CRK vs The Knife World

All valid points. That's why I feel buy what you want that you will use. Some safe queens are okay to have also. Some guys just collect to never use. It's insane. That's what makes this so fun and frustrating at the same time. I am just sick of having a 50/50 chance on getting something good in the mail. That I might in turn have to send right back to the dealer or manufacturer. There are those that use their Para-military 2's for tough jobs. Those that do not. Same with Case knives, Benchmade and so on. I guess at least with a sebenza you can send it back for a "spa" treatment and it will come back looking great. I still am not sure I would pay $350 for the small insingo that I want. I am leaning towards a ZT 0560/0561 currently. Again, they are a way bigger knife. A small Sebenza Insingo would be my little pocket buddy/queen. "Keep your hands out of your pants!" "Sorry ma'am, just touching my EDC." ;)
 
killgar said:
What if you work construction or some other type of job where your watch gets banged up and filthy every day. Would you wear a $1000 watch to lay a cement floor or demo a brick wall or dig a trench? No matter how good a warranty is, they don't cover everything.

The Sebenza is a great knife. But I wonder how many people who own them actually use them. If they use them, I wonder what they use them for. Would you use one to cut open bags of cement mix or shave the edge off a slab of sheetrock? Would you pull it out and use it knowing that it's deffinitely going to get filled with dust and dirt? Would you use it to cut things if you knew that the edge would get ruined? Would you use it to open bags of lawn fertalizer or to scrape manure off your boots?

I wonder how many Sebenza owners regularly say "Hmm, no, I won't use my $450 Sebenza to cut THAT". I wonder how many Sebenza owners carry a less expensive knife for "dirty" jobs?

$450 is a lot to pay for a letter opener.
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I've done all of the above + in the same working conditions with my Sebenza and other expensive knives, except scrape poo off my shoe. I have single tools that cost 5x a Sebenza that I drop on the concrete or throw in the back of my truck which also cost thousands more than any knife like it's a piece of lumber. They're just knives and tools to me. Some get used and worn to the point of breaking but that doesn't mean I'm going to work with black & decker power tools (or a Tenacious) because my good ones might get ruined.
 
I haven't had the same issues with my better Spyderco. Perhaps I'm more tolerant of the slight variations one is bound to find on production knives. I've handled my son-in-law's Sebenza. Fine knife, but I never felt the need to own or carry one. Just like a with a Rolex, I'm indifferent. Having "the best" doesn't occupy mind mind like it might for others. Not that there is anything wrong with that... :)

I'm not trying to be self-righteous; someone in our family passed on recently so I'm thinking about things differently right now.
 
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Gramps said:
I haven't had the same issues with my better Spyderco. Perhaps I'm more tolerant of the slight variations one is bound to find on production knives. I've handled my son-in-law's Sebenza. Fine knife, but I never felt the need to own or carry one. Just like a with a Rolex, I'm indifferent. Having "the best" doesn't occupy mind mind like it does for others. Not that there is anything wrong with that... :)
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Hey Gramps, I'm one of those also. Agree with you. Like my Spydies and BM's and Emerson; no lust for a Rolex. Having the "best" does occupy my mind, but I define "best" to be a knife of good handle materials and shape, good blade steel and grind, easy-opening, attractive (to me), long enough blade to do the jobs I think it should, strong enough not to snap the tip or chip the blade if I'm reasonably careful, nice-handling lock system. There's no need to spend $400 for that, IMO. My basic...BASIC requirement in knives, women, cars is RELIABILITY. I learned that a very long time ago.
Sonny
 
Amen, Gramps. So true. I'm torn. Love my Sage 1 and UK PK.

Haha twid! Black & Decker....See if the rest of the people that are sheepish around knives viewed them as tools, not weapons, we wouldn't need a forum!
 
It's nice to see people who actually put their Sebenza to hard use and can attest to their quality from such experience. As opposed to people who buy them as status symbols, brag about their superiority over all other knives, but never actually use them.

