ok, *can* you (thumb) flick your Sebenza open?

B

Billmanweh

Joined
Sep 5, 2002
Messages
606
I'm not asking about abuse or warranty issues, etc. I'm just curious when it's broken in and lubed properly, can you flick the blade open with your thumb? Not like holding back the axis lock on a Benchmade and flicking with your wrist, I mean just flicking it out with your thumb.

I've got one fresh from the CRK Spa and I'm wondering how I should expect it to eventually break-in.
 
as i understand it, Chris Reeve specifically engineered this so that it would be hard to flick. the thumbstud design and the stiff detent.
 
I can certainly thumb flick my Sebenza open. In fact, I got so good at it that I could ... just ... click it into place. This is a knife I have had and used for several years. Pulling back the lock drops the blade down like an axis lock.
 
I've not ever been able to flick mine open with just my thumb, not even the small.
 
Two things to keep in mind.

First, the primary difficulty is not the thumbstud or detent. It's the damping effect of the washers and overall tight precision of the construction. Flicking lightly feels like flicking into molasses.

Second, if you push on the thumbstud away from the handle, you won't get far. Push instead toward the front of the knife.
 
Billman, take a look in the manufacturers CRK forum. "unofficial CRK collectors club" thread. Check out page 6, about half way down from Geronimo. Who would have thunk it.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Second, if you push on the thumbstud away from the handle, you won't get far. Push instead toward the front of the knife.
Click to expand...
That's always worked for me, too. Thumbnail behind the base of the stud, and extend the thumb straight forward.
 
I cannot flick it open but it opens very easily the way esav mentions
 
yes. it's the technique you apply. and of course, once your sebbie has broken in and become smoother.
 
My Small Sebbie Classic is brand new, and I have no problem thumb-flicking it open. In fact I didn't know that it was engineered to be difficult to thumb-flick. It opens in that manner easier than most of my other knives.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Second, if you push on the thumbstud away from the handle, you won't get far. Push instead toward the front of the knife.
Click to expand...


Thats exactly what I do and it allows me to flick open any knife that has a thumbstud including my Sebenza.
 
If I use WD-40 I can thumb-flick it open for a short time until the WD wears out/in. I recently used a little grease instead and it's not flickable but smooth nonetheless. I'd prefer the seb not flickable though, IMO.
 
G3 said:
If I use WD-40 I can thumb-flick it open for a short time until the WD wears out/in. I recently used a little grease instead and it's not flickable but smooth nonetheless. I'd prefer the seb not flickable though, IMO.
Click to expand...
I used XF7 and same thing happened to me. Very smooth, but the action was sluggish. I went for Militec-1 which made the knife flickable and smooth for a long time.
 
On past threads about the warranty problem with flicking, many people said they flick their sebenzas all the time w/o problem. I believe even Tom Mayo said he flicks his. That's the conundrum with flicking voiding the warranty, unless it's a back door CRK uses to deny claims for other unstated reasons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top