knives close to CRK

Mick_1KRR said:
Some people will never understand that there is more to a CRK than meets the eye. It's only after using it, breaking it down and servicing it 1000 times do you slowly realise the build and philosophy of design. The fact it will fit and function like day 1 even after 1000 services with no stripped screws or added play anywhere is something rare in the folder market. I'm obsessive with inspecting every structural part of folders it's part of what i like about knives. The only knives I own that compare to my CRK's in build and structural design are my custom Demko AD10 and Demko AD15, but they are much more expensive, so that's a testament to CRK as they are just an every day production folder. There's just something a bit lacking in the build and feel dept on many other brands.
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For the sake of discussion...

Let’s accept it as fact that (1) you can strip and service a CRK 1,000+ times without stripping screws or developing play, and (2) other makers’ knives will fall short of this.

Let’s now be very generous and say that the difference in hardware is so great that the competitors’ hardware fails at 10% of the service life of a CRK, surviving only 100 service strips. Let’s also generously attribute this failure shortcoming to development of play, despite the ubiquitousness of washers under bearings, and lock bar inserts. Let’s also assume that the stripped hardware is irreplaceable (torx screw supply stream dries up), and that the play can’t be corrected.

Given the above, how different is a typical owner’s experience going to be, given a limit of 100 service strips, instead of 1,000, before quality degradation is evident?

If I am a die hard pragmatist, planting my flag on performance for the dollar, so I buy one Sebenza, or two Ursa Minors and an ESEE 3, given the same budget?
 
If I want the attributes of a CRK I will just buy a CRK(and have). I however like knives in general and variety, so I will buy others also. Being somewhat different than CRK in this case is a plus. They don't all have to be perfect, just not screwed up. There are many finely made knives out there that fit this criteria & will serve you well.
CRK's have their niche which is exactly what Chris was attempting to achieve with his relatively small Co. Time will tell where the next generation takes it.
 
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RBid said:
For the sake of discussion...

Let’s accept it as fact that (1) you can strip and service a CRK 1,000+ times without stripping screws or developing play, and (2) other makers’ knives will fall short of this.

Let’s now be very generous and say that the difference in hardware is so great that the competitors’ hardware fails at 10% of the service life of a CRK, surviving only 100 service strips. Let’s also generously attribute this failure shortcoming to development of play, despite the ubiquitousness of washers under bearings, and lock bar inserts. Let’s also assume that the stripped hardware is irreplaceable (torx screw supply stream dries up), and that the play can’t be corrected.

Given the above, how different is a typical owner’s experience going to be, given a limit of 100 service strips, instead of 1,000, before quality degradation is evident?

If I am a die hard pragmatist, planting my flag on performance for the dollar, so I buy one Sebenza, or two Ursa Minors and an ESEE 3, given the same budget?
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Yes this point is completely valid and i agree with you, the experience really won't be much different depending on what your expectations are and will also depend on the individuals mileage. CRK's just offer that little bit of extra to a niche market who desire it. There are plenty of cheaper knives that will do all that a CRK can and more if you look solely at a knife being a cutting tool, like a Spyderco Military for example. It's nice that the option is there for that extra fit and finish for those who want it in a production folder.
 
Spyderco C36CFTIP Ti Military, 4" CPM-S90V Plain Blade, Carbon Fiber/Titanium Handle with R.I.L Lock, Knifeworks Exclusive

I didn't find it in PM2 which is a mite smaller. You have 4 choices of clip position although the lanyard hole blocks the best spot for tip up deep carry.
 
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GatorFlash1 said:
However I EDC a Spyderco Gayle Bradley which is very tough with some of the best fit and finish I have ever seen.
Like the CRK, the GB puts function over form but the form is great in both.
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Totally agree. My Bradley 2 has ridiculously good fit and finish, especially considering the price. Now, will I be able to disassemble/reassemble it 1000 times with no degradation in performance, probably not. But I don't anticipate doing that to my Sebenza either. But it's nice to know that I could do it if needed!
 
