Kershaw Kicks Off Sprint Run Series with Return of the Random Leek

Last week Kershaw commenced a new sprint run project. The plan is to turn out limited edition variations of existing models within their expansive catalog. The series kicked off at the end of last week with a new incarnation of the Random Leek.

Every knife user knows the Leek. Designed by Ken Onion, the Leek has been around for well over a decade, and even though the company has had many hits since then, the Leek is still a staple in their catalog and probably still the company’s flagship model.

In its standard configuration the Leek has a 3-inch modified wharncliffe blade. There’s an organic style to this blade but it terminates in a highly acute tip. Back in the Leek’s heyday, Kershaw released a variation on the knife called the Random Leek. The name derived from the fact that this Leek model featured the reverse tanto blade of another Kershaw/Onion collab, the Random Task. Neither the Random Task itself or the Random Leek have been available for years. This sprint run model brought it back for the first time in a limited format.

The sprint Random Leek didn’t alter the lines of its cult classic predecessor; it has the Random 3-inch reverse tanto blade and the curving vase-shaped handle that all Leeks share, as well as the SpeedSafe assisted opening mechanism and sliding blade safety toggle on the tail end. But to spice up this sprint run, the aluminum scales have been given a eye-popping bright yellow coating, with contrasting blackwashed blade and black clip and hardware. The blade steel is also bumped up to S30V from the normal Leek’s standard 14C28N.

The sprint run Random Leek debuted last Friday and was an immediate success, with so many people trying to grab the knife that Kershaw’s website experienced some technical difficulties. At this point the company hasn’t disclosed any hints as to what the next model may be, or when it will come out. They have said that nothing is off the table, with different materials, colorations, and even other alterations all being a possibility for future Sprint Run Series releases.

Knife in Featured Image: Kershaw Random Leek Sprint