Anyone have suggestions for a G10 Leek alternative

cchu518

cchu518

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So I really love the leek except for its slippery handle. I've been looking at the G10 Leek in S30v but I don't want to pay the markup that ppl are trying to get away with.

Is there an alternative that you can suggest? Same size good steel. Wharnie blade a plus bit not necessary. I'm scratchimg my head at this one...I mainly work in an office so I can't really nor do I want to carry a bigger blade. Flipper a plus as well.
 
What's your price range?
One that came to mind was the crkt pilar in D2. Or the dividend in frn, if you could live with the 420hc.
 
I don't really have a range but generally I like stuff between $50 and $300. I have a mnandi, I don't carry it and have no idea why. I would love a CRKT m16 in 154cm but they're hard to find.

I think the Pilar maybe too thick for me.
 
Well my suggestion has pretty basic steel but certainly good enough.
I'm all for high end tool steel and push its limits at work but I don't see that happening in an office environment so I'm going ahead with me suggestion . . . I've got my flame resistant skivvies on . . .
a knife I have been carrying, along with some others that have super steel for when I need to get all super ;) . . .
the knife I offer up for your consideration : Kershaw Chill
flipper
not wharnie but a good slim usable blade that is quite long considering the minimal handle.
The blade is about 3 inches.
I hate to like a knife that runs less than $25 (in my mind real knives start at $100) but there it is . . .
A GOOD knife. :thumbsup:
 
Great suuggeston, I do have a chill and do carry it! But I'm looking for a leek killer. I feel the chill is a good knife but the leek could be a fantastic knife if it wasn't so slippery!
 
Too thick! I just picked up a pm2 rex45 and I just don't think the pm2 or 3 does it for me. Although I have some millis and just love that knife!
 
Hey Cchu!

You are correct, the Leek is a great piece, and about the only drawback is the slippery grip surface.

If I were to swap my Leek out for something similar, I'd go with the Delica with the Wharncliffe in VG-10.

I'm liking the idea of bead blasting the slabs on the Leek. I might try this route.
 
Velitrius said:
Hey Cchu!

You are correct, the Leek is a great piece, and about the only drawback is the slippery grip surface.

If I were to swap my Leek out for something similar, I'd go with the Delica with the Wharncliffe in VG-10.

I'm liking the idea of bead blasting the slabs on the Leek. I might try this route.
Click to expand...
I'm going to have to check youtube to see if there is a diy bead blasting setup without having to go all out!
 
Velitrius said:
If I were to swap my Leek out for something similar, I'd go with the Delica with the Wharncliffe in VG-10.
Click to expand...
I can second that. I have one. The blade is very wide though not an office knife so much . . . though I'd carry one in an office . . . but I'm weird.
 
I work in NYC and I'm the only guy in the office, I think I'd be hesitant to whip out a delica lol. Although they don't seem to mind my alox cadet.
 
cchu518 said:
I'm going to have to check youtube to see if there is a diy bead blasting setup without having to go all out!
Click to expand...
Tape off what you don't want to get textured with a couple of layers of good masking tape or duct tape and drop by a head stone engraver out fit. They'll take care of it in a second.
That's sand blasted and fairly coarse sand . . . but you wanted texture right ?
Bead blast might still be too smooth.
PS: I've done a lot of sand blasting (in a fine art bronze foundry among other sand blasting work).
. . . and bead blasting in engine machine shop
 
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cchu518 said:
I'm going to have to check youtube to see if there is a diy bead blasting setup without having to go all out!
Click to expand...

I wonder if a coating of that truck bed lining stuff would work. Line-X, or Rhino Liner or such. I have some at work.
 
cchu518 said:
Although they don't seem to mind my alox cadet.
Click to expand...

'Course not. It's the Saint-Bernard-with-a-brandy-cask-around-its-neck of the knife world.

Maybe I recall incorrectly, but I thought the Wharncliffe Delica came in different, less tactical looking colors.
 
Velitrius said:
I thought the Wharncliffe Delica came in different, less tactical looking colors.
Click to expand...
Mine's black
FRN
Spyderco's fantastic texture pattern
I like it.
Makes me think of my H1 Tasman Salt
Hahahahaha nothing like whipping out a knife edged Velociraptor claw to put your coworkers at ease . . . hahahha
 
If you could find an old gayle bradley air, may do the trick. I've not found something that carries like the leek with a wharncliffe, outside of a traditional folder. I carry the lionsteel dom pretty regularly.

I feel like the BM mini-grip is pretty thin as well, but the leek really is a special kind of thin carry that I don't see very often. I really liked the sheepsfoot version.

The sog mini aegis was pretty close but I haven't owned one of those in a long time as I hated the strength of the detent on the blade. Super high in the tacticool category.

Delica wharncliffe seems like one of the closest options that's still currently available.

Some sloothing through bladeHQ options, here's a list that may be worth looking into. Some still have metal handles but look like they have better features for grip, AKA, it's not smooth metal like the leek.
  • buck vertex
  • stedemon jenova
  • gerber fastball (probably same problem as leek on this one, but has nicer steel at least)
  • hogue microflip. The design is tacticool but it comes in some less offensive colors, like baby blue.
  • boker plus gent-x
  • artisan cutlery small archeo
  • kershaw Al Mar AM-3
Maserin starlight from collectorknives is pretty rad.

Al Mar hawk ultralight is pretty neat.

AG Russell has a few designs worth looking at on his website. The one-hand knife (several versions), light'n bug, and featherlite one-hand knife. I think the front lock lends itself to being thin.
 
Delica Wharnie was my first thought.

Bestech Beluga checks most of the boxes. 3" blade of D2. Flipper. Nice blade shape. https://www.bladehq.com/item--Bestech-Knives-Beluga-Liner-Lock--89540

Kizer Barbosa https://www.bladehq.com/item--Kizer-Mikkel-Willumsen-Barbosa--52449

I really like my Boker Caracal. They make a mini one with 3.1" blade. Not sure the blade shape is what you want. https://www.bladehq.com/item--Boker-Plus-Mini-Caracal-Flipper--90314

You could always experiment with grip tape although it won't look great probably.

Spray it with Plasti Dip or something similar?
 
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Velitrius said:
'Course not. It's the Saint-Bernard-with-a-brandy-cask-around-its-neck of the knife world.

Maybe I recall incorrectly, but I thought the Wharncliffe Delica came in different, less tactical looking colors.
Click to expand...
They're still pretty stabby relative to what people are used to in NYC, aka kitchen knives and plastic forks and possibly if you grew up in the old NYC...boxcutters, Buck 110s and knockoff flick knives like the 007, lol. In the early, early 80s there was still a country music craze everywhere and my brother who is Chinese like me with the thick Italian Brooklyn accent would roll around with a 110 in a belt holster, big belt buckle knife. Being influenced by that, I think its why I have as much DMX and Future on my music playlists as I do Cross Canadian Ragweed and Charlie Daniels...

PS I tried the grip tape and it got me upset, I'm too OCD.

Some really great small-ish knives! I think Bikerector is onto something. I had a GB Air and stupidly traded it for a Southard which I almost immediately got rid of. I have been looking for it again on and off and won't make the same mistake twice. I have yet to get a hawk, although I had a custom Osprey but it was way too small, that one is also on the list! I recently decided that I'm going to fill up my Spyderco bag with knives that I really like and that's going to be my limit. So I have a bit to go after selling off a lot of my stuff.
 
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