Issues I think CRK needs to address

The issues I had with my sebbie - too dull, too thick, too soft - I fixed or had fixed.

I could have sent it back, but the fit, finish, and design grabbed me by the throat and would not let go.

I would be very unhappy if it were taken from my EDC.

MAT
 
MPE:

Your welcome. I did recentley purchase a large Micarta Seb with serrations. I think it's a great everyday folder and I have been very happy with mine. I glad you like your's. CRK really hit a home run with this model!:thumbup: :cool: ;) :D
 
bodromarsh:
For example, the knife I cleaned last night I bought new from True North Knives. It's birthdate was 2002 or 2003. So it had been sitting around in a box for a couple years.

Hi Scott,

I just saw this and wanted to comment and offer a clarification.

If the knife you are referring (the knife you cleaned last night) to was the Large Left handed Micarta with serrations, then you bought this one in January of this year- 2007.

CRK only started making the Micarta Sebenzas in 2005 and the first left handed models came out in the summer of 2005.

From the records that I have, I only received my first shipments of Large Left Hand Serrated knives in the fall of 2005.

So, I doubt that the one you got from me 2 months ago was sitting here or in any box since 2002.

Neil
 
Neil:
Sorry!:foot: :o You're right, OK maybe it was sitting around for over a year. I thought they came out with it earlier but my mistake. I sure appreciate the fact that you carry such a large inventory of CRK products. Sigh if I could only win the lottery I would be happy to buy all your left hand folders! I'm glad to do business with you!:cool: :D :thumbup:
I visit your website almost every day!;)
 
All,

I've been trying to get to a reply for this thread, but I've been quite occupied with many things, including prep for an international trip. Please accept my apologies for my delayed response.

Currently, I'm in my London hotel, with jet lag getting the best of me . . . I came through LAX enroute to LHR, and had a chance to stop by Plaza Cutlery. I don't get much chance to visit our dealers, so this was a real treat for me.

Dan's got a very large selection of a lot of our product, including some really nice Sebenzas. Wow -- I mean, REALLY nice ones! I had forgotten how well these show in a retail setting. Since reading this thread, I've been concerned about sub-par knives somehow getting through our quality processes, and Dan let me go through much of the inventory. I examined them for pivot roughness and sharpness. I found them all to be smooth as silk, and very sharp. Dan, thanks for letting me disrupt your store for a bit!

I'll be out here in London for a couple more days, then off to Hamburg. While I'm out here, hopefully I can write a coherent response to this thread -- maybe in the days to come, when my head's clearer.

Dave
 
Nice. Ngiyabonga kakhulu Dave. This is what I like to see. :thumbup:

I only recently got my Sebenza. It is excellent and every day I carry it I like it more. I'm so pleased with it that when I go to the store now, I've even started looking specifically for other South African items. (Understanding that CRK is now here in the USA.) Wines are really all that I've seen, and they too can be excellent. :cool:

The connection strikes me as fitting. Though I know they may or may not be considered the good guys, in my line of work we identify deeply with the Bushveldt Carbineers! ;)

I came over from the Spyderco camp, and still love their stuff. As such, it's really nice to see a response, if not Chris Reeve himself, then from the company. That makes a big difference to me as a customer.

Sal at Spyderco is always involved. I hope to find CRK the same. Not to mention my fellow CRK fans. This forum is relatively quiet, fewer models and corporate "movement"... I understand. But still, surely many out there do work with their blades? I'd love to see more from "US!" :D
 
I got a S30V large classic and the blade seems to get dull quite quickly with moderate cutting, mainly meat and veg. So I would like a harder blade. I would like to compare it to some S30V and D2 blades I HT myself to see if there is a difference. other than that its a super knife and the only one I EDC.
 
Hello everybody. I'm sorry for my bad English. But I want to share my experiences. I have 14 Spydercos, 19 Benchmade and 2 Microtech.

Last Saturday my first Sebenza(classic, large) arrived directly from crk.

Looking at craftsmanship the Sebenza is much better than Spydies, Benchmade and Microtech. The Seb is a beauty. The details are perfect.

But blade opening was very bad and rough. So I took it apart, cleaned it and oiled it. Now it's fine.

Sharpness: Every Spyderco is sharper than my Sebenza even the Endura. And a knife can also be sharp with wide angles. I have a buck knife from 1986 with a wide angle but it's razor sharp. I have no problem with the angle but my Sebenza is not sharp. I would say the wide angle is an advantage (roughness), but the Seb should be able to shave of hairs. My Seb wasn't able.