I took the time, I paid my dues, I read every post. This is a horrible thread, and half the guys posting have never had a Reeves knife, The other half are defending the brand.
Confusing times for new members without a BS sifter...

Russ
 
mycough said:
I took the time, I paid my dues, I read every post. This is a horrible thread, and half the guys posting have never had a Reeves knife, The other half are defending the brand.
Confusing times for new members without a BS sifter...

Russ
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Russ, if it helps sift, I own numerous CRK's, most of which are carried/used regularly. My Large Inkosi and I share a birthday, so it is a true keeper. And I was the proponent of the Slysz Bowie (via Spyderco/Taichung) and the Massdrop/Laconico/WE Keen. No, they are not a CRK in terms of obsessively amazing tolerances, but in form, function and materials, they are comparable alternatives if you want different "flavors".
 
Lenny said:
Totally agree. My Bradley 2 has ridiculously good fit and finish, especially considering the price. Now, will I be able to disassemble/reassemble it 1000 times with no degradation in performance, probably not. But I don't anticipate doing that to my Sebenza either. But it's nice to know that I could do it if needed!
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Again with all due respect, I was literally first to my local brick-n-mortar to handle the GB2 I so eagerly anticipated - HUGE disappointment in comparison to the GB1. Nice linerlock to be sure, but the original was a unique legend IMHO that actually did compare to much higher segment knives (such as CRK).
 
Officer's Match said:
Russ, if it helps sift, I own numerous CRK's, most of which are carried/used regularly. My Large Inkosi and I share a birthday, so it is a true keeper. And I was the proponent of the Slysz Bowie (via Spyderco/Taichung) and the Massdrop/Laconico/WE Keen. No, they are not a CRK in terms of obsessively amazing tolerances, but in form, function and materials, they are comparable alternatives if you want different "flavors".
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I respect your opinion sir, and that has developed from reading your posts over the years.
I had a slysz, and have a Keen on the way.
The bowie was nice, I gave it to an old friend who had given me a bunch of 10mm reloading supplies, I wont stand on my head to replace it. On the other hand, I have not been without a sebenza since my first I traded into 10 years ago.
There are many posts on here where the op was not even read and understood by the responder, that is what gets me.
I once had a vecp that was very similar in build characteristics to a sebenza and it felt better in hand for me.
It was lost during a hike a few years back and I will replace it when the right opportunity presents itself.
Thats my 2 cents, no offense to you Officer's Match, I just feel sorry for the OP, just a lot of thoughtless crappy responses in this thread,

Russ
 
mycough said:
I just feel sorry for the OP, just a lot of thoughtless crappy responses in this thread,

Russ
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With all due respect I don't. The OP has not participated in this thread since the 1st couple posts. He could have controlled where it was going and refined what he was looking for in feedback , but he didn't. If you let your thread run wild, don't be surprised if it is off track.
Sometimes it is appropriate for an OP to sit back and just listen, usually not.
 
In the end when you ~$500+ price point you aren't really buying a knife anymore you're buying the maker's/companies ideals.

There are probably thousands of very high quality Ti framelocks out there with all variations of blade shapes and steels and most here own more than one. The big three Chinese companies have proven to be masters of the CNC and by all reports produce nothing but high quality pieces at just under CRK prices. RHK produces great stuff and there's so much OEM and aftermarket stuff you can turn anything you buy into something that is completely yours. Medford IMHO Mr. Medford dosen't have two brain cells to rub together but he has pretty much defined what it means to be an overbuilt folder. Olamic seems to be CRK of this era they took and excellent organic design and add "bling" in the way CCG and inlays are to the Sebenza.

