KershawLeek Black Serrated EDC Pocketknife, 3" Sandvik 14C28N Steel Blade, Assisted Opening Folding Knife

Dang I love this knife. One night after an event in Salt Lake(which is not even known for crimes) me and a group of 3 friends were walking to the train station by passing next to a desolate park in the city. Really it's the only way to get to the train station from this arena, to walk through a bit of a slum area. We saw this shady character with hood walking quickly from behind us. Spooky! We formed a bit of a 2x2 formation on the sidewalk to allow him to pass on the side, but he ended up SPLITTING the group by walking through the middle of us. It was completely unexpected and my mind quickly went into combat-defense mode ready to pounce, but as a 130lb. female I realized I really could not have done much had anything else happened. The shady character continued to walk fast and hooked a right into a dark front yard leading into an alley.Nowadays I don't. Go. ANYWHERE. Without at least a knife or spray or something. Not even to the store. Most days I carry this knife on my pocket and feel a sense of calm collective security. I am not even the kind of person who normally would have a form of everyday-carry, but after a few experiences like I mentioned above, I realized it is a good peace of mind.Now hey; it isn't just good for defense. I have probably opened a few hundred boxes with this knife plus cut down a lot of cardboard for work. The serrated portion of the blade is heaven when it comes to plastic shipping straps and commercial cardboard! I can start to feel it get dull, and I feel it has lasted a long time before needing to sharpen it even once. It is a small knife and fits in women's jeans(I mean, if those jeans even HAVE pockets). I always use the lever on the back to open it and since buying it like 6+ months ago it opens even smoother than it did! With a bit of practice you can also close it with one hand, though I consider myself very hand-dexterous.Let's talk airplanes! I've been through TSA on a round trip with this knife in my check-in. It was wrapped in saran wrap with the knife-lock-mechanism engaged. No problem. It went through with my multi-tool that has a similar length blade. Don't even think about putting it in carry-on though!The finish is nice, but if you intend to carry it with you a lot for work, life, etc, don't expect the finish to be even or without scratches. I personally love the worn-down look, it gives it a very Fallout-esque appearance.

I love this knife. Its best point is the assisted opening works really well. It is light weight and reliable for EDC. It came nice and sharp. The lockup is strong and feels reliable and the whole knife seems durable. I like the 14C28N steel characteristics, but, for about the same money, I prefer Nitro-V. I would prefer more handle, but I gladly accept this as a compromise to weight.I appreciate the black clip because I deep carry in my boot.The blade has done all matter of cutting and sawing tasks without complaint. I have used it a decent amount without feeling the need to resharpen it. But, it is not shaving sharp as it is. It could easily be made so, though. If you opt for the partially serrated blade option, keep in mind that slicing is a little harder with half of the blade, and that the serrated part requires a vise and specialized files to sharpen. If you don't *need* it, consider the non-serrated version.In general, Kershaw is quality, and this is no exception.

I had an initially bad perception of this, it came with such a matt black that it had a sort of dry grippy texture. After use it broke in and proved to be an amazing finish. Some basic handling, no special treatment here, and you get a solid knife with a great finish.I got this for wearing with formal black pants, it clips inside my waist band because the white collar types poop their pants if you have a pocket knife these days. The finish in its matte black is invisible when clipped inside my waste back with the clip facing out but under my belt. With a shirt tucked in you are fine not having it be a deep carry clip. It's an easy draw, easy single hand operation, the finish is stout and once used keeps the matt effect but loses the undesirable feel it initially had.The blade is great, sharp, holds its edge well, the serrated portion is invaluable. IMHO this is a must have knife, the only competing option on the market is a SS finish variant. The only critique one could level is more a simple desire for a deep carry clip, but those are available on the aftermarket in black primarily.The fasteners are nicely countersunk to give a smooth feel in hand and in your pocket. The Leek (with serrated blade) is my daily driver for the last 3 years. I have 2 SS and one Black.

One time we traveled to Scotland on vacation, and by accident I had this knife in my luggage. On the way back, it was caught by security at the airport in Edinburgh. The 'security lady' made me open it, and upon it being opened, looked upon it very, very disapprovingly. "What's this for?" she asked. I wanted to reply along the lines of, "You don't know what a knife is?", but instead replied with something vague like "I use it for cutting open bags of mulch for gardening, or de-ticking our dogs." (Both of which are true.) Sadly, my knife was confiscated, and I felt very, very bad for violating, apparently, UK law on folding, lockable knives. I also felt bad that they lack the freedoms of any sensible society relative to things as innocuous as small, if sharp, pocketknives.Anyway, this knife is great. And yes, it does work well for de-ticking dogs, since the end is pointy and can maneuver through fur easily. (Obviously, be careful not to stab your dog!!!) Also, I like the serrated portion for cutting through rope when I have to escape from airport security. :)