Noob CRK Question

Dullknivescut

Dullknivescut

Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
411
I am literally minutes away from pulling the trigger on a Chris Reeve knife with box elder burl wood inlay ( I've heard they are stabilized because it wouldn't hold otherwise, which is a bonus for me ) and satin finish blade. This will be the most premium knife I've ever owned. ( I literally only own a buck vanguard and 110 folder after selling my spyderco collection prior to getting married. )

I figured go big or go home, and this is the max I can afford. Anyway, I am concerned the satin finish will scratch easily and the scratches will be extremely bothereosme, is there a service provided by Chris Reeves' that would remove cosmetic scratches from the blade for a payment down the road if I wish? I understand it's not covered under warranty and would be willing to pay for such a service.

I've heard they do service the handles for a fee, so I was hoping they would the blade as well. Their FAQ has answered many of my questions but this one is still not well understood by me. Thank you.
 
Santana San said:
Chris Reeve Does offer a warranty called blade refurbishing which is 30$. This can be found on the bottom of this page. https://www.chrisreeve.com/maintenance-services.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, I also called and spoke with a representative and they told me exactly that. The lady was very kind but also informed me box elder burl cannot be refurbished and only replaced ( I guess the same for all wood inlay ) and would cost several hundred dollars to replace in the event I did wish to alter the inlay.

May I have your second opinion on the strength of box elder burl? I have read it is extremely stabilized and filled with resin otherwise it would fall apart, so I shouldn't even need to service the handle in the first place. Would you agree with this?

Thanks for the link provided I will save it for future reference.
 
Box elder is on the softer end of the wood janka scale that chris reeve offers. Its important to note that chris reeve has the woods stabilized. They are basically placed in an epoxy resin of some sort. The pores and wood are essentially protected and made (in a way) into a durable plastic. In otherwoods its basically tough and protected for use. The knife can be used as it was intended to be. It wont shrink or warp or rott or be susceptible to other types of decay such as termite infestations and whatnot. Its basically good to go and use because it was stabilized.

Maybe some expert on the stabilization process can way in. I hope i explained that clearly.
 
My sebenza has the shiny blade and I don't baby it but it's not abused. I'll cut the back out of a chicken with it, but don't use it to dig in dirt or clean the bottom of the lawnmower (I use an Ontario Dozier for that :)) After about 5 years now there are some scratches but nothing that's noticeable w/o looking for them. There's a lot more damage done to the handle slabs by pocket carry and sitting on top of rough or dirty surfaces.
 
Santana San said:
Box elder is on the softer end of the wood janka scale that chris reeve offers. Its important to note that chris reeve has the woods stabilized. They are basically placed in an epoxy resin of some sort. The pores and wood are essentially protected and made (in a way) into a durable plastic. In otherwoods its basically tough and protected for use. The knife can be used as it was intended to be. It wont shrink or warp or rott or be susceptible to other types of decay such as termite infestations and whatnot. Its basically good to go and use because it was stabilized.

Maybe some expert on the stabilization process can way in. I hope i explained that clearly.
Click to expand...

Lone_Wolfe said:
The stabilization material is very stable, you should be fine unless you toss the knife down the garbage disposal.
Click to expand...

Thanks to you both this is what I was assuming. I really do love the look of this specific wood.
 
The blade will show wear and if you want it to stay pristine, it won't. It's not horrible as in "every time you use it, it leaves a mark" and it's better than knives with mirror polishes, but I had one that had 2 small nicks and a few other marks that I'm fairly sure came from wiping too hard to remove adhesive in about 4 months of use. Expect it and enjoy it.
 
Santana San said:
Box elder is on the softer end of the wood janka scale that chris reeve offers. Its important to note that chris reeve has the woods stabilized. They are basically placed in an epoxy resin of some sort. The pores and wood are essentially protected and made (in a way) into a durable plastic. In otherwoods its basically tough and protected for use. The knife can be used as it was intended to be. It wont shrink or warp or rott or be susceptible to other types of decay such as termite infestations and whatnot. Its basically good to go and use because it was stabilized.

Maybe some expert on the stabilization process can way in. I hope i explained that clearly.
Click to expand...
blanco112 said:
The blade will show wear and if you want it to stay pristine, it won't. It's not horrible as in "every time you use it, it leaves a mark" and it's better than knives with mirror polishes, but I had one that had 2 small nicks and a few other marks that I'm fairly sure came from wiping too hard to remove adhesive in about 4 months of use. Expect it and enjoy it.
Click to expand...

Please bare with me because I am still in the beginner category especially when dealing with knives over 200+ let alone sebenzas so yes I guess I feel a bit picky, but I had one final cosmetic question regarding sebenzas.

