CRK vs Others in 2024

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CHuynh22 said:
Just thought I'd share that I did end up getting a Large, and my initial reaction is that it is a bit too large for my hands and my needs. I do have a Small on the way (everyone did warn me that they multiply quickly) to compare the two. I suspect the Small will be a better fit for me, given my expectations are correctly set.
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The smalls are excellent for edc, although I have no problem carrying the large as well!
 
mitchnola said:
The smalls are excellent for edc, although I have no problem carrying the large as well!
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I think the Large feels amazing in the pocket, when I tried it around the house, and didn't feel any larger in the pocket than my Sage 5. My opinion may change when I receive the Small, but the Large as of right now seems a bit too large for my needs.
 
CHuynh22 said:
I think the Large feels amazing in the pocket, when I tried it around the house, and didn't feel any larger in the pocket than my Sage 5. My opinion may change when I receive the Small, but the Large as of right now seems a bit too large for my needs.
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You can send it to me for disposal 😁
 
CHuynh22 said:
Just thought I'd share that I did end up getting a Large, and my initial reaction is that it is a bit too large for my hands and my needs. I do have a Small on the way (everyone did warn me that they multiply quickly) to compare the two. I suspect the Small will be a better fit for me, given my expectations are correctly set.
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I should’ve added the caveat that I do carry the small more haha. That has more to do with traveling for work and being covered in places with lame knife laws.

Welcome to the team!
 
It all boils down to individual taste. There are a lot of people that love CRKs...and a lot of people that don't. I think I have 6 CRKs now - 3 I've had for years, the other 3 came in the last third of 2022. I like some things about all of them; but none of them "click" with me. I still want to like some of them; and I'll probably try to force the Umnumzaan back into my pocket again (I think I made it two weeks last time before it fell out, and haven't touched it since.)

If they appeal to you on any level, try one - it's an itch that won't go away until it is scratched. If it's not for you, they're easy to sell & there are plenty of other options.

Huh - guess I never actually posted this... I'll do it anyway, even though you've already got one in hand and another coming.
I generally prefer larger knives; but I prefer the small 21 over the large. (Never tried a large 31; but I assume I'd find the same.) Personally, I feel the large inkosi feels better in hand than a large 21 (again, no large 31 for comparison). The small inkosi is too small.
 
hhmoore said:
It all boils down to individual taste. There are a lot of people that love CRKs...and a lot of people that don't. I think I have 6 CRKs now - 3 I've had for years, the other 3 came in the last third of 2022. I like some things about all of them; but none of them "click" with me. I still want to like some of them; and I'll probably try to force the Umnumzaan back into my pocket again (I think I made it two weeks last time before it fell out, and haven't touched it since.)

If they appeal to you on any level, try one - it's an itch that won't go away until it is scratched. If it's not for you, they're easy to sell & there are plenty of other options.

Huh - guess I never actually posted this... I'll do it anyway, even though you've already got one in hand and another coming.
I generally prefer larger knives; but I prefer the small 21 over the large. (Never tried a large 31; but I assume I'd find the same.) Personally, I feel the large inkosi feels better in hand than a large 21 (again, no large 31 for comparison). The small inkosi is too small.
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Fortunately, my job gives me some free time to go down the rabbit hole and i've been trying to figure out the answer to my question originally posted. Even after receiving the Large 31 (my Small 31 was supposed to arrive today but delayed due to the severe weather we're having in SoCal), I still wanted to see if anything else is out there.

What I realized though, unless I purchased every knife that fancied me, I can only take others input and let it influence me only so much. The knife hobby is so subjective! I am excited for the Small 31 to arrive, as I do believe I can stop there though. Everything about the Sebenza is what I am looking for, and believe that with the Small 31, time, and patience, I'll have the knife that will stay in my pocket and won't leave me thinking of others. Similar to my wife.
 
I wish you the best of luck. For me, a CRK will never be that knife; but it is for a lot of people. I could be happy going back to my (non-flipper) Iron Pup. I think my small (SHF) plague doctor could fill that role, as well...with my Cheburkov Raven as backup for when I want to carry a bigger knife, of course.
 
Figured I'd take note of my initial reaction to the Small Seb that arrived today...

First reaction...wow this is small.

Held it, opened it, and it felt really good in hand. Feels better, for me, than the Large.

Opening was much more fluid and I didn't have to try as hard.

So far, the Small is what I expected and what I was looking for.
 
