Looking for a Sebenza with a bigger blade? Maybe CK&T has your knife!

WoW!! What great reviews gentleman. Your support and enthusiasum of our first project is not going unnoticed. Tom Kyle(owner), Bob, Greg, and myself want to Thank You for your comments both good and not so good ;). It really helps when the user gives great feedback for the tools they use. All this in being taken in and will be looked at for future projects. We are really excited for the other projects that will be on the drawing board in the not so distant future. Please do not hesitate to call us or shoot an email over anytime. The dual thumbstuds unfortunately will probably not make on these knives. We may look at it in the future on our other knives so don't give up on the idea just yet. Thank you again and we all really appreciate you choosing our knives. Mike Kyle :D
 
Don't worry Larry. From what I've seen in the pictures Chad posted I'm going to be MORE than pleased with the Cutter. I like the lockup point on the one Chad has and hope that all are like that. Everything else about the knife really looks great and I am really anticipating Wednesday!

Kyle, how about something along the lines of the Brend, size wise that has a good old fashioned clip point blade! Looking forward to getting on here Wednesday and really being able to talk it up. After all, you know I can't contain my enthusiasm when it comes to a great knife!!:D :cool: :)
 
Hi Mike, it's really great to see a representative of CK&T here on the forums.

You probably know this but you will not find more loyal consumers in almost any industry - have great products & great service and knife nuts will be beating down your doors.

Any chance of getting a smaller Brend fixed blade in the works? ;)

Specifically one like the attached photo?

Any time you need a "field tester" feel free to drop me a line my rates are very reasonable ;) :D
 
The dual thumbstuds unfortunately will probably not make on these knives.
Click to expand...

That's really too bad. I like the looks of the Brend, and the price looks pretty reasonable, but the double thumbstud is crucial for me. Would it be possible for Cutters to install a double thumbstud after the sale, a là CRK with the Sebenza? If not, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on this one.
 
Chad that may be a possability down the road. Heck, I dont even get to field test this stuff.;) I will keep you in mind tho. I will mention the fixed blade to Tom for you and see what kind of an answer I get. After the Karambit there may be a smaller gentlemans knife in the works but we will see . ;) Nothing has been hashed out yet but there is some brain movement occuring on such a project. Nathan give Tom a call @ the shop 1-561-842-1035 he will have the ultimate decision on that modification for the thumbstuds. The work load @ the shop is slightly heavy. Trying to get caught up on the Manuals and get ready for the blade show has everyone really strapped for time.:D
I dont get on here that often but when I do I will give it my best shot to answer your questions. Thanks again guys! Mike
 
actually, the more i look at it, the better it looks.

sure it isnt "beautiful", but it looks better then when i first saw it

the price is a bit more than i would want to pay. overall i prefer a locking system like the axis lock over the frame lock.

Daniel
 
I like mine more and more each day. Just seems to be the right size for something like this.

Now I have an odd question though. I have the Bodycoted version. Will the Bodycote affect the normal break-in of the lockbar? I am thinking that the knife might almost not break in with that stuff on there, but that is not too big of a deal. Just very curious.
 
Heck the action on mine is already slicker than owl dookey! I have tightened the pivot as tight as it will go and the blade just ROLLS out when you thumb it. Even though I don't really like the little bit of "sponginess" you have with the blade when the knife is closed, it doesn't affect the knife. Lockup is as tight as my father-in-law!!:eek: :eek: :) And that's TIGHT.
 
I'm never content to leave well enough alone and on occassion I make the right move!:eek: ;) Go to www.microholics.org then to Folders n' Fixed Blades. From there it will be easy!
 
Hi Folks. I'd really like to ask... why would you pay such big bucks for a knife?

Don't get me wrong... I love knives, have many, and paid a lot for some. But it seems crazy to me that a) someone charges $300 for steel and a small block of milled titanium and b) someone would pay it.

I know Titanium costs more than aluminum.
-That 154CM costs more than 440c, AUS8, and other inferior steels
-That high quality knives cost more than knock offs.
-That designs require not just artistry but resources to produce them.


But can't SOMEONE produce a knife of this quality, with these materials, for $50? It just seems to me like the profit margin on knives must be huge. I'd BET the actual cost for THIS knife's raw materials is probably $30!

I'm not trying to start a flame war here. But aren't we our own worst enemies when we shell out big bucks for something as simple ad a piece of steel with a handle? Its the oldsest (and simplest) tool known to man!

Comments?
 
The problem with this lies in what you get for the money. A knife has to pay for itself, it also has to pay for the time of those that work on it to make it.

Then there is the question of fit and finish. We all know that on a cheaper knife, even those around the $100 mark, the fit just wont be as nice because they dont want to spend as much time on it. If you look at some of the full blown customs for around $400-500, I would imagine that quite a bit of time goes into making each knife. And with a knife that a company tries to make to be on par with cheap customs, you would not something that they had punched out in under an hour, and done nothing too.
 
