Post your "the one that got away" story!

M

Matt636

Joined
Jul 4, 2016
Messages
159
We've all been there at some point; that one knife that you had an opportunity to buy, and for whatever reason you waited and when you finally justified it the knife was gone.

I thought this would be a fun thread to see what's never left your mind, and has you obsessing. Here's mine:

I've had an eye for knives for 20+ years. My first "expensive" knife was an auto Al Mar mini SERT. I picked it up at a knife show for like $125. That was my introduction into "nicer" knives.

Several years go by (early 2000's now), and I go to a big knife show with a buddy of mine. While I'm dropping $175 on a Masters of Defense CQB Mark II auto, my buddy is at a booth with several CRK's. He wound up with a Small Sebenza PJ for like $350. I almost lost my mind! Then I started picking some up and distinctly remember that hydraulic action of opening and closing. I still couldn't justify the big money at that point in my life.

Fast forward to 2016. I'm browsing through some forums and that's when I see it... CRK Crop Circles! I immediately knew that I had to have one. On the hunt I went. Really wanted a small, but was able to track down a large. I sat on it for about a week, while hunting all around to find a small. NOTHING! When I finally decided to go with the large, it was gone!

Since then, I've been passively looking, until late 2017 when i found this post --> https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/fs-275-small-sebenza-21-cgg-crop-circles.1529689/ <-- (a small Crop Circles for $275). I couldn't believe it!

Since then I've been actively looking high and low. Bugging all you fellow BF members who show your Crop Circles off and begging you to sell it to me! Same with the FaceBook groups! If you had a Crop Circles, you've heard from me, as this quickly became my all-time grail :)!

Last week I get a message here on BF from Ajack60 Ajack60 who had seen one of my posts looking for a Crop Circles. He sent a picture and I couldn't believe my eyes, it was BNIB! The stars aligned and we worked out a deal!

I cannot thank Ajack60 Ajack60 enough for making this happen! My hunt is finally over, and I can stop obsessing about finding my beloved Crop Circles!
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Sorry for such a long post! I can't be the only one, especially in the CRK community, who's been obsessed with tracking down their grail! I'd love to hear/see your stories, and even better, hear the journey it took to finally land it. For those of you still looking for your grail, post-it and let's help each other out, but make sure to tell everyone why it's so important to you. BOLD the one you're looking for. The reason i wanted Crop Circles so bad??? I got a tattoo on Spring Break in 1998ish, and it is damn near identical to the circle pattern at the bottom. It's like we were made for each other!


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One I am kicking myself for not jumping on was a large 21 in white mammoth.
Ended up tagging another member...hope they are enjoying it. :) @Lone_Wolfe
 
The one CRK that I really regret foolishly letting go: plain Umfaan:(

I don’t even remember what knife I just had to have that compelled me to sell it in the first place (at a profit, but still...)
 
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The one that still burns me to this day is when I passed on a Large Regular Sebenza with a Damascus blade. I hesitated for a hour or so and it was gone. And it was a decent price. I've been hunting one ever since with no luck.
 
I forgot the website but they had two umfaans for sale for 625 a piece in 2010 (?) I was courting my second ex wife and didn’t pull the trigger on one or both. Pretty sure one was the spear variation and can’t remember the other (the one with the colored bubbles?)
 
I've been trying to buy or have a peacock Sebenza made for over a decade now, but it's never quite panned out. This image shows the specific peacock I like the most...IIRC this specific knife was at one point owned by a member here on BF, but I am not sure of its status today.

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Perhaps we will cross paths in the future.
 
so far my only regret is the starbenza I had ordered about 5 months ago and lost in the mail! and when I tried to reorder I was informed they no longer make that model, isn't it said somethings happen for a reason ! I wonder o_O
 
Back about 8 years ago I passed on a chance to buy a 2006 annual in mammoth for a decent price. I choose something else instead (not even sure what) but have regretted it ever since!
 