CHuynh22 said:
What I realized though, unless I purchased every knife that fancied me, I can only take others input and let it influence me only so much. The knife hobby is so subjective! I am excited for the Small 31 to arrive, as I do believe I can stop there though. Everything about the Sebenza is what I am looking for, and believe that with the Small 31, time, and patience, I'll have the knife that will stay in my pocket and won't leave me thinking of others. Similar to my wife.
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It really helps if you find a reviewer with similar use cases and tastes to yours, this works for pretty much everything, not just knives. For me it's Nick Shabazz, he tends to gravitate towards manual sub 4" knives (I assume out of legality reasons) with a focus on utility rather than action and cool-factor, with the few rare exceptions we could all agree with are just too cool to pass up. Ironically, his review on the Sebenza wasn't raving or anything, though I didn't expect it to as it is fairly bland in a world full of bearing pivots, flippers, exotic materials and outlandish designs.

I've only handled a Small Sebbie once at a meet and I unfortunately didn't bring my large one to compare, but I really liked it. I often find myself at places where bringing a large knife would raise some eyebrows, so I also have an interest in smaller knives. If it's a smaller version of a knife I like, that's even better. My favorite is the 707, it's small enough to fit into the coin pocket of your jeans but packs a blade almost as big as a PM2, and thanks to the thin stock and grind it's even slicier.
 
CHuynh22 said:
Figured I'd take note of my initial reaction to the Small Seb that arrived today...

First reaction...wow this is small.

Held it, opened it, and it felt really good in hand. Feels better, for me, than the Large.

Opening was much more fluid and I didn't have to try as hard.

So far, the Small is what I expected and what I was looking for.
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I've said elsewhere that the large and the small knives are quite different, despite looking nearly identical in photos. I'm delighted that you've found something that works for you.
 
Modernflame said:
I've said elsewhere that the large and the small knives are quite different, despite looking nearly identical in photos. I'm delighted that you've found something that works for you.
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This whole ordeal has been one of those "you won't understand until it's in your hands" type of experiences. Even just looking at them side by side on the table, the small LOOKS too small (in my eyes), but in hand the small felt just right. I am happy, and so is my bank account, that the Small is fitting as of right now.
 
CHuynh22 said:
This whole ordeal has been one of those "you won't understand until it's in your hands" type of experiences. Even just looking at them side by side on the table, the small LOOKS too small (in my eyes), but in hand the small felt just right. I am happy, and so is my bank account, that the Small is fitting as of right now.
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I think you hit on something that may not get enough mention - the feel "in hand."

That's one of the biggest factors for me, and it's not one than can be easily quantifiable because it's different for everybody.

I'm glad you found that in the small Seb. I LOVE that knife - and I also wish it felt "in-hand" like a Spartan small Harsey, which gives me just the perfect 4-finger grip for a small frame. But...I wish the small Harsey cut like the small Seb. ;) And so I keep on searching for the one that does everything the way I want. That's the fun of it.

Enjoy your new knife - it's a classic. One of the things I dig most about the finish on the CRKs - they show all the little marks of use, and the more you use them, the more they tell the story. Some folks view that as a negative, but it's one of my favorite design components of them.
 
IMHO CRK's are extremely high quality, an outdated design, over priced (caused by over hyped demand and low production rates). I have owned eight of them but none in the last 5 years.
 
Murindo said:
IMHO CRK's are extremely high quality, an outdated design, over priced (caused by over hyped demand and low production rates). I have owned eight of them but none in the last 5 years.
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Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course. I'd definitely say the production rates are not that low (all relative, they're not Benchmade, but they're also not super limited mid-techs either), and there's plenty available on the secondary market at sub-retail prices. Maybe a bad analogy, but plenty of older cars are also "outdated" designs, but no-less awesome for it. Classics remain classics and never truly become outdated.
 
Murindo said:
IMHO CRK's are extremely high quality, an outdated design, over priced (caused by over hyped demand and low production rates). I have owned eight of them but none in the last 5 years.
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I can agree that they are high quality!

Outdated, or classic? Perspectives I suppose. In my opinion, I think VHS's/DVD's are out dated, but a 92-96 BMW M3 is a classic.

Over priced...in terms of materials I have learned there's tons of Ti frame lock folders using magnacut these days.

I'm still on the fence...I love the small Sebenza so far, everything besides the thumb studs haha. I'm used to flicking open my knives, prefer thumb holes over studs.
 
Murindo said:
IMHO CRK's are extremely high quality, an outdated design, over priced (caused by over hyped demand and low production rates). I have owned eight of them but none in the last 5 years.
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Out of curiosity, what would you recommend ?
 
Can I stir the pot again. I'm also looking for a small sebenza type knife. Maybe eve a mnandi class knife. I thought about a drop flipper imamba but the inkosi also has entered into consideration. I would like a "slicy" knife. The thinner bellies look less intrusive in an office setting, but the insingo blade looks more practical.

My current regular carry modern knives are Kizer Fiests in various configurations, benchmade mini bugout, and mini presidio II, which carries nice, but the blade is a bit chunky and I feel awkward carrying it to the office.

What else is out there.
 
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