Just some observations from the earlier mods. I made Saturday ;

The action is still tight on the Brend, and exactly like I want it to be. In the closed position the blade does not move and the little bit of bounce I originally noticed is now gone. Blade has stayed completely centered and lockup position of the lockbar has not changed that I can note. Lockup itself is simply fixed blade tight.
The grip tape I applied has not peeled up any, though it has only been a day. I have noticed that it is more difficult to draw with the tight clip and grip tape both holding it in the pocket! In fact the grip tape actually looks like inserts when you first glance at it. I think it not only enhances the grip but helps the looks of the plain titanium handle. A grooved/milled handle would be another story. Lastly, this knife is really starting to appeal to me. The sleek design, with the narrow handle and narrow blade give it a decidedly tactical look but it still functions as a great utility knife. Not sure what you term the blade shape; drop point with a deep false edge on top or a spearpoint blade. Whatever the style I like it and it adds to the functionality of the blade.

Again, the modifications I performed on this knife voided the warranty, but for me made a "better" knife. If you are unsure of what I speak of, check out the link in my previous post.
 
I tend to agree pretty much with everything you say, and I have cycled mine now over 5,000 times in the last week, and is still just as tight as in the beginning, and a whole lot smoother in the action.
The only thing I can add that you can't comment on is the D/A action is awesome as the knife got smoother opening, and closing in the manual function, it has also gotten faster in the D/A mode. Kinda reminds me of a Dalton as it opens with such authority.
The more I handle the knife the more I get attached to it, and appreciate the fine workmanship, and solid feeling of the knife when you open, and close it like in a fine custom. I can't believe how much it keeps getting better, and better in the smoothness of the action, and reminds me of a fine lever action rifle.
As far as the Brend blade, I kinda call it a clip point recurve blade with a false edge. Just IMO.......
So this is just to add to your observations, and adding my .02 cents worth to a fine high end production knife that just keeps getting better the more it is used.
Hope you are enjoying yours as much as I do mine, and you have only 3 more days left til you either get rid of it, or keep it :D :D
Mine is a keeper :)

Larry
 
Ultrasteele, the "value" issue regarding high end knives has really been beat to death which may be why you have not gotten any more comments.

The bottom line is it all depends on how much value you place on a knife. There are definite seen and unseen advantages to buying higher end knives - and believe me if someone could make a knife the quality of the one we're discussing here for $50 they would.

I will say that I think your reasoning is flawed regarding the materials price. Is art work priced based on the cost of the paint and the mat? I owne a Monte Blanc pen and pencil set, should it be judged on the cost of the materials? The answer to both is no.

Benchmade came out with a knife to compete with a Sebenza called the Pinnacle, basically they stopped making it because of the relatively mediocre quality compared to high productions costs from what I have heard. Titanium is not easy to mill - let alone to mill it right.

If you go beyond the exterior features of the knives you will see all of the nuances that add to the quality as well as the cost.

Examples would be pivot bearings, phosphor bronze washers, ceramic detent balls etc...

For the most part though it's just how much value you place on the item in question. Surely there is something you own that someone else would consider extravagant...

Buy quality and only cry once

Art, I have done what you've described to a couple of my MOD's & MT's to tighten them up - works great!

I like a tighter pivot too and my CK&T was just perfect!
 
UltraSteele,

I'm a big believer in the efficiency of markets, including the valuations placed on custom knives.

With that said, there is a pretty nice CRKT titanium handled, framelock folder with a 4" ATS-34 blade on sale at A.G. Russell for $60 bucks.

http://www.agrknives.com/crkt/cl-7503.html

It's CNC machined in Taiwan, and is an instance of an answer to your question "why can't we buy high-quality knives for prices that reflect modern manufacturing methods?"

I bought one for my brother, who was going to a sailing school for a week. It was superior to a number of custom knives that I've purchased in lock-up and pivot smoothness. Does that mean I'm going to stop buying custom, hand-made knives? Of course not, but it means I am buying hand-made knives for more complicated reasons than just getting a quality implementation of a set of features at the lowest price from the most efficient manufacturer.

As an aside, I am continually surprised by both the quality and shoddiness of the production knives coming out nowadays. My Boker Infinity is complete crap in some many ways, while the S-2 above is, as described above, the superior of some custom made knives in specific areas.
 
Thank you so much for you kind, and well though out responses. Cpirtle and Gaben, especially.

It is a testament to the sense of community here in this forum that my question was treated with such respect.

In all seriousness, I fully understand what you're saying, and am having a hard time not ordering this knife. I just wanted to see if MY motivation for some of the things I buy was so different from those of other knife nuts. It's good to be "normal."



Thank you all, Best wishes. Now where's my credit card...:p
 
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