Is it for me?

AdamFuzzyballs

AdamFuzzyballs

Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
1,852
Hello! I’m new to this sub forum, as I have never really been interested in Chris Reeve Knives. They always seemed “bland” or underwhelming to me. Recently, that’s changed, as I have come to appreciate the effort required in such high tolerance knives. I think it’s true that your tastes change as you experience knives and for some reason it leads most people here at some point!
I’m looking at the small Tanto Inkosi, specifically, as well as a few CR fixed blades. I am not afraid to carry and use my knives, however I don’t want to invest in something if I won’t be able to appreciate its qualities. So here’s my concern- I carry any knife I use at work, which is outside, involving dirt, concrete, sandblasting, rain, etc. basically everything besides straight sulphuric acid or nuclear waste.
I’ve noticed that this grit can cause folding knives a lot of problems- I usually blow them out and oil as needed, but I was wondering if the tighter tolerances on these knives would be an adverse trait if they’re subjected to a lot of dirt/sand. I know sometimes looser tolerances work a little bit better in dirty conditions. Is this a big enough concern to make me change direction?

Second question, as I’m usually a fixed blade guy, would any of y’all recommend a comparable Chris Reeve fixed to consider? I lusted after a Nyala for years but never purchased one, and now they’re all but gone. I’m looking for a knife that I can use hard (cutting roots, shaving fatwood, cutting dense plastics), that will stand up and have that “higher quality” feeling. Would a fixed blade suit me better than the Inkosi? Is it worth it to get a Chris Reeve fixed blade, or do they lack the same pedigree of the folders?

Thanks for y’all’s help, hopefully I can sort this out!
 
I don't have any experience with their fixed blades but I've used Sebenzas on a near daily basis at work in all kinds of dirty and dusty jobs doing electrical, HVAC, and construction type work. The tight tolerances have yet to cause any issue, and the Sebenza has even tighter tolerances than the Inkosi because of the pivot bushing. On the rare occasion they do seem to get gritty, a little WD40 or something typically solves the issue until I can do a proper cleaning. There are a few other users on here who use their CRKs similarly who can also attest to this.
 
I would say in general, my higher end close tolerance knives are far less susceptible to dirt and debris affecting the action. Close tolerance is typically going to result in less foreign matter being able to get to the pivot.
Pretty sure the only fixed blades still produced are the green beret and pacific. These are large, and not very nyala like. They are more of a combat operations focused platform than a general use platform. Every crk fixed blade I’ve handled has been stellar especially the nyala. The green beret I had seemed well worth the money too, but again, not a general purpose knife.
 
My two cents are that you're benefitted with a CRK by how easy they are to maintain. I'm basically mechanically inept, and even I can break down any one of my CRK folders, clean it, and put it back together in about 5 minutes. You can also play with different types of oils to see if they attract less dirt. If you applied too much of the provided oil, you could end up with problems attracting dirt.
 
I agree that the tight tolerances are unlikely to cause an issue with dirt and debris. For me, one of the main selling points of CRK is the ease of maintenance. It's quite easy to take them down, clean them up and reassemble. The close tolerances translate into parts that fit together correctly so that the blade is always centered.
 
I use mine daily, Inkosi or 21. Never had much issue with dirt or grime. Every once in a blue moon I’ll get it extremely muddy or something like that and have to clean it. For the most part they seem to work themselves out. In a way CRKs are a “bland” knife. The more you carry and use them regularly you start to appreciate the build quality and tolerances.
 
The only concern I would have is with cutting roots or anything covered in dirt. That could be hell on any blade edge. For that task, I’d probably use a much cheaper knife that is easy to resharpen. Probably an Esse 4 or 6, depending in how much root you’re looking at.

Otherwise, I would have zero fear. As others have said, tight tolerances and ease of breakdown for thorough cleaning are big plusses for CRK. I’ve put my PJs through a lot and they’ve held up great.
 
I was always impressed with CRK because they wanted you to disassemble the knife as part of the maintenance of it. Some brands don't want you to take their knife apart and CRK is commended for their approach. I also like the ability to use the spa treatment service even though I have never taken advantage of it, yet.

I kind of think of CRK like the Glock of the knife world. Glock was ahead of it's time for simplicity (very few parts) and easy maintenance.
 
Chris Reeve Knives are kind of like a Mercedes-Benz sedan.
They won't "Wow!" you with the latest flashy stuff: but the build quality and solid feel of them is undeniable.
And there's beauty in that!
 
AdamFuzzyballs said:
Second question, as I’m usually a fixed blade guy, would any of y’all recommend a comparable Chris Reeve fixed to consider? I lusted after a Nyala for years but never purchased one, and now they’re all but gone. I’m looking for a knife that I can use hard (cutting roots, shaving fatwood, cutting dense plastics), that will stand up and have that “higher quality” feeling. Would a fixed blade suit me better than the Inkosi? Is it worth it to get a Chris Reeve fixed blade, or do they lack the same pedigree of the folders?

Thanks for y’all’s help, hopefully I can sort this out!
Click to expand...

I'll stay out of the folder discussion.

But regarding the fixed blade, I would never buy an S30v/S35vn fixed blade these days. Plus, for the same price as the Nyala you can do much better, either from one of our Knife Makers or over at the CPK forum.

Roland.
 
Aren't they running the fixed blades in 4V now with plans to move the entire product line to magnacut?
 
The website is still saying S35VN for the Green Beret...
 
Modernflame said:
Aren't they running the fixed blades in 4V now with plans to move the entire product line to magnacut?
Click to expand...

Unless you are doing competitions or need a super-stainless knife, neither are ideal. And yes, I have knives in both steels. Broke the tip of my 4V knife in the yard (a Manix 2).

OP: "I’m looking for a knife that I can use hard (cutting roots, shaving fatwood, cutting dense plastics), that will stand up and have that “higher quality” feeling"
 
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