CRK vs Others in 2024

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mitchnola said:
I’m a big fan of crks and have a few. As said you can’t go wrong with one.

However, I would strongly recommend you take a hard look at Les George! He’s the most underrated maker out there which the lack of mention in this threads prove. I wouldn’t dare say He’s better than crk but here’s a few things I prefer over my crks.

The finish on LG’s is excellent! It hides almost all signs of use. The majority of mine are second hand and I can find very few signs of use.

They’re extremely easy to disassemble and clean. Crks aren’t exceptionally difficult but the LG’s are significantly easier.

The action is probably the biggest, you mentioned bearings, well you would think LG’s are on bearings. It’s that good and you get the durability of having pb washers.

Finally, like reeves, you would be supporting a very small American company where Les does all of his own work and is very accessible.

The negative, they’re harder to find, but worth the effort. Pm me and I’ll be more than happy to help.

All Hail King George!!

Disclaimer:
This all just my opinion so take it easy on me my crk homies!😂
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I don’t have any LG specific knives, but I do have several of his designs from other makers. My consistent problem is blade stock thickness. 0.15”or more inches thick with a flat ground blade just doesn’t cut well. I love the LG look but is there evidence of cutting performance? I see lots of folks loving the knives but not a lot using them. I use every knife I own.

I’m ready to buy. Convince me.
 
Hackenslash said:
I don’t have any LG specific knives, but I do have several of his designs from other makers. My consistent problem is blade stock thickness. 0.15”or more inches thick with a flat ground blade just doesn’t cut well. I love the LG look but is there evidence of cutting performance? I see lots of folks loving the knives but not a lot using them. I use every knife I own.

I’m ready to buy. Convince me.
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I just used my S45VN ESV to break down a couple of boxes this evening, went through them like 🧈
 
I didn't care much for Les George knives, finger position on lockbar was very touchie,
 
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Hackenslash said:
I don’t have any LG specific knives, but I do have several of his designs from other makers. My consistent problem is blade stock thickness. 0.15”or more inches thick with a flat ground blade just doesn’t cut well. I love the LG look but is there evidence of cutting performance? I see lots of folks loving the knives but not a lot using them. I use every knife I own.

I’m ready to buy. Convince me.
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I use my vecp for food prep all the time, cuts with no problem. Personally I like thicker blade stock. As my fellow LG gangsta said, cuts through cardboard with no problems. If cardboard slicers are what you prefer/need than maybe it’s not for you. But .15 isn’t to thick to cut extremely well while also being able to handle harder use tasks. If you already have some models with,15 stock and don’t like them then I think you already have your answer.
 
Both the large and small sebenza are great knives. I started with a small in September of '21 and it's been my primary work folder since that time. I added the large to the stable this past fall, I have about 3 weeks worth of carry time on it at this point.

I've not encountered a task that can be accomplished with a folder that the small won't handle, my personal preferences though tend to favor a smaller framed knife.
 
Wild Willie said:
Both the large and small sebenza are great knives. I started with a small in September of '21 and it's been my primary work folder since that time. I added the large to the stable this past fall, I have about 3 weeks worth of carry time on it at this point.

I've not encountered a task that can be accomplished with a folder that the small won't handle, my personal preferences though tend to favor a smaller framed knife.
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I present to you: the ESV
1000010695.jpg
 
norcalAF said:
I present to you: the ESV
View attachment 2474969
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I dig the blade profile on that. Is there a non flipper version? I'm out of the market for the time being, but Les George is on the radar. I actually suggested his stuff (along with CRK, Hinderer, and a few others) to the ol' lady's half brother a while back. Haven't heard whether he's gotten anything yet, but he said he was ready to spend some money. I was only too happy to oblige.


Oh, to be 21, childless, and living at home... 🤣
 
Wild Willie said:
I dig the blade profile on that. Is there a non flipper version? I'm out of the market for the time being, but Les George is on the radar. I actually suggested his stuff (along with CRK, Hinderer, and a few others) to the ol' lady's half brother a while back. Haven't heard whether he's gotten anything yet, but he said he was ready to spend some money. I was only too happy to oblige.


Oh, to be 21, childless, and living at home... 🤣
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There are some thumbstud versions out and about. I'm sure mitchnola mitchnola will chime in with some photos in a bit, all mine are flippers which are excellent actions.
 
Peter Hartwig said:
It was hard to position fingers so they didn't put pressure on the lockbar-thus making it hard to open. This can happen with any frame lock, but the Les George I found to be more problamatic then others. When this occurs I usually just need a slight adjustment,
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I had that sort of happen on my Talos a couple of times when I first got it secondhand, but it needed some lube. After I took it apart and regreassed it, there were no issues.
 
Wild Willie said:
I dig the blade profile on that. Is there a non flipper version? I'm out of the market for the time being, but Les George is on the radar. I actually suggested his stuff (along with CRK, Hinderer, and a few others) to the ol' lady's half brother a while back. Haven't heard whether he's gotten anything yet, but he said he was ready to spend some money. I was only too happy to oblige.


Oh, to be 21, childless, and living at home... 🤣
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Yea, he did thumb studs originally back in ‘13 through maybe’15. Hasn’t done em since he made the flippers. Unfortunately they’re pretty hard to find but they’re great. One actually came up on the exchange a few days ago though. And I’ve seen 3-4 for sale in the last month compared to none all yr.
 
Peter Hartwig said:
It was hard to position fingers so they didn't put pressure on the lockbar-thus making it hard to open. This can happen with any frame lock, but the Les George I found to be more problamatic then others. When this occurs I usually just need a slight adjustment,
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I had that problem when I first tried out frame locks as well. Each one takes a slightly different grip that takes getting used too.
 
I have four CRKs & I'm a fan. But like anything else, they're not everybody's cup of tea. All I have to say is that if you want a Chris Reeve knife, then you should get a CRK. Nothing else will do. If it turns out that CRKs aren't for you....no problem. It'll sell fast on the Exchange.
 
Blues said:
I've been curious about Les George's work for years...but I have to admit that I'm still waiting for a pattern (and handle) that really grabs my attention. So far, not enough to make me jump. But there's still hope.
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I get what you're saying, the designs are probably the weakest point, subjectively. But objectively, the knives are tremendous, and IMO they are equal to anything else in their price bracket and better than most.
 
Hackenslash said:
I don’t have any LG specific knives, but I do have several of his designs from other makers. My consistent problem is blade stock thickness. 0.15”or more inches thick with a flat ground blade just doesn’t cut well. I love the LG look but is there evidence of cutting performance? I see lots of folks loving the knives but not a lot using them. I use every knife I own.

I’m ready to buy. Convince me.
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His midtechs have great geometry. Don't base your conceptions of that particular factor on the production models.
 
I’ve been through a tremendous amount of different knives, all in the range you are looking to buy. I’ve tried Hinderer, Spartan Blades, Microtech, Quiet Carry, …. I always end up going back to either a Sebenza or Inkosi. I quit buying other makers years ago. Tried and true is CRK.
 
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