Chris Reeve Knives History Timeline To Date & Blade Steel Timeline

Just finished reading this thread for the umpteenth time, and I just have to say THANK YOU to all of you folks who spent so much time and effort putting it together and keeping it going. Bravo! 🏆
 
I finally have something to contribute to the timeline! CRK began producing the Ubejane Skinner in 1989. I have #10 from September 19, 1989. Also, the handle on this is about a half inch longer than later ones.
 

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Hello everyone.

I'm new to the forum, I'm French and a fan of American cutlery.
I've had this model for about twenty years, and I'm having a bit of trouble defining it and its year of production.
(I misplaced the box and the papers...)
On the dimensions it's a jereboam (almost 9 inches of blade, 8 3/4), the shape presumes an MK I, the handle cap rather an MK II.
It has the number 70. Made in USA.
And it's very difficult to read the case's provenance.
I've looked everywhere, but I can't find the same model.

If I find the papers, I'll let you know!
I love this knife.

Thank you for the fascinating content you make available. 👑

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Hello,
Its a Jereboam (MKI) since close to 9” and sawback, I‘d say made early 90’s since its #70, after Chris moved operations from South Africa, to the U.S.
South African Jeroboam’s had a Hex Cap, US made ones has the style you have.
The sheath maker is El Paso Saddlery, from El Paso Texas.
like the beginning of article states Jereboam (MKI) made from 1985-1994.
Hope this helps.
Sweet Piece
 
TK305 said:
Hello,
Its a Jereboam (MKI) since close to 9” and sawback, I‘d say made early 90’s since its #70, after Chris moved operations from South Africa, to the U.S.
South African Jeroboam’s had a Hex Cap, US made ones has the style you have.
The sheath maker is El Paso Saddlery, from El Paso Texas.
like the beginning of article states Jereboam (MKI) made from 1985-1994.
Hope this helps.
Sweet Piece
Click to expand...
Hello,

Thank you for your very quick reply and all these details. For the case, I had a lot of trouble defining the origin.
It's great, now I have more history about it.
Have a nice day, and best wishes for the new year.
 
Sylvain69 said:
Hello,

Thank you for your very quick reply and all these details. For the case, I had a lot of trouble defining the origin.
It's great, now I have more history about it.
Have a nice day, and best wishes for the new year.
Click to expand...
Your welcome, 👍🏻😎
 
badmatt said:
wait..

Did they changed the small washer back to the old style?
Click to expand...

Kettleman said:
I was wondering the same thing…
Click to expand...
I haven't been collecting CRK's as long as you guys, so, I don't know.🙄

My small Insingo Sebenza 31 in MagnaCut has the same washers as the small DP 31 (in my original post) does.

1000002903-01.jpeg

They are certainly different from the small washers on my large Sebenza 31's. 🍻
 
MessOnAMission said:
I finally have something to contribute to the timeline! CRK began producing the Ubejane Skinner in 1989. I have #10 from September 19, 1989. Also, the handle on this is about a half inch longer than later ones.
Click to expand...

I have #87, made in May, 1990 and the knurled handle area is 2.5” long, how long is your knurled area?

IMG_3522.jpegIMG_3523.jpeg
 
Maybe this question has already been answered?
Are there production numbers available?
I’m curious how many 7” Tantos were made.
Thanks.
 
I don't see any mention in the timeline that the "Idaho Made" marking was added to the knives in 2010, or in which month. (Some call it a "stamp" but looks machined, not stamped, to me so I just go with "marking.")

The reason I'm wondering is that I have this Nyala (no birth certificate), also introduced in 2010, that does not have the marking.





 
nyefmaker said:
Here is the Chris Reeve History Timeline I promised I would post. Anne Reeve sent this to me about year ago as I was inquiring about the many models of One-Piece Knives. This Timeline gives you the KNIFE DESCRIPTION; YEAR INTRODUCED; YEAR DISCONTINUED. This List has been invaluable to me in acquiring my Chris Reeve Knife Collection. You have the Many One-Piece Knives, Sebenzas, etc. I ask that this be made a Sticky as the Info will be Very Helpful To All for Years To Come.👍👍

