OMG Do some 31s EVER break in?

The fact that anything needs to be done after leaving the CRK shop is disappointing. Ive had several 21's go through my hands. If I'd had known there was going to be this many differences when they rolled out the 31's. I'd still have some of them.

I still have a zaan, but was getting the itch for a sebenza again. That classic, "tighten the pivot bushing all the way down and your good." And The bank vault lock-up.

I just dont really understand how they could have taken something so good and tweaked it for something inferior. My opinion of coarse, but i dont seem to be alone here.

What if tomorrow CRK said they were gonna remake the 21 as it was? The sebenza regular as it was? My bank account would feel the sting. I hope the best days for the Sebbie are not behind us.
 
P2P said:
The fact that anything needs to be done after leaving the CRK shop is disappointing. Ive had several 21's go through my hands. If I'd had known there was going to be this many differences when they rolled out the 31's. I'd still have some of them.

I still have a zaan, but was getting the itch for a sebenza again. That classic, "tighten the pivot bushing all the way down and your good." And The bank vault lock-up.

I just dont really understand how they could have taken something so good and tweaked it for something inferior. My opinion of coarse, but i dont seem to be alone here.

What if tomorrow CRK said they were gonna remake the 21 as it was? The sebenza regular as it was? My bank account would feel the sting. I hope the best days for the Sebbie are not behind us.
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I talked to Tim Reeve about this at Blade Show last year. 3 thoughts.

1. You are entitled to your thoughts and opinions, amd I doubt I'll change your mind.
2. The ceramic ball lock interface is objectively stronger than the lock of the 21. While the break in can be longer, the lock is stronger and longer lasting in the 31.
3. Chris Reeve is and was aware of the move of the Sebenza to the same system as the Inkosi/Umnumzaan and fully supported the move. This was not a "Chris isn't involved anymore, and it's all head to hell" scenario.

Do with that info what you will.
 
P2P said:
The fact that anything needs to be done after leaving the CRK shop is disappointing. Ive had several 21's go through my hands. If I'd had known there was going to be this many differences when they rolled out the 31's. I'd still have some of them.

I still have a zaan, but was getting the itch for a sebenza again. That classic, "tighten the pivot bushing all the way down and your good." And The bank vault lock-up.

I just dont really understand how they could have taken something so good and tweaked it for something inferior. My opinion of coarse, but i dont seem to be alone here.

What if tomorrow CRK said they were gonna remake the 21 as it was? The sebenza regular as it was? My bank account would feel the sting. I hope the best days for the Sebbie are not behind us.
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Alright thats a bit dramatic. The 31 has been out for around 7 years now and its still selling like crazy haha.
 
WedgeAntilles said:
I talked to Tim Reeve about this at Blade Show last year. 3 thoughts.

1. You are entitled to your thoughts and opinions, amd I doubt I'll change your mind.
2. The ceramic ball lock interface is objectively stronger than the lock of the 21. While the break in can be longer, the lock is stronger and longer lasting in the 31.
3. Chris Reeve is and was aware of the move of the Sebenza to the same system as the Inkosi/Umnumzaan and fully supported the move. This was not a "Chris isn't involved anymore, and it's all head to hell" scenario.

Do with that info what you will.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the response and info. I very well may give the 31 a chance still. The zaan has the ceramic ball interface I believe, and its the GOAT. 15 years ago when I was getting into knives, the sebenza was the grail that I couldn't afford. The way it was designed with the pivot bushing to be tightened all the way was amazing to me. Plus the clip was fine where it was at. Now it just looks off, another opinion.

The idea of needing to "tweak" a sebenza pivot screw just doesn't sit right with me at the moment. Never needed loctite before, now we do? Different strokes for different folks.
 
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Chris Reeve has done so much for the knife community. A trailblazer in many respects. I may just be an old dog that needs to learn new tricks. I'll be considering a 31 if I can't find a 21 any longer. Magnacut at that hardness means serious business.

If it takes longer to break in, and lasts longer, I can be a fan of that. If i wind up with a 31, it'll be BNIB and ill make sure to give my honest thoughts.
 
P2P said:
I appreciate the response and info. I very well may give the 31 a chance still. The zaan has the ceramic ball interface I believe, and its the GOAT. 15 years ago when I was getting into knives, the sebenza was the grail that I couldn't afford. The way it was designed with the pivot bushing to be tightened all the way was amazing to me. Plus the clip was fine where it was at. Now it just looks off, another opinion.

The idea of needing to "tweak" a sebenza pivot screw just doesn't sit right with me at the moment. Never needed loctite before, now we do? Different strokes for different folks.
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I just tighten down my 31s. Don't use Loctite and haven't needed to. I don't mind the slanted clip. Works well on the Inkosi, so why not.
 
