Flickin' yer Sebenza, a different kinda question.

T. Erdelyi

T. Erdelyi

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
32,359
I've had the opportunity to play around with a full size regular Sebenza quite a few years ago and I know there's a difference between a light what flick to just snick the blade into place and a difference between flippin'the blade open with enough force to get that bank vault lockin' sound.

I've been wrist flickin' knives for 30 years ya develop a feel so ya can flick with just the right amount of force to open, lock and use your knife with it over extendin' the lockin' bar.

Now to my question, I recently received a small Sebenza 21 in trade, (I am completely in love with this knife) what I was curious about is that with the perfect fit and finish and such tight tolerances the blade is perfectly centered there's no real drag on the pivot, (smooth as silk) but to flip the knife open,(I know, sacrilege) the blade just doesn't seem to have the momentum to overcome the friction from the phosphor bronze washers to give it that slick feel of ice on ice when flicked.

It's this because of the reduced mass of the smaller blade in ratio to the size of the pivot area and scales compared to the larger Sebenzas that have a substantially larger blade subsequently havin' more mass to carry out through the openin' arc till it locks.

I've been a mechanic and machinist for 30 years as a result I can tell this knife is as close to speed as ya can get the tolerance on the particular knife are as bad perfect as it gets,(I wouldn't expect less from CRK and wasn't disappointed) just really was wonderin' if this was typical in the small 21s?
 
Per CRK, youre not really supposed to flick them open. Only time is during reassembly to seat the blade and pivot.
 
I understand that and I'm not flickin' it like I do my BM with the axis lock even with that it's flick with enough energy to lightly club it into place, probably with even less force than it takes to open it with a thumb.

So no fears I'm not doin' anything wrong or harmful to this knife and my question is just one of curiosity, (you'll never read a, "I jammed the lock on my Sebenza more what do I do?" thread from me :)).

It's just I noticed that the knife bein's proportionately smaller the physics involved with openin' it don't translate in a linear fashion.

I appreciate no lectures on flippin'/flickin' a Sebenza, it's not why I'm askin'
 
NM08SRT8 said:
Per CRK, youre not really supposed to flick them open. Only time is during reassembly to seat the blade and pivot.
Click to expand...

There's an easier way to seat it if that's what ya want, just open it puttin' yer thumb on the on the spine over the pivot point and place the pressure there while seatin' the blade, less stress than flickin' and I prefer the feedback ya get when ya do it by hand, if ya flick you could do damage and not realize it till after ya did it.
 
I've owned numerous knives, including two large and one small Sebbie. I currently carry a large Insingo. The pivots are smooth, but definitely have quite a bit of friction, compared to some others. The lock bar is quite strong, so the detent ball still adds plenty of friction during opening. The overall layout of the knife lends itself to smooth opening, but not in a flicking movement. Of all knives I've ever owned, the Sebenzas have been least flick able. My Benchmades have been great for flicking. The thumb stud is much closer to the pivot point and seems to be effortless to flick open.

It really comes down to what features you value most. If you want something super easy to flick and play with, I don't think a Sebenza is great for that. For normal usage, they are pretty sweet though.
 
NM08SRT8 said:
Per CRK, youre not really supposed to flick them open. Only time is during reassembly to seat the blade and pivot.
Click to expand...

Chris Reeve stated on this forum that wrist flicks are not okay, however thumb flicks (no wrst momentum) is okay:thumbup:. I have never had a problem thumb flicking a small sebenza; they open smooth and fast with little effort, and no requisite of inertia.
 
SavageSmurf said:
Chris Reeve stated on this forum that wrist flicks are not okay, however thumb flicks (no wrst momentum) is okay:thumbup:. I have never had a problem thumb flicking a small sebenza; they open smooth and fast with little effort, and no requisite of inertia.
Click to expand...

Exactly how I open any one hand knife built that precise.

