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Chris Reeve Knives -what's the difference?

Shorttime

Shorttime

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
4,052
I have heard much about CRK here, and in other places.

But $400.00+ is an awful lot for a knife!

I would like to know, if anybody here can tell me, what it is about Chris Reeve knives that makes them so special.

Sure, the easy answer is: they just..feel great!

But that's not an answer, if you see what I mean. Chris Reeve starts out with steel and machinery, same as any other maker, and ends up with a product which impresses every person who encounters it.

So what does he do different?
 
[video=youtube;towXlXl4nLY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=towXlXl4nLY&feature=related[/video]
 
Everything is just done perfectly. There are no machining marks; it looks like it came directly from the god of the forge. I don't think I would have appreciated the difference as much when I started collecting knives, but after you've been collecting for a while you really notice how these are a cut above the others.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Everything is just done perfectly. There are no machining marks; it looks like it came directly from the god of the forge. I don't think I would have appreciated the difference as much when I started collecting knives, but after you've been collecting for a while you really notice how these are a cut above the others.
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This is a good point, I think. I didn't begin to appreciate the differences in CRKs and other brands until I had some experience as a "collector / acquirer". Once you find out how difficult it is to maintain a consistently high level of quality from one piece to the next, you can begin to appreciate the effort that goes into each piece and you'll understand why the cost is so different.

As to whether a knife is worth that difference... that's an individual judgement call. Seems like a lot of us think CRKs are worth the cost because we keep buying them.
 
I don't own one but I've handled a few. They are very high quality knives (construction, fit and finish, materials) from a high quality company.

Unlike with many other manufacturers, even quality ones, there is a good chance that the knife you buy might have some kind of flaw or flaws. It could be a minor flaw or a major flaw. But if you by a knife from Chris Reeve the chances of your knife having a flaw will be very, very slim.

Many who own a Chris Reeve knife will tell you that it's the best knife on Earth. And for the price I would hope that they would be that satisfied. Many who have never owned a Chris Reeve knife (and some who have) will say that for them, they are not worth the price. And based on what they need in a knife, that may very well be true. Neither side is wrong. There is no perfect knife for everyone.

The fact is, the only way that you can truly understand the quality of a Chris Reeve knife is to handle one for yourself. If possible, and if it's something that you are really curious about, I'd suggest going to a knife shop that carries Chris Reeve knives and check them out for yourself.

Personally, there is nothing that any stranger on the internet can say that would convince me to pay $400 or more on a knife. I'd have to check the knife out in person first.
 
So it would seem that the major difference is attention to detail.

All right.

I would have a lot of trouble spending Chris Reeve money on a knife, because I would be afraid to use it. All arguments about getting what you pay for aside, I'm just not that brave.

But I could see myself spending something like $150.00. So the question I have been leading up to is:

Is there a company or companies out there that make a knife with the kind of attention to detail that Chris Reeve would put into a $150.00 knife?

Because I know Chris Reeve ain't gonna make no hunnert n' fifty dollar knife!

Hope that made sense...
 
Check out a spyderco model from their Taiwan plant, their fit and finish is superb. The gayle bradley model is nice. You get a similar grind to crk (high hollow grind) and the handel material is real nice(twill woven cf). M4 is tougher and more wear resistant then s35vn. If you want material similar check out a sage 2
 
spydusse said:
Check out a spyderco model from their Taiwan plant, their fit and finish is superb
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+1. The Taichung Spydercos (not the ones from their older Taiwanese contractor) are the only knives I can think of with that kind of precision at the lower price range. I'd highly recommend the Gayle Bradley.
 
Don't fondle a CRK in a store. Many peopl who buy a Sebenza report their first reaction on unwrapping the knife was "This is IT? This is all there is?"

You need to use it, over a period of time. I carried mine in the woods and used it in the kitchen. I have other knives that get the job done, some specialized for specific jobs. The Sebenza will only really impress someone as a knife when they use it.

As a piece of working jewelry, it sets the standard. Others copy that standard, and we all are enriched.
 
Don't fondle a CRK in a store. Many people who buy a Sebenza report their first reaction on unwrapping the knife was "This is IT? This is all there is?"

You need to use it, over a period of time. I carried mine in the woods and used it in the kitchen. I have other knives that get the job done, some specialized for specific jobs. The Sebenza will only really impress someone as a knife when they use it.

As a piece of working jewelry, it sets the standard. Others copy that standard, and we all are enriched.
 
CRK does make an excellent $230 knife, however - a fb - the S35VN bladed Nyala. Here it is with another nice custom fb also designed by a South African - and built there, too - an Arno Bernard 'Wild Dog' - N690 Bohler steel, full but tapered tang, spalted maple scales, Cape buffalo sheath - for a few bucks less:

IMG_4657.jpg


For a bargain of a high quality larger folder, consider the new Benchmade 275BK Adamas:

007-2.jpg


Outstanding build quality for a knife that size - beefed up AXIS lock - D2 steel - includes a sheath for ~$150.

