Kershaw Leek problem

I have had this sweet little knife for some time and I always liked it. It came very sharp and it was a pure joy to use. I DID NOT use it to do anything but cut some soft cord or masking tape, open envelopes and such. And even that once in a few weeks or so.
But now it has lost its edge completely, just like that. I am kind of disappointed, seems it doesn't hold its edge at all, and with this kind of overall gentle and infrequent use I did not have a doubt it will stay sharp for a long, long time. Has someone else here had similar experience with this model?

I have the brushed stainless leek and have had it for a year or so and not experienced what you are describing. I mostly use it for papers, cutting threads; not a work knife by any means. I have touched up the edge a couple times but it hasn't lost the overall edge the way you are describing.

I have the shallot, the skyline, the oso sweet, blur and various others. they all take and keep a fine edge. is it a blem? if so it has no warranty.blems have usually xxxx in place of the model number on the blade. if it has a model number contact kai usa and tell them what the problem is. I use zt's and kershaws every day and never had a problem with edges. I have sandavik, s30v, elmax powdered steel. even the low end 8 crv or whatever it is called is a very good blade. kershsaws have a lifetime warranty, if its not good they will make it good. I have replaced torsion bars in the speedsafe, they don't last forever, just email or call they always send them right out.

That should be a 14C28N blade. It was developed specifically for razor blades. It takes a very keen edge, but can also develop a wire edge that will roll and cause it to behave like it is completely dull. Send it my way and I'll sharpen it up proper for ya, you just pay shipping both ways.

I have one and, while it doesn't dull REALLY fast, it doesn't take a long time when cutting cardboard or things of that sort. Getting the edge back isn't a problem as long as you work each side evenly and take your time. I don't think mine has ever been dull, but it's definitely become 'not that sharp' quite a few times.

Figure i would show Some progress pics of the edge Space_Cadet sent me to sharpen up for him

It still had a factory edge, thankfully it was still "working edge" sharp and not completely dulled out.

Here is the factory edge, with marker on it as my initial guide for making sure I am reaching apex...



It appears to be roughly a 500 grit edge. Like most Kershaw knives they're sharpened on opposing wheels and it is very slightly convex, which isn't really strong, especially for a mid grade steel like this. It's good steel, but it's not a super steel.

Here is the edge after resetting at 1000 grit to remove the factory grind marks. Again, with sharpie marker on it...




Nearly done with 4000 grit, still some scratches from the 2000 grit I used previously. No sharpie on this.




After the 4000 Grit I move To 6000 then 12000




I finish off the edge with pyramid strokes at 12K and strop on newsprint paper. The resulting edge is now what I call "sticky sharp" able to top hairs off my arm and as you see in the picture below, hair whittling sharp!



This will be boxed up and shipped off back to its owner.

Wow, that is a marvelous work and very educating too, thanks so much!

Looks like a great job, how do you find a 12k finish holds up in daily use cutting rope, cardboard etc? I have never gone above 6k on this type of knife, mainly because that is the highest grit I have though would be interested to hear your findings on a 12k finish

My own edc is a Kershaw Skyline with the same steel. I have been using a 12K edge on it for several years now. A finer grit edge actually it stronger and dulls less quickly than a lower grit edge. On a microscopic level, a low grit edge looks like a saw when viewed from the side, all the little peaks of the "teeth" are unsupported and will bend/break causing it to dull. Again, this is on a very small scale. But the toothy edge is good with cutting fibrous material. With a polished edge, I use it like a chisel through rope, just place it where I want and smack it.

Paper/cardboard is very abrasives and will really dull an edge fast, hard to keep it from doing so. I also carry a box cutter just for that at work.

By the way, this is sharpened entirely freehand on lapping films with a polished granite surface backing.

Great post (and job) Xander. My edc is usually a kershaw and I usually stop around 4k (occasionally a coti too). Going to push it out a bit next time.

fast14riot said:

My own edc is a Kershaw Skyline with the same steel. I have been using a 12K edge on it for several years now. A finer grit edge actually it stronger and dulls less quickly than a lower grit edge. On a microscopic level, a low grit edge looks like a saw when viewed from the side, all the little peaks of the "teeth" are unsupported and will bend/break causing it to dull. Again, this is on a very small scale. But the toothy edge is good with cutting fibrous material. With a polished edge, I use it like a chisel through rope, just place it where I want and smack it.

Paper/cardboard is very abrasives and will really dull an edge fast, hard to keep it from doing so. I also carry a box cutter just for that at work.

By the way, this is sharpened entirely freehand on lapping films with a polished granite surface backing.

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That is interesting, I always thought that a higher grit finish will get you a more refined finish but can lose it's edge quicker than a lower grit, angles are very important as well of course regarding this.
I will admit I haven't been freehand sharpening seriously for more than 6 months, but I have followed a lot of info on forums regarding kitchen knives that having a lower grit toothy edge will last longer than a more polished edge of say 6k. The knives I have for my wife are all at 1k so they can take a little misuse as she doesn't really care for the science of sharpening and to her a knife is just a knife that will get thrown in the sink, the ones I use vary from 1k to 6k depending on what I am cutting, meat, veggies etc.
Time for a little experimenting with higher grits I think as it is something I haven't actually tried for myself.

The difference is a lower grit is more like a serrated edge, the points will dull but there is still the valleys. If enough of the points lay over, they begin to obscure the valleys. Fwiw, I keep my kitchen knives at about 1000 just because it's quicker to touch up on the ceramic hone than a higher grit edge. But, when honing (realigning the edge, not removing metal) the microscopic valleys will not be reached by the hone because the peaks are sticking up higher than them. Even a 220 grit edge will shave hair if properly sharpened, my rigging knife (154CM) I keep at 400 to 600 grit, because it's easy to touch up on the bench with a stone or paper.

This is all on a very minute scale, and the differences are equally small. Usually the biggest culprit is improper angle, not reaching apex or poor technique when stropping/honing.

Although, a mirror polished edge sure is cool looking and when this sharp, can be fun to show off!

Sharp!

A couple tools that I consider a requirement for proper sharpening beyond the abrasives are a good 10x loupe and a marker. Use the marker to color the edge bevel so when you're setting your angle you can see with your loupe that you are reaching the edge apex and getting the proper angle. Especially when starting at lower grits like 320 or 600. You can really ruin a bevel by taking just a few passes at the wrong angle.

The marker can be any permanent black marker, but a good non distorting loupe is a must. I use a Bausch and Lomb 10x loupe. The Belomo loupe are another great option. Looking at the edge under magnification really let's you know if you're ready to move to the next grit or if you're even reaching the edge apex. This goes for freehand or guided sharpening.

Give it a try next time.

Or you could just tell them that you used a Edge Pro Apex.

mongoose said:

Or you could just tell them that you used a Edge Pro Apex.

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