And it's always nice to see pics of a USED sebenza.
 
killgar said:
It's nice to see people who actually put their Sebenza to hard use and can attest to their quality from such experience. As opposed to people who buy them as status symbols, brag about their superiority over all other knives, but never actually use them.

And it's always nice to see pics of a USED sebenza.
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I don't agree that there are only two groups of people who own expensive knives: the hard-users and all the rest. I carry my Large Sebenza and use it for light tasks, but I can't say that I use it for some of the harder work that I put other knives to. I also don't carry it as a status symbol, or brag about it's superiority over other knives. I carry it because it makes me happy, and I enjoy using it for the tasks which I do accomplish.

To me it's not that different from the SUV I drive. It serves me well for daily driving, and in the snow during winter. I guess many people would say that I'm not using it "the right way" because I don't take it off-road, but that's not what I enjoy doing, and I don't really want to scratch the heck out of my car. I suppose I feel the same way about people telling me how I should treat and enjoy my car the same way I feel about people telling me how I should treat and enjoy my knives.

To the OP: there are a lot of great knives in-between the $60-$100 price range you've been unhappy with and CRK knives. I have knives from Moki, Mcusta, Boker, Maserin and Fallkniven (among others) which have all been great. Still, I find myself gravitating more and more to CRK.
 
The fit and finish on CRK's really are fantastic. One of the few knives I've seen without machining marks. The tolerances are also very good, but that's not something that is apparent just from looking at one. Carry it, take it apart, put it back together--then you'll see what good tolerances are.

I don't really agree that they are so expensive that people don't use them. I carry and use mine all the time. It's opened cans, been (accidentally) dropped off a roof, and (accidentally) run over by a car. They aren't all safe queens like some people seem to think--as a working knife it's fantastic for a variety of reasons.

They also aren't the status symbols that some people think either. I have yet to meet someone that knows what one is. If you are going to get a Sebenza, don't expect to earn the jealousy of your friends and the adoration of women.

CRK's are only knives. Well made knives, and, in my opinion, knives that are well worth the cost. I can't know if you will think the same. At the very least, they are held in such high esteem that even a used one will still command a significant fraction of the cost of a new one. This in itself is telling.
 
killgar said:
What if you work construction or some other type of job where your watch gets banged up and filthy every day. Would you wear a $1000 watch to lay a cement floor or demo a brick wall or dig a trench? No matter how good a warranty is, they don't cover everything.

The Sebenza is a great knife. But I wonder how many people who own them actually use them. If they use them, I wonder what they use them for. Would you use one to cut open bags of cement mix or shave the edge off a slab of sheetrock? Would you pull it out and use it knowing that it's deffinitely going to get filled with dust and dirt? Would you use it to cut things if you knew that the edge would get ruined? Would you use it to open bags of lawn fertalizer or to scrape manure off your boots?

I wonder how many Sebenza owners regularly say "Hmm, no, I won't use my $450 Sebenza to cut THAT". I wonder how many Sebenza owners carry a less expensive knife for "dirty" jobs?

$450 is a lot to pay for a letter opener.
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I can answer yes to every question as well (minus the manure) . Are there a lot of people.who are scared to use a $400 dollar knife? I'm sure there are. I am not one of them. Many people on here actually do use their sebenzas. Those who can't bring themselves to use them put them on the for sale forum. You will not see mine there.

I don't have the money to collect knives. I needed one good one that I could rely on, clean, and maintain myself. What I wanted costs more than most knives. Buy once , cry once.

I do buy the occasional Case knife that catches my eye as pocket jewelry though. My user though - my Sebenza.
 
I use all my Sebenzas hard. My Mnandi was used last weekend to cut through copper lamp cord while I was standing on a latter hanging a light. They are designed to used and I use them. If they develop any issues it is a simple thing to ship them back for a refurb. If you are not using a CRK hard then what's the point?
 