Knife Description Year Introduced Year Discontinued

MK IV 7" Clip point sawback: 1984 - 1994
MK V 7" Clip point: 1986 - 1994
Aviator 4" Clip point sawback: 1984 - 2008
Aviator 5" Clip point sawback ( 50 Knives Made )
Moutaineer I 4" Single guard clip point: 1985 - Dec. 2009
Moutaineer II 5.5" Single guard clip point: 1990 - Dec. 2009
Jereboam MK I 9" Clip point sawback: 1985 - 1994
Jereboam MK II 9" Clip point: 1986 - 2008
Shadow I 9" Spearpoint: 1987 - 2008
Shadow II 7" Spearpoint: 1987 - 1994
Shadow III 4 " Spearpoint: 1987 - Dec. 2009
Shadow IV 5.5" Spearpoint: 1990 - Dec. 2009
Sable I 9" Sabre: 1986 - 2008
Sable II 7" Sabre: 1985 - 1994
Sable III 4" Sabre: 1986 - 2006
Sable IV 5.5" Sabre: 1990 - 2008
Tanto I 9" Chisel point: 1987 - 2008
Tanto II 7" Chisel point: 1987 - 1994
Tanto III 4" Chisel point: 1987 - 1994
Tanto IV 5.5" Chisel point: 1990 - 1994
Ubejane Skinner 4.5" Broadblade clip point: 1990 - Dec. 2009
Pachmayr 7.5" Spearpoint: 1988 - 1990
Project I 7.5" Spearpoint: 1991 - Dec. 2009
Project II 7.5" Clip point: 1991 - Dec. 2009
Kathathu 9" Double Edge ( 50 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Kathathu 7.5" Double Edge ( 100 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Kathathu 5.5" Double Edge ( 66 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Kathathu 4" Double Edge ( 100 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Nkonka 7 13/16" Sabre Blade: June 2002 - Dec. 2009
Nkonka 7 13/16" SpearPoint: September 2003 - Dec. 2009
Nkonka 5.5" SpearPoint USN ( 10 Knives Made ): 2009
Nkonka 5.5" ClipPoint USN ( 10 Knives Made ): 2009
MK VI 5.5" Clip Point: 1990 - Dec. 2009
CRK 28 Year Special Edition Mark IV 7" Sawback ( 250 knives made ): 2009

"When Chris first started making the One Piece knives, they were all from D2. It was in February of 1987 that he changed to A2. Since then, we have made a very few out of D2 but that was because we could not get A2. Regrettably no records of how many, which or when!"

H Sebenza: 1989
P Sebenza Large: 1991 - 1995
P Sebenza Small: 1993 - 1995
Original Sebenza Large: 1991 - 1996
Original Sebenza Small: 1993 - 1996
Regular Sebenza Large: 1996 - 2008
Regular Sebenza Small: 1996 - 2008
Umfaan: 1997 - 2002
Classic Sebenza Large and Small: 2000 - 2008
Mnandi: 2001
Sebenza 21 Large and Small: 2008 - June 7, 2019
Sebenza 31 Large and Small: Announced June 3, 2019
Umnumzaan: 2008
Ti-Lock: 2011 - 2017
Sebenza 25: Announced Mid 2012 - Discontinued Mid 2016 ( replaced by Large Inkosi )
Inkosi Small: 2015
Inkosi Large: June 2016
Impinda Slipjoint: June 2018

Green Beret/Yarborough: 2002
5.5" Green Beret: 2003
Neil Roberts Warrior: 2004
Inyoni: 2007
Pacifc/1SFG(A): 2007
Professional Soldier: 2008 - 2018
Sikayo 6.5" : 2009 - 2020
Sikayo 9" :2009 - 2020
Nyala : 2010 - 2020
Impofu: 2014 (500 Made)
Umkhombe: 2014
Backpacker: June 2022
Inyoni ( new version ): June 2022

Reviews

My CRK Professional Soldier Review With Pics, Enjoy !!! http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664883&highlight=professional+soldier+review
Chris Reeve Knives Umfaan: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-The-Chris-Reeve-Knives-Umfaan-A-Small-Review

Sebenza Blade Steel Timeline

First knives were ATS-34

Switched to BG-42 October 1996

Switched to S30V January 2002

Switched to S35VN January ( aprox. ) 2011

Announced switch to S45VN in late 2020. Will Phase into production line in early 2021

Blade Stamps: Stamped into the bade to distinguish blade steel

ATS34 - Unmarked ( Best way to identify is via production date )
BG42 - Unmarked ( Best way to identify is via production date )
Classic - "C" ( Some classics have BG42 as they were using up blades and are unmarked as was BG42. Rest are S30V)
S30V - "S"
S35VN - "V" ( there are 2 versions of the "V". A "V" that uses 4 shorter lines to make the letter has a 58-59 RC. A "V" that has two longer lines as shown here "V" has a 59-60 RC ) REFER TO POST #185 in this thread.
S45VN - "45"
*** This is the norm, but there are exceptions. There are "sterile" unmarked blades that made it to the public. There are also cases in which BG42 blades were used in Classics to use up blades while most Classics had S30V.

