OMG Do some 31s EVER break in?

[jmclfrsh]

I have owned about 14 CRKs over the years and retain nine of them to this day. So I’m hip to numerous generations and models at this point.

Well, five models to be exact.

OP Umnumzaan, new Umnumzaans, three 21s, several 25s and now two 31s.

I have a Macassar Ebony polished 31 and it’s a beauty. Opens almost as good as my three 21s do, just not quite as smooth as all three of them do.

But my black micarta Magnacut double lug 31 - what I thought would be my best-ever CRK and might tempt me to keep only it and sell the rest - is very, very stubborn to break in.

I have opened and closed it for hours on end watching television.

Opened it and closed it in the back row at church an hour a pop for the last two Sundays.

Opened it and closed it continuously while driving down the road.

Took it apart, cleaned and re-CRK greased it.

Perfectly centered.

No dice. It opens just as hard this minute as it did when I pulled it out of the box.

I loosened the pivot screw, then re-tightened it just until the blade was centered with no side-to-side play with Locktite to set it overnight.

Still no better.

Has anyone else been in this same boat, and if so, did you finally give up, or persevere until it finally broke it?

My 25s and 21s never exhibited this trait, and the 25s too of course utilize a ceramic ball interface, so that’s not it.

Could it be the smaller pivot on a 31, or perhaps a deeper-than-normal detent hole on the blade?

With CRKs tolerances, I kinda doubt that, but man…

My thumb is wondering what it did to me to abuse it so long and frequently at this point!

 

[jmclfrsh]

The offender in question. Not giving up yet though!

 

[John Phillips]

I had the same exact experience with my first small 31. Took me about a year and a half to break it in with non stop opening and closing like you mentioned and it still isn’t as good as my 21s. I almost didn’t buy another CRK because of how difficult it was to open/close which is crazy to think about. This is one of the main reasons why 21s have become so collectible and highly sought after.

I haven’t found any 31s yet that is are as smooth as any of my 21s. They need to fix this issue.

I watched one guy at Bladeshow last year that didn’t know anything about Chris Reeve knives ask to handle a new large 31 and he couldn’t even open it without using his second hand. He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, and said “I don’t get it”.

 

[FourD]

I'm guessing the 31 needs more tension on the lockbar to help prevent flex. I had a small 31 with noticable flex when pushing with my thumb on the ramp. Smooth as could be, though. The extra lockbar tension, which likely helps prevent flex, might prevent the detente from being as smooth through the opening arc due to the added pressure against the blade.

If you take lockbar pressure off of the blade, does it drop smoothly?

A little glob of CRK grease on the detente ball can help. I do that with my Inkosi when it starts to feel a little gritty.

 

[Jhileman79]

Does the 31 run on washers like the 21? If it does take them out. Use a 2000 grit stone or paper and lightly take the washer and gently rub 1 side of the washer. You can talk off a minute amount. Then take the side your sanded and polish it on a strop. Install back sanded side down. Apply grease. Make sure the pivot is in correct place and re install.

There are many YouTube videos showing this.
Hope that helps

 

[jmclfrsh]

That’s a great idea, reduce the tolerance by just a smidge.

If I do it carefully on both sides it should help it. I’ll try that, thank you!

 

[Jacques Mi]

That’s a great idea, reduce the tolerance by just a smidge.

If I do it carefully on both sides it should help it. I’ll try that, thank you!

You have to do this in steps and gentle.
Some people claim that that they got play after stropping the washers.

 

[John Phillips]

You have to do this in steps and gentle.
Some people claim that that they got play after stropping the washers.

Good advice and that might work for some. However, I did the washer trick on mine and it didn’t help at all. Also, as most know, I’m a huge CRK fan and it’s the number one knife that I use and collect. That being said, I think it’s ridiculous that we have to go through steps of altering the knife itself to make the knife smooth/operable especially given that it is considered to be the gold standard of folding pocket knives and it’s a $425+ knife. They need to go back to making 21s or figure this out.

 

[Blues]

I like 'em all, but I hear what you guys are saying. I was just happy when I figured out the Umnumzaan. That took a little doing.