I agree with both side. It seems that when I started this collecting bug last August I started with a CRKT Ripple 2. Then found Sog, then Benchmade..and then Spyderco. I bought some CRKT's and couple Sog's and never thought I would pay $60, $80, or over $100. I thought those numbers were nuts. Yes I could be happy with the Twitch II that I had. AUS 8 is decent. As my expense increased along with the quality I started to get it. I felt guilty about spending $113 on a Sage 3. Now I own the 1 and 2. I heard the 2 was a poor man's Sebenza. I finally get it why folks love the titanium integral lock by Chris Reeve. Along the way I saw a Sebenza video on youtube here and there. I felt those guys were snobs and throwing away money. Ooh, I have a CRK, look at me. There is a review by humansfortargets called "World's Best Pocket Knife." I watched it months ago and thought he was nuts. All these months laters as I have climbed the normal ladder of knife collecting. I get it now. Not that I have ever held a CRK or will really need, want or will really like one in person. I just understand where he is and others are coming from on the forums and youtube. These guys now own multiple. Even crazier right? After they have bought Sebbies a lot now own Hinderer, Dozier and others that even cost way more. Now some guys spend well over $650-$1200 per custom knife. I have to draw the line there. If you can afford it great. I just think I would use the funds to prep a little with gear for an emergency situation. What will you do with a bunch of knives when SHTF or a zombie apocolypse. ;) I can see a really good Benchmade, Spyderco, Strider, CRK, Hinderer or others being a grail knife for most....some are happy with Buck, Gerber and Swiss Army. We all have different tastes. The same with AR 15 brands, different 1911 makers and other handguns. Everyone has a limit or what they are willing to spend to collect whatever gear they are into. Look at women with shoes, purses, and dresses. Same for us with guns and knives. As long as you are not using your whole check or neglecting family duties. Who cares. Getting into debt over anything that you really do not need is stupid. I have been there. I do know, working in healthcare, most people save and save their entire life. For what? To get sick or have a stroke, heart conditions to then give all that money back to pay medical bills and nursing home care. So balance it out. Save and spend. Buy what you like. On here we should not have to justify or hate what we or others do. If you like CRKT, Spyderco, Chinese made or CRK. Get one, don't judge the other guy because "you" wouldn't do it or "you" don't need it. The money would end up somewhere. At least with a higher end knife, semi-custom or full. You can easily sell it somewhere and get back or get more what you put into it.
 
What draws me to Chris Reeve is that you are encouraged like Cynic2701 and others say to take it apart, clean and grease your knife. Not many other brands push you to do that. It even comes with a fricken tool! Maybe I am a tool, after my last post. Don't hate me because I am beautiful or ramble. Maybe annoying...I am new at all of this. Give me a break/time. It just seems cool to really care for your blade in that intimate of a way. Spyderco and Benchmade don't you to take anything apart. You get stuck paying for all of these shipping costs. Oh well. I will shut up now. I don't even own one. HA! Sorry.
 
If you want a sebenza, buy a sebenza. You may also one day graduate to customs, where better steels, heat treat, locks, and handle designs will be available along with great F&F and service from the maker. I personally skipped over CRK completely. Good knives from all accounts, but so are Spydercos and Benchmades. When I decided to upgrade, I upgraded to ordering specifically what I wanted, as well as getting custom makers to regrind, reshape, and replace parts of other production knives in ways I felt would improve them. Other routes to consider.
 
GoodPoint said:
I don't agree that there are only two groups of people who own expensive knives: the hard-users and all the rest. I carry my Large Sebenza and use it for light tasks, but I can't say that I use it for some of the harder work that I put other knives to. I also don't carry it as a status symbol, or brag about it's superiority over other knives. I carry it because it makes me happy, and I enjoy using it for the tasks which I do accomplish.

