a new comer. About 5 months ago, thru my shop I picked up a Kershaw that was well used ( lot of scratches on the blade and really needs a sharpening, waiting on my PP1 hopefully this coming week ). From what I can tell the knife is a Kershaw Ken Onion USA 1550ST. These are the only markings on the knife execpt for pat.#'s

This knife is an assisted blade that is diffently a one hander. Even though it is an assisted knife it seems to almost close itself. About one third of the knife from the heel is serrated and comes to a nice point and in my opinion it has a slim blade that is 3 1/4 in long. since I have not been able to sharpen the blade I can not testify as to how the edge holds up. I use this knife as my EDC and use it for every thing and for it's current blade condition it still does a great job. Just cant wait to see what it is like when it is sharpened.

I hope this helps you out some, just my two cents worth.

Bill

Thanks for your suggestions.

I seem to come to the conclusion that I "need" a Kershaw . The Blackout has a blade shape that's similar to the Benchmade 940. I really like the fact that it has a G10 handle.

Another thing I like about the Kershaws is their blade steel. I know I wrote before that this didn't matter much. But I was slightly wrong about this. I love sharpening and 13C26 is about the finest grain stainless steel I know. It can take a wicked edge and it's about the closest stainless steel I know to carbon.

Anyone have any experience with 14C28, which Kershaw also use?

Random Task II came in... here's a couple quick shots comparing it to a S30V Leek that has G10 scales...





Noticeably bigger, but feels good in the hand. Tip is deceptively "pointy"... more than I expected... spine tapers to a fine point. Only thing I noted is the thumb studs don't have much clearance... I could open it with either hand, but it's close... not sure I could hit it with gloves on. But flips well! You can carry it tip up on either side, tip down on one side.

You should also take a look at the knife Sauce posted... that looks pretty nice.

Decisions... decisions...

Hey Mark...

Just ran across this... did you see Kershaw/ZT is coming out with a smaller 560?

I just got a cryo.. it is a great knife especially for the price.. the only downside is its all steel so its a tad heavy.. I don't see that as a big deal though

cbwx34 wrote:


Interesting... I love my 560! It's just quite big.

However, what makes it less suitable for my purpose here (ability to use it blind, so to say) is that it doesn't easily close single-handedly: the thumb stud often accidentally hits my thumb when I close it. (Í guess that's why it's called a thumb stud .)

I GIVE UP!!!