Handle Scales

A slabs made from January, February, March
B slabs made from April, May, June
C slabs made from July, August, September
D Slabs made from October, November December

So A99 would be made in say February of 1999; B03 would be made say June 2003; C05 would be made say July 2005; D09 would be made say November 2009............It goes like that, just examples !

I believe these began being marked in the 1997 time frame. I have had 1997 sebenzas with no marking though, so "When" it was made in 97 is the difference. I have had 1998 and 1999 with markings, so by this time, they were pretty consistent.

** CRK changed to the "New" Boxes on June 17, 2013. These included the lube and ( loctite for the models that require it, ie sebenza 25 & umnumzaan ). The packaging is completely different from before.
Here is the thread from Heather with the info: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1079520-New-Boxes
Thanks Heather....!!!

One Piece Knife Blade Steel Info

Nearly ALL CRK One Piece Knives were made from A2 Tool Steel, Both in South Africa & USA. There were special runs though with D2 ( when A2 was scarce) & CPM 3V.

Additional info regarding "P" Sebenzas
Unfortunately, we have no good records of Sebenza numbers we never thought for a moment any one would be interested so many years later!! Only the Original Sebenzas were marked with P Larges introduced in 1991 and Smalls introduced in 1993. We honestly have no record of how many Large P Sebenzas we made we think we did them for about 2 and a half years. We numbered up to 121 for the Small P Sebenzas and I am not sure we did any marked with just P and no serial number. I think we stopped marking the P around mid 1994!..... "P" Stands for Production Sebenza, Not Prototype Sebenza ...On Behalf of CRK....Thanks Anne !

Time-Line Info:
*Those with a Single Year ( Other than the H sebenza ) signify that they are still in production
*Those with a Single Year: Example ( 50 Knives made ) Were Only Made for that One Year and were a Limited Run during that year
*Those with Two Years ( the first year is year introduced; the second year is year discontinued )
*CRK has done many limited edition knives that are not mentioned here, like the tanto sebenzas, camo finish one piece knives, Al Mar/CRK OPR,etc. This list is intended for regular production knives.
*ALL the info in this CRK Time Line has been given to me by CRK ( Anne Reeve, Heather ), Without their kindness, I would never have been able to do this. I wanted this info as I am a Huge CRK Fan and Supporter, and I have passed it on to you, my BladeForums Friends to Enjoy !

*** I am going to have to MOVE "The HISTORY OF CHRIS REEVE KNIVES" to another post contained within this Sticky due to a max character limit. Otherwise, I am unable to update as the History is quite large. Look for it in POST # 42 ***

*** ALSO - Due To Space Limitations, Additional CRK Timeline INFO Is Included In Additional POSTS.......I Have Tried To Keep The Most Basic Info In This FIRST Page, But There Is TONS Of Additional Information Throughout.......Examples: CRK OPR Steel Info, Certain CRK Knives Like The PACHMAYR, Mammoth Ivory Info, ETC. So Be Sure To Browse The WHOLE Sticky Thread. ***

*** Again, Thanks To Bladeforums.com For Allowing This To Be A Sticky For ALL CRK Fans To See. This Information Is Invaluable To One Of Bladeforums Biggest Supporter Fan Base **
Click to expand...
 
nyefmaker said:
Here is the Chris Reeve History Timeline I promised I would post. Anne Reeve sent this to me about year ago as I was inquiring about the many models of One-Piece Knives. This Timeline gives you the KNIFE DESCRIPTION; YEAR INTRODUCED; YEAR DISCONTINUED. This List has been invaluable to me in acquiring my Chris Reeve Knife Collection. You have the Many One-Piece Knives, Sebenzas, etc. I ask that this be made a Sticky as the Info will be Very Helpful To All for Years To Come.👍👍