To me it's not that different from the SUV I drive. It serves me well for daily driving, and in the snow during winter. I guess many people would say that I'm not using it "the right way" because I don't take it off-road, but that's not what I enjoy doing, and I don't really want to scratch the heck out of my car. I suppose I feel the same way about people telling me how I should treat and enjoy my car the same way I feel about people telling me how I should treat and enjoy my knives.
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I think that you may have misunderstood me. I wasn't suggesting that there are ONLY TWO kinds of Sebenza owners. I was merely describing two kinds.

I too own expensive knives that get used lightly, and in some cases not at all. The difference between myself and SOME Sebenza owners is that I don't suggest that my expensive knives are superior to all other knives, and that all less expensive knives are worthless by comparison.
 
If I spend that much $ on a folder, you can bet I'm going to get my $'s worth.
Not everyone buys their knives to hang on the wall.
The Sebenza has a long history of kicking butt and it gets better looking with every scratch.
Calling it a letter opener is just daffy.
 
you may be disappointed because as much as everyone likes to paint the picture of the "perfect" knife being a sebbie or a umnum thats just not the case

since you have expirience with bm and spyderco i will tell you this

you WILL be disappointed in slicing ability sharpness and edge holding

i have found that crk's s30v is inferior to bm's d2 specifically on the 710 and yes i did give my crk multiple handicaps for having a shorter blade and an inferior heat treat

the bm still won hands down

its not as smooth as people like to say it is... well i dont know if that is the right wording it is if you use crk's floronated grease and never wash it AND disassemble and reapply said grease every so often which if no water/juices/blood etc touches the pivot then it does stay lubed for quite a while

i will be honest a paramillie will be almost as smooth dry as a crk greased

also i do experience lock stick especially with the fact that for me at least it seems impossible to keep it lubricated and keep lube off the lock face which causes lock stick

the thumb stud on a sebbie is pointy and can wear on your thumb if you play with it

the lockbar cutout is sharp so any hard cutting will result in a cut on your ring finger

the edge is SUPER close to the back of the handle when the knife is closed and this means you can get REALLY annoying paper cut esque cuts on your hand when handling

the pocket clip tends to be under sprung with not enough retention also it wears on your ring finger cause its kinda sharp

the ti is blasted all around including the pivot which makes it REALLY rough when lube becomes thin

also crk's qc seems to have gone down the toilet lately so what i say i can only attest to for my sample which seems to be pre crk's loss of touch with qc

mine does have the best f&f of any knife i own there are zero grind marks zero machining marks and while i can feel flex in the knife it does not have any blade play

centering is masterful

and grind seems symmetrical both the grind and bevels

however they do come obtuse generally over 40 deg incl

the blade is thicker than you would think and thus does not cut as well

overall is it worth the jump in price from say a gayle bradley or a m4 manix 2 or a sprint para millie NOPE no way they generally kick my sebbie out of my pocket for being superior in every practical way and i am not just saying that

if price were taken out of it as well as the "name" crk and hype i would honestly take most spyderco sprint runs over it say my m4 manix 2 it really is close in quality and is VASTLY undeniably incomparably superior in materials
 
Awesome tacodriver. Seriously that is the best desription of honesty I have read yet aboutt a CRK. Kudos! I am seriously debating the Blue PM2 and ZT 0560/0561 also. My Sage 1 is awesome. My Sage 2 would be if the ball detent didn't cause so much grinding or friction when I open and close it along the side of the tang.
 
Meh, not knocking CRK but if you want consistancy get a Victorinox. They're the most solidly consistant manufacturer that I've seen. I have a Soldier and a Farmer and they have the same fit and finish. Can't tell them apart if it weren't for the difference in tools.
 
