Really worth the price?

I didn't want to jinx it while I was waiting on the mail carrier but she just brought me my Elk Mountain Large Sebenza 21 and all I can report upon just opening the box is that I certainly do not feel "ripped off". :)

This is my first CRK and I too was apprehensive about spending so much. I'm sure glad I did, I'm going to be playing with this thing for a good long while I think. My package was supposed to be here yesterday, so I can finally breathe again.
 
Kiteman72 said:
I didn't want to jinx it while I was waiting on the mail carrier but she just brought me my Elk Mountain Large Sebenza 21 and all I can report upon just opening the box is that I certainly do not feel "ripped off". :)

This is my first CRK and I too was apprehensive about spending so much. I'm sure glad I did, I'm going to be playing with this thing for a good long while I think. My package was supposed to be here yesterday, so I can finally breathe again.
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Congrats! :thumbup:

Don't forget to post those pics :)
 
I figured I'd get asked for pics if I posted that, and here I really have no way to do it. I should know how but I don't. For digital cameras I have my blackberry and a Nintendo DS so I promise to keep working on it but it could take me a bit. Getting the pics on the computer in the 1st place is proving challenging. I am not too good at such things. :o

Looks like the stock pics tho, and thanks for the congrats, and I just can't seem to put it down. :D
 
Kiteman72 said:
I figured I'd get asked for pics if I posted that, and here I really have no way to do it. I should know how but I don't. For digital cameras I have my blackberry and a Nintendo DS so I promise to keep working on it but it could take me a bit. Getting the pics on the computer in the 1st place is proving challenging. I am not too good at such things. :o

Looks like the stock pics tho, and thanks for the congrats, and I just can't seem to put it down. :D
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hehe..

It's not a problem..we have all seen that particular CGG..I like seeing the pics created by the individual as it adds something. Generally, someone is really good at photographs or they are bad.

I am in the bad category


Congrats nonetheless!
 
Ankerson said:
That's actually a good question.

What the real question should be is are they worth that much to you and only you can answer that one.

Once we cross a certain threshold in price some people tend to take a pause because lets face it $400 is not exactly a small amount of money for a lot of people.

Here are my opinions on this:

Having owned a number of CRK products over the years and had even more pass through my hands I can say that they are worth every penny. The quality is really there along with the fit and finish, tolerances and excellent design.

Don't expect to be blown away or have a heart attack or anything when you 1st open the box because more than likely it won't happen especially if you get one of the plain ones. The real beauty is in the use and experience once you have had one in hand for a little while and get a chance to get used to it. Once that happens you will likely start to really appreciate all that has gone into the knife.

Hopefully you will get one and enjoy it.
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Great points! Your comment about the price threshold, I went from a $100 knife, then $200, $400, then to $1000. From where I am in this hobby/Addiction a $400 knife that I want and I can afford is a relatively easy purchase. There are still several threads showing knives in the several thousand dollar range that I find myself questioning if they are worth it... Lol, I have no doubt that I will get there as well. 😎

There are also many that are posted in this forum that are so rare that it is unlikely at any price that I will ever own.. I'm quite happy to just lust over those ones.
 
I just received two smalls a week ago... A box elder with bw Damascus and a mammoth ivory with polished blade. I ordered them from edged specialties ( I am fond of the silver hardware). Fit and finish was impeccable on both, 50 to 60% lock up and centered blades. I own 13 small sebenzas and I have been mainly picking up "regular" models here and there. I was a bit apprehensive about fit and finish because with so many knives leaving the shop I figure quality control could slip. These were my first knives with the inlays, WOW I have not put down the box elder with bw since I've opened from the package. To address the op I started off with benchmades in the early 90's ( their autos was cutting edge at the time) carried a spyderco military iwb under my blouse in the military and dabbled in microtechs till 08. When I bought my first small regular sebenza. Went back to axis lock bm for about 6 months then it's been a sebenza ever since. Yes there are better knives to wrist flick and slam open. I would like to thank the members of this forum, your posts have kept me entertained and informed for some time now.
 
It was a spyderco worker not military during military hitch, anyway I enjoy the knives and hope you do too. Take care
 
Best knife money can buy and let me tell you its cost me a whole lot to figure that out. Just got a brand new large 21 today that will be with me till the grave. It'll take a while for you to appreciate how perfect every last detail truly is.
 
I owned countless knives before I bought my first CRK but after I did everything else just seemed like a fad or a "gag" gift. And I'm not talking $40.00 carnival knives either. But after owning more than I can count there is one thing about CRK that is so much higher and so much more relevant than any other thing and to me that one thing is customer service. We are not simply"numbers" to them. We are part of the CRK family. Why do I send the CRK crew a Christmas card every year? Not because I expect something or am trying to somehow "suck up"... No. It is because I appreciate them and everything they have done and probably will do for me in the future. They are an incredible group of individuals and we are lucky to still live in a day when Chris, Anne, Angela, Heather, etc are all around to be there and help make CRK what it is today.
I honestly look forward to calling them and my heart always skips a beat when I look down at my incoming call and it just says "CRK" as I know that it is going to be something good. No matter what the issue or problem they will take the time out of their busy day to help and not many companies today can say that. I have been burned by so many makers and companies in my 36 years on this planet that it really is a shame but CRK is a shining example of what is right in this world and for that I would just like to give them a huge THANK YOU.
So to those out there that are wondering if $400.00 is too much to pay for a knife or why are they so expensive... Is it possible to put a price on things like respect and common courtesy, and doing to others as you would like done to you? To me the answer is unequivocally "No" and I would still be a user/collector if their knives were two or three times the price. As once you hold that first CRK in your hand you will then know what all the hype is about and why so many people, including myself, will be a CRK user for the rest of our lives.
 
