I’ve had this knife for 20 years. It means a lot to me because my grandfather bought it for me while I was at Walmart with him. It’s the black version. I’ve never cleaned it or even considered opening it up, until I came across this video. It still held an edge but it obviously required a lot of assistance, in the form of a flick of the wrist to open it. I couldn’t believe how dirty the inside of this knife was. It makes sense, but I was still surprised to see it. After getting all of the gunk out of there, oiling it and getting the screws aligned it is opening up just like it did brand new. I had actually forgotten how well the spring assist worked. Sorry for the rambling. Thank you for the video. Your work is greatly appreciated.
I own a random leek, which is very similar but has a reverse tanto tip. I love it. I have higher-end knives, but I still end up using it quite a bit. It's several years old now, and to this day, I don't really see a need for the spring assist. It is neat, but...I can open all my knives one-handed and quickly. I like the size and weight of the leek for edc. I have a couple of spidercos I use for that sometimes too. For heavier work, I have a Cold Steel Recon 1 in S35VN. I can open that one one-handed also, but it's slower with heavier action so I take my time opening that one.
Man thankyou so much for this video. I found it very informative and spot on. Easy to follow. Just took my Kershaw ken onion apart. 7 years of grime it was getting pretty bad. But it's smooth as butter now. Time to hit the diamond stone. Thankyou again.
One dude I know makes heater s out of old dryers . Cuts them and folds and bends metal and downsizes ot to a box and they work great man ! I m telling ya dudes they are the best Heaters in the world
Mine stopped opening all the way after 5 months. Very upset about it because it is my favorite edc knife. Cleaned and tuned like your video. Now it is near perfect. Just near... in about a month I will do it again but use (purple) locktite on screws. Nice job!
I like the Kershaw brand . Have a few of them . Like the crkt too . Don’t see a need to spend more than $30 for an edc knife . They all work the same if they are sharp . They all keep an edge if the the steel is good . Bench made s cost waaaay too much . Just my opinion Just recd a Cjrb feldspar today . Pretty decent , very sharp and lightweight . Kershaw is more sturdy of a build imo .
I was gifted a SOG Fielder spring assist knife. Sprung open beautifully for a long time, but now only opens to the 90° position under the spring. It seems to encounter a lot of resistance from the 135° position to the full 180° that momentum will not overcome. Have not disassembled, but flooded it with WD-40 and worked the action repeatedly. Seems smoother, but still no change in operation.
That’s a nice t8 driver 👍👍.🙄. Seriously though , they’re the best ones to use or the smaller precision ones thst spin in the palm have been good but yeah enjoyed the vid . I like taking them apart as well , guns , lots of things . Fixed a few Xboxes just by taking them apart and cleaning . Lots of things , washers dryers , cars , lol. What guys do when they’re bored or about to throw something away is salvage some parts or engines
@@rix2982 more important than the color is the strength. Blue is typically medium strength but not always. Make sure the bottle lists medium strength. I’d hate to see it get stuck.
5:31 Darn! I must have an older version, my bolt is round and just keeps spinning. And, I just realized the lock ball bearing is missing, so cleaning it isn't going to help much anyway. Oh, well.
Great video! One question: when working on firearms, lots of folks recommend blue loctite. what are your thoughts on its use on knives like this? thanks! liked and subscribed!
Thank you! My opinion is not to use thread locker for at least this style of knife only because it makes servicing/cleaning much easier. You may also need to tubing the tension of the screws occasionally to keep the blade tight. If you can really weak thread lock that makes the threads sticky/gummy rather than glueing them in place, that might be ideal.
@@Casey_Schmidt also, should i towel away the excess in the cavity and just coat the bar with the oil like you did with the washers, or leave some excess oil inside
@@Casey_Schmidt the easiest way to do it I found is to use a small washer as a friction fit. Remove the pocket clip, place the washer on the bolt or whatever we call it. screw the clip back on firmly, this will press the washer into that thing and this should have enough friction to hold it such that it can be unscrewed. idk if that makes sense but it worked.
@@Casey_Schmidt I've had several of these, and they've gotten simpler and simpler over the years. Liner lock, to frame lock, etc. Sadly, the hex profile is now no longer there. It's a circle. I have no clue how to loosen it...
