CRK General Question

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louisduroyaume

Joined
Apr 25, 2024
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Hi everyone,

I'm pretty new to knives and I just discovered Chris Reeve. I was really motivated to find and buy one but then I did some research.

Many people talk about some problems life blade rock and pivot screw falling. Is it really worth that much money? I mean, I've never had that type of issues with cheaper knives like my spyderco (except my manix 2) or my giantmouse. I understand that CRK warranty is excellent but I do not live in the USA so it is expensive and complicated for me to ship back the knives to fix those issues.

So, is it still worth buying a CRK? If yes, do you believe that the Sebenza 21 is really superior to the Sebenza 31? What about the Inkosi? Which model is the most reliable.

Thanks in advance and have a great day,

Louis
 
I've had roughly 30 give or take CRK folders over the last decade and I haven't had any blade rock or any issues.. I'm also prone to using them harder than a folders intended purposes. I can send you a video of me throwing my Umnumzaan at a tree multiple times and it's as rock solid as a fixed blade.

As far as newer produced models, I can't personally attest but my brother is just as hard on them and he hasn't had any issues with his 31's.
 
Thanks! that's reassuring. I'm still hesitant between the different models though. A guy I know says that I should go with the Inkosi because it is apparently sturdier and smoother. Do you have an opinion on that?
 
I've put 21s and Umnumzaans and Inkosis to work doing most anything from remodeling houses to farm work and never had any problems or issues of any kind. Clean them up and sharpen as needed and put em back in my pocket.

I haven't owned any 31s so I can't comment on them. But for the current production models I can say the Inkosi will stand side by side with my 21s anyday.

They aren't magical and many knives I own can do the same work as my CRKs, but very few have the quality feel of a CRK. They really are on another level with the tight tolerances and you can feel that using them.

Only you can decide whether it's worth the cost to you, but I wouldn't be worried about the quality of the knives.
 
Depends on your definition of sturdier because honestly in my opinion if you're not using it as intended.. such as a pry bar or anything of the sorts the blade would fail before the pivot but even that would be hard do do if you're conscientious with what a folder is meant to be used for
 
The name Sebenza is derived from the Zulu word meaning "Work"
They’ve been around since 1984. The inventor of the Frame Lock. Very easy to maintain. They’re worth it in my opinion.
 
highestpoint said:
Depends on your definition of sturdier because honestly in my opinion if you're not using it as intended.. such as a pry bar or anything of the sorts the blade would fail before the pivot but even that would be hard do do if you're conscientious with what a folder is meant to be used for
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Yeah! I don't need something exceptionnally sturdy to be honest. I mostly eat and cook with my knives. I use them all but I take good care of them. I probably do not need the overbuilt model.
 

Chris Reeve Knives

Maker of such knives as the Sebenza, Mnandi, Umnumzaan, and fixed-blade knives for the Quiet Professional. Products from Chris Reeve Knives are the epitome of high quality and attention to detail. Visit their website at: http://www.chrisreeve.com
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
Here ya go, click on it.
 
I think you have a very low chance of getting a knife with issues. I do prefer the 21 to the 31, and if you're buying on the secondary market you can confirm with the seller that the knife has no functional issues. That said I've never had an issue with a 31 either, just personal preference. Inkosis are also great and I would probably take an Inkosi over a 31 but a 21 over either.
 
A drop of thread locker on the pivot screw of just about any other knife is expected.
For example, I check all my Spyderco’s straight out of the box. If there’s no threadlocker on the pivot, it gets some 242. Same if I adjust the pivot to my liking on most other knives.

The CRK community gets wonky because the Sebenza (21 & older) didn’t need locktite on the pivot due to galling between the scale and hardware. That doesn’t seem to be the case with at least some Sebenza 31 (how many? IDK). The prospect of 242 on the pivot of something named Sebenza is beyond sacrilege for some folks (no propriety judgement intended).

The free-spinning pivot CRK’s (Umnumzaan, Inkosi) were more or less produced with threadlocker in mind. So there’s that to consider too.

“Lock rock” for the most part turned out to be something other than true lock rock, though I won’t profess there aren’t some duds out there.

As stated above, check out the CRK area of the forum, then buy an Inkosi and come to the realization it might just be the perfect folding knife.
😁
 
The price of a CRK should be proportional to what your budget allows for knives. I doubt you’ll abuse a knife at that price point. some of the early 31’s had issues, but from what I’ve read, CRK has pretty much worked out the issues. IMO, some of the early issues were overly exaggerated by people jumping on that band wagon. So, take it with a grain of salt on things that you read. Is the 21 better than the 31, it’s more of a preference than anything else.
I nor anyone else can tell you whether they’re worth it, from my personal experience having a butt load of different knives, for me they’re worth every dime I’ve spent on them.
I think any model is reliable, but I’d suggest to get an Inkosi first. Mainly because of the adjustable pivot tension. My thoughts on having more knife than you need is that it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
In the end, this is a hobby, don’t overthink it and buy knives you’ll use instead of having a knife you’ll be hesitant to use because it cost so damn much.
 
If I could only use an Inkosi the rest of my life, I’d have no issues with that. I do find them to slightly edge out the Sebenza in comfort and smoothness to me. I’ve never had issues in 15 years of owning a handful of CRK’s.
 
louisduroyaume said:
I understand that CRK warranty is excellent but I do not live in the USA so it is expensive and complicated for me to ship back the knives to fix those issues.
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I'm in Canada and if where you live is like where I live there's a good chance of border guards confiscating the knife when it reenters the country. I wouldn't start a Sebenza because of this. You can pinch a washer if you assemble the knife incorrectly and the knife has to go back to CRK for new washers. CRK will mail you replacement Inkosi or Zaan washers if you need any. I like Inkosis and Zaans better anyways.
 
BD_01 said:
The CRK community gets wonky because the Sebenza (21 & older) didn’t need locktite on the pivot due to galling between the scale and hardware. That doesn’t seem to be the case with at least some Sebenza 31 (how many? IDK). The prospect of 242 on the pivot of something named Sebenza is beyond sacrilege for some folks (no propriety judgement intended).
Click to expand...

I think many many of those cases are results of the washer/pivot bushing not beeing fine tuned enough, thus many didnt tighten the pivot enough to create the needed galling.

When I first tightened the pivot of my 31 to the same level as my 21s it was very stiff. But I kept it that way and wore it in. The pivot never came loose and now its a perfecly smoothe broken in sebbie.
 
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