New Small Sebenza 21 owner with questions

T

Trio

Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
35
Have had my Small Sebenza 21 for a whole 24 hours now and I have two questions:

- The opening and closing action of the knife is becoming easier with less resistance today compared to yesterday, but I think it still needs some time to break in. Should I break it down and lube it now or wait? I have a tube of CRK lube and have reviewed the procedure.

- Assuming daily use (not hard use), how often would you recommend doing the breakdown/clean/lube procedure?

Thanks for your help,
Trio
 
Let it loosen with time and dont force anything you dont have to.

ive had mine almost a year and have only opened it to clean 3 times, shouldnt need it unless very dirty IMO.

there is a few examples of people not assembling correctly and getting non centered blades after.
 
Firstly, in my experience the Sebenza is not a knife you can flick open. It has more of a hydraulic feel to the opening. Secondly, You can squirt some Nano in and around the pivot area to make it a bit smoother, but it will never be like a knife on bearings. Others may have different experiences.
 
Last edited:
Yeah it took me about a month to learn to open gently one handed. It was basicslly a 2 handed folder the first month.
 
It will definitely smooth out buddy. Just give it some time...

And pow! It'll be smooth....

I wouldn't worry about breaking it down unless that gives you some joy, then go ahead and do it. They are kind of fun to disassemble and put back together just cause you can, it's a CRK!!
 
Trio said:
Have had my Small Sebenza 21 for a whole 24 hours now and I have two questions:

- The opening and closing action of the knife is becoming easier with less resistance today compared to yesterday, but I think it still needs some time to break in. Should I break it down and lube it now or wait? I have a tube of CRK lube and have reviewed the procedure.
I would wait to lube it, it still has the factory applied lube in it! That tube should last you quite a while. You can break it down and have a look inside, then just reassemble.

- Assuming daily use (not hard use), how often would you recommend doing the breakdown/clean/lube procedure?
I would lube or clean it when it feels rough or gritty, but the fit is so tight that nothing can really get inbetween the washers and blade. It's more when the grease mechanically breaks down that it needs to be replaced, and it lasts tons longer than oil.

As an aside, i can thumb flick my seb 21 open with ease, and i haven't modified my sebenza in any way. Just open it and use it and it will break in naturally. When disassembling though, remember the orientation of the washers when you remove them (which side was touching the blade). It should keep it consistent.

Thanks for your help,
Trio
Click to expand...

That's all :-) Enjoy your new seb!
 
I have Sebenza's I use, and have never taken them apart. Their made with such close tolerances you just need soap and hot water, dry and lube. I use mineral oil on mine.

If it's your first one your probably curious to see whats inside, just don't strip the screws.

It's a fun tool.
 
Well, now that I've had the knife an entire 72 hours and have operated it about 150 times, I decided to take it apart to clean and lube. I could see some "gunk" building up where the ball rides on the blade.

I'm glad I did.

I carefully dis-assembled and cleaned the parts, taking care with the washers and pivot bushing so the re-assembly would put them back in the same orientation. I used CRK grease between the blade and the washers, plus a little Nano-Oil on the area of the blade tang where the lock bar ends up and also the ball track on the lock side of the blade. Re-assembled and tightened. No problems or difficulties. It was very easy to do, even for a first-timer like me.

The operation of the knife is definitely improved. It opens and closes easier, and unlocking is smoother. As an additional benefit, my thumb doesn't hurt as much when opening the blade. A worthwhile 20 minutes.

Just thought I would mention - I didn't see evidence of any factory lube inside. I don't think it was operating "dry", just that there was no extra deposited anywhere.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Trio
 
Assuming daily use (not hard use), how often would you recommend doing the breakdown/clean/lube procedure?

I asked this of CRK and they said it depends upon how the knife is used. The minimum recommended time was once a year. They said that it should be done once a year, even if the knife does not seem to need lubrication, because the grease helps protect the closed in area of the pivot, blade, etc. from rust.
 
:thumbup: As long as you don't strip a screw, or damage a washer there is no limit to the number of times you can disassemble a Sebenza.Even if you do damage something, CRK can fixt it. I don't hesitate to strip mine whenever I think the action is slowing down, I feel that it is gritty, or even just for something to do. After you do it a few times, it doesn't take much effort..

PS. I find fieldstripping a Colt 1911 enjoyable, and the Sebenza is similar. With the Sebenza, if you find it to be a chore you don't really have to do it at all. After all most other knife companies discourage disassembly. So, I guess the answere is whatever you feel comfortable with.

kwazyjuice said:
I would say as often as you feel is necessary. Maybe if you're bored, or you just want too.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Pretty much all of mine came from the factory with just enough lube, if not a tad dry for my taste. After applying more lube (and polishing the washers a bit) the action improved noticeably.
 
Bought a pre owned classic small sebenza. It was really gritty. Took it apart and found a lot of dirt all over. Gave a good clean and applied some krytox. Assembled it back.
Super buttery smooth now.
 
My small Insingo too about 6 months before it was butter smooth. At this point I only break it down if it starts to feel gritty. Even then some times i just rinse in hot water, blow out the water, a little lube and it's ready to go.... no break down required.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top