Knife Description Year Introduced Year Discontinued

MK IV 7" Clip point sawback: 1984 - 1994
MK V 7" Clip point: 1986 - 1994
Aviator 4" Clip point sawback: 1984 - 2008
Aviator 5" Clip point sawback ( 50 Knives Made )
Moutaineer I 4" Single guard clip point: 1985 - Dec. 2009
Moutaineer II 5.5" Single guard clip point: 1990 - Dec. 2009
Jereboam MK I 9" Clip point sawback: 1985 - 1994
Jereboam MK II 9" Clip point: 1986 - 2008
Shadow I 9" Spearpoint: 1987 - 2008
Shadow II 7" Spearpoint: 1987 - 1994
Shadow III 4 " Spearpoint: 1987 - Dec. 2009
Shadow IV 5.5" Spearpoint: 1990 - Dec. 2009
Sable I 9" Sabre: 1986 - 2008
Sable II 7" Sabre: 1985 - 1994
Sable III 4" Sabre: 1986 - 2006
Sable IV 5.5" Sabre: 1990 - 2008
Tanto I 9" Chisel point: 1987 - 2008
Tanto II 7" Chisel point: 1987 - 1994
Tanto III 4" Chisel point: 1987 - 1994
Tanto IV 5.5" Chisel point: 1990 - 1994
Ubejane Skinner 4.5" Broadblade clip point: 1990 - Dec. 2009
Pachmayr 7.5" Spearpoint: 1988 - 1990
Project I 7.5" Spearpoint: 1991 - Dec. 2009
Project II 7.5" Clip point: 1991 - Dec. 2009
Kathathu 9" Double Edge ( 50 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Kathathu 7.5" Double Edge ( 100 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Kathathu 5.5" Double Edge ( 66 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Kathathu 4" Double Edge ( 100 Knives Made ): 2000 - 2001
Nkonka 7 13/16" Sabre Blade: June 2002 - Dec. 2009
Nkonka 7 13/16" SpearPoint: September 2003 - Dec. 2009
Nkonka 5.5" SpearPoint USN ( 10 Knives Made ): 2009
Nkonka 5.5" ClipPoint USN ( 10 Knives Made ): 2009
MK VI 5.5" Clip Point: 1990 - Dec. 2009
CRK 28 Year Special Edition Mark IV 7" Sawback ( 250 knives made ): 2009

"When Chris first started making the One Piece knives, they were all from D2. It was in February of 1987 that he changed to A2. Since then, we have made a very few out of D2 but that was because we could not get A2. Regrettably no records of how many, which or when!"

H Sebenza: 1989
P Sebenza Large: 1991 - 1995
P Sebenza Small: 1993 - 1995
Original Sebenza Large: 1991 - 1996
Original Sebenza Small: 1993 - 1996
Regular Sebenza Large: 1996 - 2008
Regular Sebenza Small: 1996 - 2008
Umfaan: 1997 - 2002
Classic Sebenza Large and Small: 2000 - 2008
Mnandi: 2001
Sebenza 21 Large and Small: 2008 - June 7, 2019
Sebenza 31 Large and Small: Announced June 3, 2019
Umnumzaan: 2008
Ti-Lock: 2011 - 2017
Sebenza 25: Announced Mid 2012 - Discontinued Mid 2016 ( replaced by Large Inkosi )
Inkosi Small: 2015
Inkosi Large: June 2016
Impinda Slipjoint: June 2018

Green Beret/Yarborough: 2002
5.5" Green Beret: 2003
Neil Roberts Warrior: 2004
Inyoni: 2007
Pacifc/1SFG(A): 2007
Professional Soldier: 2008 - 2018
Sikayo 6.5" : 2009 - 2020
Sikayo 9" :2009 - 2020
Nyala : 2010 - 2020
Impofu: 2014 (500 Made)
Umkhombe: 2014
Backpacker: June 2022
Inyoni ( new version ): June 2022

Reviews

My CRK Professional Soldier Review With Pics, Enjoy !!! http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664883&highlight=professional+soldier+review
Chris Reeve Knives Umfaan: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-The-Chris-Reeve-Knives-Umfaan-A-Small-Review

Sebenza Blade Steel Timeline

First knives were ATS-34

Switched to BG-42 October 1996

Switched to S30V January 2002

Switched to S35VN January ( aprox. ) 2011

Announced switch to S45VN in late 2020. Will Phase into production line in early 2021

Blade Stamps: Stamped into the bade to distinguish blade steel

ATS34 - Unmarked ( Best way to identify is via production date )
BG42 - Unmarked ( Best way to identify is via production date )
Classic - "C" ( Some classics have BG42 as they were using up blades and are unmarked as was BG42. Rest are S30V)
S30V - "S"
S35VN - "V" ( there are 2 versions of the "V". A "V" that uses 4 shorter lines to make the letter has a 58-59 RC. A "V" that has two longer lines as shown here "V" has a 59-60 RC ) REFER TO POST #185 in this thread.
S45VN - "45"
*** This is the norm, but there are exceptions. There are "sterile" unmarked blades that made it to the public. There are also cases in which BG42 blades were used in Classics to use up blades while most Classics had S30V.