And that really just scratches the surface Spyderco makes excellent knives and Glessers seem to be great people with their own cool story but Spyderco doesn't take an idea and iterate it he grabs the best from around the industry and puts it into production on a stupendous scale the make so many different things that you could never tire of buying them. There is something for everyone in the Spyderco line up no matter what you use as a criteria; lock's, blade shapes, price points they've got it all and to top it icon's you just can't go wrong buying a Spyderco. That Spyderco diversity is the opposite mentality of Medford/CRK/Olamic/RHK of focusing on a few models and making them the best they can be cost be damned and that's the reason you really can't put Spyderco in the same category.

We have a ZMM-Quality thing here or I could be talking out of my fourth point of contact
 
GermanyChris said:
In the end when you ~$500+ price point you aren't really buying a knife anymore you're buying the maker's/companies ideals.

There are probably thousands of very high quality Ti framelocks out there with all variations of blade shapes and steels and most here own more than one. The big three Chinese companies have proven to be masters of the CNC and by all reports produce nothing but high quality pieces at just under CRK prices. RHK produces great stuff and there's so much OEM and aftermarket stuff you can turn anything you buy into something that is completely yours. Medford IMHO Mr. Medford dosen't have two brain cells to rub together but he has pretty much defined what it means to be an overbuilt folder. Olamic seems to be CRK of this era they took and excellent organic design and add "bling" in the way CCG and inlays are to the Sebenza.

And that really just scratches the surface Spyderco makes excellent knives and Glessers seem to be great people with their own cool story but Spyderco doesn't take an idea and iterate it he grabs the best from around the industry and puts it into production on a stupendous scale the make so many different things that you could never tire of buying them. There is something for everyone in the Spyderco line up no matter what you use as a criteria; lock's, blade shapes, price points they've got it all and to top it icon's you just can't go wrong buying a Spyderco. That Spyderco diversity is the opposite mentality of Medford/CRK/Olamic/RHK of focusing on a few models and making them the best they can be cost be damned and that's the reason you really can't put Spyderco in the same category.

We have a ZMM-Quality thing here or I could be talking out of my fourth point of contact
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Well Spyderco has "taken an idea and iterate it" in the Police, Endura, Delica, Harpy, Civilian... These designs have been honed over the years into the product that they think it should be. Per "he grabs the best from around the industry and puts it into production" Spyderco has done ground breaking innovation, such as the pocket clip, one hand opening and ball lock. Spyderco was the knife maker outside of the Japanese horticulture industry to use VG-10 steel.

Per the other posts concerning CRK's "strip/clean" as being a superior product, the ability to strip down a knife and clean it is a fun option for some, but totally unnecessary. It's not a gun. There are a host of knives that will last a lifetime w/o the need to be stripped down for cleaning and lubrication. Some would claim the fact that since a CRK needs to be taken apart, cleaned and lubricated is proof of a defective design. For example, Terzuola's ACTF (2012 version) uses nylatron washers and a pivot assembly that never needs lubrication or to be "stripped down and cleaned."

I own a sebenza. I clean it by washing it in soap and water. About every 2 years I take it apart for the "full monty". There's never any corrosion and the action improves but not by much. At that rate the knife should last long after I'm dead.
 
mycough said:
I took the time, I paid my dues, I read every post. This is a horrible thread, and half the guys posting have never had a Reeves knife, The other half are defending the brand.
Confusing times for new members without a BS sifter...

Russ
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With all due respect, I am sure that many of us have had and currently have Chris Reeves knives. Chris Reeves knives have been favorably discussed on these forums since inception. But, this thread is what happens when someone attempts to place one brand on the high pedestal; there is no such beast, there never was and there never will be. There are many great knife makers, including CRKs, but none of them has that kind of market dominance. If they did we would scarcely need the rest of the marketplace. Diversity is good. Just accept that for a majority of us, there are other knives out there that better fit our needs. Brands like Brian Tighe, ZT, WE, Benchmade, Medford, Hinderer, Spyderco, Kizer, Microtech...etc....along with thousands of custom knife makers, have all produced quality modern folders, using the latest quality CNC machining.