Matt636 said:
you sound like you have, and have had a lot! What's the one you're after that you've had a chance at getting but it didn't work out at the time?
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I have/have had hundreds of CRK alone, no other brand interested me at the time. If I had to pick a couple special ones that I truly would love to have, it would be these 2. I love busy UG’s and have always loved this one. There is another just like it and both were on my Facebook BST Page at the same time. Missed out on both....lol. The Bocote Annual was offered to me when I was laid off from work. Was just horrible timing. Bocote has always been my favorite CRK wood inlay, and of course love regulars. Would definitely rank these 2 as Grails for me. I have over 30k in pics on my phone and it is fill of CRK I have/had and one that I missed out on and hope to see again.
CCA33E6F-9F4E-41D6-9670-6186568C9655.jpeg E31C158B-7560-4468-A9CF-EA931564D761.jpeg 83332547-C874-4B26-BBE5-160244BE04B5.jpeg
 
Been looking for another Hinderer XM 18 3.5" Skinny Sheepsfoot DLC Stonewash Finish with or without choil. Long story short, about two years ago, some guys tried to car jack me, shot me five times, tried to drive myself to hospital, totaled the car, and woke up a few days later at Northwestern. The car got towed and all my tools and that knife were of course missing from the vehicle. Anyways, have been on the search for that particular knife and have come close with a Hinderer XM 18 3.5" Skinny Slicer DLC Stonewash with choil (traded my large Sebenza Insingo), but man do I really miss that sheepsfoot blade!
 
Bountyhunter1986 said:
Been looking for another Hinderer XM 18 3.5" Skinny Sheepsfoot DLC Stonewash Finish with or without choil. Long story short, about two years ago, some guys tried to car jack me, shot me five times, tried to drive myself to hospital, totaled the car, and woke up a few days later at Northwestern. The car got towed and all my tools and that knife were of course missing from the vehicle. Anyways, have been on the search for that particular knife and have come close with a Hinderer XM 18 3.5" Skinny Slicer DLC Stonewash with choil (traded my large Sebenza Insingo), but man do I really miss that sheepsfoot blade!
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WOW that's quite the story!
 
nyefmaker said:
I have/have had hundreds of CRK alone, no other brand interested me at the time. If I had to pick a couple special ones that I truly would love to have, it would be these 2. I love busy UG’s and have always loved this one. There is another just like it and both were on my Facebook BST Page at the same time. Missed out on both....lol. The Bocote Annual was offered to me when I was laid off from work. Was just horrible timing. Bocote has always been my favorite CRK wood inlay, and of course love regulars. Would definitely rank these 2 as Grails for me. I have over 30k in pics on my phone and it is fill of CRK I have/had and one that I missed out on and hope to see again.
View attachment 1366293 View attachment 1366294 View attachment 1366295
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i've never seen that UG, but it's really cool! I can't imagine having had hundreds of CRK's! I can't imagine some of the awesomeness that's passed through your hands!
 
Matt636 said:
WOW that's quite the story!
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Yes, unfortunately just a by product of living in Chicago I guess. Everything considered though, it has made my search for that particular Hinderer even more intense lol. I'm determined to replace that one in my collection! The ZT0770CFM4 was another one that got away, but I ended up getting that on sale from an online retailer around Christmas time last year!!!
 
Was trading knives with a guy .. my Ruanas for his Randalls... He sold (too cheap) a Randall Zacharias grail WW2 fighter to someone else, said I would never pay his price! I sure would have! He found it in the trunk of a car he bought!
 
I just regret not buying a Sebenza at Blade Show back in the 90’s. I’d always look, but was in college at the time. Thing is one from that far back would have cost me much less then than now.
 
I had a Stars and Stripes, sold it and regretted it the minute it was put in the mail. I searched a long time, came across another one in pretty rough in the pic I got, but I wanted one. When it got down here to me, it was butt ugly. Scratched up,the color was about faded. Sent it to CRK to see what they could do. When I got it back, I couldn't believe it was the same knife. And the steel is BG42 to boot.
This one will never leave the deep South. :)

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Matt636 said:
i've never seen that UG, but it's really cool! I can't imagine having had hundreds of CRK's! I can't imagine some of the awesomeness that's passed through your hands!
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I have/had quite a few that many would consider grails.
 
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