Casey, I carried a Leek knife for about 2 years never clean it, never looked dirty. I noticed the blade lock lever not going over far enough behind the blade which concerned me. I misplace that Leek and purchase another Leek thru Amazon. This knife even looks worse about blade lock lever not going over far enough behind the blade. I just called Kershaw about the blade lock lever not going over far enough behind the blade and ask if they had a fix, I could do so I wouldn’t be without the knife for weeks. They recommend NOT taking it apart and to send it in for warranty or return it to Amazon for refund or exchange. Note: Kershaw sent me an email after they looked at the photo, I sent them and said, Quote: "This appears to be within spec for our requirements. Engagement should be within 20-40%. If you believe it to be less than the 20% minimum engagement you may send it in to our facility for review. Alternatively if you would like to exchange it through Amazon you may reach out to them in regard to their return/exchange policy." I don’t know how it’s holding the blade open there’s such little contact? All reply’s and or suggestions greatly appreciated. This is a great video, thanks
Hey, Doug! It does not surprise me that Kershaw would recommend not opening their product. That seems to be the position of most companies. There’s nothing wrong with opening something up as long as you don’t mind that it may never go back together sometimes (that’s half the fun). The frame lock doesn’t need to overlap the blade fully to secure the blade in place. If anything, I would say it shouldn’t overlap by 100%. Think of it like any adjustment device like a gib on a dovetail, a set screw, etc. If you run out or travel, you run out of adjustment range and will therefore cause backlash. Another way to look at it would be like a mouse trap or snare. It doesn’t take much of a wedge lock to hold back a significant amount of force/stored energy. Hope this helps, thanks for watching!
@@Casey_Schmidt Casey, Thanks for the reply. Doesn't take much to release the frame lock. I wish I could send you the picture I sent Kershaw, for piece of mind. Thanks
@@dougharlow6037 If you go onto my TH-cam channel page on the desktop site (not the mobile app) you can find my contact email. If you send a picture to that address, I’ll take a look at it.
I know this is a year late and probably not what you're looking for but for me its ease of use. I have other knives that do not have spring assist and I've always found it annoying having to whip my wrist after freeing the blade to get it open. Sometimes the blade is loose and it's easier but other times its tight enough I end up rotating the blade into place the whole way with my thumb. It's not a lot of work but it gets really annoying time after time. Being able to pull the blade out and just press the ridge is a lot faster and easier for me. This is a really weak add-on reason but I do think it can be a tid-bit safer to have spring-assist with people around. Im sure theres a ton of reasons why people say it's dangerous but for me with a spring assist I can place it where I know it has room to open and press the ridge to spring it out. With people around a wrist flick can take up enough extra space that you could potentially hit someone. Im not pleading the case for spring-assist in court or saying its the only way; im simply saying the reasons why I have decided to only own spring-assist knives.
@pinchnsqueal - I really don't know since I haven't had one of those apart. That said, I would guess that 1) with this being a Ken Onion designed knife and 2) Kershaw probably trying to keep all of the 'speed safe' mechanisms similar for production reasons, the designs/parts wouldn't be too different between knife models. But again, that's just a guess. Thanks for watching!
He uses a screwdriver just fine. Spinning the shaft with the fingers is a good way to run machine screws in quickly. Maybe you need to work on learning to use a screwdriver yourself.
I’ve had this knife for 20 years. It means a lot to me because my grandfather bought it for me while I was at Walmart with him. It’s the black version. I’ve never cleaned it or even considered opening it up, until I came across this video. It still held an edge but it obviously required a lot of assistance, in the form of a flick of the wrist to open it. I couldn’t believe how dirty the inside of this knife was. It makes sense, but I was still surprised to see it. After getting all of the gunk out of there, oiling it and getting the screws aligned it is opening up just like it did brand new. I had actually forgotten how well the spring assist worked. Sorry for the rambling. Thank you for the video. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for sharing your story! I’m glad to hear you were able to clean it up!
This is an excellent knife. I have two of them and it is nice to see how to probably clean them.
Ballistol on everything. Lucas Assembly Lube in the spring box
Super…thank you for doing this. I love this knife and consider it the best pocket carry ever.
This is the only knife I carry in my pocket .
Years and years
It’s a favorite of mine too!
I own a random leek, which is very similar but has a reverse tanto tip. I love it. I have higher-end knives, but I still end up using it quite a bit. It's several years old now, and to this day, I don't really see a need for the spring assist. It is neat, but...I can open all my knives one-handed and quickly. I like the size and weight of the leek for edc. I have a couple of spidercos I use for that sometimes too. For heavier work, I have a Cold Steel Recon 1 in S35VN. I can open that one one-handed also, but it's slower with heavier action so I take my time opening that one.
Thanks for this. I cleaned and oiled mine. It needed it. Much better now!
I’m glad I could help, thank you!