 

[Jacques Mi]

Good advice and that might work for some. However, I did the washer trick on mine and it didn’t help at all. Also, as most know, I’m a huge CRK fan and it’s the number one knife that I use and collect. That being said, I think it’s ridiculous that we have to go through steps of altering the knife itself to make the knife smooth/operable especially given that it is considered to be the gold standard of folding pocket knives and it’s a $425+ knife. They need to go back to making 21s or figure this out.

Yes, I agree. The 31 does not seem to be on par with the 21 or older Sebenzas.


I remember Kettleman said that the ceramic ball interface of the 31 works against the pivot bushing. Every now and then I think of it but I never grasped how he reached that conclusion. if someone knows, please don't hesitate to tell.

 

[Hammer67]

My Large Seb 31 has broken in just fine over the past year. I've never needed to disassemble it. Smooth as butter.

I have a Small Seb 31 that I picked up used, and that one has been sticky. But it's unclear if it was something the previous owner did, or if it was that way out of the box.

My 'Zaan was perfect right out of the box.

 

[jmclfrsh]

Seems to be hit and miss; my Macassar Ebony is absolutely fine. The Black Micarta is a different beast altogether, and I don't want to give up on it yet at all. It's the only Magnacut knife I own and with the double silver lugs, it sure is a looker.

 

[Brock O Lee]

I have several large Sebenza 31's, large Inkosi's and an Umnumzaan. They all broke in nicely and are buttery smooth.

Then there is one stubborn small Sebenza 31 plain... It is a chore to operate, even after cleaning and greasing it multiple times. I suspect it needs a few hundred hours more of actuation to break in.

Edit: On second thought, this small Sebenza is okay after some TLC.

I disassembled it, polished the washers, re-CRK-greased them, and added a dab of oil on the detent ball. The pivot and detent was too bit dry after some use. It feels smooth but on the tight side now. It is acceptable. The tightness is mostly from heavy lockbar pressure. I could bend out the lockbar, but I don't like this idea very much, so I'll just leave it as is.

 

[Lone_Wolfe]

Here's what I do with one that needs breaking in;
Pull the blade, clean it and the inside of the handles. Polish the washers on plain paper. You're not looking to remove material, just burnish it a bit and see if there are any rough edges. Put it back together with no grease at all. Spend a half hour or hour working the action back and forth. Take it back apart and clean it good Lightly grease and re-assemble.
That's really helped the ones I've done that to.

 

[donnord]

I wore a groove in my thumb trying to breakin a small sebenza, even after I took it apart and polished the washers and greased it. As much work as as it was to open made me reach for other knives.

 

[John Phillips]

I wore a groove in my thumb trying to breakin a small sebenza, even after I took it apart and polished the washers and greased it. As much work as as it was to open made me reach for other knives.

Get a 21 instead of a 31!!! Most of the 21s come straight out of the box perfectly smooth opening and closing without any extra thumb pressure. They also drop beautifully with a hydraulic like motion when you release the lockbar pressure.

The great thing is that you can still buy a small 21 in like new or new old stock condition for the same price as a new small 31

 

[tuica]

I have owned about 14 CRKs over the years and retain nine of them to this day. So I’m hip to numerous generations and models at this point.

Well, five models to be exact.

OP Umnumzaan, new Umnumzaans, three 21s, several 25s and now two 31s.

I have a Macassar Ebony polished 31 and it’s a beauty. Opens almost as good as my three 21s do, just not quite as smooth as all three of them do.

But my black micarta Magnacut double lug 31 - what I thought would be my best-ever CRK and might tempt me to keep only it and sell the rest - is very, very stubborn to break in.

I have opened and closed it for hours on end watching television.

Opened it and closed it in the back row at church an hour a pop for the last two Sundays.

Opened it and closed it continuously while driving down the road.

Took it apart, cleaned and re-CRK greased it.

Perfectly centered.

No dice. It opens just as hard this minute as it did when I pulled it out of the box.

I loosened the pivot screw, then re-tightened it just until the blade was centered with no side-to-side play with Locktite to set it overnight.

Still no better.

Has anyone else been in this same boat, and if so, did you finally give up, or persevere until it finally broke it?

