Newbie qustions about a small Sebenza

B

Boknife

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Sep 29, 2012
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Hi all, I have just received my first Chris Reeve knife and I am of course thrilled . It’s a brand new small Sebenza with silver thumb stud and spacer. I am obviously a newbie and I just wanted to check some things with you more experienced Sebenza owners. Please bare with me and my newbie questions and also that English is not my native language:

(1) As it is brand new I found it a little bit hard to open and close but I guess this is normal with a new one from what I have read here on the forum. After half an hour my thumb is rather sore. If I disengage the frame lock, the blade moves smoothly so the issue seems to come from the pressure of the frame lock.
(2) After playing with it for like half an hour and dissembled it in order to remove the lanyard and pin and didn’t really check if the washers were put in again, turned the same way. Is this important on a new knife? (as I think this matter more on a broken in one ..).
(3) After putting it together I took a close look at it and saw that both washers can be seen when the blade is open if I look into the base if the blade in gap at the frame lock. Is this normal?
(4) When the blade opens, it runs smoothly until the frame lock pre-engages a little like 2-3 cm before it locks in the open position. It seems as this happens as the base of blade turns and passes the little “bump” on the inside of the frame lock (which I think is there to ensure the closed position). Is this normal?

Again, sorry for these newbie thoughts but they seem to disturb my peace of mind when it comes to this awesome knife.
Best regards from Sweden /Bo
 
It should be smooth out of the box, but it does get smoother over time. Difficulty opening it is more likely due to you not being used to it yet. Youll get the hang of it and realize what angle you should apply pressure on thumb stud to get the smoothest opening. For some people it makes it easier to apply pressure parallel to the handles against the thumb stud rather than straight out perpendicular to the handles. Also remember to not apply pressure to the clip as it exerts pressure on the lock.
Some people advise making sure you dont flip the washers, meaning the side that contacts the blade and the side that contacts the handle shouldnt change. Ive never bothered putting them in the same way and it doesnt make a difference on the used or new sebbies ive had.
The ceramic detent does indeed keep the blade closed. It also serves the purpose of giving a smooth surface for the blade to ride on. so near the end of travel it does drop off the detent. this ceramic also polishes a very smooth portion into the blade, which is where most of us believe the smoother with use phenomenon comes from.
Not too sure what washer gap youre talking about. but it is perfectly normal to see both washers when the blade is open
 
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Thank you very much kaosu04, I really appreciate your reply and I’m sure you’re right about getting used to it (and the fact that my thumb hurts as a natural consequence from doing something “new” with it).
And about the washers being visible, they are simply wide enough to “stick out” a little under the handle (between the handle and the blade) if you look straight into the base of the blade next to the frame lock. Sorry if the question didn’t make sense.
Thanks again!
 
my thumb hurt at first too when i got my first sebbie. it doesnt take long at all until opening and closing it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience
 
No offense, but I'm not surprised your thumb was sore after a half an hour! It's meant to be opened, used, and closed, not repeatedly manipulated over and over. That being said, I have owned many Sebenzas and all have had a different detent strength and lock pressure when opening the blade. A couple have been so strong that I sold them. Most are perfect, but still stronger than a lot of my other knives.

If it doesn't affect your being able to use the knife, then don't worry about it. But if it is to the point that you are unhappy with it, don't be afraid to sell it and try another one. I've owned many Sebenzas, and some have just "clicked" with me more than others for whatever reasons.
 
My thumb was sore after getting a both my new Sebenzas (15 years apart). There's a couple of issues at work here. You are opening it and closing it more times in an hour than you will do in a week, once you are used to owning the knife. That, plus being unfamiliar with the slightly unique technique required will give you a sore thumb. Also, Sebenzas can be a bit stiff at first. There are ways (you can search for threads about it here) to polish the washers for ultimate smoothness, or you can open it a couple of thousand times and it will probably smooth out. In the case of my recently purchased Small Sebenza, it was so stiff at first (and made my thumb so incredibly sore) that I opted to send it back to CRK for them to sort it out. They paid the postage both ways and had it back to me in about a week, door to door, and it's been flawless ever since. The Small is a great knife--amazing amount of useful blade in such a compact package. I love mine.
 