I don't have any problems with the clip. I like the clip.

I love my Sebenza and will never give it away, but for 385$ the Seb shouldn't have problems with pivot roughness or being dull.
 
I got a S30V large classic and the blade seems to get dull quite quickly with moderate cutting, mainly meat and veg. So I would like a harder blade. I would like to compare it to some S30V and D2 blades I HT myself to see if there is a difference. other than that its a super knife and the only one I EDC.

My thoughts exactly.

My only problem with the Sebenza.
 
I love my Sebenza and will never give it away, but for 385$ the Seb shouldn't have problems with pivot roughness or being dull.

Agreed. This, once again, is more than a valid point. It can't be untrue that there are these issues from the knives, when so many folks have the same complaints. This and the dulling quickly issue. With so many expressing the same issues, I have no doubt that CRK will address and fix the problems.
 
All,

Again, thanks to all for the feedback. As I mentioned before, all feedback -- compliments, suggestions, and constructive criticism -- helps us produce a better product for our customers.

A general statement to start: If you examine enough of our knives, you will find variation -- the fact that we do a sizeable amount of work by hand results in knives that are not identical. With new people joining the CRK team, as well as the presence of a cross-training program internally, additional product variation can occur. Throughout these growth activities, we actively monitor knives to insure that they’re within product specifications. As you’ll see later, we are aggressively looking at specific production processes in an attempt to understand the issues that have been brought up in this thread. Please accept our apologies if you received a knife that you perceive to be below our high standards. In such cases, please call us, and we will make it right.

Regarding sharpening angle – we continue to sharpen our blades to 18-20 degrees per side, and the angles should be out of the box well matched to the Sharpmaker. If you receive a new CRK knife that is not so, please accept our apologies, and send it back to us. We will make it right, and pay for return shipping. If it came to you used, also feel free to send it back to us with $11 included for return shipping, and we will restore it to the correct angles (incidentally, you can do this for ANY CRK knife for the life of the product). As a result of your feedback, we have instituted an improved process step to check sharpening angles.

Regarding sharpness – our blades are all hand ground/sharpened, so there is variation in sharpness of our blades out of the box. Having said that, our intent is that all new CRK knives range from very sharp, to scary sharp! Again, if any new CRK knife is not sharpened to your satisfaction, please send it back, and we’ll make it so.

Now for the roughness of the pivot: As you know, the Sebenza is manufactured with some of the tightest tolerances in the business. Because of these tolerances, grit and dust that would normally not be felt in the pivot area of most knives could be felt in a Sebenza or Mnandi. For that reason, we have always done our best to keep our assembly area very clean. Incidentally, for productivity reasons (and not as a result of this feedback), we have enhanced our assembly area. The fringe benefit of this change is that the chance of debris in the pivot area is incrementally reduced.

The more likely scenario that’s happened to some customers is that the pivot area needs to be “broken in”. Let me explain further. With Sebenza blades, we apply a stonewash finish, giving it a non-reflective appearance. That rough finish feels “gritty” in the pivot area until the mating surfaces are worn in. Throughout the process of a Sebenza’s assembly and inspection, the natural break in period starts, and progresses. Like the bearing surfaces in the first couple thousand miles of a car engine’s life, the Sebenza pivot area will continue to get smoother as the user exercises it. If you receive a new CRK folder that does not “break in” as I’m describing, or if you feel that the scenario above does not fit a pivot roughness issue that you’re experience, please send it back to us, with the name of the dealer that sold it to you and the information on the “born on” card! If there is an issue out there that we don’t understand, this is one of the few ways that we can gain the necessary knowledge to remedy the problem, and you’ll get an improved knife out of the deal!

The tension of the pocket clip has always been a balance between providing security in the pocket and ease of opening. Our customers have different tastes on this front; our task with current products is to please the majority of customers, and evolve our processes accordingly. As a result of the feedback in this string, we are re-evaluating that balance. With future products, we’re looking at designs that do a better job of pleasing a higher percentage of our customers. By the way, good job on the wide clip idea. You guys are really thinking!

