Large Sebenza 21 Came As Dull AS A Butter Knife?

Razor

Razor

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I bought this knife from a member on here and he said it had just been out of the box to look at. The action is real smooth on the knife and it opens and closes real

I got this sebenza from a member on the forum on here and he said it had just been took out of the box just to look at. It looks brand new but it is dull as hell. It looks like they never even tried to sharpen it from the factory. Is CR open now where you could send it back and let them sharpen it? I would rather get them to sharpen it the first time. It is hard to beleive a sebenza came from the factory this dull. I am going to ask the guy I bought it from if it has been used.
 
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I have found that "extremely sharp" is very subjective.


I have bought literally 30+ CRK knives in the last decade, and the times I have gotten one that I consider sharp could be counted on one hand. The way the factory sharpens simply leaves the edge rounded over and lacking aggression IMO. I mean, they will cut....but they aren't really that sharp.

So, you're not alone OP. I can't say I've gotten one that is butter knife dull, that is a bit extreme.
 
In my opinion I wouldn't send it back for sharpening.. especially if it's a user. I'm zero out of four that I'd consider shaving sharp.
 
AwayFromMySpydieHole said:
I have found that "extremely sharp" is very subjective.


I have bought literally 30+ CRK knives in the last decade, and the times I have gotten one that I consider sharp could be counted on one hand. The way the factory sharpens simply leaves the edge rounded over and lacking aggression IMO. I mean, they will cut....but they aren't really that sharp.

So, you're not alone OP. I can't say I've gotten one that is butter knife dull, that is a bit extreme.
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I’ve bought 4 and found this to be not far off the mark. One good reprofiling and good to go. But, that seems to be very common in the knife world, I’ve found.
 
Some have complained about sharpness in the past, but it is subjective, and those I have sent in have varied. If you plan to use it, I would just go ahead and sharpen it myself. It won't be the last time needed.
Don't know if they have re-opened. You can check their web site.
 
AwayFromMySpydieHole said:
I have found that "extremely sharp" is very subjective.


I have bought literally 30+ CRK knives in the last decade, and the times I have gotten one that I consider sharp could be counted on one hand. The way the factory sharpens simply leaves the edge rounded over and lacking aggression IMO. I mean, they will cut....but they aren't really that sharp.

So, you're not alone OP. I can't say I've gotten one that is butter knife dull, that is a bit extreme.
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It's interesting how many CRK knives you continued to buy over that period of time vs what you actually considered "sharp".
 
I think I will just sharpen it my self. That steel should not be that hard to sharpen. Thanks everyone.
 
I am using my sharpmaker with the diamond rods and it is not really getting sharp? I am using them at the 15 degree sitting. Do you all think it will just take a while? About every knife I have owned the diamond rods will get them real sharp in a very short time.
 
Razor said:
I am using my sharpmaker with the diamond rods and it is not really getting sharp? I am using them at the 15 degree sitting. Do you all think it will just take a while? About every knife I have owned the diamond rods will get them real sharp in a very short time.
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The bevel is probably fairly obtuse. The sharpmaker just isn’t the right stone for removing adequate material to begin a new edge IMO. I love CRK S35VN due to its ease of maintenance. That being said, any new CRK edge I’ve had needs some work from factory. They tend to have a bit of a convex shape.
 
The sharpie trick is my recommendation here. I bet you just haven’t apexed yet. You might just try hitting the edge in sessions if your committed to the sharpmaker route. I’ve found I like mineral oil on the stones to keep them clean and cutting well.
 
As stated above they typically come from the factory with a slightly convex edge. Basically you're going to have to regrind that edge to the Sharpmaker profile which will take a lot of passes on even the diamond rods. Once you've done it though, future touch ups will be easy. Watch the blade tip, the Sharpmaker tends to round the very tip if you aren't super careful.
 
Like others have said, the CRK knives I've bought came with a very smooth edge from the factory.
They were definitely sharp and had the kind of edge I think I'd put on a knife if I had to market it to the kind of general public
that buys CRK knives. Wonderfully sharp and nearly mirror smooth.

However I highly prefer a toothier, more aggressive edge on all my knives. I repair any edge damage and then do most of my sharpening on ~600 grit diamond.
Once the edge has the bite I'm looking/ feeling for, I'll knock the bur down a bit with either a ceramic rod or stone, but I'm talking maybe 20 passes per side
where as the 600 grit gets anywhere from 50 to nearly 300 strokes per side depending on how dull the knife is/ how bored I am.

I normally flatten out my secondary bevels over time as well so my daily sharpening is spent mostly on the flat of the secondary bevel and then I finish by knocking bur/ creating a bit of a micro-bevel.
Either way, I always use the factory edge till dull as some sort of "new knife ritual" before I do any sharpening and the factory edges from CRKs I've bought were always sharp.

I think sending it in may be a good idea to ensure there wasn't some sort of heat treating issue causing the knife to be dull or not "take an edge",
but if you're not worried about that and intend the knife to be a user I'd just sharpen it to your preferences. Seems like most, or at least a lot, of CRK owners end up
putting their own style edge on their knife rather than trying to replicate the factory edge. Lot of people agree that around 600 grit diamond seems to cut better than a super smooth
edge with CRKs S35VN. Something about carbides and powder and fire and heat and stuff I don't care to pretend to understand.
I just know mine seem to cut better when I stop at around 600 grit rather than going for the mirror polish.
YMMV
 
Sadly, many of the sebenzas I have bought ( new ) have had quite varying degrees of sharpness and edge bevels. Some have very fine edges that really give you a full edge, while others look like they have been sharpened a 100 times on a Sharpmaker over the years. Just different grinding operators. I will admit I am bummed and pissed when I get one like the later. Having had dozens and dozens of both Old and New, Old was definitely much more consistent.
 
nyefmaker said:
Sadly, many of the sebenzas I have bought ( new ) have had quite varying degrees of sharpness and edge bevels. Some have very fine edges that really give you a full edge, while others look like they have been sharpened a 100 times on a Sharpmaker over the years. Just different grinding operators. I will admit I am bummed and pissed when I get one like the later. Having had dozens and dozens of both Old and New, Old was definitely much more consistent.
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I miss the older convex edges
 
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