New umnumzaan very difficult to open

merlinus said:
As a follow-up, I want to let everyone know that I received two emails from Heather at CRK. She was very compassionate and understanding, and assured me that they would have made everything right if I had returned the umnumzaan to them, even to the extent of refunding the return shipping charges.

So, my faith in CRK has been renewed!!! And I am placing an order for another, but this time with the new S35VN steel, even if it means waiting two months or so.

My heartfelt thanks to all who posted on this thread, and offered suggestions, feedback, and a willingness to share their experiences with the knife.

-merlin
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Glad to hear things got sorted out! Hope you are happy with the new one that arrives in a whiles time. Let us know what you think!
 
Hey Merlin, I think you made a good choice. There are too many things going for the knife to let a 1 minor setback stand in the way of enjoying this work of art.) I too hope you get a smooth one right out of the box. However, I looked at it this way when mine was not possible to open with one hand..... Yes, it was a major bummer and almost had me on the brink of opting for an exchange and Yes, my thumb became indelibly sore for days. However, I think I would have played with it anyway had it been buttery smooth - how can one not with such a specimen? =) Also, the need to break it in with so much time told me two things - 1) It is brand, brand new and 2) the fact that it took so long to break in means the tolerances are even that much tighter and hence almost give the knife a longer life and take much more time to wear down in the long run (as opposed to a new one which came almost loosely smooth OFTB). Either way, Chris Reeve stands behind their knives and that alone can allow one more patience as a customer.
 
That is great news. They are exceptional people over there at CRK. Heather and Charmane are the one's I speak with and both have done right by me.
 
When I first got it I had to make sure I did not have a finger on the lock bar otherwise I could not open the knife. Since I relubed it I can hold the lock bar and it still opens smooth as silk. It just gets better and better.
 
I've always heard that nearly all frame locked / liner locked knives may need a break in period. There's the pencil trick for most frame locks - the Umnumzaan has the ceramic ball so that rules that option out.

As for a take down tool, my handcuff keys work great, one key on each side and twist using the small end that is for double locking the cuffs. Works great and I always have two on me :)

I agree that it shouldn't have been THAT tight, but a little elbow grease or loosening of the pivot would have fixed that right up. CRK is one of the few....actually the only knife company that I know of that encourages taking the knives apart for cleaning or tightening, etc... If the provided take down tool was an issue (when you had the knife) you can set the Umnumzaan on the edge of a counter or table, and hold the take down tools in both hands and just sandwhich the pivot and twist to loosen it up. I hope the next Umnumzaan is more to your liking.

I actually didn't fully like my first Umnumzaan, sold it here on the forums, and just a few months ago picked up another one and coudn't be happier. My issue right out of the box (well, at the gun show) was trying to open the knife. I had to re-learn how to open the blade quickly by pushing parallel with the frame to the pivot.

Good luck with the next one and be sure to come back and visit us when you get it :)
 
Emerson is the only one other than CRK that allows you to disassemble the knife. They go as far to make it possible with just a swiss army knife. Small Phillips and a straight blade.
 
Andddd from the dark depths of 2011, a thread shall rise!
 
I just obtained a CR Wilson Combat Zann (S35VN - 58 - 59 RC). My knife was very stiff to open.

After reading this tread - I played with the pivot screws adjusting the tension. That did not work. So I used a .38 ca gun brush to clean the plate and blade holes. Finally swabbed the metal surfaces with gun oil and cleaning patches. The blade opens like butter now.
 
I started reading this thread not seeing the date, and I can't believe how frustrated I got. The OP came off so whiny to all the nice responses he was getting I started losing it.

"I want my knife to come from the manufacturer shooting lasers and flying open telepathically if I even look at it from across the room! No I won't do a simple thing like take it apart, it's too hard!"
 
It's common when someone has an expectation built from others pride of ownership in any brand. Yes, it can be frustrating..but we are still human subject to all positives as well as the negatives bestowed upon us.
 
It's a mechanical device - as such they sometimes need to be tweaked. Why else do we get involved?
 
Plus this knife as brand new engineering. That = a learning curve = a bit of frustration for some folks. It's understandable (somewhat). When I spend that much money, I want the thing to work the way I want it to work right out of the box, whatever it is, immediately. Why should that be unreasonable? :p
 
DallasSTB - good point:rolleyes:

I wonder if anyone from "Chris Reeves" takes notice of these entries? A little dialogue from the maker would be nice. Don't you think?
 
DLU04 said:
DallasSTB - good point:rolleyes:

I wonder if anyone from "Chris Reeves" takes notice of these entries? A little dialogue from the maker would be nice. Don't you think?
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Yes, they do..but not to the extent that they will spend all day here. To be honest, I think if I was a maker, I would be driven nuts by some of the complaints made..
Not that some of the complaints are not legitimate,..but think of it this way. Many people will make a post about an issue BEFORE they contact the manufacturer for a resolution. This helps nobody...Especially the manufacturer.
 
bhyde said:
Yes, they do..but not to the extent that they will spend all day here. To be honest, I think if I was a maker, I would be driven nuts by some of the complaints made..
Not that some of the complaints are not legitimate,..but think of it this way. Many people will make a post about an issue BEFORE they contact the manufacturer for a resolution. This helps nobody...Especially the manufacturer.
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I suspect that's why BF has "Whine & Cheese." It's amazing to me how a "simple thread" can go off topic or be hijacked.
 
DLU04 said:
DallasSTB - good point:rolleyes:

I wonder if anyone from "Chris Reeves" takes notice of these entries? A little dialogue from the maker would be nice. Don't you think?
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CRK does have an easily accessible customer service department just to deal with these types of issues. They can be reached at crkinfo@chrisreeve.com. I hear they are quite nice and efficient ;) .
 
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