Got My First CRK

S

sweet_hitch-hiker

Joined
Apr 12, 2009
Messages
1,064
Well After holding out on the trade forums here I was finally able to get myself a Chris Reeve in the form of a small sebenza.

I just go it today so I havent really go to use it yet, so i'm just going to post some first impressions.
firstly, this thing locks up so tight. i've never handled a knife that had absolutely zero blade play like this. it's really astonishing.

after seeing pictures of them, and hearing people saying how 'hard use they are' i was kind of skeptical. mostly because i figured the blade would be fairly slim, and therefore the weakpoint of the knife. it is however, i think the thickest blade at the spine of any folder i own, which i was very happy to see. it's also thick all the way down to the tip.

the handle is perfect size. i like smaller knives and this is really my ideal sized knife. well honesly it could be about .1" longer but hey, its fiiiine for me. while i'm on the handle, i'm surprised at the amount of grip it actually has. it's definitely a lot more tacky feeling that a stainless handled knife is.

There are really only 2 negative things i have to say about it.
1) the jimping. i think it provides almost no grip at all. maybe i'm spoiled because i'm a big spyderco fan and imo they consistently have the best jimping in the business, but i think a $300 knife could do a little better than what it has.

2) the opening. maybe mine just needs cleaned and lubed which i havent gotten the chance to do yet, but it takes a lot of pressure to open the knife. the detent is really strong on it, but once i put enough pressure on the overcome the detent, it pretty much flies open. part of it too is on a lot of folders you can simply push the thumbstud straight up towards the top of the knife and itll open, but on this, as with a couple of other folders ive had, you have to push it out and up, not just up. not that it's a bad thing, its just not really what i'm used to.

all in all its an amazing knife, and i don't regret spending what i did on it every knife i own from now on, i'm going to compare to this thing. i'm realllly wanting a small micarta now.


Also a quick question- i know you can send it back into crk to get it 'tuned up' or whatever the specific term is. I was wondering what all it entails, and what the cost is for this to be done.
 
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make sure your fingers are not touching the lockbar when you open the knife because that might be the reason why it's tougher to open.
 
Whenever I get a CRK folder, I take it apart, clean out the fluorinated grease they have in the pivot, put a lighter lubricant on, and reassemble it. It really seems to help. Besides, that way you can really "get to know your knife" the way CRK intended. :D

- Mark
 
As Mark J said take it apart( there is a Sticky here that is Great) and lube it.

It will Much Smooother. No need to send it to send it to CRK when you can

do it yourself. Any good oil will work. Some of us prefer CRK florinated

grease but you dont have it use it.;)
 
if you dont want to drop 15 bucks on grease you can use viscous lube as well, i find that bicycle chain lube is pretty good stuff. not to bash the CRK grease but if you have other things around you might as well use them

as for the stud, you may be opening it "wrong"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcXu6dVRCOE
this video helps in how to open it correctly.

also like other people have said, dont hold down on the lockbar when you are opening, it will make it next to impossible to open.

good luck with everything and congrats on the sebenza, it is a great knife! :thumbup:
 
I concur with Mark J also.Take it apart.Here's a great tutorial.

My Sebenza was a little slow to open when I first got it too.I took it apart & used different lube.I use Tuf-Glide on all my knives.It flies open now.

Congrats on your first CRK,enjoy!:thumbup:
 
I'd echo the other posters in saying you should probably lube the knife.

The Chris Reeve feel is different from the spyderco or benchmade feel. You can feel the weight of the blade when you open the knife. It takes a little more effort than say the spydercos or benchmade but you can feel that the knife is really well made. It's hard to explain, the best way I can say it is you can feel the 'mass' of the blade when you open it.
 
congrats on a fantastic knife, it will last you a life time with proper care... I wouldn't worry about sending it in yet just follow the instructions in the sticky and take it apart to clean n lube it.
 
If cleaning, lubing and keeping your fingers off the lock bar when opening don't help enough, maybe the clip is the culprit.

The pocket clip which helps limit over travel of the lock bar when opening can contribute to the feeling of an overly strong blade retention if it is pushing too tightly against the lock bar when the blade is closed. To test for this, try pulling the clip SLIGHTLY away from the lock bar with your other hand while you open the blade normally. This will indicate if and how much the tension of the clip is contributing to holding the ceramic ball against the recess in the blade. The clip tension can be adjusted.



From a post dated 8/31/09 "I just called CRK. Heather was kind enough to answer my question regarding if in fact the pocket clip as installed by the factory exerts pressure on the lock bar. She stated the clip is designed to only hold the knife in the pocket. She also stated that it does exert some minimal pressure on the lock bar."


CAUTION-- Inadequate clip tension can result in the knife dislodging too easily from your pocket. OldDude1
 
thanks guys i just cleaned it and it opens a lot smoother now. there was black dirt/grime/whatever inside and especially on the washers.
 
SOunds like my first CRK. I eventually traded it for a small micarta inlay, and it is silky smooth. COngrats on the first CRK...it won't be your last.
 
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