Anyone ever received a "dull-ish" new CRK?

BoyNamedStacy

BoyNamedStacy

Joined
Dec 27, 2014
Messages
137
I just got my 4th CRK, the third brand new blade from a reputable vendor. Upon opening the box and after drooling over it's beauty, I immediately looked to see how sharp she was. I've always been amazed at how sharp they are out of the box! I felt it with my thumb and immediately noticed it wasn't like my others. It didn't have that sharp sticky feeling. I decided to make a paper cut to test it out... It had a hard time cutting paper, even close to where I had a grip on said paper :( I can even run my thumb across the blade with no damage to my skin.

I contacted the vendor and they immediately sent an email to CRK asking for an expedited spa/sharpening visit. So tomorrow I'll send her out, luckily CRK is only 7 hours away. I have no doubts when she returns she'll be able to chop down a hair :)

My question is this. Is this super rare? Has anyone else had a similar situation? My gut tells me this is a one in a million experience but I figured I would ask. I didn't know if I just got lucky in the past and gotten accustomed to stupid sharp blades or if I should just use it and maybe sharpen it myself and save a trip to the spa?

(And BTW this is in no way a negative post towards CRK or the vendor. I still love CRK as much as I did before and have much respect for my vendor!)
 
I received a new Umnumzaan from a very well liked and respected dealer that was too dull to cut paper.

I'm going to sharpen it myself because this one is destined to be a constant "user", I'd be way more frustrated if I bought this one just to have and didn't want to de-value it by redoing the edge.
 
Although not dull, the CRK I just received is the least sharp of any knife I have purchased in the last 6 months. Every Spyderco and ZT I have were sharper out of the box than my CRK. My Rat 1 was even slightly sharper. Fit, finish, design, etc, the CRK is much nicer. However, I was shocked at the lack of sharpness. That being said, I do not AT ALL regret my purchase.
 
Yes I have, but then again, other brands have come the same way. It doesn't bother me, I prefer to hone all my knives to my liking. Even the CRK's I have gotten that has been sharp gets a little touch. I have not touched the Damascus Sebenza's yet. Oh, the three CRK grails will stay virgin as well.
 
I bought my first CRK just before Christmas from a reputable dealer and was a bit surprised by the factory edge quality (sharpness) or lack thereof. I'm still thrilled with my purchase just was a little surprised at the edginess. Dullest new knife I've bought in a while. It struggles to cut paper. DOB on my knife was 12/4/2014.
 
I got a Starbenza last week that was as dull as a butter knife. I tried to touch it up with my sharpmaker. In addition, the blade is off centered. I'm considering sending it to CRK so they can fix both problems. Pretty disappointing to have two problems with such an expensive knife.
 
2 out of the 3 I have are that way. It does suck to have duller expensive knives, but at the same price point, both Hinderers I've gotten directly from the Ranch were dull and so was the one my buddy got so it does happen unfortunately with different brands.
 
Wow, OK. Thanks everyone. I would attempt to sharpen it myself but I'm afraid to mess it up. I don't really have the proper tools or know how to sharpen it properly and a wicked edge is a bit costly for me right now. Does anyone on the forum sharpen blades for members?
 
I recommend Josh with Razor Edge Knives. Really knows what he's doing and even better person. Great asset to the sharpening community.
 
For what it's worth, even the "workaday" Spyderco Sharpmaker gets all but the roughest and hardest of blades sharp enough for probably 90% of folks. It's ridiculously easy to use and is cheap compared to our CRK knives. Just a thought as you may find you need to sharpen your knife from time to time even after a Pro gets it going for you.

EDIT: I've gotten a few dull CRK's. It happens, but not enough for me to sweat it.
 
I got one butter knife, and one that I remember being "kinda" sharp. This is out of about 30, so the odds are against it. Crk will take care of you in a hurry though!
 
BoyNamedStacy said:
Wow, OK. Thanks everyone. I would attempt to sharpen it myself but I'm afraid to mess it up. I don't really have the proper tools or know how to sharpen it properly and a wicked edge is a bit costly for me right now. Does anyone on the forum sharpen blades for members?
Click to expand...

CRK recommends using a sharpmaker. It is easy to use, even for the novice. If you're going to own a knife, it would be good to develop sharpening skills. I just don't get a warm fuzzy feeling having to ship a knife off regardless the reason. Whichever system you may buy/use, you can always practice with less expensive knives until you have the confidence to tackle something like your Sebenza.
 
I bought a small sebbie with wood inlays a couple years ago from a reputable dealer and it arrived dull as a spoon. Had to spend some time putting an edge on it myself.
 
I can get all of my CRKs sharp, but they certainly have not all arrived sharp. Why this is bewilders me, but it is a common complaint. Funny since the CRK factory offers a sharpening service, you would think they would leave very sharp. What I can say is that the 2008 Umnumzaan that I sent back to them to tune the lock came back crazy crazy sharp. So sharp that I don't want to use it, as I know I will never get it that sharp again.

So it seems the production sharpening department, and the "Spa" sharpening department may not be crewed by the same folk.

In this instance I gotta tip a hat to Spyderco. I am obviously a greater fan of CRK designs, but I must say that the 5 Spyderco's I have owned (3 from Taiwan, 1 from Japan, and 1 from USA) all arrived super awesomely sharp. So if you are used to Spyderco's level of factory sharp, you will likely be disappointed with CRKs factory sharpness. Good news is S35VN is easy to sharpen and takes a keen edge without any special skills.
 
BoyNamedStacy said:
Wow, OK. Thanks everyone. I would attempt to sharpen it myself but I'm afraid to mess it up. I don't really have the proper tools or know how to sharpen it properly and a wicked edge is a bit costly for me right now. Does anyone on the forum sharpen blades for members?
Click to expand...

My business is closed, but if you cover shipping, I'll sharpen it up for you.

PM me if you are interested.
 
kidcongo said:
I can get all of my CRKs sharp, but they certainly have not all arrived sharp. Why this is bewilders me, but it is a common complaint. Funny since the CRK factory offers a sharpening service, you would think they would leave very sharp. What I can say is that the 2008 Umnumzaan that I sent back to them to tune the lock came back crazy crazy sharp. So sharp that I don't want to use it, as I know I will never get it that sharp again.

So it seems the production sharpening department, and the "Spa" sharpening department may not be crewed by the same folk.

In this instance I gotta tip a hat to Spyderco. I am obviously a greater fan of CRK designs, but I must say that the 5 Spyderco's I have owned (3 from Taiwan, 1 from Japan, and 1 from USA) all arrived super awesomely sharp. So if you are used to Spyderco's level of factory sharp, you will likely be disappointed with CRKs factory sharpness. Good news is S35VN is easy to sharpen and takes a keen edge without any special skills.
Click to expand...
I'll say the majority of the Spydercos I've gotten new have came ridiculously sharp, but usually at the expense of noticeably uneven bevels from side to side, bevels that change width from heel to tip, and jacked up little recurves in the heel of the blade. Something I've never gotten with any CRK and at least appreciate that much.
 
My Insingo came very sharp, a few passes on some strops made it extremely sharp.

I can't understand why people complain about dull knives, they get dull eventually from use so it would not hurt to learn to sharpen.
If someone is afraid they will ruin their CRK, grab a cheap kershaw or something and learn the ropes on it.
 
Mine came not exactly dull but not sharp. I immediately stropped it on plain leather and the edge got nasty sharp in just a few minutes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top