Really worth the price?

The true quality and accuracy into them. I have carried and used them for years, now I know why.
 
Yes,CRK are worth every penny.Excellent built,yet simple to maintain,great users and will last you lifetime or more.
 
yepimonfire said:
What makes these worth the 400+ price tag?
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To ME? There is a long list that I could not possibly convey to you.

It is kind of like asking "why is your child special to you"? No, I am not comparing my knife to how special my child is, I am just suggesting that everyone will likely have a diffferent REAL answer that is way too vast to actually capture in words....and if thy could, those words would have far less meaning to someone else.

I think my kids are amazing, but if you met them, you would likely assimilate them to any other well mannered kids you see.

People will attempt to respond with declarations of fit and finish, precision, performance, etc. They are all valid, but they are also incomplete...there is a multitude of factors at play....and many people just do not "get" it. That is not to say it is some special elite appreciation club, because it is not. It is just something that you either experience or you don't.

So I respond with a refusal to answer, because I cannot.

YOU may be able to answer some day, but unfortunately you must find one to experience (hopefully before you buy it).

Perhaps a better question you should ask is:
Are they worth it for every buyer?

And I will tell you NO they are not. My first did not really wow me that much...years later, I am far more impressed. I can assure you that the knife did not change;)

Is it making sense now? It is not an easy thing to convey;)
 
I suggest you handle a sebenza or Mnandi. The quality and precise machining are unparalleled by a production folder. Much of that is apparent the first time you hold one. The designs are exceptionally functional and durable as well.

Those who are not amazed at the first encounter are won over after the the first uses. These are excellent tools.

Having owned and used many nice knives, none compare to CRK folders. The well established precident of a true lifetime warranty and service is also worth something to those of us that use our knives and become attached to them. If you want to get a lifetime of use out of a knife, I think CRK is probably the best choice.

I am not a collector. That's an entirely dofferent kind of fan-boy but I'd guess their reasons are similar.
 
Quality, Fit and Finish, tight tolerances, thoughtful design.

With use you realize that these tools are made to last, maybe for your lifetime. Without slamming any other brands, use a $100 folder for a year or two and you will see blade play, and feel that there are times that it could fail you. You will not see this with a Sebenza.

Instead of comparing to other knives, I will compare to high end tools. Take a WiHa Torx bit compared to a Chinese made bit from a big box store, big difference if you use that tool daily, same as high end mechanics tools (Snap on etc) Buy a quality tool and they will last.

Now for the Uniques and Inlaid versions, Damascus etc, They are just Stunning, and I see them as a piece of art.

Just my two cents!
 
Like the last post says ... you need to handle one to really "get it". I resisted for years but all the while I was hoarding a lot of other knives in the $100-$200 range but was buying custom scales, clips, etc. Some of my mid-range knives had $300 sunk in them before I realized it. I finally decided rather than resisting any longer I'd sell a couple of lower end knives and buy a CRK to check out. I found a fair deal on a LNIB small Insingo and "got it" immediately.

I have since sold off a bunch more knives and have picked up a 25 silver edition and a tanto Umnum. I am very happy with the direction I've gone. I have been rotating EDC'ing the three since I got them and couldn't be happier. I love that I have three distinct knives here. They are all very different from one another.

I kept a few of my "lesser" folding knives that I still love and will still carry at times - Benchmade Grip from custom shop, Ritter Mini-Grip, ZT566BW, a couple of Zancudos, a few Case traditionals, and my old school original Spyderco Calypso Jr., SAKs, etc.
 
I thought that for years thinking surely my knives are just as good as the CRKs no sense in spending the extra cash. And its true many knives serve the purpose and perform every task I ever required them to, but in December I decided to jump in and see what it was all about. Now I own 4 Sebenzas and have an Umnumzaan on my WTB list. The fit the feel of a custom or better then some and something that not everyone carries. Im a user not a collector and these are on par with any knive Ive ever used including customs costing way more.
 
If you never owned one, you will always ask WHY.....??? Once you do, you immediately get and and say to yourself......NOW I KNOW WHY.....!!!!

Every Pre-CRK owner I am sure has had the same thoughts, now dozens later, its that " NOW I KNOW WHY " that keeps us coming back.

Quality of materials, Fit and Finnish, Innovation, Customer Service....the list is Endless.

Everyone is different. For some people like my father, a Buck 110 is "High End", while to us, its entry level and CRK is "High End". To each their own. Both have edges that with normal care and use will last a lifetime.

For Me personally.......There is ONLY Chris Reeve Knives.
 
Not worth it, in the same way a Cadillac is not worth it over a Chevrolet.

I have a Sebenza 25 and a Reate, lots of Benchmades and Spydercos and Kershaws and SOG and Zero Tolerance, etc. None of them are earth shatteringly better than the other.

If you let non-knife people play with them, many will like the Reate better than the Sebenza, or the ZT better, or they like the light weight of a Delica or Skyline, or they like a flipper action over the thumb stud, or they like an axis lock over a frame lock.

I think the Sebenza is not a great value, but it is an excellent knife. I'm not selling mine, but it is not, "One folder to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them!"
 