Man thankyou so much for this video. I found it very informative and spot on. Easy to follow. Just took my Kershaw ken onion apart. 7 years of grime it was getting pretty bad. But it's smooth as butter now. Time to hit the diamond stone. Thankyou again.
Hey, just wanted to let you know, greasing the spring bar instead of oiling it fixes the rattle the comes from the spring moving around.
Excellent and very instructive video! Nice job.
Thank you i love my purple leek and my pink chive .
Excellent video, thanks for the TLC.
Wonderful! I am going to use this tutorial tomorrow at work for my Keyshawn Misdirect
One dude I know makes heater s out of old dryers . Cuts them and folds and bends metal and downsizes ot to a box and they work great man ! I m telling ya dudes they are the best Heaters in the world
Perfect video!!! My Leek is back to new performance!! Thx!
@Chris N Heather Walston - That's great to hear!
Good explanations
Thank you!
Mine stopped opening all the way after 5 months. Very upset about it because it is my favorite edc knife. Cleaned and tuned like your video. Now it is near perfect. Just near... in about a month I will do it again but use (purple) locktite on screws. Nice job!
Brass bushings...need to use locktite..keeps fasteners from loosing..great vid👍😷
I like the Kershaw brand . Have a few of them . Like the crkt too . Don’t see a need to spend more than $30 for an edc knife . They all work the same if they are sharp . They all keep an edge if the the steel is good . Bench made s cost waaaay too much . Just my opinion
Just recd a Cjrb feldspar today . Pretty decent , very sharp and lightweight . Kershaw is more sturdy of a build imo .
I was gifted a SOG Fielder spring assist knife. Sprung open beautifully for a long time, but now only opens to the 90° position under the spring. It seems to encounter a lot of resistance from the 135° position to the full 180° that momentum will not overcome. Have not disassembled, but flooded it with WD-40 and worked the action repeatedly. Seems smoother, but still no change in operation.
Try loosening the pivot screw just a little bit. It may not fix the root of the problem but it should allow the blade to slide more easily.
@@Casey_Schmidt thanks. I’ve been looking for an Allen wrench that small.
can I use white lithium grease in place of the blue Molly?
If it's slick, it'll stick.
That’s a nice t8 driver 👍👍.🙄. Seriously though , they’re the best ones to use or the smaller precision ones thst spin in the palm have been good but yeah enjoyed the vid . I like taking them apart as well , guns , lots of things . Fixed a few Xboxes just by taking them apart and cleaning . Lots of things , washers dryers , cars , lol. What guys do when they’re bored or about to throw something away is salvage some parts or engines
Need to replace the spring, having a hard time finding it outside of the manufacturer's website.
The flipper on my Leek is extremely stiff and makes the blade very difficult to deploy. Any suggestions to cure this?
Loosen the main pivot screw. Use thread locker.
That's blue thread lock, right? @@Casey_Schmidt
@@rix2982 more important than the color is the strength. Blue is typically medium strength but not always. Make sure the bottle lists medium strength. I’d hate to see it get stuck.
Gotcha. Thx.@@Casey_Schmidt
5:31 Darn! I must have an older version, my bolt is round and just keeps spinning.
And, I just realized the lock ball bearing is missing, so cleaning it isn't going to help much anyway. Oh, well.
Great video!
One question: when working on firearms, lots of folks recommend blue loctite. what are your thoughts on its use on knives like this?
thanks! liked and subscribed!
Thank you!
My opinion is not to use thread locker for at least this style of knife only because it makes servicing/cleaning much easier. You may also need to tubing the tension of the screws occasionally to keep the blade tight.
If you can really weak thread lock that makes the threads sticky/gummy rather than glueing them in place, that might be ideal.
Which side of the 2 bronze colored washers bear against metal? You do not say!
how do we apply the thin oil to the spring bar if we’re not using blue moly? just a couple drops in the cavity along the bar?
@J T - That's correct.
@@Casey_Schmidt also, should i towel away the excess in the cavity and just coat the bar with the oil like you did with the washers, or leave some excess oil inside
@J T - Less is more. More lubrication will attract more dirt and lint. Use just enough to wet everything out.
this is the newer version with a hex whatever that thing is/ the older version is round... and thus.. how to unscrew it?
That is left as an exercise for the reader.
@@Casey_Schmidt the easiest way to do it I found is to use a small washer as a friction fit. Remove the pocket clip, place the washer on the bolt or whatever we call it. screw the clip back on firmly, this will press the washer into that thing and this should have enough friction to hold it such that it can be unscrewed. idk if that makes sense but it worked.
How do you clean out a kershaw ember (3560)
Unfortunately I do not know…
I don’t that size bit to take my knife apart I only have Allen wrench keys.
