“I surrendered the last one to TSA...”
Oh no! That’s a significant loss.
As for replacements...I hit on a sale at Amazon one day. Just happened to click on their homepage and there was a super sale on the Leek 1660 CKT...$35 each. I bought three...really, just to see if the purchase would actually go thru! It did, and I have lots of backups now. Occasionally, the “Blackwash” version can be found at lower than the standard $50-60 Leek price. I also have one of those.
I bought a Kershaw 1730SS (RJ Martin design) for $22 or so. It had the Speed Safe opener...I figured what-the-heck. It’s quick to open but doesn’t hold an edge and is hard to close occasionally if I’ve put a lot of pressure on the blade. It’s been relegated to my toolbox. I use it, but only abusively. I’ve been very happy with the Ken Onion designs, though.
Ditto on the Ken Onion designs. I did notice that the Leeks were listed (MSRP) for north of $100-$120 on the Kershaw website; the least expensive model on Amazon right now is the Blackwash for $42. For $42, and considering I’ve needed to buy a new one every 2-3 years, that’s not too bad - but it is why I am not worthy of a Benchmade or anything higher end for every day carry. I’ve also been considering an Emerson Wave, and I noticed some Kershaw-Emerson collaborations that incorporate the “wave” feature (you can catch it on the edge of your pocket and open the blade as it leaves your pocket) on Amazon for between $25 and $40. I might give one of those a try as my next more minimalist every day blade.