Sebenza 31 thoughts

I've seen the 31 and handled it.
Is it well made and nice?......Yes.
Is it a knife you would be proud to own?.......Yes
Is it going to be worth the money?........In my opinion, yes.
Is it a significant upgrade to the 21 in design, construction and materials?.........No.
From a practical user perspective does it offer any significant improvement over a 21.......In my opinion no.
 
I plan to buy a 31 with box elder burl inlay. After that my CRK collection will be set for a long while (not a huge one, currently just a lg sebenza with cf inlays and a lg inkosi with micarta inlays).
 
I grabbed a LG 21 PJ friday before they dissapear. I actually enjoy the current clip location and how it dissapears into the handle a bit when locked open. As well as the standard carburized framelock which has already proven to last decades if you care for your knife. Frankly I find it just a touch more solid than the ball lock up.

The 31 has

-angled clip

-ceramic ball interface

-hardened single piece shouldered stop pin with different sized screws than the rest of the knife

-small changes to chamfering here and there

-no "trademark" sebenza hole

I still have a 31 on order late in the year. But I'm skeptical that I will enjoy it as much as the 21. Call me old school.

Who knows I might like the 31 even better and that would be a pleasant surprise.
 
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sailfish said:
From my observation the 31 has a full inlay, no hole in the scale on the presentation side, and an angled pocket clip like on the Inkosi.
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It also uses the ceramic ball lock up like the Inkosi.

While I like the uber-hand fitted finish of the 21, in reality, I think the 31 is probably a more durable design, that matters at all.

I kinda wish I had a 21. I missed the boat on buying those new at the knife shop. However, I am more than pleased with the ball lock up. I see it as a worth continuation of the Sebenza line.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
It also uses the ceramic ball lock up like the Inkosi.

While I like the uber-hand fitted finish of the 21, in reality, I think the 31 is probably a more durable design, that matters at all.

I kinda wish I had a 21. I missed the boat on buying those new at the knife shop. However, I am more than pleased with the ball lock up. I see it as a worth continuation of the Sebenza line.
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Forgot about the ceramic ball.
 
Yes, it’s an upgrade. But, you really need a 21 before you’ll appreciate the difference between the two.
I’ve got both the Sebenza 25 and Inkosi, which is an upgrade from the 25. The little differences make the Inkosi a better knife than the 25.
Had I not bought seven 25’s, I’d have all Inkosi’s instead of just two.
 
I'm worried if I send in my 21 years from now for spa or warranty work, CRK won't have any replacement blades...who knows maybe it won't be an issue.
 
If you're going inlay then I definitely prefer the design of the two piece inlay on the 21 over the one piece on the 31.

Maybe it'll grow on me but right now I just can't get into it.......
 
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Cscotttsss said:
If you're going inlay then I definitely prefer the design of the two piece inlay on the 21 over the one piece on the 31.

Maybe it'll grow on my but right now I just can't get into it.......
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My thoughts exactly.
The two piece micarta inlays will still be around on the Inkosi though.
 
Cowboyfromhell666 said:
I'm worried if I send in my 21 years from now for spa or warranty work, CRK won't have any replacement blades...who knows maybe it won't be an issue.
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Can't worry about that, just use it. And how often do you mess up a blade that it would need to be replaced?
 
Ajack60 said:
Yes, it’s an upgrade. But, you really need a 21 before you’ll appreciate the difference between the two.
I’ve got both the Sebenza 25 and Inkosi, which is an upgrade from the 25. The little differences make the Inkosi a better knife than the 25.
Had I not bought seven 25’s, I’d have all Inkosi’s instead of just two.
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I have a 21. Small and large
 
Get ready, I think they should've upgraded the steel. Is the 31 a major upgrade? No. I still think you should get the 31 if you're set on a Sebenza.
 
20cv would be nice as an option on the 31. Maybe as a way to differentiate it with the Umnum or Inkosi.
 
mongomondo said:
20cv would be nice as an option on the 31. Maybe as a way to differentiate it with the Umnum or Inkosi.
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20cv and S30V always tends to chip out on me. I've had better results with M390 and never have the issue with S35VN or CPM 154 for that matter.

Personally my super steel preference is M4 @ 62ish. That would be interesting! But I really love the minimal maintenance needed.
 
BellaBlades said:
20cv and S30V always tends to chip out on me. I've had better results with M390 and never have the issue with S35VN or CPM 154 for that matter.


Personally my super steel preference is M4 @ 62ish. That would be interesting! But I really love the minimal maintenance needed.
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I had a 20cv griptilian that chipped horribly with minimal use. I have had small chipping with Crk s35vn but most of the time it was from hitting metal or something hard inadvertently.
Very easy to sharpen back out tho
 
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