Forgot to add: IF you are new to Sebenzas there is a slight trick to make opening the easier on the thumb. You don't place your thumb over the stud like you might on another brand of knife. You wedge your thumbnail between the stud and the cutout on the scale and kind of lever it open, pushing directly outward from the handle (not forward). This overcomes the somewhat stiff detent and becomes second nature after a short while.
 
Everything you've described is normal. Use and enjoy:thumbup:

As for the washers, just make sure you put the larger one on the thumbstud side and the smaller one on the lockbar side ;)
 
kaosu04 said:
The ceramic detent does indeed keep the blade closed. It also serves the purpose of giving a smooth surface for the blade to ride on. so near the end of travel it does drop off the detent. this ceramic also polishes a very smooth portion into the blade, which is where most of us believe the smoother with use phenomenon comes from.
Click to expand...

I am also a new Sebenza owner. I am not aware of a ceramic detent on the knife. Is this an extra part? I didn't see anything when I removed my blade for cleaning.


I experienced the same concerns as the OP. There definitely is a technique on how you place your thumb on the stud (more on the side of your thumb and push out and up). I also cleaned my knife and washers (they seemed to really need it). I also use a little Sentry Tuf Glide oil at the pivot and it breaks in real nice. I was also a little concerned with the knife, but the more I handle it the more I like the knife. Now it seems that all my other knives are hard to open!

Enjoy
 
My favorite Sebenza has the tightest pivot. Honestly it's what I want in this type of knife! I've heard folks describe it as "hydraulic." I'll leave the easily flickable knives up to others. Everyone else does that anyway.
 
First I'll disagree with Evany about the use of the thumbnail. That said . . .

Keep your index finger off the knife while opening. If not, you may be pressing in on the lock bar, making it harder to open.

I open a small Sebbie with my last three fingers resting on the clip then push down and out against the stud with my thumb . . . opens right up.

At first I had the same problem until I realized I was fighting myself by pressing on the lock bar.
 
I also realized that I was the one making it difficult to open it by, exactly as you say iamsmiling, counter-pressing on the frame lock. :) and with this pressure gone it opens lick a charm (I prefer to sort of turn the thumb so that the thumb nail does the "unlock".) and it is with me every day as my EDC. I think I am in love :)
 
Been carrying one for over half a decade . . . cannot imagine being without it; a truly remarkable knife. Enjoy
 
Initially, the sebenza take some time getting use to. I had mine for over a year and its now easy to open and very smooth. Taking it apart and putting it back together can be a challenge, but the best advice is to read through Chris Reeve's suggestions on how to put it back together. If you follow it exactly, the blade will be smooth, centered and you shouldn't see the washers. Don't view the Utubes, they have it wrong.
 
Pressing the lock bar while trying to open was my problem when I first got mine, and very common for first time users. I will just add that my small Sebenza (and only CRK) is the only knife that I continually come to appreciate more as time goes on. The other few knives I have do not have the that growing satisfaction.
 
drsmith751 said:
I am also a new Sebenza owner. I am not aware of a ceramic detent on the knife. Is this an extra part? I didn't see anything when I removed my blade for cleaning.


I experienced the same concerns as the OP. There definitely is a technique on how you place your thumb on the stud (more on the side of your thumb and push out and up). I also cleaned my knife and washers (they seemed to really need it). I also use a little Sentry Tuf Glide oil at the pivot and it breaks in real nice. I was also a little concerned with the knife, but the more I handle it the more I like the knife. Now it seems that all my other knives are hard to open!

Enjoy
Click to expand...

The ceramic detent is pressed into the lock bar, it won't come out when you take the knife apart.
 
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