New Sebenza, pathetically dull!

[marthinus]

I need to hold a Sebenza to know whether it should be sharp given that it is a knife whose sole purpose is to cut, it costs nearly $400, and the company prides itself at having unmatched fit-and-finish? That's some interesting logic you have there.

As I said. Get hold of one and decide for yourself if it is worth $400 for you.

CRK does pride itself in having some of the best fit and finish as they should. They have won the Quality Manufacturing award numerous times at the Blade show. Other companies have voted for them to win the award.

As to my logic. Please note that we see a lot of trolls on the forums and starting with some negative comments right of the bat is usually an indicator of trolls. I might have interpreted your comments wrongly. Then so be it. I apologize.

 

[Watchmaker]

It's always interesting to see the low post counts come out of the woodwork whenever something negative is mentioned about a CRK product.

My thoughts exactly. :thumbup:

 

[mrpinkbullets]

We have been spoiled by many knife makers giving us razor sharp edges from the factory. They do not have to its more of a privilege rather then a must by makers.

I disagree. A knife is, before anything else, a cutting tool, and the edge is the part that cuts. Any self-respecting knifemaker should care for the edge of his product before anything else- even the bone/stag/pearl/geniune whale penis inlaid handle, even the mathematically-calculated blade geometry, even the whiz-bang super tank Axis Integral plunge bank vault lock. In the end, a knife is merely a sharp edge with a bunch of stuff attached to it. If it's not sharp, it's worthless. A good edge is not a privilege- it is an absolute necessity. Farmers and outdoorsmen have survived with sharp knives and loose, cheap locks for centuries, but not even the strongest lock can be safe if the user is trying to muscle his way through a tough cut using a dull blade.

Yes, a good knife collector/user should learn how to sharpen his pieces. But for a semi-custom, hand-fitted and hand-sharpened knife costing several hundred dollars, a dull factory edge is simply unacceptable. CRK are an excellent company and they will not stand for something like this to tarnish their reputation- and we should not try to "accept" dull edges just because lesser makers do.

@ OP: Did you buy your Seb directly from the factory, or from a retailer/dealer? In either case, I recommend you call or email CRK and let them know your concern. Be polite, explain everything in detail and I assure you they will take good care of you. If you want to send it in, let them know you don't think it's fair for you to pay shipping to fix a knife that doesn't meet their own published standards, and odds are they'll make an accommodation for you.

I just ordered a customized and engraved Seb as a Christmas gift, and Heather at CRK walked me through every step of the ordering process, answering all my questions patiently. They made a special accommodation for my shipping request, and Heather even personally inspected the fit, finish, and lockup of my individual knife before she sent it out. CRK are in a league of their own when it comes to customer service, and I know they'd want to make things right by you.

 

[mrpinkbullets]

If you cant sharpen your knife, why bother having one. Might as well stick to toss-aways. If you never need to sharpen your knife, then you don't use a knife and don't need one. The way I see it , if you spend the kind of money that seb costs, you should probably know a few things about knives. Sharpening is one of those things. Just a personal opinion of course. But I always get annoyed when people buy stuff out of their league. This includes bikes, cars, cameras etc.

This is a terrible attitude to have, and it's exactly the kind of thing that scares away beginner knife collectors. I see the same attitude from gun dealers and shooters, and it's sad. We should welcome new guys and teach them what we've learned, not drive them away with this kind of elitist bullshit.

I've been collecting knives since I was a teenager, and I never learned how to sharpen properly until a year ago. Before that, I was an amateur, more interested in having knives than understanding them. When a knife got dull I often just bought a newer, sharper, more expensive one. A friend of mine took care of me, showed me how to properly take down and clean my pieces and sharpen my blades correctly. Now I understand that knives aren't toys, they are precision machines that perform a precision function and require care and maintenance. If my friend had had an attitude like yours, I'd still be dicking around with Kershaws and Gerbers, with no appreciation of blade steel or craftsmanship.

 

[marthinus]

I disagree. ......... A good edge is not a privilege- it is an absolute necessity.

I agree with you, but a good edge for me might differ from a good edge for you. It depends on our uses. I know some makers I have spoken to at our knife show do not put a high polished edge because most of their clients complained that it was to sharp for dressing deer. (need a confused smiley here). For me it did not make sense, but it was geared for a specific market that did not want a razor edge. So different strokes for different folks and therefore IMO a razor edge from a maker is a privilege and not a necessity. You the client can make it the edge you want.

 

[mrpinkbullets]

I know some makers I have spoken to at our knife show do not put a high polished edge because most of their clients complained that it was to sharp for dressing deer. [...] So different strokes for different folks and therefore IMO a razor edge from a maker is a privilege and not a necessity. You the client can make it the edge you want.

True, but Sebenzas are not for skinning deer. Chris Reeve takes pride in the craftsmanship and sharpness of his blades, and for some limited editions he even grinds and sharpens them himself. From the CRK FAQ:

"What sets our knives in their own category of excellence is that every blade is free-hand ground, every folding knife is individually fitted, and every knife sharpened by hand."

For a semi-custom knifemaker that proudly makes these claims, I'll have to insist that anything less than a surgically sharp blade is completely unacceptable. It still happens, because no level of quality control can be completely perfect- but it is absolutely not something you should just swallow as a customer, and I don't believe it's something that CRK would want you to be stuck with. Sebenzas have a reputation for being "perfect" knives (and are priced accordingly), and I don't think Chris would ever want you to be stuck with anything less than that. Other makers, maybe. Gerber, S&W, even Kershaw once in a while (though very rare). Absolutely not CRK.

 

[BlazenGem]

True, but Sebenzas are not for skinning deer. Chris Reeve takes pride in the craftsmanship and sharpness of his blades, and for some limited editions he even grinds and sharpens them himself. From the CRK FAQ:

"What sets our knives in their own category of excellence is that every blade is free-hand ground, every folding knife is individually fitted, and every knife sharpened by hand."

For a semi-custom knifemaker that proudly makes these claims, I'll have to insist that anything less than a surgically sharp blade is completely unacceptable. It still happens, because no level of quality control can be completely perfect- but it is absolutely not something you should just swallow as a customer, and I don't believe it's something that CRK would want you to be stuck with. Sebenzas have a reputation for being "perfect" knives (and are priced accordingly), and I don't think Chris would ever want you to be stuck with anything less than that. Other makers, maybe. Gerber, S&W, even Kershaw once in a while (though very rare). Absolutely not CRK.

I think you are forgetting that CRK folders are hard use knives that can take a beating. Although I agree that CRKs should be decently sharp, the sharper it is the weaker the edge. So, although being surgically sharp might be good for light cutting, its not so much for harder use.

 

[lambertiana]

My small sebenza came quite dull, not even close to scrape-shaving sharp. And when it recently returned from the spa treatment with CR, it had a horrible wire edge.

Both were easily fixed, but this is not the quality that I would expect from someone who keeps winning the manufacturing excellence award. I paid a premium for quality, and I expect it.