Ranked #2 in Best EDC Pocket Knives
Kershaw Leek 16604.2
2 sources$68.71as of Oct 16The Kershaw Leek 1660 is a Ken Onion design that has sold in huge numbers for two decades and still defines the slim, dressy assisted flipper. Its 3-inch Sandvik 14C28N blade rides Kershaw's SpeedSafe assist in a 4-inch closed, 3 oz package that disappears into a pocket. KnifeInformer scored it 79%, praising the slicing geometry and the price-to-performance while flagging the knife's one universal weakness: a needle tip fragile enough that owners report snapping it. It is the most elegant and affordable knife here, well suited to light office and EDC tasks, but that delicate point keeps it out of hard-use territory.
Strengths
- — SpeedSafe assisted opening flips the slim blade open fast and one-handed
- — Sandvik 14C28N blade offers an excellent price-to-performance ratio
- — Frame lock holds a rock-solid lockup and is hard to defeat once open
Watch-outs
- — The needle tip is notoriously fragile and can snap off under modest side load
- — Edge can roll, so the blade needs care during tougher cutting
- — All-steel handle is slipperier than G-10 in wet conditions