My 25s and 21s never exhibited this trait, and the 25s too of course utilize a ceramic ball interface, so that’s not it.

Could it be the smaller pivot on a 31, or perhaps a deeper-than-normal detent hole on the blade?

With CRKs tolerances, I kinda doubt that, but man…

My thumb is wondering what it did to me to abuse it so long and frequently at this point!

Thanks for the post. Just received my first (used) 31 today. I did notice the stiffness prior to reading your information. But it wasn’t overly horrible. Will see how it compares to my other Sebs/Inkosi. As well as checking lubrication.

 

[Tensaw]

I've had my large Inkosi and Umnumzaan a couple of years, but I'm far from a CRK expert. I recently bought a new, small Sebenza and have had a similar experience to some of you. Out of the box, it was very tight and rough and that little thumb stud quickly turned into a needle. I remember my other knives being tight, but I didn't remember them having a rough feel when rolling out the blade. Even though I've disassembled my other knives, I watched Reeve's YT vid on disassembling the Sebenza. I'm glad I did because I wasn't aware of the different pivot design of the Sebenza. After the initial clean/lube, the roughness was gone, but it still took a lot of effort to deploy the blade. After working the blade in and out about 800 times, it started freeing up. In fact, I could even thumb flick it open. Yesterday, the roughness returned so I did another clean/lube. This time, I used more lube both on the washers but also the inside of the blade hole where the bushing(?) goes focusing on getting the grease in the little grooves. After re-assembly, I worked the blade a couple of times and the little Seb suddenly turned into a whole different knife. The blade felt so free that I thought the pivot screw was loose. It was amazing! But lock up was still very good as was centering. I need to focus more on that pivot area realizing that the blade rotates on the bushing and not the pivot barrel. I guess the pivot screws lock down the bushing(?). Don't give up guys, it's worth working it out.

 

[jmclfrsh]

UPDATE:

After several thousand openings and closings, it has improved slightly.

HOWEVER, after paying attantion to how my fingers were curled around the handle, I noticed that if I did not pay careful attention to where my fingertios were on the clip, they would lightly hold of the lockbar. Thus, holding the ceramic ball tighter against the detent hole.

So I started lightly grasping the clip but firm enough that I didn't drop the knife while opening it and it opens easier. So I'm making progress.

Still not 21 smooth, and luckily my DP lefty 21 and righty DP 25 are getting spa'd right now aftervweeks ofcwait so I'm having both of those glass-blasted as while I was always going to keep the 25, I decided to keep the 21 now as well and get it glass-blasted.

These 21s are so smooth opening I no longer look down upon them as "just a 21" - how knife-snobbish was that?! - but something I'm glad I had the foresight to purchase, in both a lefty DP and a lefty Insingo as well.

Depending on how the DP 21 turns out GB'd, I'm considering sending it in next to get GB'd with my lefty OP Zaan, which I am SO glad to have as it has proven the easiest opening of them all, by far.

Probably because it is a 2009 model and has been opened thousands of times so far, and it is solid upon lock-up.

So hopeful on the 31 micarta. I'll keep at it, and after two future carpal tunnel surgeries and a thumb tip replacement, hopefully it'll be where I want it.

Kinda like a beautiful woman - you'll put up with more crap from her than you would a utility-grade woman lol.

Not that utility-grade women aren't great in their own right. I'm glad they all inhabit this earth.

I DO wonder about some of these blue-haired ones running around nowadays, but that's a different conversation.

 

[Maximumbob54]

A little glob of CRK grease on the detente ball can help.

Huge help there. I followed that advice and cannot echo it enough as well now.

Use a 2000 grit stone or paper and lightly take the washer and gently rub 1 side of the washer. You can talk off a minute amount. Then take the side your sanded and polish it on a strop.

Personally I would NOT use anything more than the stropping compound and I only used gentle finger tip pressure to eat off the raw edges from the punch. But I guess if you take off too much you can always get fresh washers.

I'm having this same issue with a large 31 myself. It feels like the detent just does not want to let go of the blade. I'm tempted to take it apart and another next to it and do my best to look if there are any noticeable differences between the two.