Handle Scales

A slabs made from January, February, March
B slabs made from April, May, June
C slabs made from July, August, September
D Slabs made from October, November December

So A99 would be made in say February of 1999; B03 would be made say June 2003; C05 would be made say July 2005; D09 would be made say November 2009............It goes like that, just examples !

I believe these began being marked in the 1997 time frame. I have had 1997 sebenzas with no marking though, so "When" it was made in 97 is the difference. I have had 1998 and 1999 with markings, so by this time, they were pretty consistent.

** CRK changed to the "New" Boxes on June 17, 2013. These included the lube and ( loctite for the models that require it, ie sebenza 25 & umnumzaan ). The packaging is completely different from before.
Here is the thread from Heather with the info: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1079520-New-Boxes
Thanks Heather....!!!

One Piece Knife Blade Steel Info

Nearly ALL CRK One Piece Knives were made from A2 Tool Steel, Both in South Africa & USA. There were special runs though with D2 ( when A2 was scarce) & CPM 3V.

Additional info regarding "P" Sebenzas
Unfortunately, we have no good records of Sebenza numbers we never thought for a moment any one would be interested so many years later!! Only the Original Sebenzas were marked with P Larges introduced in 1991 and Smalls introduced in 1993. We honestly have no record of how many Large P Sebenzas we made we think we did them for about 2 and a half years. We numbered up to 121 for the Small P Sebenzas and I am not sure we did any marked with just P and no serial number. I think we stopped marking the P around mid 1994!..... "P" Stands for Production Sebenza, Not Prototype Sebenza ...On Behalf of CRK....Thanks Anne !

Time-Line Info:
*Those with a Single Year ( Other than the H sebenza ) signify that they are still in production
*Those with a Single Year: Example ( 50 Knives made ) Were Only Made for that One Year and were a Limited Run during that year
*Those with Two Years ( the first year is year introduced; the second year is year discontinued )
*CRK has done many limited edition knives that are not mentioned here, like the tanto sebenzas, camo finish one piece knives, Al Mar/CRK OPR,etc. This list is intended for regular production knives.
*ALL the info in this CRK Time Line has been given to me by CRK ( Anne Reeve, Heather ), Without their kindness, I would never have been able to do this. I wanted this info as I am a Huge CRK Fan and Supporter, and I have passed it on to you, my BladeForums Friends to Enjoy !

*** I am going to have to MOVE "The HISTORY OF CHRIS REEVE KNIVES" to another post contained within this Sticky due to a max character limit. Otherwise, I am unable to update as the History is quite large. Look for it in POST # 42 ***

*** ALSO - Due To Space Limitations, Additional CRK Timeline INFO Is Included In Additional POSTS.......I Have Tried To Keep The Most Basic Info In This FIRST Page, But There Is TONS Of Additional Information Throughout.......Examples: CRK OPR Steel Info, Certain CRK Knives Like The PACHMAYR, Mammoth Ivory Info, ETC. So Be Sure To Browse The WHOLE Sticky Thread. ***

*** Again, Thanks To Bladeforums.com For Allowing This To Be A Sticky For ALL CRK Fans To See. This Information Is Invaluable To One Of Bladeforums Biggest Supporter Fan Base ***
Click to expand...
Not all heroes wear capes!
 
TC said:
I don't see any mention in the timeline that the "Idaho Made" marking was added to the knives in 2010, or in which month. (Some call it a "stamp" but looks machined, not stamped, to me so I just go with "marking.")

The reason I'm wondering is that I have this Nyala (no birth certificate), also introduced in 2010, that does not have the marking.
Click to expand...

The earliest mention I can find of the change is a thread started here on October 21, 2010. The OP stated:

Just thought I would share some information I acquired recently from Charmaine at CRK. Apparently from this point forward, ALL folding knives Chris Reeve produced will have "Idaho Made" engraved on the lock side of the frame. Originally they were planning on introducing this to mark the change to the new blade steel S35VN, however as they recently ran out of Ti slabs, all new folding knives as of a month ago will have the new engraving.
Click to expand...

Based on this we can assume the marking was added around September 2010. There were definitely Nyalas without the "Idaho Made" marking, I used to own one.

There was another thread started on 10/23/2010 that was a poll asking people's opinion about the change. Some disliked it so much they said they would not be buying any new CRKs that had the marking. I vaguely remember all this happening in real time, and both then and now it is wild to see how upset people were about a small bit of engraving. It was all about not liking change. Very rarely do you hear anyone these days say "man, I wish that marking wasn't there" because it's all they've ever known. I've seen vintage CRKs called fake because they didn't have the marking.
 
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