I grew up the son of fleet mechanic from the Shell Oil refinery, been buildin' and repairin'stuff since I was 5 so I was instilled with respect and the knowledge of how to take care of my tools.
 
T. With all do respect, I was just making mention of what I read he said. I was further corrected above.
 
First thing I did when I got my Sebenza was take the pivot screw out.

I still can't believe that there is absolutely zero blade play with no pressure at all on the pivot area.

When you get just about any other knife to fly out like they do, it's because they are right on the edge of being sloppy as heck.

The blade, washers, and handles on a CRK are flat and parallel within .0002, so naturally you will have more surface contact, which is what gives the blade that "hydraulic" feeling when you open it.

Personally I have never flicked mine open, but only because it wants me to enjoy the smooth glide and the solid click.

I am a machinist also, and that is one of the primary reasons I bought a CRK.
I know and appreciate what it takes to hold those tight tols.

Blessings
 
cncpro11 said:
First thing I did when I got my Sebenza was take the pivot screw out.

I still can't believe that there is absolutely zero blade play with no pressure at all on the pivot area.

When you get just about any other knife to fly out like they do, it's because they are right on the edge of being sloppy as heck.

The blade, washers, and handles on a CRK are flat and parallel within .0002, so naturally you will have more surface contact, which is what gives the blade that "hydraulic" feeling when you open it.

Personally I have never flicked mine open, but only because it wants me to enjoy the smooth glide and the solid click.

I am a machinist also, and that is one of the primary reasons I bought a CRK.
I know and appreciate what it takes to hold those tight tols.

Blessings
Click to expand...

It's an art form I can appreciate, this reminds me of the tolerances they held when they built my Kawasaki Z1R Turbo, it blows my mind someone in industry took it to this level in a hand finished/assembled production knife.

This is truly a fine example , "...ya get what ya pay for " it's a ported and polished, blueprinted and balanced 396, compared a Yugo 2 cylinder 500cc rat trap motor.

The other that I appreciate all the little details, the radiused spine on the blade, all the sharp edges are broke, beveled or radiused, the fact that the thumb ramp actually allows you to open knife like you're flickin' a bic lighter but doesn't tear up your pocket.

I could go on forever and proclaim virtues of the CRK products but guys already know them, so far other than bein' obsessed about this knife and whether it's my pocket or not, I haven't got a single complaint.

I can imagine all the CRK products I'd have by now if I'd have pulled the trigger twenty five years ago and bought my first one then instead of now, I'd have one hell of a collection by now. :)
 
The detent on the 21 is much stronger than the regular, so that may be the difference. I can flick open my small 21's no problem, but the initial detent is stronger. A little break in time as well will help. Get the surfaces below the washers and detent ball all mirrored up and it will be easier, just takes time. Also, if you do want a blade that slings open faster, try something other than CRK grease as a lube. Oil changes the action a little bit compared to the grease.
 
I like using the grease! Mine is brand new too! It flicks open just fine without any wrist flick. Nice and smooth just folding open with my thumb. You just need to play with it a little :)
 
Took it all apart cleaned it and greased it with white lithium from my motorcycle, found out when I took it apart the corner,(if ya can have a corner on a round washer) of the phosphor bronze washer was hung up under the pivot pin.

I reassembled it makin' sure the washers were clear and made a major difference, that little bit kept the scales from coming completely together which gave it a very small almost imperceptible bit of play but what it did do was pinch the washer tipping it up a little causing a tight fit at the pivot.

Now it's like it's on a set of thrust washers, absolutely no play what so ever through the entire arc with just a little of that hydraulic drag I keep hearing about.
 
I don't understand why some people have such a hard time just answering the question.
I flick the hell out of my large classic. It seems to me that the lockbar is the issue. I can get better flicks after pushing the lockbar out a little at a time.
Maybe it'll work on the small. I don't know for sure, but that's what I'd try.
Even after all the flicking, lockbar is only 50% contact.
 
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