My relief and complaint about the one-piece line!

Joined
May 3, 2002
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When I found out (midway through a thread on this very forum) that Chris Reeve was discontinuing their one-piece line, I was HORRIFIED and I absolutely PANICKED!

Not only had I just recently sold the one-piece knives I had, but I hadn't yet found my white whale... the elusive Sable IV.

Well... I now finally HAVE ONE! HA! I got a Sable IV on ebay and it's minty and beautiful! I'm keeping it forever and ever and ever and ever!

I'm SOOOOO happy!:D:p:)

I'd never handled one of these particular knives - I just owned the super-huge Sable I (?) with the big 9" blade with the graceful backward curve that was so incredible and I loved so much but didn't really need a knife that big. This one is more to the size I'd use and I'm glad to see that it actually still does have that graceful backward curve, just scaled down. You have to have a careful eye or a straight-edge to detect it, but it's there as it should be.

I almost said I feel a LITTLE bit better about the discontinuation of this line, even though I think it's really foolish of them. But I don't feel better. THESE are the knives Chris Reeve is most known for. THESE are the knives that taught the world what a hollow handled knife really was. THESE are the knives that defined the word "integral".

Anyway, having this thing - this new Sable IV - in my hands - the ultimate fixed blade knife, just reminds me of how WRONG... how very wrong it feels that these knives are being discontinued.

This is exactly the kind of legendary knife line a company should never discontinue, for reasons that should be obvious. Like the Buck 110 or the Emerson CQC-7 or... It just seems WRONG for these to stop existing.

Not for anything, but it seems irresponsible. Doesn't Reeve owe any responsibility to the legend it created? So what if sales drop a bit? Make a few. Did Ford say, "Ah, people aren't buying as many Mustangs now a days, let's just scrap the whole thing... pffft!" ?

You have to at least prepare the world first. Or try to keep it alive first. You can't just scrap a legend. Jeez, the least they could have done was WEEN us off of them!

I'm just beside myself about this tonight and I don't know how else to say it or argue my point.

I feel like the company that introduced pre-sliced bread just decided to give up on the whole idea.

.
 
Sables.

12" blade
4" blade

CRKfamily003-1.jpg
 
the way I see it is that everything great must one day end. Thats what makes greatness possible and allows change to occur.
 
I agree completely but CRK's guy in South Africa who machines the 1 piece billets of A2 steel is retiring and he does not have an apprentice. This skill is 1) very specialized and takes years to master and 2) costs a LOT and I don't think he could have it done in the USA without having the costs skyrocket. I was told by a man who has been selling Reeves in the USA since the early 80s (he was actually the FIRST USA importer) that when Reeve was doing D2 steel that he had to machine many parts of it twice, especially the handle as one 'go-through' wasn't enough. The One Piece Line was the heart and soul of CRK for a long time, back when he was making them of D2 Tool Steel in multiple colors and customizing them in South Africa in the mid 80s. The larger Jeroboam was a HUGE seller then and I assume because people wanted a large, strong knife for heavy outdoors usage and the modded Bowie tip made the knife not only function well but very cosmetically appealing. Almost 25 years later, these knives are still cutting edge (no pun intended) technology despite the fact that they have had only the most suttle of changes. With that said, when hacking, the S30V blades have MUCH better handles that do not deliver as much shock but they do not have an S30V line as extensive as the hollow handle line, delivering blades from about 4 to 9 inches. The S30V Micarta handled line is only around 5.5-7.

I can only imagine with the new Crucible steel that we will be seeing new fixed blades. CRK has really updated their offerings with the newer Umnumzaan, Sebenza 21, a few smaller fixed blades, the Pacific, their Kitchen series and the soon to be released Umfaan. As a small business, they probably just have to finish with the hollow handle line before getting into a new product as the hollow handle line is created throughout the world and takes a few months of planning and a few more of work to come together.
 
Great find! Keep it.
I like my Sable IV more than most others...I got mine recently and, in all honesty, it looks and feels nicer than my others (I have 9 fixed blades).
My "special" is still my Nkonka 3V....but that is more like a sword (short sword compared to the big Sable above) than a knife....it has similar lines to the Sable.....
 
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