Chris Reeve Knives -what's the difference?

[dragonram7]

I picked up a sabenza many years ago. I really hadn't heard too much about crk. As a cop, knives were my back up. I used it everyday for six months. It just kept cutting. Long story short, I was testing a few brands out. Nothing came close to it in fit, finish, or performance. My partner, co-authoring the article we were writing, agreed it was the best of the bunch by a large margin. I know it will sound strange, but after owning it for close to a decade, $400 seems like a bargain.

 

[medcommander]

First let me point out that the most expensive knife I have ever bought for myself was around 40 dollars, and that I do not have the funds to buy a CRK even if I wanted one. From my point of view comparing the CRK knives and less expensive manufacturer knives is like comparing a chainsaw to an axe. I understand this is a very loose comparison and axe people please don't get all pissy about it. A chainsaw can cut through wood more efficiently than an axe and is better at the job that they were designed for. This is why in most places you will see someone take a chainsaw to harvest and process wood more often than an axe. Though the chainsaw is more efficient eventually due to its complex nature and reliance on a fuel source it will break or fail. Then most of us will either be screwed or, more likely, go out and buy another. The axe on the other hand is almost freakin indestructable. Its a machine which has been so perfected throughout time pretty much whatever you do to an axe it will continue to preform. Thats the beauty of the axe for sure it may be less efficient and may not cut down that tree as fast as a chainsaw if I was traveling into the wilderness you can bet your ass it wouldn't be a chainsaw I had strapped to my back. I hope this analogy was helpful and if it wasn't then its whatever because I have cookies and you don't.

 

[MEJ]

Why not go custom for that price. Makers have to work there ass of for every knife to get a good name in the biz. Allows you some security in your purchase and your own specific design. I dont have anything to say about CRK because i have never owned one.

 

[unit]

Why not go custom for that price. Makers have to work there ass of for every knife to get a good name in the biz. Allows you some security in your purchase and your own specific design. I dont have anything to say about CRK because i have never owned one.

There is logic to going custom, and logic to buying a known item that is time tested, highly consistent, and immediately available. It comes down to a personal choice. I would imagine that some would also report that used CRKs have easier resale than used customs (in the event that you ever decide to sell).

I really like custom knives, but I can see why many would buy CRKs instead of a custom with nearly identical attributes.

 

[Cynic2701]

There is logic to going custom, and logic to buying a known item that is time tested, highly consistent, and immediately available. It comes down to a personal choice. I would imagine that some would also report that used CRKs have easier resale than used customs (in the event that you ever decide to sell).

I really like custom knives, but I can see why many would buy CRKs instead of a custom with nearly identical attributes.

I agree with this. Custom knives are great, and can often have some advantages over a similarly priced mid-tech like CRK, but I feel much more comfortable knowing that should I need to get warranty work done on my knife CRK will be around to do it.

 

[purist]

I bought mine to use it as an avatar! I think it's worth a few bucks more for a CCG. I had a plain one and, although it was a great knife, it was too plain vanilla for me. The one in the avatar is like a piece of jewelry, as well as................

 

[Elgreco]

For 400 bucks, I'm buying another gun. Not a knife. I can see why people spend that much on a knife though.

 

[zpavao]

Spyderco Sage!!!!! You really better not be able to get the same standards in a $150 knife as a $400 knife, but I've carried a Sage one as my primary EDC for several months and handled a Sage 2 extensively, and they're amazing!

 

[frontline29]

Spyderco Sage!!!!! You really better not be able to get the same standards in a $150 knife as a $400 knife, but I've carried a Sage one as my primary EDC for several months and handled a Sage 2 extensively, and they're amazing!

Don't worry, you don't.
The sage is a great knife. But its not quite on the same level as the Sebenza.

 

[Franciscomv]

I recently got a Sebenza, and as soon as I started using it I forgot about its price. It's understated, yet perfectly built. I waited a while to get one because for most of my knife using life I've gravitated towards moderately priced knives in the $50-$150 range.

It reminds me of great boxers or wrestlers I've trained with: they use basic techniques, but they've mastered them to the point of perfection. The Sebenza is not a complicated knife, or one that uses very exotic materials, but every aspect of it is almost perfect.

 

[Mad_Maxx]

as said +1 on the "it takes some time to appreciate quality" , tolerances, craftsmanship, design
CRKs are well designed, well made, have perfect (or as close as it gets) mechanics
there are quality knives around, but it's what is hard to see (tolerances, finish?) that makes the difference
take eg a spyderco and CRK apart and put them together, do both reassemble as before? not easy..

they're worth and on the bf market you can get a new one for a lower price (small seb for 300$?) definitely worth the price
many people don't manage to use them and sell them to use lower end knives, if you have one, carry it , use it, enjoy it, understand what's behind!

 

[RiverRat84]

if you have one, carry it , use it, enjoy it, understand what's behind!

+1

You can get alot of customs for around $400, but it doesn't mean you'll be getting the same fit and finish for that $400.

Every Sebenza I've owned has been spot on. Even models that are five or seven years old.

You can't really tell from specs and pictures how nice a CRK really is. Although I personally love the beauty of their simplicity, you really don't get it until you use one.

Custom knives are great, but the only high end folders i've ever owned that have been spot on in every way have been Sebenzas :thumbup:

 

[Bastid]

Sometimes I shake my head at these types of threads. We all have things that trip our personal triggers so to speak and thankfully we are not all the same.
Something that appeals to one may not appeal to another and the world is a better place as long as we do not start condemning those differences.

I was fortunate to have dinner 14 or 15 years ago with Ann, Chris and Scott Cook who at the time worked in Ann and Chris' shop. Although I prefer to carry slipjoints, after meeting these people of obvious high character I had to try out a Sebenza as well as few other models out of the CRK shop over the years.
The bottom line for me is that I really enjoyed meeting those people, the knives coming out of CRK are made to the highest tolerance by far that I have seen from any production company.

Some folks' are triggered by one or both of those facts. Others are not for one reason or another. It really should not be that big of a deal.

 

[BePrepared]

I guess i might as well chime in

Here's my take on this issue. If you want a knife... just a knife... to do what knives do, cut stuff, there's no reason at all to get a sebenza, a hinderer or any of the top shelf customs.

For much less money, you can purchase an extremely good quality, well made tool that will do the job just as well as any of the above, using very good steel and excellent design. Examples include Zero Tolerance, Spiderco, Benchmade, kershaw etc...

On the other hand, if you look at it like I do, my knife is more than just a tool. Yes i use them, daily, and sometimes hard, but they are (and i admit this is just in my head) to me at least, an extension of myself. My knives are an expression, in steel, of a type of artistry that is sadly lacking in many parts of our day to day life.

A sebenza, or any major custom represents something that is dying out in our culture. The ART of making a perfect tool for the job.

It used to be the case that tools of all sort were made by artisans to exacting standards and could be used with pride. Now we are living in a world where tools are made by 10 year olds in factories by the thousands and the making is completely detached from the using.

A custom knife reconnects you with the maker...

and that's my rambling attempt to tell you why a custom is worth the money