Let me say something about screw tightening. Many of you know that all screws on Mnandis and Sebenzas should be kept tight – including the stop pivot screw. The handle slabs rest on the pivot bushing, and NOT the blade. As such, if the pivot area is clean and the knife is assembled with the stock washers, pivot smoothness is NOT governed by pivot screw tightness, nor does a loosened pivot screw allow for a faster deployment of the blade. For you techies, the torque spec for our screws is 11 in-lbs for Large Sebenzas and 8 in-lbs for Small Sebenzas. You don’t, however, need to run out and get a calibrated torque driver -- using the allen wrench shipped with our knives, grasp the wrench with your thumb and only two fingers close to the elbow of the wrench, tighten it comfortably, and that should be fine.

There was a suggestion on heat treating S30V to a greater hardness, a subject of many discussions on our forum. Chris has a strong opinion on this front, based on decades of working with heat treating parameters, collaborating with Crucible specifically on S30V development/ applications, and performing extensive field testing. We heat treat to achieve 58-59 RC for the expressed reason of optimizing toughness (resistance to fracturing) AND edge holding capability. As a result, we hope that this optimization is best for the majority of our customers.

We continue to receive many suggestions re: product enhancements, and new products. These comments are much appreciated, and Chris is hard at work on several new folder and fixed blade knife designs. We hope you will be pleased with the additions/changes to our product portfolio in 2007 and 2008.

The suggestion of enhancing the CRK website is a good one – we share that concern. Basically, we do that in our spare time, and there simply hasn’t been much spare time in the last several years. I personally have a great passion for an enhanced website – more up-to-date information (for example, you’d think we’d be celebrating more Blade Mfg Quality Awards than just the ones through 2004!), and resonate with the desire to have more images illustrating product options. Now, if I can just do with a couple hours less sleep per night . . .

You are all individuals. Both your expectations of our knives AND experiences with your particular CRK knife are unique. If you’d like to discuss anything with me on these fronts, feel free to send me an email at crkinfo@chrisreeve.com. Mark the email “to Dave” so that Heather will forward it to me. I’ll be back in the U.S. late next week, and can start dialogues with any of you then.

Dave
 
Dave,
Thanks for taking the time to write that up. I have two questions.

Regarding what you said about sebenzas needing to be broken in: has this always been the case, or is this something that has occured relatively recently? By recent, I mean the last few years. If it is a change, what caused this change? I ask because I believe that sebenzas prior to a few years ago almost always came smooth out of the box. I've been on this forum since 1999 and have read pretty much every sebenza post. That is the impression I have due to the posts I've read. If the new sebenzas need to be broken in, whereas the old ones did not, then couldn't it be said that the newer sebenzas simply have a poorer fit? After all, it is not all of the new sebenzas that need this breaking in period, but rather some. Doesn't that show that the knives are less precise or have a looser tolerance than there used to be?

My second question:

You said: " With new people joining the CRK team, as well as the presence of a cross-training program internally, additional product variation can occur. "

Has there been an influx of new workers at Chris Reeve Knives or did you mean new workers over time? If there was an influx of new workers, perhaps that may explain the lessened quality.
 
New "rough" opening sebs can be smoothed by using flitz/steel wool on both sides of the washers and the blade / handle flats where they ride. It helps much. Combine with a pocket clip bend out, it's a whole new feeling knife.
 
New crunchy sebs can be smoothed by using flitz/steel wool on both sides of the washers and the blade / handle flats where they ride. It helps much. Combine with a pocket clip bend out, it's a whole new feeling knife.

DaveH- let me issue the obvious disclaimer which is that you, and anybody else, has a right to speak their mind on this and any other forum- or anywhere , I guess..

However, this statement of yours, "new crunchy sebs" is absurd, childish and totally uncalled for.

For somebody who used to have my respect, you are way out of line and acting aggressively and without need. Who are you trying to impress with this language?

I have been a Chris Reeve Authorized dealer for many years now- let me say that possibly I am one of their larger dealers.

In terms of problems and returns on Sebenzas and their other knives, I will state that the CRK return factor % is the lowest in my business. With the exception of "it was too big or too small and my wife saw the charge on her Visa card", they don't often come back for quality issues.. I am holding back and not saying "never" come back for quality issues.
Consider the huge volume of their knives that I sell...
This includes knives delivered to me and sold as of this week.

Chris Reeve Knives is a company run by people- they are not infallible and mistakes could happen. I agree that a good dialogue is a way to make your point.
But for you to characterize them and their products the "way" you are is offensive.
I rank the Chris Reeve customer support and service to unparalleled in this industry.

A "new crunchy seb"??
Is that the way that an adult speaks? Are you on a mission?
Or maybe you are simply bored?