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I can't help myself but to mention yet again the Inkosi. From what I understand for a hot minute it was the Sebenza 25 before being renamed. That started the ceramic ball, again if I understand the history right. Either way, I have a few examples of them and each of them are smoother out the box than any Sebenza I've had so far. They have never even had any "tuning" beyond just the occasional carry. So my question for a while now has been what is the difference in the two ceramic ball interface designs between the two???
 
Just based off visuals (I've never owned an Umnumzaan myself) the geometry of the 31 lock seems similar to the geometry of the Umnumzaan. Relatively straight cutout. If I'm remembering correctly, CRK had to add a lock stop to the Umnumzaan to prevent folks from taking tension off the lockbar. I believe that is because the lockbar requires more tension to work properly with that geometry, but I could be wrong. The 31 may be similar in that regard. Not enough tension = lock flex. That extra tension required to prevent flex can cause the detent ball to drag more heavily on the blade until it breaks in, making it seem less smooth.

Personally, I want to like the 31. Unfortunately, I just don't. It doesn't feel as solid to me, based off of the one example I recently purchased and subsequently resold.
Guess I'll stick with the Inkosi for now :)
 
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Maximumbob54 said:
I can't help myself but to mention yet again the Inkosi. From what I understand for a hot minute it was the Sebenza 25 before being renamed. That started the ceramic ball, again if I understand the history right. Either way, I have a few examples of them and each of them are smoother out the box than any Sebenza I've had so far. They have never even had any "tuning" beyond just the occasional carry. So my question for a while now has been what is the difference in the two ceramic ball interface designs between the two???
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Sebenza has a smaller pivot with pivot bushing that is specific to the knife and getting additional blades from CRK the bushing is unique to the blade. The Inkosi has a larger pivot, which is adjustable. It's about more than just the lock face interaction.
 
Maximumbob54 said:
I will be looking more into that later. Thank you!!!
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I love both models. I like the thicker blade stock, and action of the Inkosi better. I prefer the ease of tighten it all down and the graphic and inlay options of the Sebenza. I have 8 Sebenzas and 4 Inkosis. I love them both.
 
WedgeAntilles said:
I talked to Tim Reeve about this at Blade Show last year. 3 thoughts.

1. You are entitled to your thoughts and opinions, amd I doubt I'll change your mind.
2. The ceramic ball lock interface is objectively stronger than the lock of the 21. While the break in can be longer, the lock is stronger and longer lasting in the 31.
3. Chris Reeve is and was aware of the move of the Sebenza to the same system as the Inkosi/Umnumzaan and fully supported the move. This was not a "Chris isn't involved anymore, and it's all head to hell" scenario.

Do with that info what you will.
Click to expand...
I decided to put my money where my mouth is. My new Sebenza 31 came in today. Ill give my initial impressions and longer term impressions at some point. May start a new thread, or i may just keep them here since it pertains to the "breaking in process"
 
P2P said:
I decided to put my money where my mouth is. My new Sebenza 31 came in today. Ill give my initial impressions and longer term impressions at some point. May start a new thread, or i may just keep them here since it pertains to the "breaking in process"
Click to expand...
What configuration did you choose?
 
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Update: For those who didn't read the above posts, I bought a Seb 31 to see how bad the break-in and resemblance it had to the 21 pivot system. I may still write a full review in 6-12 months, given the time cause I'd like to be thorough. For now, i've cycled the knife 1000's of times to no avail, except for some new thumb calluses. Tightening the pivot all the way always resulted in needing 2 hands to open it. I had to constantly detail the pivot screw to set the right tension; it would loosen over time even with lock tight. Subsequently, I decided to be bold and lightly sand the washers. While, this worked, I lost the Sebbie hydraulic mojo and a clicking noise is now audible.

Packing the knife up now to send into warranty. I don't want my improper work to mess with the knife long term. I was up front about messing with the washers. I was told via email that this knife pivot screw should be able to be tightened all the way down like the 21. They said they will address that as well as the blade play i described; the 31 "flex". I asked if it would ever lock up tight like the Zaan, since it also has the same locking system.
 
Hope they can take care of you P2P P2P . I've had three 31's and only have one left, haven't been terribly impressed. The Insingo I still have also refuses to break in and the lock bar engages about 80% out of the box. Not the knives they used to be.
 
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My fairly new small Sebenza has been a challenge, as well. After three disassemblys for clean/lube and a ton of fidgeting, the action has gotten pretty good. But yesterday I noticed some lock stick. My large Inkosi and Umnumzaan weren't at all like this. I guess it's the different design of the pivot system?
 
Couldn't let it go so messed with it some more tonight and figured out that the lock bar tension was way too high on my 31. Holding the knife parallel with the ground edge down and disengaging the lock and the blade gently swings down by gravity. Identifying the culprit I gently and gradually backed the pressure off and now it's much better. Problem solved I can enjoy the knife again. Kicking myself I didn't notice sooner. Those who are having break in issues you might see if you have a similar issue.
 
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