If anything CRK has been lagging in innovation. It is hard to build a brand over a handful of designs, which haven't changed all that much since inception. i would like to see them offer lock-bar inserts, assisted opening, flippers, automatics, contoured handles, a variety of blade shapes and steels. I also wish that they would go back to offering some of the excellent one piece fixed blades that helped to make them who they are. It is a fine brand, that has earned a place among a number of other fine brands, it would be great if they could give us a good reason to buy more of their products.

n2s
 
There have been many good points made here, the knife that stands out to me the most in terms of being close to a CRK would have to be the Arius from Koenig they are incredible I own and will never part with my Inkosi but I really think Koenig is the contemporary equivalent. The overseas makers Reate, We and Kizer are all doing good work but lack the vision of CRK and Koenig. I own more knives from the overseas makers and love them the Reate Torrent to me is best and the We slipstream. Finally the Massdrop colabs are amazing although none are as large as a full size 21 25 or Inkosi, I am loving my keen right now for sure.
 
ive been reading and soaking it all in , im not online alot even thou i never log out im not here much just wanting to get
a view ideas and thoughts and other peoples thoughts on CRK and variants , i mean people who collect or use things can get bent over remarks of knives an such , as like watch forums , i was just looking for that think outside the box ,

i mean i went crazy this month i got the sprint run rex 45 spydie burnt orange to be delivered tomorrow , i got a manix in maxmet this week coming , and got a few of those laconico flippers coming for presents for xmas , but that mass drop order /shipping thing is crazy i dunno how they get stuff delivered to right places . i sent email bout shipping and hey said dunno til time to ship lol . well i got a po box and a home address so i hope things get here

and ive read kizer are good blades but ive more replies that they suck . its all in good discussion , i dont toot my horn
for a particular knife , i love my sebenza it intrigues me as i would call it the glock of the knife world , not alot of changes but
still judged as tops
 
^^^ glad to see you are still out there. If you just want to read, that's fine. But if you would like to give more insight(such as is it the style of the Sebenza, the tight tolerances, ease of maintenance, or just love those thumb studs:)) as to what you desire in a knife, someone here hopefully can help with some good suggestions.
 
Reeve has been making a structurally sound knife with incredible attention to detail for decades. No doubt.

With that being said, the disparity between CRK and the masses has become next to non existent. While I would never slight CRK for really anything because I genuinely do believe they are a very high quality knife made with high quality materials, I wouldn't use them as the metric for excellence either.

Back in the day, CRK, Strider, and Hinderer were the standard when it came to American made mid-techs. There were other fledgling companies that would pop up here and there but for the most part if you were talking American made high end production knives you were referencing one of the three.

Back in that day, I would say, unequivocally, CRK was the stand out amongst the group. Earlier Striders were plagued by poor lock geometry, stick, and rough fit and finish. The earlier Hinderers were better in terms of fit and finish but had some of the absolute worst action of any flipper I've ever owned. Genuinely bad and near unacceptable. What made matters worse was that the jimping on the spine of the knife was rather aggressive and because of the poor action, you'd have to really press that filler tab, and because of the jimping, you'd be getting another manicure.

CRK managed to avoid all of these issues with routinely solid quality control and attention to detail. Every single CRK I've ever owned was everything they're chalked up to be in that they're functionally perfect and their fit and finish is unassailable.

With all of that being said, I don't believe that in today's market there is really anything distinguishing CRK from most other high-end knife makers. Companies like Jake Hoback, Zieba, Wicked Edge, Reate, Zero Tolerance, etc. are picking up where CRK has left off in that they're taking into consideration the necessity that's attention to detail and fit/finish while also incorporating rapidly changing materials, design, and flare. So much so that I can't even bring myself to purchase another CRK because why would I? Dated steel (CTS204, CPM20CV, and M390 being the superior option), plain jane handles, and stagnant models have left me, as a routine consumer of high-end knives wanting in almost every arena.

Reputation has always been a staple of CRK's business, however, lately it's becoming the foundation of it. That, for me, is a problem.
 
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