Thank you Sir.
What do I do if the pivot screw assemble just keeps spinning?
@Craig McInnis - Make sure the hex profile on the nut is in-place. If it is secured and it is still spinning, the threads may be stripped out.
Hum, Thanks a bunch for the reply. I am going to go check it now. I didn’t think mine had a hex profile. It is a bit older knife. Cheers
@@Casey_Schmidt I've had several of these, and they've gotten simpler and simpler over the years. Liner lock, to frame lock, etc. Sadly, the hex profile is now no longer there. It's a circle. I have no clue how to loosen it...
Casey, I carried a Leek knife for about 2 years never clean it, never looked dirty. I noticed the blade lock lever not going over far enough behind the blade which concerned me. I misplace that Leek and purchase another Leek thru Amazon. This knife even looks worse about blade lock lever not going over far enough behind the blade. I just called Kershaw about the blade lock lever not going over far enough behind the blade and ask if they had a fix, I could do so I wouldn’t be without the knife for weeks. They recommend NOT taking it apart and to send it in for warranty or return it to Amazon for refund or exchange.
Note: Kershaw sent me an email after they looked at the photo, I sent them and said,
Quote: "This appears to be within spec for our requirements. Engagement should be within 20-40%. If you believe it to be less than the 20% minimum engagement you may send it in to our facility for review. Alternatively if you would like to exchange it through Amazon you may reach out to them in regard to their return/exchange policy."
I don’t know how it’s holding the blade open there’s such little contact?
All reply’s and or suggestions greatly appreciated. This is a great video, thanks
Hey, Doug! It does not surprise me that Kershaw would recommend not opening their product. That seems to be the position of most companies. There’s nothing wrong with opening something up as long as you don’t mind that it may never go back together sometimes (that’s half the fun).
The frame lock doesn’t need to overlap the blade fully to secure the blade in place. If anything, I would say it shouldn’t overlap by 100%. Think of it like any adjustment device like a gib on a dovetail, a set screw, etc. If you run out or travel, you run out of adjustment range and will therefore cause backlash. Another way to look at it would be like a mouse trap or snare. It doesn’t take much of a wedge lock to hold back a significant amount of force/stored energy.
Hope this helps, thanks for watching!
@@Casey_Schmidt Casey, Thanks for the reply. Doesn't take much to release the frame lock. I wish I could send you the picture I sent Kershaw, for piece of mind. Thanks
@@dougharlow6037 If you go onto my TH-cam channel page on the desktop site (not the mobile app) you can find my contact email. If you send a picture to that address, I’ll take a look at it.
What are selling points for a spring-assisted knife? I mean...I own one, and it's neat, but is that it?
I know this is a year late and probably not what you're looking for but for me its ease of use. I have other knives that do not have spring assist and I've always found it annoying having to whip my wrist after freeing the blade to get it open. Sometimes the blade is loose and it's easier but other times its tight enough I end up rotating the blade into place the whole way with my thumb. It's not a lot of work but it gets really annoying time after time. Being able to pull the blade out and just press the ridge is a lot faster and easier for me. This is a really weak add-on reason but I do think it can be a tid-bit safer to have spring-assist with people around. Im sure theres a ton of reasons why people say it's dangerous but for me with a spring assist I can place it where I know it has room to open and press the ridge to spring it out. With people around a wrist flick can take up enough extra space that you could potentially hit someone. Im not pleading the case for spring-assist in court or saying its the only way; im simply saying the reasons why I have decided to only own spring-assist knives.
In an emrgency situation you can use it one handed.
Is that the same spring system they use in the Onion?
@pinchnsqueal - I really don't know since I haven't had one of those apart. That said, I would guess that 1) with this being a Ken Onion designed knife and 2) Kershaw probably trying to keep all of the 'speed safe' mechanisms similar for production reasons, the designs/parts wouldn't be too different between knife models. But again, that's just a guess. Thanks for watching!
Hang in there, I think you'll learn a following, I subbed immediately after the life rule.
This guy would have a panic attack if he took my knife apart
Should have locked the T8s
I don’t put thread lock on so I can more easily clean/oil the mechanism. It’s a personal preference thing really.
13:42
ah hell nah.
my religion won’t accept that
I'm really bad at assembling it... Even if I do it with my toes, I'll do better than you.
Learn how to use a screwdriwer
Learn how to write a comment. Thanks!
He uses a screwdriver just fine. Spinning the shaft with the fingers is a good way to run machine screws in quickly. Maybe you need to work on learning to use a screwdriver yourself.