Yes, they are usually worth it to their owners. Get a used one first, so you aren't terrified of messing it up and actually use it. To use it is to love it.
 
You posting this question here instead of general is an indication to me that you are on the fence about getting a CRK, but you really don't know if spending the money is worth it.
Well, it probably isn't worth it for you, so no, for some, it's not worth the price for various reasons. there's a couple of recent threads in general about this very topic. I'd suggest you go read them first.
I bought my first Sebenza and it sat in the safe for almost a year before I started using it. I acquired other knives with better steel, more flash, latest topic of discussion and every other reason to buy a knife that I could think of. It wasn't until I started using a Sebenza that I got it. For me, it is the absolute best all around knife I have ever owned.
If it is dropped, gets full of dirt/lint, is submerged in water, stays in my pocket wet or anything else I have put it through, a little TLC and it's like new again. There's just so many things I don't have to be concerned about owning a Sebenza that make it a great knife.
 
This is a normal price ranger be it CRK or another quality American made framelock. Along with quality materials, US makers don't work for Chinese wages and have all the overhead costs of other US businesses.
If you are interested in moving up to better quality knives-buy a slightly used one on the secondary market at a reasonable price. Check it out and give it a little time . If you don't like it you should be able to recover most if not all your funds.

Bottom line-this is what you have to pay if you want a Sebenza. There is no other knife like it. FIT and finish, easy to take apart(and more importantly put together right) and maintain and great customer service.
If it needs to be repaired they will do it. A knife to last a lifetime. I have many other knives, but there is something about the Sebenza and it's simplicity that really draws me to it.
 
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Think of it as a precision instrument that doubles as a tool that you can use daily. The workmanship and tolerances in crk is unparalleled in my opinion, something like you'd find in aerospace equipment and the like. Will it cut any better than the cheaper brands? No, definitely not always. Will it give you the pleasure of knowing you own something with exacting specs and will last you forever? Hell yes.

Like someone said on here before, crk is kinda for the guy who likes to know they are carrying a gem around in their pocket every day. I say it's an accessory that says "you like nice sh*t!" :)
 
Blinkknives said:
Quality, Fit and Finish, tight tolerances, thoughtful design.

With use you realize that these tools are made to last, maybe for your lifetime...
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What he said! IMHO, CRK is a notch above the top tier production knives. I cannot compare them to other semi-custom (mid-tech?) like Hinderer since I do not own one.

To put it another way, I am satisfied with my Sebenaza 25 and do not regret the purchase. YMMV, but I think that most folks who get past the hype see the value and the quality in a CRK knife.
 
Search on youtube for the 2 part special "shop tour". Check out some of the processes that go into the knives they make. I have never owned one, though I am in the process of putting money away every couple weeks to get my first one a few months down the line--it will be a plain 21 large Insingo. I was already convinced before I watched the videos, but they just solidified my decision. Also, I initially thought I would confine the knife to weekends and easy use and use my cheaper knives for the heavy stuff, but on the advice of nearly everyone on this forum, I will be carrying it every day and using it like crazy because that's how it was designed, not to be a pretty shiny object, but a working mans tool. Forum member Blues Bender posted some pics on a thread I started a while back showing the use his Insingo has gotten, mine won't see half that much work, but it's good to know they can stand up to whatever you throw at them! Sebenza means "work" in the Zulu language.
 
There are very good thoughtful answers above my reply that hit all of the honest points to buying an expensive knife,tool,watch,firearm,etc.

All I can offer from my perspective is that when my buddy first showed me a CRK knife I wasn't at all interested in it, I had no idea about the name, rep, or quality.
As time went by I couldn't help but notice that the fit and finish was perfect, that all of the things that bothered me on my other knives were perfect on all of the 13 CRK's he had at the time. I found that whenever we were hanging out drinking beers that I was picking up one of the CRK's, eventually I bought a large UG Spirograph Damascus Regular. It was a hard decision to drop $600 on a knife, I used to think that $150 was silly when buying the Benchmade's that I carried and collected. I was finally able to click the purchase button after realizing that from a monetary point of view you can beat your own best argument everytime with the simple fact that most gas station knives can get the job done- it's about more than that its about having something that was made to a higher standard, that has none of the flaws that can drive me crazy, that'll truly last a lifetime, that brings pride of ownership( not because of the name or cost, because of quality ), because it's so well thought out that you don't find yourself saying that I like it" but" whenever you use your knife, and because it really is worth every penny-to me.

Try a used one out, if you don't like it you'll probably lose less than $50 if you decide that it's not for you. If you do get one, use it before you judge it, you'll be happy that you did.
 
Are they "worth" $400? I don't know that any folding knife is really worth $400, and this is coming from a guy that has spent double that on folders before. However, if you have the disposable income and want a nice folder then a CRK is a good choice. CRK has exceptional fit and finish and a superb minimalist design. Do they cut any better than a $50 knife? Not really, but few people really need expensive sports cars either. If you are set on buying an expensive folder you can't really o wrong with CRK.
 
You'll either get it or you won't…. I agree if any knife is worth $400 a CRK sure is!
 
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