Aidansdaddy17 said:
Awesome tacodriver. Seriously that is the best desription of honesty I have read yet aboutt a CRK. Kudos! I am seriously debating the Blue PM2 and ZT 0560/0561 also. My Sage 1 is awesome. My Sage 2 would be if the ball detent didn't cause so much grinding or friction when I open and close it along the side of the tang.
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i have had my blue para 2 since early january and i have to say i do love it however things to watch for

1 sticky lock mine came pretty bad and still has a little i mean i can black sharpie it out but thats a very temporary fix

2 the stop pin WILL come loose on you so when you get it back that sucker out and loctite it use just a little of the blue variety and have at it

there is some .... flex? give? shifting? when i crank on the tip of mine and i can feel "play" but it feels like its the liner and the g10 not being epoxy'd together and or the bushing has a little wiggle is this blade play no but i dont want you to be disappointed

there are machining marks on the tang and on the ends of the liner however these are purely visual defects and in no way impair the use or function of the knife

UNLIKE some of my bm 710's that have very rough finishes(straight off the belt sander) on both sides of the liners this includes in the pivot

i dont know if you have handled the para 2 but if not i will tell you its a little "boxy" as in IMHO the scales are not contoured enough however when on a cutting board i put my index finger in the cutout for the comp lock and this is VERY comfortable however its NOT perfect IMHO

i absolutely love the g10 its fairly aggressive for spyderco as generally g10 as seen on the lum tanto for ex (there are others) is a finer texture does this reduce "grip" very difficult to say

what i mean by that is that the "peaks and valleys" so to speak are more pronounced and they are larger (its similar to a low grit sand paper in that the "peaks" are larger and there are less of them) and i have noticed that it will "dirty"(aka get skin and oils trapped in that texturing) fairly quickly but a toothbrush and dish soap and 30 sec can fix that

the blue is gorgeous (mind you blue is my favorite color so i might be biased) its quite vibrant however its darker in person by a little than in the pics i thought it was cotton candy blue but as said on the box its "royal blue"

is it perfect no however it is a fantastic knife that is tougher than you would think

some other ones to check out are the manix 2 tan g10 and m4 sprint- i have abused this knife and i have been nothing but happy with it currently its probably my favorite knife the m4 is unbelievable how well it holds an edge ( i carved through a 1x4 and while duller much of the edge still shaved!! i am not even joking it blew me away *40 deg microbevel applied and brought to spyderco uf * and after 4 passes on a strop it was noticeably better and a total of 4 passes on spyderco uf sharpmaker stones (very full of metal not clean uf stones) thats 2 swipes on each side in a one(right) two(left) three(right) four(left) it got back to literally hair popping and on my arms i have VERY thin hair much like a girl so if it can pop hair on my arm it will do that for anyone's (to double check i did a dry face shave and i got no burn no nicks nothing and i could feel/hear the hair popping off my face) i cannot say enough good things HOWEVER its not perfect if you want to know a full thing lemme know

the spydie gayle bradley while i haven't gotten my hands on one YET is uber mega recommended and for <150 bucks you get cf and m4 which astonishes me

i would recommend checking out that baby as well HOWEVER i have never seen one in person and thus i cannot attest to its epicnessss'

the zt 0560-1 i also have not seen in person but from all sources its very comparable to a hinderer and once broken in is smoother

however the flipper is going to have a (from all accounts) STIFF detent that may or may not agree with you

i must say it is in the top two "to get" knives along with the GB
 
Aidansdaddy17 said:
What draws me to Chris Reeve is that you are encouraged like Cynic2701 and others say to take it apart, clean and grease your knife. Not many other brands push you to do that. It even comes with a fricken tool!
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...and you pay $12.50 for that tool, right? Why? You say CRK encourages you to take it apart? I call that a fine...in advance.
I have the M4 Manix2, Para2 m390, BM 806-1101, BM 755, and Emerson CQC-7 to name most of my better ones. And I have NEVER had to take one apart to clean it, grease it, or whatever. They all work great. Maybe I don't get 'em dirty enough... I'm just sayin' that being able to take it apart without voiding the warranty does NOTHING for me.
Sonnytoo
 
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