Sebenza 21 work performance.. opinions?

[Ajack60]

i don't use a sharpie.... i set my WE to about 17 degrees

If I use a guided system, I normally don't use one either, but for free hand, I like to use one because I'm not that good.

 

[archieblue]

Another possibility is that the OP was not successful to remove the burr. In my limited experience, I found that S35VN and its kinds tend to develop lingering burrs or wire edge. They feel sharp right after sharpening, but it goes away with a few swipes into cardboard.

IF what the op has posted is true and accurate, IMO this can be the only possibility short of a faulty heat treat. I can certainly understand high expectations for a $400+ knife but I feel that the post is skewed. I have zero allegiance to any knife manufacturer, and I have owned and used a whole shitton of different knives. I would agree that Spyderco definitely "brings it" when it comes to bang for buck, but I would say that it is wholly untrue to say that any Spyderco is "better" at anything vs. a CRK except, clearly, a backlock will have exceptionally better closed retention. I use my knives every single day. For the past 14 years I have been a carpenter, guide, and have spent most of my days living completely off grid, basically homesteading. I would say that my personal findings have determined that I would choose a folding CRK over any other folding knife. They just hit the sweet spot for my use.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Muscle memory is the key, using your whole body to sharpen freehand also helps to maintain a constant angle. Finally like Ajack60 said, about toothy vs polished and and the final/secondary bevel angle and flat grind vs hollow grind cutting performance against different materials. One of the reasons I like whittlers and stockman patterns is because I have 3 blades with 3 different angles for the different materials. I'd love to have a stockman made with 2 different steels, maybe a D2, Elmax and S35VN. That would be perfect.

 

[Dangerously]

[...] using your whole body to sharpen freehand also helps to maintain a constant angle.

I do this sometimes, and I imagine I look like an autist, sitting at the sharpening bench, rocking back and forth and not breaking eye contact with the blade.

But it can help!

 

[Sergeua]

I would dull the edge with spyderco medium. One, two passes. You will see edge reflecting light. This will remove some possibly weak material and give you a reference point. Sharpen this out like you usually do. Make it shave equally well on both sides when you come off the stone and move to the next one.
Find some hair on your bicepts and try a little bit. If it shaves hair on say left arm while you hold the knife with your right and doesn't do it on the right arm when you hold it with your left, sharpen left side a bit more and repeat. Cut into the stone or diamonds for the finishing passes. You can go back and forth but at the end just do into the stone. Don't go higher than 1000grit keep different abrasives and steps to minimum. This should give you better consistency and you can add more steps later after you test out the use. Make nice even bevel that still looks nice and uniform in the light and shaves coming off the diamond plate. Swipe the edge into some wood like 3 times, strop it out on just leather to make sure no burr. Test on your hairs again.
Go to work and if it still dulls quicker than spydercos vg10 and you know it's not your sharpening then talk to CRK about it.

 

[Casinostocks]

^ why not over 1000 grit? I concur on keeping the stones to a min of 2-3 different grits when just maintaining the edge.

 

[Casinostocks]

Another problem with sending things back to CRK just to be looked at, will leave you without your knife for at least 8 weeks. Ever wondered as to why those of us who get bitten by the CRK bug, tend to have at least 2-3 CRKs in our rotation?

 

[Sergeua]

^ why not over 1000 grit? I concur on keeping the stones to a min of 2-3 different grits when just maintaining the edge.

Its probably fine I just wanted him to keep it minimalistic and add more grits after testing out use. Like having some kind of baseline established. Maybe it's best for someone professional sharpen it to a certain grit before complaining ti CRK. Perhaps someone else can chime in and say what's good for sebenza. I don't have one yet.

 

[Casinostocks]

Got it

 

[Lapedog]

Muscle memory is the key, using your whole body to sharpen freehand also helps to maintain a constant angle. Finally like Ajack60 said, about toothy vs polished and and the final/secondary bevel angle and flat grind vs hollow grind cutting performance against different materials. One of the reasons I like whittlers and stockman patterns is because I have 3 blades with 3 different angles for the different materials. I'd love to have a stockman made with 2 different steels, maybe a D2, Elmax and S35VN. That would be perfect.

Interesting idea.

 

[Saint 3:16]

Of the S35vn blades I've had experience with, CRKs hold an shaving and working edge better than ZTs S35vns.

It comes it comes downs to edge geometry and angles. Spydercos set there edges more acutely from the factory and most of the their knives are flat grinds, it's going to cut better, could potentially roll yet maintain a working edge.