- Joined
- Jul 12, 2020
- Messages
- 59
On BF, Youtube, and other social media platforms, one thing that maintains consistency is the craze with CRK. I never understood what people meant when they said "glassy smooth," or "you have to try it to get it." I didn't understand why CRK was talked about soo much more than Hinderers, Reates and other knives in similar price range to CRK. I thought to myself, "isn't it just a more refined version of a normal frame lock knife? Maybe it feels slightly more sturdy but what else could be so substantially different that you 'have to try' to get it." I have had some other more expensive knives in in a similar price range as the CRKs and all of them I have been able to anticipate the quality and expectations of the knife.
Take Hinderer for example. Before I got it, I had a few flipper knives such as ZT knives. They had great flipping action, the centering was great, and then overall quality felt spot on. So before I received my Hinderer, I just expected the pieces to be machined more precisely. Perhaps the different pieces would feel more sturdy and the screws would feel less finicky. And if I were lucky, the action would maybe be better. When I received it, everything was as expected. There was nothing that exceeded my expectations. The action on the bearings was indeed slightly smoother than the ZT and the pieces were indeed machined more carefully. But beyond that, the Hinderer did just feel like a different flipper model. Absolutely no hate though as I love Hinderer knives and I have 3 of them, but nothing about the knife left me in awe
Now comes the CRK. When I first decided to pull the trigger, I still wasn't very sure about it. I wasn't sure if I would regret the exorbitant amounts of money on the knife. Afterall, on paper the knife seems pretty basic and nothing about the spec sheet stood out to me. At least with the Hinderer, the thing that drew me to the knife was its reputation as hard use knife. I knew that I would be getting a knife that was different from the other knives in my collection at the time. It would have a thick blade tang and a stout tip. But on paper, the Sebenza 31 had an average blade thickness, a standard titanium frame lock, and a very ubiquitous blade steel. I just pulled the trigger because of all the talk about CRK and the massive fanbase that was bigger than hinderer's.
A few days later when I finally receive my CRK, I was blown away. The fit and finish of the knife was outstanding. Even small details were seemingly perfect. The allen key provided fit perfectly into the screws with absolutely no wiggle room and would go very far into the screws, ensuring a tight and secure fit. The detent on the knife to push the blade out of the handle was also just enough to push the blade out when needed but also keep the blade in when not in use.
One of the things I was worried about was that the handle would be slippery like my ZT's because it was full TI, but to my surprise, the handle material is just grippy enough so it doesn't slip in my hands but also slick enough so I can easily manipulate it in my hand. Furthermore, there's a very minor sparkle in the TI that you can't see in pictures, and it really does look quite special.
Furthermore, for all knives that I have owned in the past, the blade will wiggle when pressed on with my fingers while the blade is closed in the handle. However, the blade while in the handle for the sebenza feels rock solid and doesn't move at all. Even the Hinderers I have will wiggle some amount. And although functionally this makes no difference as it's the actual lockup of the blade that matters, this really did seem like an extra mile to ensure the fitment of the knife.
With all the talk online about the lockup being like a "bank vault" I still didn't quite believe it. After all, it's common for people to exaggerate over the internet in order to get the point across. Although I wouldn't say it's like a "bank vault" it really does feel different to any other locking knife I've owned. It feels much more authoritative and precise than my other knives as well. The *click* as the knife locks in has such a satisfying and solid feeling that none of my other knives have.
Although I still wish the blade steel would be 20CV/m390 for my blade steel crave, I've now looked past it considering everything else with the knife.
There are so many more things that are great about the knife that I haven't mentioned but ultimately, this knife has been such a surprise to me despite all that has been said. This knife really has to be tried in person to understand the value of it.
Take Hinderer for example. Before I got it, I had a few flipper knives such as ZT knives. They had great flipping action, the centering was great, and then overall quality felt spot on. So before I received my Hinderer, I just expected the pieces to be machined more precisely. Perhaps the different pieces would feel more sturdy and the screws would feel less finicky. And if I were lucky, the action would maybe be better. When I received it, everything was as expected. There was nothing that exceeded my expectations. The action on the bearings was indeed slightly smoother than the ZT and the pieces were indeed machined more carefully. But beyond that, the Hinderer did just feel like a different flipper model. Absolutely no hate though as I love Hinderer knives and I have 3 of them, but nothing about the knife left me in awe
Now comes the CRK. When I first decided to pull the trigger, I still wasn't very sure about it. I wasn't sure if I would regret the exorbitant amounts of money on the knife. Afterall, on paper the knife seems pretty basic and nothing about the spec sheet stood out to me. At least with the Hinderer, the thing that drew me to the knife was its reputation as hard use knife. I knew that I would be getting a knife that was different from the other knives in my collection at the time. It would have a thick blade tang and a stout tip. But on paper, the Sebenza 31 had an average blade thickness, a standard titanium frame lock, and a very ubiquitous blade steel. I just pulled the trigger because of all the talk about CRK and the massive fanbase that was bigger than hinderer's.
A few days later when I finally receive my CRK, I was blown away. The fit and finish of the knife was outstanding. Even small details were seemingly perfect. The allen key provided fit perfectly into the screws with absolutely no wiggle room and would go very far into the screws, ensuring a tight and secure fit. The detent on the knife to push the blade out of the handle was also just enough to push the blade out when needed but also keep the blade in when not in use.
One of the things I was worried about was that the handle would be slippery like my ZT's because it was full TI, but to my surprise, the handle material is just grippy enough so it doesn't slip in my hands but also slick enough so I can easily manipulate it in my hand. Furthermore, there's a very minor sparkle in the TI that you can't see in pictures, and it really does look quite special.
Furthermore, for all knives that I have owned in the past, the blade will wiggle when pressed on with my fingers while the blade is closed in the handle. However, the blade while in the handle for the sebenza feels rock solid and doesn't move at all. Even the Hinderers I have will wiggle some amount. And although functionally this makes no difference as it's the actual lockup of the blade that matters, this really did seem like an extra mile to ensure the fitment of the knife.
With all the talk online about the lockup being like a "bank vault" I still didn't quite believe it. After all, it's common for people to exaggerate over the internet in order to get the point across. Although I wouldn't say it's like a "bank vault" it really does feel different to any other locking knife I've owned. It feels much more authoritative and precise than my other knives as well. The *click* as the knife locks in has such a satisfying and solid feeling that none of my other knives have.
Although I still wish the blade steel would be 20CV/m390 for my blade steel crave, I've now looked past it considering everything else with the knife.
There are so many more things that are great about the knife that I haven't mentioned but ultimately, this knife has been such a surprise to me despite all that has been said. This knife really has to be tried in person to understand the value of it.
