Hinderer Tolerances

T

Thrustus

Joined
Jun 16, 2010
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Just when you reach the pinnacle of Sebenza you now realize you need to step up to a Hinderer. Comparing tolerances between Custom made and semi-production, surely the hand made tolerances couldn't be as tight as computer controlled semi custom. Is this the case or am I missing something?
 
This post is a little confusing. Both hinderers and Sebenzas are semi-productions or "mid-techs" by some people's standards.
Though neither Chris Reeve, nor Rick Hinderer actually work on their staple knives like the xm-18 and sebenza.

If you're asking if the increased cost of a hinderer will yield higher tolerances or a better product, I think that's for you to decide.

There are also many, many threads dedicated to this discussion.
 
I view CRK and Hinderers on the same level. They're both incredible and I couldn't try to put one above the other. One thing is for sure once you have a CRK there isn't a lot left to 'step up' too, I was more impressed with my first CRK than I was my first Hinderer if that means anything. Not that it isn't great but I think the full titanium of the CRK overwhelmed me lol.
 
They are both really solid knives. Have owned more than a few from both manufacturers.
 
I've handled and fondled CRKs, Hinderers, and Striders side by side at vendor booths during knife shows, carried a Sebenza and a Strider for a bit, and aside from the handles/scales on some, I can't really say I've been impressed to the point where I'm able to say that they were ever worth it for what you got. Sure a CRK is smooth, but for a little more, my buddy got a Brad Southard custom that just blew my Sebenza completely away. I just leave it in the pouch now, on my table with a bunch of other EDCs. I have a ZT560 that is even smoother when opening and closing, and yet it's very seldom that I carry it. Sure the f&f is great on the CRK and Hinderer, but I would spend my money on a custom and get something truly unique, for the price points considered.
 
I guess everyone's experiences are different, as I've yet to find any knife that was better built than my CRKs. I felt my XMs had the edge over my CRKs in terms of absolute strength, but I immediatley found flaws in them in terms of finish(the jimping on both wasn't even and the G10 scales didn't align perfectly). Neither were real issues, but when splitting hairs in comparison to other knives I've owned, the flaws were there and quite obvious. I owned a Brad Southard as well( just pointing out my experience) and as much as I loved the design and overall size, it was lacking in comparison to a number of other knives I've owned in terms of its finish(the clip was very insecurely mounted with partially-stripped screws and didn't sit flush at all). Granted, you're bound to see differences in knives that are full-on customs, but that's the beauty(to me) in very high-end productions like CRKs.With them, you get fairly consistent F&F over and over again. You don't get the exclusiveness of customs, but you don't have the waiting lists, lotteries, or overly inflated secondary market prices, either.

When I'm trying out knives other than CRKs, I might be looking for something else, but a step-up in quality isn't it.
 
flipe8 said:
I guess everyone's experiences are different, as I've yet to find any knife that was better built than my CRKs. I felt my XMs had the edge over my CRKs in terms of absolute strength, but I immediatley found flaws in them in terms of finish(the jimping on both wasn't even and the G10 scales didn't align perfectly). Neither were real issues, but when splitting hairs in comparison to other knives I've owned, the flaws were there and quite obvious. I owned a Brad Southard as well( just pointing out my experience) and as much as I loved the design and overall size, it was lacking in comparison to a number of other knives I've owned in terms of its finish(the clip was very insecurely mounted with partially-stripped screws and didn't sit flush at all). Granted, you're bound to see differences in knives that are full-on customs, but that's the beauty(to me) in very high-end productions like CRKs.With them, you get fairly consistent F&F over and over again. You don't get the exclusiveness of customs, but you don't have the waiting lists, lotteries, or overly inflated secondary market prices, either.

When I'm trying out knives other than CRKs, I might be looking for something else, but a step-up in quality isn't it.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.
 
Smokinape said:
Seems silly. When I go to the pizza shop, I don't call the pizza a custom pie.
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I think the semi-custom refers to a knife that is machine fabricated and then hand assembled and hand fitted. Which all CRK's are done that way, not sure about Hinderer but I think they are the same, but correct me if I'm wrong.

As they use some kind of water-jet or mill and make the parts and then put them together by hand and then adjust them to make them work perfectly.
 
CNC, manual mill, by hand, whatever... without a competent, skilled (human) operator, tolerances will be crap.
 
RevDevil said:
It is in the knife world, for the most part. That is the very definition of custom knives. Handmade by one person.
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I think he's referring to the confusion between the common usage of "custom" when we really mean "hand-made".
Not all hand-made knives are custom designed, yet we call them "custom knives".

Pizzahutt.jpg
 
flipe8 said:
I guess everyone's experiences are different, as I've yet to find any knife that was better built than my CRKs. I felt my XMs had the edge over my CRKs in terms of absolute strength, but I immediatley found flaws in them in terms of finish(the jimping on both wasn't even and the G10 scales didn't align perfectly). Neither were real issues, but when splitting hairs in comparison to other knives I've owned, the flaws were there and quite obvious. I owned a Brad Southard as well( just pointing out my experience) and as much as I loved the design and overall size, it was lacking in comparison to a number of other knives I've owned in terms of its finish(the clip was very insecurely mounted with partially-stripped screws and didn't sit flush at all). Granted, you're bound to see differences in knives that are full-on customs, but that's the beauty(to me) in very high-end productions like CRKs.With them, you get fairly consistent F&F over and over again. You don't get the exclusiveness of customs, but you don't have the waiting lists, lotteries, or overly inflated secondary market prices, either.

When I'm trying out knives other than CRKs, I might be looking for something else, but a step-up in quality isn't it.
Click to expand...
:thumbup:
 
Steel_Addiction said:
I think the semi-custom refers to a knife that is machine fabricated and then hand assembled and hand fitted.
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Im not so sure. I know this is up for debate. But if that is the definition, then most everything in Benchmade's blue class and above becomes "semi-custom"
 
frenchmade said:
Im not so sure. I know this is up for debate. But if that is the definition, then most everything in Benchmade's blue class and above becomes "semi-custom"
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I understand what you're saying, but "hand-fitted" doesn't apply to Benchmade (or most production companies), as far as I know.
 
flipe8 said:
I guess everyone's experiences are different, as I've yet to find any knife that was better built than my CRKs. I felt my XMs had the edge over my CRKs in terms of absolute strength, but I immediatley found flaws in them in terms of finish(the jimping on both wasn't even and the G10 scales didn't align perfectly). Neither were real issues, but when splitting hairs in comparison to other knives I've owned, the flaws were there and quite obvious. I owned a Brad Southard as well( just pointing out my experience) and as much as I loved the design and overall size, it was lacking in comparison to a number of other knives I've owned in terms of its finish(the clip was very insecurely mounted with partially-stripped screws and didn't sit flush at all). Granted, you're bound to see differences in knives that are full-on customs, but that's the beauty(to me) in very high-end productions like CRKs.With them, you get fairly consistent F&F over and over again. You don't get the exclusiveness of customs, but you don't have the waiting lists, lotteries, or overly inflated secondary market prices, either.

When I'm trying out knives other than CRKs, I might be looking for something else, but a step-up in quality isn't it.
Click to expand...
Excellent post, and I agree completely.
 
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