Why don't you behave like a gentleman - enough of your mud slinging and unnecessary sarcasm..

I will grant you one thing- at least you have the balls to show your face here and be accessible. It seems that many of the new breed of CRK bashers, are all anonymous.

Finally- Dave (their moderator) is in Europe- he cannot respond to all this- so I guess he will do so when he gets back.

I am leaving right now to exhibit at a knife show- yes, I am bringing Chris Reeve knives. So, don't look for me to be back online for a few days, I think.

All I am saying is that say what you want to say- buy their knives or don't- but treat people the way YOU would like to be treated. With respect courtesy and with a professional eye.

Have a nice weekend,

Neil Ostroff
 
Neil, I think you over reacted a bit. Would "rough" be a better word? I'll go edit my post.

BTW, the last $630 seb I bought from you was rough opening and not as sharp as I expected it to be. It's not a big deal, but as I pointed out in my first post it shouldn't be that way, IMO. And should I buy anymore sebenzas, I will reject any that are hard to open and rough. At some point I'll be sending it back to CRK.

And with all due respect to you, CRK folks and the Dave the moderator, NONE of these issues are new. They have been pointed out time and time again on the forum. I even mentioned them directly to Lisa at blade show last year.

IMO, users on this forum are the "canaries in the mine" so to speak, better any issues be worked out sooner, with those that are familiar with the product, then left alone until it becomes a more significant problem.
 
The Paw prints Sebie I was having trouble with a while back did feel rough to say to least.I was waiting for it to break in but it never happened.I do not know what was wrong,several cleanings and new washers from CRK did not help.
After the 5th or 6 th break down the problem disappeared.I am thinking it was just something tiny that was off with one of the parts that must have worked out on the last break down.I had taken it apart a couple more times since and it is perfect.I can see how something like that on a new Sebenza with a first time owner would be very displeasing.
 
As a CRK newbie, who hasn't purchased his first Sebbie yet, I find this conversation very interesting. - - $400-500 isn't super significant in the overall scheme of things, but its still a lot of money for a knife if youre not used to spending that. - I have perfectly serviceable knives on which I spent a lot less money. But I look at the Sebenza with the idea of getting something that's "a cut above" - a little bit of excellence that I can hold in my hand. I can see how disappointing it would be to go through this whole mental process of choosing a particular knife and finally deciding to buy (despite the 2nd thoughts about the price) and going ahead with the purchase - - only to find problems with it. - - - But I don't care what you buy - from fishing & hunting arms/gear that you ordered to the truck or SUV that you haul that stuff in - - sometimes 'stuff happens' & there are issues to address. - - You find a manufacturer that'll truly back their product and do what it takes to get it fixed as quickly as possible. - - (Any of us over the age of 18 have had experiences buying stuff where the seller didn't give a d&*ned after they got our money. - - ) Nothing on this side of Heaven is Absolutely Perfect, 100% of the Time. - - This definitely doesn't apply to anyone who's comments I've read here - - but it is amazing to me when I come across someone who has an issue, but refuses to return the product/take it into the garage, etc - - and then complains about how it wasn't perfect to begin with - such is the way of the world. And IMO constructive criticism that makes things better, helping to move a little closer to 'perfect' is all to the good. All the best, - -
 
These knives aren't perfect, but they are still the most consistent of the bunch, in my opinion. I trust the issues will be taken care of in the end. I gotta be honest and say that I'm less than impressed with S30V in general from the different knives I've owned form different companies. Seems like manufacturers haven't got the formula right with it. Seems to either chip too easily on one hand or doesn't keep an edge as long as it should on the other. My Sebenza has been the only knife I've owned in this price-range that seemed "worth" the price(that includes the one custom I owned that cost quite a bit more).
 
All I can say is this:

I did get a "defective" sebenza. It didn't lock up, well, at all. A slight spine whack on a book snapped it closed. I then grabbed the blade and closed the knife by hand. I knew something was up. After trying to tune it up, nothing. So, politely, like a gentleman, I sent it back. Got a replacement. Sharp. Smooth. Great lock-up. CRK took care of me, quickly and efficiently. Did I moan and scream? No. Was I diappointed? Yes. But, stuff happens. The company was given a chance to remedy the problem, and guess what, they did. In spades.

High end cars do get recalled. Stuff happens. At the end, it's the company's integrity that counts. Good product with good service can't be beat.

There, I had to say it.
 
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