Real owners rate these about evenly: 83% of 184 Kershaw Leek owners recommend it, vs 79% of 393 for the Spyderco Paramilitary 2.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
Owners of both folders praise a very sharp edge and warn against prying with either, since both carry a fine tip that breaks easily under torque. The Spyderco Paramilitary 2's owners rave about its in-hand ergonomics, secure compression lock and ability to hold up to years of hard use, with a wide choice of steels and scales, but note it carries big and wide in the pocket and can arrive with a stiff detent or lock stick and squared G10 edges. Kershaw Leek owners love how thin, light and discreet it is for the money and its fun spring-assisted opening, while faulting a paper-thin tip that snaps, an assisted mechanism or safety that can wear out, a weak clip that lets it slip and get lost, and mediocre steel that doesn't hold an edge as long. Buyers who want a do-everything hard-use work knife and don't mind bulk in the pocket lean PM2; those wanting a thin, light, discreet everyday cutter for light tasks on a budget lean Leek. The choice hinges on whether rugged, lifetime hard use or slim, low-cost discreet carry matters more.
“ill take the leek all day. The safety is an awesome touch, the spring assist is quick and never opens in my pocket by accident whereas the blur did a few times and i quite enjoy the slightly smaller size of it”— @Beamer-Fonz on YouTube
“The safety slider was actually what sold it for me.”— @bmljenny on YouTube
“the torsion bar in a assisted knife will wear out after awhile and it won’t have enough force to fully flip open and lock in place, that’s what happened to my Kershaw leek.”— boglimaniac on Reddit
“This is the knife that made me fall in love with knives.”— @edsaban572 on YouTube
“Great knife with balanced hardness, ease of sharpening, and corrosion(rust) resistance”— Stormrider001 on Reddit
“the g-10 grips feel blocky because they didn’t even round the edges at all just squared off. What a disappointment for a $200* knife”— @whatfreedom7 on YouTube
Owners of both folders praise a very sharp edge and warn against prying with either, since both carry a fine tip that breaks easily under torque. The Spyderco Paramilitary 2's owners rave about its in-hand ergonomics, secure compression lock and ability to hold up to years of hard use, with a wide choice of steels and scales, but note it carries big and wide in the pocket and can arrive with a stiff detent or lock stick and squared G10 edges. Kershaw Leek owners love how thin, light and discreet it is for the money and its fun spring-assisted opening, while faulting a paper-thin tip that snaps, an assisted mechanism or safety that can wear out, a weak clip that lets it slip and get lost, and mediocre steel that doesn't hold an edge as long. Buyers who want a do-everything hard-use work knife and don't mind bulk in the pocket lean PM2; those wanting a thin, light, discreet everyday cutter for light tasks on a budget lean Leek. The choice hinges on whether rugged, lifetime hard use or slim, low-cost discreet carry matters more.
Owners point the Kershaw Leek at office and dress-clothes carriers wanting a thin, discreet knife, and eDC users prioritizing lightweight one-hand assisted opening.
Owners point the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 at eDC users wanting a do-everything work knife, and enthusiasts who love the compression lock and fidgeting.
The most-cited downside of the Kershaw Leek is thin tip chips or snaps off easily. For the Spyderco Paramilitary 2, it's carries big and wide in pocket.