Chris Reeve Knives

M

MMS375

Joined
May 28, 2017
Messages
98
I'm new here and haven't quite figured this site out yet. I have tried the search function but have not been successful. Absolutely not trying to stir up anything, debate, or revisit an issue that I'm sure has been hashed out multiple times. Could someone please point me to a link that fairly and as unbiased as possible that addresses why Chris Reeve knives are held in the esteem that they are. I've never seen much less handled one in person and I'm trying to get a feel if I want to consider one (or more) of his knives down the road.

Thank you for you're patience and assistance.
 
Search youtube you will find plenty of opinions. Also on official site you can find information on how they are build and what's available.
 
Search thread titles for "sebenza." You'll find plenty of versions of this thread. Even if they don't seem like they will be a "why are Sebenzas good" thread they will inevitably become a "why are Sebenzas good" thread. :)
 
There's a couple of shop tour videos on YouTube. Watching those gave me a healthy respect for the time and craftsmanship involved in producing one their knives.
 
Hi I'm not a long time member or a huge Chris Reeve fan. I've only been around here a little over a year or so and most of that was spent in Traditionals. However I too got curious about The Chris Reeve Sabenza. It's way out of my price range so I had to save up a few months and sell a few knives but I finally pulled the trigger and bought a Like new Small Sabenza from 2015 and it was worth every penny. Now I haven't tried alot of other expensive knives other then a XM-18 3" Hinderer but still the Chris Reeve knife was very impressive the action was smoother then anything I had ever used. It locked up like a bank vault as they say lol. It just felt like quality all the way around. Now I managed to buy mine for $280 in Excellent condition off the Exchange on here and even for the price tag of $350 witch is the cost of the small Sabenza new it's well worth it in my opinion anyways. PS there are threads dedicated just to Chris Reeve knives on here if you go to The specific knife discussion section. Good luck. Trevor
 
CRK is held in high regard for the same reason any knife is held in high regard, people think they hold value for the money.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 353
Welcome MM!
I just jumped into the CR waters last week. Picked up a large tanto 21 and a CF large 25. Got both for great prices and I am thrilled with them!
Noticed something I have never seen before.
With very loose pivots, VERY loose, there is absolutely no blade movement in any direction. That blew me away and very tight tolerances makes sense to me now.
They are fantastic knives.
Joe
 
Welcome. This might answer your questions, straight from the man himself.

Not all knife manufacturers go through this much work to produce a knife. As far as the issues of cost, the overall production process is not inexpensive. There are some folks that have struggled to raise the hackles of the company in various ways sadly.
 
adamlau said:
Good one, RedDevil :thumbsup: . I was going to recommend those two videos as well.
Click to expand...
Right on, I was impressed greatly when I saw the amount of work that goes into each knife they make. There is a heck of a lot of measuring, remeasuring, and hand finishing involved in each piece. It's sad that some folks are always looking for flaws in everything (thinking back to the drama threads over the years). Some people buy a hammer and they soon realize that it's the worst screwdriver they've ever owned.
 
They command the price they do because the use of materials, the steps they go through in producing them, the tolerances they goto for them and on top of all of that, they pay there workers a fair wage. not to mention they are not producing as many as other larger mass production knives.

its essentially two slabs of titanium with s35vn blade. if you dont want to pay for the tolerances, and the process they go through from CRK, then simply dont get one. i have a CarbonFiber knife art exclusive. i enjoy it. the blade profile is great, the heat treatment is 59-61 hrc, its light weight, the action on mine is pronominal. its a simple yet effective knife.

ill be honest, i dont really like all sebenza's.

the other fact of the matter is they retain or increase in value, and collectors love to collect all the various versions of sebenza's and the other models they produce/produced. people see this as a mjor reason to get CRK knives.

lets not forget made in the USA.

are they the best? nope, not by a long shot (i cant name any knife as the best btw), but they are very good.

you could get two slabs of titanium and PB washer knife with s35vn for wayyyy cheaper, but that knife wont hold its value as much as this one will.
 
Last edited:
CRK has won the Blade Manufacturing Quality Award many times. And that comes from a panel of their peers. They have great Customer Service, the knives hold a decent resell value.
It's either a love or hate situation with CRK's. Over the years, it seems like a lot of knives were compared to the Sebenza and some folks don't like that.
Keep reading the pros and cons that have been posted, and when you're ready to make that move to spend your hard earned money, you'll have a better idea on which knife will speak to you.

Welcome to BFC MMS375 !!!!!!.......Enjoy your stay.
 
Great knives, but not the best by any means. Don't buy a CRK based on 15+ years of hype. There are many other makers putting out great folders nowadays.

If the aesthetics, function, and company appeal to you, then try them out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
 
If you buy a CRK, I hope you know how to sharpen your own knives.
They do not come sharp from the factory, and you might get an uneven bevel here and there.
Otherwise a great knife.
 
Thanks a lot guys really appreciate the feed back. Have watched the shop tour videos and looked briefly at a link or two. Have lots af reading to do. Great stuff. I've spent a good bit of money on guns & guitars over the years what's one more addiction.
 
I recently got one as well, a plain small 21, because I wanted to try the hype for myself and see what I thought of the "legend."

I like it a lot, but not for the reasons I expected. Yes, the tolerances are amazing, and the action is pretty good, but what really does it for me is the design itself, which has a sort of Bauhaus minimalism that sets it apart from most comparable knives. It seems to me that it's just about the only knife in its class that's truly designed for everyday use by the average person and doesn't carry any other pretenses. It's the "business casual" of knives in a way that I don't think many other things match, and I love it for that.

It's also just a damn good shape and size, has a great clip and a great blade shape, and as we all know it's built like a friggin' tank.

(Edited for clarity, my comments refer to the Sebenza vs. other options in its price and type range.)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top