CRK Quality Rivals?

Scurvy092 said:
As mentioned previously, Kirby Lambert, John W. Smith, Michael Raymond, Scott Cook and many many others will build you a knife that is as good as, if not better than CRK knives. But you pay for it.
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Will Moon, Tom Mayo, R.J. Martin, the list goes on. Its a crazy list full of makers who have just as much talent as anyone, but again, not the same volume. Volume wreaks havoc on quality, but CRK seems nearly immune. And I don't even like CRK's that much.
 
I've read good things about the Spartan Akribis, however, I have never seen one in person.

They are in the same price range as a Sebenza though.
 
As far as fit and finish go the only other production folder that equals CRK is William Henry, granted its not really a direct comparison but as far as level of quality and consistency of manufacture WH is the only one I'd put in the same thing as CRK.

JMHO
 
Here is some unbiased opinions

Sebenzas have great fit and finish, my Spyderco southard and Tuff have been almost as good, My Chaparral and PPT, not as good. The tuff and southard have the best fit and finish I have seen in a full production knife.. The sebenza I have is off center to the left, but the fit and finish is marginally better than spyderco. People like to say hinderer fit and finish as as good as a Sebenza. I would put a hinderers fit and finish about where Spyderco Taiwan knives are, maybe a bit lower. The fit and finish is pretty much the same as my Strider SMF (new one in PD1) . The fit and finish differences between these knives is barely noticeable, yet people seem to think that its a huge difference. Handle my spyderco tuff and my sebenza and tell me what makes the tolerances better than my tuff, with out quoting chris reeves 0.001 inch accuracy. Cause the finished product is nearly identical in fit and finish.
 
gastonian said:
I've read good things about the Spartan Akribis, however, I have never seen one in person.

They are in the same price range as a Sebenza though.
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The Akribis is a great knife. I handled one at Edgeworks in Maryland and was very impressed with it. The problem is it's really thick and for the price, I would just buy a Sebenza.
 
Bugout Bill said:
Taichung Spyderco's are often touted as being very close to CRK in terms of quality.
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I love the Sage 2, but the Taiwan Spydercos aren't even in the same ballpark as a CRK.

I agree with WH in the manufacturer category.
 
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My dad was in the paper business. He could pick up a sheet of fine paper and rub his fingers across it, and tell you all about it, including of course which company manufactured it.

If you're not in the business, you can't even guess.
 
My dad was in the paper business. He could pick up a sheet of fine paper and rub his fingers across it, and tell you all about it, including of course which company manufactured it.

If you're not in the business, you can't even guess.
 
ChrisB507 said:
Of course, the Sage 2 is an homage to the Sebenza. But I think it is easily the peer in fit and finish with the CRKs I have. I found the Sage equal or better in: OOB sharpness, smoothness in opening, blade finish (cosmetic), grinds, titanium finish (cosmetic), lockup, blade movement...

I'm curious: what am I missing in appreciating "manufacturer quality?"
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I've had numerous Taichung knives and have had others pass through my hands during passarounds: three Sage 2's, Chapparal, Gayle Bradley, and the Laci Szabo. They were all fine knives that are well made and well put together.

CRK's, though, are on another level. There are no manufacturing or tooling marks. The knife is finished the same on the inside were no one is looking as on the outside.

Spyderco's, even the Taichung made ones, do not have the same level of fit and finish both on the inside and the outside. Take a look at where the grind starts for the edge right where it meets the choil on your Sage 2. You will see imperfections. Examine the interface betwren the blade stop and the blade tang; it will have a bias towards one side over the other and will show that wear. The lock face is not heat treated, and will not last as long as a Sebenza's. It seems apparent that you have never seen the stonewash on a CRK in person; it seems that you don't notice the deep striations left behind on the Sage 2's blade. Have you measured the flatness of the handle scales on your Sage 2? Do you see the ridges left around the edges of the titanium slabs all the way around the knife? Are the ends of the stop pin beneath the scales blemish free? Are the inside of your scales perfectly parallel down to thousandths of an inch? Is each and every piece so meticulously fitted and finished to the point that changes in temperature of 10the degrees can affect the manufacturing process?

Do these things matter to you? If they don't then feel satisfied with your Sage 2. It is a fine knife.
 
As far as the actual machining goes, George, Manaro, Southard, the Moons, Rexford, ect, all are great. Fantastic innovations and machining coming out of these guys.
 
If you are into the style of the Sebenza and are looking for quality, someone has already mentioned two makers that have influences from CRK. One is Scott Cook who worked at CRK before. The second has learned from Scott Cook and his name is Michael Raymond. These are customs though so be prepared to pay. Also, good luck getting your hands on a Scott Cook, the wait is long.
 
I own many CRKs, a few spyderco Taichung models (sage 2, chapperal, techno), a few Michael Raymond Estrellas, and a Scott Cook Lochsa. While the Taichung Spydercos are exceptionally well made, in my opinion they are below the other knives mentioned.
 
Bugout Bill said:
Taichung Spyderco's are often touted as being very close to CRK in terms of quality.
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True Dat!
My Sage 1 is the most perfect knife I've ever seen/owned.
I can't find a flaw in F?F or function anywhere.
Lenny
 
I've had more CRKs than any other high-end production/mid-tech/full custom and they have been better than anything else I've owned. It's hard to give absolute answers (for me anyways), as it will be very unlikely I'll ever own as many custom Southards(for example) as CRKs, but the Southard custom I owned was not as well made as any of the CRKs I owned. I can say the same for the Wilkins custom I owned as well. They were more exclusive and more pricey, but not as well made. There were obvious flaws you could see as soon as you picked them up(stripped screws, clip sitting proud, blade spine uneven to name a few flaws I saw on mine). The Hinderers I owned also had little flaws(uneven jimping, G10 scales not sitting perfectly flush). None of these issues were big, but when comparing to the Sebenzas/Umnumzaans I've owned, they were there. I have found my Techno to be the closest knife to any of my CRKs in terms of F&F, but I've only owned one, so it's hard to say they are all like that. I'm not knocking other knives I've owned, just citing my personal experiences.

When I look at other knives besides CRKs, I'm looking for something different, not better.

Edit: I should add I feel there are a number of knives that are on the same page as CRKs, just not better in terms of F&F(Lionsteel, Hinderer, Strider).
 
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I have owned one CRK and was underwhelmed. My Umnumzaan had an imperfect lockbar cutout and a really visible machining defect in the lock channel. Combine that with poor interface with the ceramic ball lockup and I wasn't feeling the "perfection." I traded it away, though I may give them another shot at some point as the action and ergonomics and finish were exceptional.
 
Interesting that people have mentioned Taichung Spydies but not a peep about Benchmade Gold Class. Hmm.
 
Interesting ... Hmm? More than just mentioned. Do you know something about BM Gold Class you'd like to tell us?
 
It's difficult to rival CRK in terms of build quality and fit-and-finish. Some customs come close, but typically cost twice or three times the price of a CRK [and the differences are very minor]. CRK's quality is explained by Reeve's proprietary manufacturing processes and attention to detail. I'd take a CRK over a more expensive custom due to the advanced machining and quality control measures in place.

But, unlike some here, I admit that Taichung Spydercos have an incredibly high fit and finish and function flawlessly. Much better deal than most customs.
 
Thanks for the details, Cynic. I (personally) have never measured the flatness of the titanium or looked at the finish on the ends of a stop pin. I can see how that (and some of the other things you mentioned) would be part of evaluating the overall quality of production.

Today, I have two small Sebenzas and a Mnandi....the first Sebenza I got (new) was not sharp...so I am always a bit of skeptic on CRK perfection.
 
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