I notice in some images online I see some browning where the knife folds ( best seen on the backside of the knife, right next to the bronze washer on the sebenza. ) What is this browning from? Is it normal? I originally thought it to be grease to aid in the folding action but I've read CR uses clear grease.

You can see it more clearly in this link, by flipping to image number two ( the backside of the knife ) I just want to know exactly what to expect to avoid any headaches for myself or the merchant I'm dealing with. Thank you again.

https://www.knivesshipfree.com/chri...akewood-inlay-081104/#PhotoSwipe1495045535818

( To see what I'm taking about, scroll to the second image, near the bronze washer where it says " Idaho Made " under the pin. )

I'm used to tarnishing with my 110, but that's with the brass which is of course not the same thing and expected.
 
Last edited:
By the way, that's a really nice looking knife. I've got a few PJ sebenzas I use pretty hard. I have a few scratches on the blades, but nothing that bothers me. The handles are a little scratched as well.

Conversely, I always carry the Mnandi with wood scales in the CRK pouch and baby it and it looks great.
 
TrainedBullets said:
By the way, that's a really nice looking knife. I've got a few PJ sebenzas I use pretty hard. I have a few scratches on the blades, but nothing that bothers me. The handles are a little scratched as well.

Conversely, I always carry the Mnandi with wood scales in the CRK pouch and baby it and it looks great.
Click to expand...

I plan on going for a beautiful mnandi after I get my sebenza, still unsure about the mnandi inlay..
 
blanco112 said:
I'm going with grease as well. CRK's grease comes out of the tube milky white, almost like Elmer's glue (only less viscous) but when it dries it looks like lead shavings.
Click to expand...

It's funny when I first get into a new category of things my brain considers " premium " or expensive I get all picky, then once a month or two passes I'm using it like crazy and don't mind the scratches / imperfections here and there.

Not sure if it's the human condition or something with me and I'm no major in psychology but it's somewhat humorous.
 
Dullknivescut said:
It's funny when I first get into a new category of things my brain considers " premium " or expensive I get all picky, then once a month or two passes I'm using it like crazy and don't mind the scratches / imperfections here and there.

Not sure if it's the human condition or something with me and I'm no major in psychology but it's somewhat humorous.
Click to expand...
Fair warning, it's often a reflex with first time CRK owners. We are told they are perfect out of the box, the action will be great, everything will be just right. Then people get them and something happens like the detent being fairly tight and all of a sudden people think they made $400-500 mistake. Just go through this forum and you see more "is something wrong with my sebenza" posts than you'd expect but usually it's something minor that will break in or is corrected by disassembling and reassembling. If there is ever something truly wrong CRK will make it right.
 
Finally after all day of searching just went for it and got a box elder burl wood inlay 21 sebenza. Next stop.. Mnandi

Compared many across different sites, was somewhat agonizing and extremely satisfying at the same time. I was looking for a " clean " look and my brain landed on this bad boy.

Will post pictures once it has arrived.. next to my tarnished buck 110 for scale, lol.
 
Last edited:
Wow, you are looking very close. That's probably just from someone wiping the knife or a digital optical effect from the photo. It'll be fine. The polished titanium shows smudges and finger marks and wipes. But just use the cloth and they will go away.
 
blanco112 said:
Wow, you are looking very close. That's probably just from someone wiping the knife or a digital optical effect from the photo. It'll be fine. The polished titanium shows smudges and finger marks and wipes. But just use the cloth and they will go away.
Click to expand...

Yeah sorry about that sometimes I can't help
myself, I was leaning towards the latter ( optical effect. ) Anyway I wanted to thank you for bearing with me.

I will be excited to receive this art piece.

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of my newfound fascination with premium CR knives.
 
Last edited:
Dullknivescut said:
Thanks to you both this is what I was assuming. I really do love the look of this specific wood.
Click to expand...

So do I.

BEdetail1_zps3ywxotwz.jpg
 
Thanx, Lone_Wolfe, for those great pics. I've owned many Sebbies, both small and large, and my favorite "looker" has always been the box elder inlay. Even though my large hand cannot comfortably hold onto the small Sebbie, I have even purchased several of those due ONLY to the beauty of the box elder inlay. It is a work of art, IMO.
When I carry, I am always most comfortable with my slab-sided Classics, Regular Sebbie and Zaan, even though my continued carry will most certainly lead to "spider-trails" in the titanium scales. A spa job at CRK always cleans them up as new for a very low price.
Congrats on your new purchase. You will love it.
Sonny
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top