I resolved my Sebenza thumb

fishface5 said:
I have had a couple CRKs and always sold them off due to loathing the thumbstud - nice fix!!
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Thanks and I get it. It’s a common issue. I really enjoy the knife now and am carrying it daily but I would not have kept it and left it as it came. I admit that it made me squirm a bit on what I consider a pretty pricey knife but the screw together studs can easily be removed if desired and the (one original stud that fits correctly) can be carefully pressed back in. No altering was done to the blade.
 
Another Shepherd said:
I have a large Sebenza 31 that I do not find easy to open with one hand. What is this special technique?
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Don't try to push the stud forward, parallel to the frame, toward the 12:00 position. This will not work well and will hurt after a few opens. Rather, push it toward the 10:00 position to break the detent and then swing the blade open with your thumb in an arc until it locks into place. I can make a sketch if needed. haha
 
dialton said:
Intent and background.
In no way is this intended to be a bash session on the manufacturer, just my experience and resolution hoping others can benefit.
I received a new small Sebenza this week. It is everything you would expect in the fit and finish department. Fits well in my reasonably small hand and is really a beauty. Only one problem. From fully closed the thing was VERYdifficult to get off the detent. It is buttery smooth once it is moving and also falls easily when held upside down once you disengage the frame lock to close it. My only beef was the size and shape of the thumb studs along with the tension on the detent. More good news is that the frame lock side thumb stub fell out of the blade the first day. I’ve never read nor even heard about that happening so we can call it an anomaly. The other side was rock solid and I’m assuming pressed in. I can put the stud back in place and get it to go in position flush like it should be but can also remove it with my fingers. Machined just a little small I suppose. I digress. I did not want to return the knife to the vendor and have not notified CRK (thats all on me). I researched quite a bit and found a few folks using Benchmade thumb studs. I ordered a set for a bugout. I knocked the other side original stud out and replaced it with double torx studs. They required some grinding with the dremmel to get the secondary shoulders to fit in the blade but I was able to get it done. The once unacceptably difficult to open blade is now easy to open with no alternate hand placement or tuffening of my thumb. The new studs are slightly taller I believe and are most certainly not pointed. No more Sebenza thumb!
I am hopeful that some folks who have also done this will reply to this post with info on what studs fit without having to massage them. Anyone care to share that info?View attachment 1926675
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Perfect! Thank you! I’m going to get two sets and convert my Sebenzas. Great knives, but two years of trying to “push up not out” and “building mussel (sic) memory” haven’t worked out for me. Oh I can do it. It just shouldn’t be so difficult.
 
Spyderco has me quite resistant to carrying and using thumb stud knives. I have tried it, but ultimately end up with an opening hole knife in my pocket when I need to actually cut things.
 
David Mary said:
Spyderco has me quite resistant to carrying and using thumb stud knives. I have tried it, but ultimately end up with an opening hole knife in my pocket when I need to actually cut things.
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I agree, thumbhole, front flipper, then flipper for me. Studs/ramps/disks are way down the list for me. They get in the way when cutting certain things too.
 
My $29 Buck Slim Selects, and $39 Ontario RAT1s, open just fine...nice and smooth...with the thumb studs. Hell, my $125 Demko AD 20.5s are the smoothest opening thumb-stud folders that I have ever had the pleasure of deploying.

Dremels, new thumb studs, and special opening "methods" on a $500-$700 folder? Wow...just, wow.
 
Alone said:
My $29 Buck Slim Selects, and $39 Ontario RAT1s, open just fine...nice and smooth...with the thumb studs. Hell, my $125 Demko AD 20.5s are the smoothest opening thumb-stud folders that I have ever had the pleasure of deploying.

Dremels, new thumb studs, and special opening "methods" on a $500-$700 folder? Wow...just, wow.
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This
 
Broke down and finally ordered my first CRK Seb. I really want to love this knife, but this "break-in period" is getting a little ridiculous. It's like buying a Lamborghini without power steering.
 
Alone said:
special opening "methods" on a $500-$700 folder? Wow...just, wow.
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If you were to join a fraternal organization would you refuse to learn the secret handshake? It's not like using ones thumbnail to actuate the stud is asking you to do a headstand and open it with your toes.

I'll admit to being underwhelmed with mine initially, and it's been said before they're not for everyone.
 
nbp said:
Don't try to push the stud forward, parallel to the frame, toward the 12:00 position. This will not work well and will hurt after a few opens. Rather, push it toward the 10:00 position to break the detent and then swing the blade open with your thumb in an arc until it locks into place. I can make a sketch if needed. haha
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Exactly. The most efficient use of force to open a blade with a thumb stud is to apply force perpendicular to the moment arm (which is the straight line from the center of the pivot to the center of the thumb stud). This puts maximum torque on the blade. The thumb cutout on some knives, the QuietCarry Waypoint for example, help you position your thumb in order to apply force in this perpendicular direction. Some knives don't, like the Sebenza. However, the cutout on the Sebenza is large enough so that if I place my thumb in the bottom half of the cutout and push, I'm pretty much good to go. The conical shape of the thumb stud fits under my thumb nail allowing my thumb to touch the blade and providing a flat surface against my thumb making the application of force to deploy the blade very comfortable. I love the Sebenza. I have six of them. I do not own a single knife that I think is absolutely perfect for me. Some are very close, like the Sebenza.
 
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OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
Having you wedge it open with your thumbnail is the biggest flaw with CRKs.
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Sure, if that was true. But as we have described, that isn't necessary at all. If you push in the right direction you can open it with the pad of your thumb quite comfortably.
 
I will still take a thumbhole, flipper, or front flipper over a thumbstud any day.
 
My first CR was a small Inkosi and I found opening it, even with the instructions on the web and the CR website to be frustratingly difficult. I've since purchased a small and large 31 and a large Inkosi and have no problem opening them whatsoever. The small Inkosi just didn't provide enough space between the stud and the handle to consistently get my thumb in to get the blade past the detent.
I've ready many comments about CR knives not being fidget friendly but I love repeatedly opening and closing one. The sound and smoothness is very satisfying.
 
For the past week, I’ve opened and closed my large Seb a couple hundred times. Finally feels broken in and fluid. No fidgeting here, just a smooth and solid lock up.
 
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