I must apologize to Hugo for not responding to his question in a timely fashion. As jeffj said, we are "competing with the SHOT Show." Please accept my most humble apology.
The modifications that we make to the Sebenza line are completely at our discretion. We are constantly researching and improving to make our knives in such a way that you, as the customer, benefit the most from these changes. The modification being referred to here is the relief area under the clip. Following is the response that I e-mailed to Hugo, "The number on the inside of the handle, in your case 'A 99', is in fact a batch number that is used for internal purposes. It is merely used as a reference point for the beginning of a process.
About the cutout under the clip, that was added in July 1999. The fact that you received a Sebenza without a cutout is this
our inventory still includes handle backs that do not have the cutout and for various reasons certain backs have been held for assembly at future dates. So, to make good use of our inventory, we send out both styles and it is at random which style a customer receives. Please feel confident that you have purchased a new knife. We do not send out used knives as new."
As Keith mentioned, I am a representative of Chris Reeve Knives and, as being such, I am wholly responsible for the content of my responses. Please note, however, that if I am lacking in my understanding of the question, I will do my research to give a qualified answer. Thanks to all of you for your patience. The activity on the forum is great! I enjoy every minute of reading the responses!
Sincerely,
Mark