Blinkknives said:
Great points! Your comment about the price threshold, I went from a $100 knife, then $200, $400, then to $1000. From where I am in this hobby/Addiction a $400 knife that I want and I can afford is a relatively easy purchase. There are still several threads showing knives in the several thousand dollar range that I find myself questioning if they are worth it... Lol, I have no doubt that I will get there as well. 😎

There are also many that are posted in this forum that are so rare that it is unlikely at any price that I will ever own.. I'm quite happy to just lust over those ones.
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I know what you mean, I have had some knives in the same ranges also.

Have a pretty good variety now, although not as many knives as I used to have as I sold most of them off over the past 2 years.

CRK is one of the Companies that are in the higher range that I wouldn't question the worth because the quality is really there from what I have personally seen.

People in the end have to justify that cost to themselves.
 
ToddM said:
This is a tough one, it's kind of like asking on an Iphone fan page if the Iphone is worth it, "worth" is very subjective. ;)

I own a Umnumzaan and a 25, and some others over the years, I used to EDC the Zaan a lot. To me I still see fit/finish/tolerances that CRK does better than just about anyone else. You really need to handle one to feel the solid feeling/sounding locking action and also the hydraulic smooth resistance opening.

That being said, I believe the fit/finish gap has closed over the last 20 years. There are a lot of very good production knives out there now with great fit/finish at half the price. Frankly though that has nothing to do with the performance of the knife actually cutting things. It's kind of like having perfectly even door/hood/trunk gaps, it signifies high attention to detail and quality, and usually higher price, but has NOTHING to do with the function of the car.

If there's one place I think CRK opens themselves up for criticism it's the blade steel. S35vn is a great all-around steel a great mix of edge holding, corrosion resistance, and toughness (it also doesn't hurt that it's very "cost effective" for makers because it's so easy to grind/heat treat). For me there are just too many production knives these days that offer blade steels that are vastly superior in edge holding to S35vn, especially at RC 58-59. We don't see many posts about S90v, S110v, M4, CTS-20cp, CST-204p M390, etc. from any company under normal folder use with edge chipping problems. So toughness of those steels seems to be adequate for most. I also don't find those steels much harder to touch up/maintain than S30v/S35vn, a few extra swipes on the sharpmaker maybe and they are back in business. Now a full re-profile sure that can be way more work.

In the end it depends on where you sit on the form/function debate. For me I lean heavily toward function and now that I've picked up a few knives with much better edge retention I find myself carrying my CRKs less and less. It's just disheartening how quickly they dull in comparison. However, they still puts a smile on my face every time I open one up like few of my knives can.
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The thing about S35VN or S30V for that matter as far as CRK is concerned is they can buy a whole run at a time, unlike some companies because they use one steel.

The benefit of that is they can tweak the HT process to what they want knowing that the steel is all from the same run.

I believe that 58-59 is not set in stone as awhile back I sent one of my S30V Umnumzaan blades off to get HRC tested and it was 59.5 RC.

However I haven't tested their S35VN yet so I can't speak on what they do with it.

That said I still EDC S30V more than any other blade steel, and my Umnumzaan along with my Military were my main EDC knives, still have the Military and it still is.
 
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I have way too may knives. Spyderco, ZT, ProTech, Kershaw, some customs.....My Sebenza 25, that I got as a gift is well worth the price. In fact, I am looking at dropping the cash to get a 21.

I have a rotation of knives that I carry and have for years. Usually five that I have out on a side table next to the couch. I grab whatever suits me for the day. Last batch was a Spyderco Military, Spyderco Endura ZDP-189, ZT 0550 and 0556 and a Kershaw JYDII non-composite. I put them all away and just have the Sebenza out. The Sebenza just does it for me as an EDC.
 
yepimonfire said:
What makes these worth the 400+ price tag?
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When you already own a vast collection of 'budget' knives that equal or surpass the cost of a CRK...

When you are tired of nit-picky issues like poor blade centering, disappointing grinds, tool marks and other minor f&f issues, lock-rock, sticky lock, unsatisfactory edge on your brand new knives fresh out of the box, gritty pivot action, etc. ...

When you already have several decent mid-grade production blades that any knife-nut would be proud to own, yet somehow they still leave you wanting for something just... a little bit... 'more'...

And finally, when you are ready, willing and able to drop the coin on a more expensive knife and be equally willing to carry and use it...

...then it is time to try a CRK.

Aside from unique graphic or fancy inlay models, the CRK you receive will look exactly like every other CRK you have ever seen in photos, videos or IRL. If you don't like the looks, the real deal will not change your mind when you have it in hand. But hey, if you don't like it, you can sell it off for zero to minimal loss and move on to something else.

Good luck, OP! :)

-Brett
 
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