Sebenza 31 thoughts

I'll buy one. Even though I dont care for folders. The CRKs and the benchmade bugout/bailout are the only folders I deal with.
 
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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I totally understand this. However, we think about durability and longevity in weirdly abstract ways.

If you spent $450 on a Sebenza 21 and it gave you 20 years of reliable service before it was too worn to refurbish, would you feel cheated? Also, I dont think any of the CRK products just "die". If your 21 ever starts to stick or slip its lock or get some play that cannot be adjusted out it and the company no longer has the parts to fix it, keep the old rattle box and remember it fondly. My guess is that by the time the 21 loses some of its perfection of fit, you too will be rattling more than when you bought it;) Grow old together.

...and get yourself a little 31 side tart to keep life interesting;)
 
I like the look of the new micarta inlays, but I'm not too wild about the ceramic ball lock face.
I'll probably get one anyway. :D
 
george65 said:
I like the look of the new micarta inlays, but I'm not too wild about the ceramic ball lock face.
I'll probably get one anyway. :D
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You know, I wasn't either. My brain kept telling me that a piece of ceramic smooshed into the lock bar couldn't be as "good" as the titanium on steel.

However, when you think about it, all the ceramic ball does is offer a stronger, tighter lock up than the other Titanium frame knives offer with their steep inserts screwed to the lock bar. I've become a believer, and I will concede that hand fit titanium on steel is a nice "old school" way to do it, but that the ceramic lock up is probably more durable over time.
 
Also the Umnumzaan has had that ceramic ball for over 10 years of production now and they are shown to be strong. I think Chris himself said the Umnumzaan was the strongest folder design he created back when it came out.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
You know, I wasn't either. My brain kept telling me that a piece of ceramic smooshed into the lock bar couldn't be as "good" as the titanium on steel.

However, when you think about it, all the ceramic ball does is offer a stronger, tighter lock up than the other Titanium frame knives offer with their steep inserts screwed to the lock bar. I've become a believer, and I will concede that hand fit titanium on steel is a nice "old school" way to do it, but that the ceramic lock up is probably more durable over time.
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I just like the simplicity of not having it. the simplicity is kind of what drew me to sebenzas.
my oldest sebenza is from 1995 and the lock as never moved or worn in any kind of way.
(not arguing, just clarifying)
 
george65 said:
I just like the simplicity of not having it. the simplicity is kind of what drew me to sebenzas.
my oldest sebenza is from 1995 and the lock as never moved or worn in any kind of way.
(not arguing, just clarifying)
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Oh and I totally get that. If the 21s were still more common when I bought my Inkosi, I would have probably not even tried the Inkosi, walked right in, and bought the Sebenza. The whole thing I wanted was the Sebenza experience. The tight tolerances, the handfitting, the original Ti on Steel lock up. I like old school stuff. Its just that the scarcity of the PJ 21s prompted me to handle an Inkosi and I found it fit my carry needs (and hands) better after trying one of the fancier 21s Spark had under the glass. If I were to luck into a couple hundred bucks this week, i would totally be tempted to pick up a gussied up 21 to go along with my Inkosi while I'm kicking around in Louisville. I know I'll get a 31 as well, but I still feel like I kinda want a 21 to go along with it.
 
I revived my 1st Inkosi late last year and would conceder the 31 not that much of a upgraded version !although CRK's makes vary little changes to his knifes I feel its about two steps ahead of the sebenza 21 of witch I also own...
 
Are the washers on the 31 hand-fit? I can’t decide either whether I want a 21 or a 31. Might sound weird but, I’ll probably get a 21 first if the 31 doesn’t have hand-fit washers. It just seems more special I guess

Weird I know
 
I'm looking forward to the single-click ceramic interface, but not the clip position or multiple hex sizes. I'm quite happy with 21's, and don't see myself picking up a 31 until there are second-hand CF Insingo's, or maybe to check out the new inlay position if the price is right... So I'm probably looking at a couple more years with these guys, which isn't so bad :):

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I understand the reason to buy a 21 and in fact I just did. But from what I learned, 31 is indeed an improvement or upgrade over 21.
 
brownshoe said:
By the version designed by founder Chris Reeve, it's a classic for a reason. The 31's not an upgrade, it's a marketing strategy.
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That's why I own 2 already. Gonna buy another just didn't know if i should go for the 31 or not. I probably wont.
 
For those of you old enough to remember, when Chris Reeve originally did inserts in the 1990's, they were one piece, like the upcoming 31's. The 2 piece came afterward.

I really like the feel of the one piece insert and will be buying a micarta 31 for sure.
 
The 31 is an evolution in design. Whether you view that as an improvement or not depends on which you prefer - titanium or the ceramic ball, straight clip vs. canted, etc.

I personally strongly prefer the 31's design evolution as I enjoy them currently on the Inkosi I have. I just got a small 21 and really like it. It's good to have a 21, I think but the changes to the 31 are welcomed by me. I plan to get one.
 
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