My very first seb, disappointed...

[Jersey]

Before you get your feathers all ruffled, please read the whole post!

Here is the e-mail I wrote to CRK lastnight...

Hello, I've been a spyderco collector for about a year. Recently I sold my entire collection to buy one of the last "In God we trust" small knives from new graham knives for my everyday carry blade. Needless to say, I was very excited about getting this blade after reading about them on bladeforums.com.

I got the knife in the mail today, and I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed. I find that the knife is very hard to open with one hand. I bought a small because I'm on the smaller side and it fits my right hand nicely. I am not new to knives, so I'm a bit confused on why I'm having so much trouble adapting to this knife. I read on the forums different techniques people use to open up sebie's but I'm still having trouble. I was thinking about trying to losen or tighten a screw, or even add oil but the knife is brand new so it's doubtful it needs anything, and I figured I'd contact you guys before I tried anything. After trying for the past hour my thumb started to hurt so I gave up for tonight and thats when I decided to write you guys. Normally this wouldn't bother me; however, after spending $400 on a knife I thought it'd open with complete ease. Also, this worries me if I'm ever put in a self defense or emergency situation where I need to deploy the knife easily, quickly, and efficiently the first time with one hand.

Thank you for your time and understanding on the issue.

-Signed

Anyway, It was so difficult to open that I actually cracked the skin between my thumb and fingernail and it burned like crazy when I washed my hands etc (wore a bandaid all night) :yawn:

Today, I couldn't resist the temptation anymore seeing such a beautiful knife on on display and not in my pocket. I was being stubborn and refused to touch the knife since it was brand new but tonight I took out the allen key and tried to loosen the 2 uppermost screws on the blade. Guess what, they "cracked" loose and now the blade feels 110% better. I dont know if its the weather changing (cold), or maybe the knives just been sitting around for a while, but whatever it is the knife feels amazing now. Even though this story is long and boring I felt I should share it with the community or anyone who plans to spend a nice chunk of change on a quality CRK folder. Hope I might of helped!

My Spyderco Caly 3 has been a great EDC, but now its set aside for my brand new CRK "In God we trust"

By the way, Heather from CRK responded to my e-mail in under 24 hours and offered to take total care of me and my problem. Big :thumbup: for that.

 

[Saberman]

Great story and thanks for sharing it.

It only goes to show that Seb's are made to be used and not merely possessed. Don't be afraid of it, it's your knife.

 

[Jersey]

Great story and thanks for sharing it.

It only goes to show that Seb's are made to be used and not merely possessed. Don't be afraid of it, it's your knife.

Being my EDC, this knife will do what it is intended to do, be used!

 

[westllen]

Jersey, Congrats on your first and most likely not your last Sebbie. Heather is "great" as is everyone else @ CRK. Just to note I had a few brand new Lg. and Small very tight opening at first. But researching and listening to a lot of the "Sebbie Elders" around here had proven to be a great help. But still on my own I tweaked my personal sebbies exactly how I would like my folders to perform. Most would not experiment in the manner I have.
I prefer my Sebbies to glide open wetherby thumb assist or in an emergency flip open. All Sebbies do not come this way. I do not alter any of my Sebbies to were it would void or terminate the warranty.
Just making them the way I prefer! Tweak this and tweak that ...works for me. There's a lot of excellent info here on the CRK forum to assist you with your Sebbie. As well as us fellow members ...always feel free to ask it would be a pleasure!:thumbup:

regards, ....Oh and post some pic's of that "bad boy"

Jules

 

[xaman]

glad it's working out for you! That's a fine blade that ought to be carried :thumbup:

 

[Jersey]

thanks for the replies

westllen, sent you an e-mail

I'll post up some pics in the "just images" thread

 

[westllen]

thanks for the replies

westllen, sent you an e-mail

I'll post up some pics in the "just images" thread

Hey buddy, I hope my email helps with making that special first Sebbie to your own liking. Glad to be of assistance.
And if you decide you would like to "pimp it" (double lugs, initials as well as other services) give the CRK/shop a call, they are amazing! You will soon see they go above and beyond with any of the products. Customer satisfaction is off the chart with happy sebbie lovers!

regards,:thumbup:

Jules

**heres a pic of a large one I recently sold to a very dear friend, enjoy!

 

[MORIMOTOM]

wow, looks great!! i love those, but i cant decide on whether i want the "stars and stripes" or the "in god we trust".


prolly end up with both.

