Sebenza 25 - Lock Stick and (maybe) Late Lock-up

ncrockclimb

ncrockclimb

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2014
Messages
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I have had my Sebenza 25 for about a month now. I purchased it new from a big, authorized internet dealer. It is a regular part of my EDC rotation and I am very happy with it overall. However, I have a few issues.

One issue I have is "lock stick." When I close the blade, the motion is not smooth. The lock seems to be stuck, the releases suddenly. I have cleaned the area where the detent ball makes contact with the blade, but the "stick" persists. It acually appears that there is a divot on the back of the blade where the detent ball touches it. Is this normal? None of my other knives (a Spyderco GB and many frame locks ZTs) exhibit this behavior.

The other issue is the lock-up. Based on the pictures, would you consider this considered late?

Minus these issues, I really like this knife. Any feedback from the folks here would be really appreciated.

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The lockup position is good for a ceramic ball crk. It is not normal for worn spot to be a divot that large. It's acting like a detent. My Umnum has had daily use for years and the worn spot on the tang is small and not circular. It wore in that way, no stick. I might take pictures later.

Did it stick from day one?
 
Yes. From day one. I did not notice the "worn spot" until I had had the knife for a few weeks. I thought it looked odd, but did not know what was normal for a CRK.

Any opinions on why it has worn so quickly?

I am seriously considering sending it back to CRK for some TLC, or maybe contacting the dealer (a member here, active on the forum). I purchased this knife on 1/25, so I am not sure if CRK or dealer would be my best choice. Suggestions?
 
ncrockclimb said:
Yes. From day one. I did not notice the "worn spot" until I had had the knife for a few weeks. I thought it looked odd, but did not know what was normal for a CRK.

Any opinions on why it has worn so quickly?

I am seriously considering sending it back to CRK for some TLC, or maybe contacting the dealer (a member here, active on the forum). I purchased this knife on 1/25, so I am not sure if CRK or dealer would be my best choice. Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Your best choice would be to call the dealer if you want to have it replaced, and send it in to CRK if you want it fixed. They will replace the blade and/or lock-side scale (if it is causing the problem) and fix it up like a proper new knife. No idea why it would wear so quickly, it shouldn't, although I don't have much experience with the ceramic ball interface.

I also just had to send in my new 21 for lock stick, and I can't wait to get it back :D
 
Very interesting.

I would call CRK and see what they have to say. I would love to know what you find out.

I would suggest that they normally will not wear like that, and they shouldn't.
 
Not sure about the lock stick but your lock up is about perfect - Actually earlier than any of mine have been.
 
That wear mark (IMO) is normal(mine looks like that) BUT what isn't normal is the lock stick you're describing. That shouldn't happen at all.

That wear mark looks like it's digging into the tang but it's not. Maybe someone else can give an opinion because I'm not confident in my advice 100%
 
Perhaps it's just the pics,..but is the lockface colored at all differently than the rest of the blade? It almost looks like there is a faint blue line. Could be just a shadow I am seeing.
 
Just want to comment that the lockup on my 25 is easily 90%. I would say yours is 85. Mine is bank vault solid and I expect it to stay that way for looong time. Nothing to worry about.
 
Not accusing you of anything, but do you open your knives with any wrist action? At a glance it looks like an impact mark. My 25 definitely has a wear mark and streak on the blade tang, but no deep divot. That is not normal.

I would say your lock-up is either perfect, or a tad early.
 
kidcongo said:
Not accusing you of anything, but do you open your knives with any wrist action? At a glance it looks like an impact mark. My 25 definitely has a wear mark and streak on the blade tang, but no deep divot. That is not normal.

I would say your lock-up is either perfect, or a tad early.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the comments on the lockup. This being my first CRK and first experience with the ceramic ball detent / lock, I was not sure.

Kidcongo, that question is totally fair and I did not take it as accusatory at all. The answer is no. I am not into flicking / flipping open my knives, and actually have found that it is easiest for me to use two fingers (thumb and index, one on either side of the blade) to open it. No wrist action or velocity is involved.

Bhyde, I think the color you are seeing is just shadow.

I think I will call the dealer tomorrow and see about doing an exchange. Since the knife is new, the problem is not because of anything I did and the dealer is reputable, I think it will be the quickest way for me to get this resolved. I will be sure to provide an update.

Again, thanks for all the replies. This site and sub-forum have been a great sourced of information for me and I am really grateful to all of you for sharing what you know!
 
I've had a couple 25's and one of them was almost as "dented" as yours, the rest were fine.
I've also had 4(I think) umnum's and none had that issue.
All of them get a nice polished groove from the detent ball/interface but the one in question like yours ended up with a decent divot in the tang of the blade wich made it so that I could feel it pop out when disengaging the lock. There was also a very gritty feeling to that one when unlocking it which felt like the ceramic ball was skipping across file lines or grinder marks.

It was BARELY used and not abused, gritty feel was there from day one.
I parted ways with that one so I never found out the cause of the problem. I wish that I could be more helpful than sympathetic.
I suggest that if you love the knife send it in to get fixed up.

Good luck.
 
Aggressively opening the knife impacts the stop pin. Impact to the tang would require something like a spine whack. Not saying OP did that though.
 
The lockup and wear spot look just like my 25s, but the sticky lock is not normal for a CRK.

I'd try to exchange it from the dealer, that will be faster than sending it back to CRK.

Second choice is to send it back to CRK and it will return perfect. I'm up to 6 right now, had one more but traded it for a Zaan, and none of them have had any lock stick at all.

Get it fixed, that way you can have a normal excellent CRK experience. That is what you paid for, a hassle-free great knife. And they by far usually are.
 
My 25 looks similar to yours....but is smooth, with no stick. BTW, that lockup is perfect, maybe a little early. 45-50%. Chris says the ceramic locks are specked at 50-70%.

BTW, mine have never been flicked or spine whacked.

I am not going to worry about it, if it ever needs attention, I would rather send it in to CRK.

I also just did a Google search and it seems to me it is normal for there to be some wear there. The ceramic ball is so much harder then the blade, I cannot see that this could not happen.

In fact here is a forum post here on BF's where everyone that replied had the same wear. So, I would say totally normal.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1079519-Sebenza-25-lock-face
 
Chris Reeve Knives said:
[/FONT]The lock should engage at between 50% and 75% of travel. With the Umnumzaan, because the interface between the blade and the lock bar is a ceramic ball, it is the ball that must be at 50 – 75%. This will give the visual that the lock bar is further over than with a Sebenza.
Click to expand...

First post in this sticky:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/730951-Some-words-from-Chris?p=8066017#post8066017

Yours seem normal to me but dont know about the sticky lock.
 
My 25's tang looks identical to yours.

Also, it took quite a while, opening and closing, to break it in. It went from being difficult to open to very smooth, all of a sudden.
 
I've been using Sebenza 25 whole summer as THE ONLY folder in 2013, just to try it hard. And a bit also in 2014 (in rotation with my old Regular). Never had a single lock problem and the lock stays exactly where it was after first 2-3 weeks of use. Great working blade!

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The lock up on my 25. When I first got it I was concerned. Never had a knife lock up that late. But after using it I don't think about it much anymore other than occasionally checking to seeing it's moved. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1424884573.929728.jpg
 
My lockup is exactly where yours is and it's just fine with me. I personally do not understand the obsession with early lockup, especially when the maker says that it's how he designed it. I've only had my 25 for a couple of months (my first CRK) and I'm loving it!:D
 
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