Stainz
 
The tolerances, fit and finish are superb. I had a small Seb for a year or so, but got rid of it because it wouldn't hold an edge worth crap. I hope that the S35V he's using now has a better heat treat than the S30V that I got... I couldn't see holding on to a $400 knife that would be easily outcut by a $50 knife. But that's just me.
 
sodak said:
The tolerances, fit and finish are superb. I had a small Seb for a year or so, but got rid of it because it wouldn't hold an edge worth crap. I hope that the S35V he's using now has a better heat treat than the S30V that I got... I couldn't see holding on to a $400 knife that would be easily outcut by a $50 knife. But that's just me.
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That's interesting. In my experience my Sebenza will out cut my Spyderco Military in S30V.
 
Shorttime said:
So it would seem that the major difference is attention to detail.

All right.

I would have a lot of trouble spending Chris Reeve money on a knife, because I would be afraid to use it. All arguments about getting what you pay for aside, I'm just not that brave.

But I could see myself spending something like $150.00. So the question I have been leading up to is:

Is there a company or companies out there that make a knife with the kind of attention to detail that Chris Reeve would put into a $150.00 knife?

Because I know Chris Reeve ain't gonna make no hunnert n' fifty dollar knife!

Hope that made sense...
Click to expand...

No. It's simple economics. You can't get $400 of attention to sweating the details for $150. You can get knives that are outstanding knives, very well made, for $150 (the Spyderco Sage series and Gayle Bradley are excellent examples), but they don't hit the Sebenza standard, and Sal Glesser would be the first to tell you so. The issue is that going from 92% to 97% costs about as much as going from 0% to 90%.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Don't fondle a CRK in a store. Many peopl who buy a Sebenza report their first reaction on unwrapping the knife was "This is IT? This is all there is?"

You need to use it, over a period of time. I carried mine in the woods and used it in the kitchen. I have other knives that get the job done, some specialized for specific jobs. The Sebenza will only really impress someone as a knife when they use it.

As a piece of working jewelry, it sets the standard. Others copy that standard, and we all are enriched.
Click to expand...
Esav Benyamin said:
Don't fondle a CRK in a store. Many peopl who buy a Sebenza report their first reaction on unwrapping the knife was "This is IT? This is all there is?"

You need to use it, over a period of time. I carried mine in the woods and used it in the kitchen. I have other knives that get the job done, some specialized for specific jobs. The Sebenza will only really impress someone as a knife when they use it.

As a piece of working jewelry, it sets the standard. Others copy that standard, and we all are enriched.
Click to expand...

That is most certainly true. So much so that it's worth posting twice. :p

Actually, I've found that's true of cheaper knives as well. At first glance the Spyderco Delica 4 FFG seems like a boring plastic little knife, but when you get used to it, it's really well designed. And the Sebenza has what, 20 something years of micro refinements added to it? You don't notice all of those until you really get familiar with the knife.
 
I'm surprised the car analogies have not come up yet. I always wondered how a car goes from $25,000 to $250,000 to $2,500,000. I mean, a car is a car. How big of a difference can there be? A few years ago, there was a Ferrari show near my work. Man, my respect for some of these automobiles went way up. The precision. The materials. Incredible.

CRK puts so much attention to detail into their knives, there is no way they can go for cheap. Spyderco puts attention to detail into their knives, and I would even argue they put as much attention to detail in any model as CRK does. The difference is that CRK puts that same attention to detail into every single knife they make. Every knife that has come off the line has been inspected and tweaked for perfection. From what I understand, you can't trade blades on a knife like a Sebenza with another Sebenza. That blade was fitted to that handle. Swapping the blades would work, but you wouldn't have the same tolerance. That blade wasn't made for that other handle, if that makes sense.

Also, as stated, these knives are without flaw. I haven't picked up a single knife, ever, that didn't have some minor flaw to it. Insignificant flaws, perhaps, but flaws just the same. Imperfect grinds. Botch in the coating. You don't see those issues with CRK knives.
 
Thank you. I had my eye on the Alias II (the smaller one) before.

I realize that getting the quality of CRK at 150 is impossible, but there are a lot of knives in and around this price point, and it's still a lot of money for me. Having decided to take the next step (for me) into the mid-hundreds, I want to make sure I get my money's worth.
 
If your budget is 150 dollars, in my opinion you can't beat benchmade. Axis lock is a really beautiful thing, and they sell knives in a variety of steels and limited editions etc etc, something to fit everyone. One piece of advice I have, if you see a production knife you like, check around and make sure there isn't a limited edition of that knife that is being made or has been made with different steel or scales you like better. Seems like a lot of the companies that make knives in that price range like to make LEs, and unless you look into it, you never know they exist.

As for CRK, I don't think 350 is too extreme for a knife. Yeah you could get 2 benchmades or whatever for that, but if you're on this forum, you probably collect knives, what's the difference in the long run if it's one knife or two knives you got for that money. The longer you're at this... the more willing you are to spend a lot of money on one knife. On top of that, 400 bucks is nothing when you start to get into full hand made custom knives or benchmade gold class or other brand equivalent. So if you don't get, or see why you'd buy a knife that expensive... you're just not there yet, but be prepared, knife addiction ends in the poor house.
 
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I used to think the same thing. I got an umnumzaan and I know why CRK has so many awards. The main answer is


QUALITY

This is the peak of quality. I have not seen any other knife (custom or production) with this fine quality.
 
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