Whats inside a new Kershaw Leek??

[rcmodel]

Well I guess we are going to find out!

The new Leek composite edge I received 1 1/2 weeks ago now has a broken torsion bar!
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=8393207&postcount=40

I ordered parts Sunday and got an email back from Kershaw Monday they would be mailed out this week.

So I got impatient already.
And made a new torsion bar out of .050" music wire.


Here is whats inside.

Knife apart, showing broken spring and homemade spring:


Homemade torsion bar in pocket in handle.


New homemade spring, cover plate, spacer, and screws in position for assembly.



Ready to screw back together after adding a dab of dielectric silicone grease:



Once assembled, it worked WAY better then new.
For about 50 cycles. :banghead:

Then the homemade torsion bar took a set and no longer had enough power to flip the blade all the way open.

Oh Well!
When the new spring gets here, it better work right this time for more then a few dozen openings!

Or else it's going back to Kershaw for a refund, exchange, or something else that works right.

Maybe the torsion bar was weak or cracked when I got it?
Maybe one of the handle scales is machined slightly wrong??
Maybe it was made on a Monday morning by a guy with a hangover???

It never worked right from the get-go compared to the red/smoke one.
That one works perfectly, and opens with a resounding SNAP from either hand using the thumb stud or Carson flipper.
But hasn't been given to my son for the torture test of playing with it 24/7 for 1 1/2 weeks yet like mine.

rc

 

[jbkebert]

Man I am sorry to hear about your knife. My leek is approx 6 years old and has been opened hundreds of times. It no longer snaps with the authority it had when new. Yet it still has more than enough to open and lock.

 

[Darkbob]

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the Leek. I've been looking at getting one, but so far I've held off.

Very nice pics though, makes me want to go get one (even though you report a bad experience). I like how simple and clean they look.

 

[SleazyRider]

'Tis a brave man to take apart his Leek. When mine bit the dust a few years ago I sent it back to Kershaw, who sent me a replacement immediately. I am a coward, but I know my limitations.

 

[Il Duca]

Ha. I just got a composite Leek in yesterday. So far I really like it. Now if I could just find someone to make me a carbon fiber scale for it...

 

[rcmodel]

Parts came in today from Kershaw.
They sent enough parts to last a lifetime, hopefully.

The Leek is back to working better then new.

Must have been a cracked spring from the get go.

rc

 

[Snowdog]

I believe my wife has a Leek, but I'm wanting to say it has that strange rainbow finish (she's a girl, after all). It's interesting to see the inside.

BTW, she's had hers now for about 4 years and loves it... though she uses it about once every couple months.

 

[Double_J]

I want to buy a leek, even more so now that I see how they are made and can be fixed by me in my garage. I own a vapor and love it, it has been used and abused for over 6 years, and has never let me down. I guess I will need to send it in for re profiling of the blade (it is very jagged and mangled) and get a leek as a "backup."

I am glad to hear about the customer service from kershaw, that means a lot in my book. Anyone can design and import a knife, standing behind it means you care about what you sold.

 

[rcmodel]

Leeks, as well as many other Kershaw models, are made in the USA.

Here is a list:
http://www.kershawknives.com/search...a&search_value=0&current_page=1&current_set=1

rc