 

[scott112]

My new small regular Seb was really tight when it first arrived and was difficult to open, but after a few days it seemed to loosen up on its own. It's still nowhere near as loose as my Benchmade axis models, but it seems just about right now. Not too tight, not too loose.

 

[jarlaxle]

Get a large. Thats what the sebenza is designed to be, and its ergos are much better than the small IMO.

 

[RNST]

I bought a 2006 LE Small Seb off another forum this past summer.

It never did lock up correctly and I just let it sit in a drawer for a couple of months. The blade didn't engage properly with the frame lock and in my opinion it was bordering on dangerous.

Recently I have bought two more Seb's from CRK and TNK. They were absolutely perfect.

So the 2006 LE really began to bother me and I was all set to pack it up and ship it back to CRK for refurbishment. Then I thought, there is no warranty since its second hand; why not take it apart and see what the problem is inside that makes this one so imperfect.

Untied the lanyard, used the allen key to take it all apart and I found there was a dirty spot near the pivot and the brass washers had a lot of grease built up on one side. Cleaned the entire knife and lubed it with some "Rem Oil" and re assembled it.

Voila! Perfect lock up just like its brothers in my EDC. Now its back in the rotation.

 

[TedV]

Before you get your feathers all ruffled, please read the whole post!

Here is the e-mail I wrote to CRK lastnight...



Anyway, It was so difficult to open that I actually cracked the skin between my thumb and fingernail and it burned like crazy when I washed my hands etc (wore a bandaid all night) :yawn:

Today, I couldn't resist the temptation anymore seeing such a beautiful knife on on display and not in my pocket. I was being stubborn and refused to touch the knife since it was brand new but tonight I took out the allen key and tried to loosen the 2 uppermost screws on the blade. Guess what, they "cracked" loose and now the blade feels 110% better. I dont know if its the weather changing (cold), or maybe the knives just been sitting around for a while, but whatever it is the knife feels amazing now. Even though this story is long and boring I felt I should share it with the community or anyone who plans to spend a nice chunk of change on a quality CRK folder. Hope I might of helped!

My Spyderco Caly 3 has been a great EDC, but now its set aside for my brand new CRK "In God we trust"

By the way, Heather from CRK responded to my e-mail in under 24 hours and offered to take total care of me and my problem. Big :thumbup: for that.

Still a bit odd, tension on those screws should NOT influence pivot tension. If it does, there is something wrong with your Sebenza. I would still suggest you send it back to CRK or completely dis-assemble and re-assemble to see if you then still have the problem. Perhaps a washers is pinched or there is some dirt underneath a washer or the bushing.

Ted

 

[rifle]

Still a bit odd, tension on those screws should NOT influence pivot tension. If it does, there is something wrong with your Sebenza. I would still suggest you send it back to CRK or completely dis-assemble and re-assemble to see if you then still have the problem. Perhaps a washers is pinched or there is some dirt underneath a washer or the bushing.

Ted

I agree. The tension of the screws shouldn't affect the pivot when they are tightened down all the way (like they are supposed to). My large Micarta got stiff, I took it apart and cleaned then "Break-Free'd" it. It slicked right up.

 

[lmeister]

I'm a multiple Sebbie owner and I find CRK Customer Service (& Heather) absolutely the BEST. I've never had any problem with these hard use knives (and I do use them). Everthing I sent in was for cosmetic polishing, engraving and general spa treatment. As a result I'm a big fan of Sebbies. Since Titanium scratches easily I carry them in a CRK sheath or pouch or buy the models with micarta or other handle material. My ONLY gripe with CRK's is the thumb stud which is too small and too pointy.