Sebenza edge out of the box

matus

matus

Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
662
Hi,

so I have finally decided that I will keep the small Sebenza 21 I have ordered just a few days ago - the knife just fits my hand, is very well made (reputation, feel) and does not look like a fancy tool unless you know it is :)

I notice after unpacking, that the edge is consistently dull edge, but though "hey, a few strokes on the Sharpmaker will fix that, so do not worry", well, that was not quite the case.

Just before I took it to Sharpmaker I read a thread here where it was mentioned that the Sebenzas come from CRK with 40deg inclusive edge angle. Even though I plan on putting 30deg on the edge I decided to go go with 40 first and see how that works for me. So I optimistically put on the "standard" brown/grey rods and started sharpening. Since I also used a permanent marker I saw after very few strokes that I am only touching the shoulders of the edge bevel. Aparently the bevel was even larger than 40deg. So I moved to CBN rods. I did not expect this to be fast as I have used these rods to put 30 deg edge on Spyderco Caly 3.5 super blue, but it took me 1 hourh (!) until I could see that I actually made it to the edge. I kept applying permanent marker to see how the situation develops and it went slow - in particular towards the tip. Even now - I am not fully satisfied, but that is probably because I did not have enough patience with the finer rods afterwards.

I know - sharpmaker is really not the tool to set new bevels, but I did not expect to have to do it in the first place. If I had some sort of coarse diamond plate (I actually do in 140 grit, but that one is intended to flatten water stones) I would have used it instead even if I would risk little less even edge bevel.

I have large sebenza waiting for me to decide whether to keep it or not. The edge looks the same as it did on the small one after unpacking (i.e. dull). And while my decision does not depend whether I need to put work into the knife prior its first use, I did not expect that I will have to do it. Should I decide to keep it (it is awesome knife, no question about that), I will surely get that diamond plate to save myself 2h on Sharpmaker.

What I am wondering - is this a 'new standard' how Sebenzas are being delivered? Both knives in question here are dated to February 2015.

Please, do not see this an attempt to bash CRK, I just did not expect so much work to be necessary on a brand new knife from Chris (after all what I read).
 
I have 4 new CRK's. I had zero two weeks ago, and never had one, previously.

All four had to be reprofiled on my Sharpmaker diamond rods to be up to my level of sharpness. And each one took an hour or two of work on my part.

I'm very pleased with each of them, now....but fresh out of the box I could rub my finger on the edge without getting cut.
 
It takes a long time at first to remove the CRK convex edge, then sharp maker works fine. I use the sharp maker, but tend to also use a strop for final sharpening. I had a very similar experience to you, which actually speaks volumes about just how durable S35VN is. Takes a long time to grind off that slight convex.
 
Same deal for Mnandi y'all suppose? Mine came fresh today, seems sharp enough, but wondering if I have to dig out the sharpmaker.
 
My first Sebenza, a 25 had the dull section where the belly transitions to the tip. However, bought a Mnandi, large 21 Damascus and small 21 that were nice and sharp. All made this year.

The 25 was real sharp on the belly portion.

Tim
 
Sebenza factory edges are something that could be improved upon imo.
Since CRK recommends the Spyderco Sharpmaker for maintaining edges the least they could do is to give their blades edge angles that work well with that sharpener.
And especially this aspect is something that fluctuates in my experience.
 
kwackster said:
Sebenza factory edges are something that could be improved upon imo.
Since CRK recommends the Spyderco Sharpmaker for maintaining edges the least they could do is to give their blades edge angles that work well with that sharpener.
And especially this aspect is something that fluctuates in my experience.
Click to expand...

I just got a umnumzaan and the edge must be 20 degrees or less, I can sharpen it on the SM with out putting it on the Wicked edge and removing metal.
Surprised me also. Either way for me it's not that big of a deal.
 
All three of my CRK's, two large 21's and an Umnumzaan, were sharp right out of their boxes. All were bought new from Blade HQ.
 
Yes, I've had several and reprofiled* all of them to my liking, but then I do that with all of my knives anyway so it doesn't matter to me. For those who are not so prone to reprofile, CRK should set their bevel at a Sharpmaker bevel. They are just too steep for that.
* - Edge Pro
 
Sharpmaker only works if your factory, hand sharpened edge is 40 degrees or less (which it often is not). Otherwise, the stone won't even touch the edge and you're just putting a flat somewhere on the rounded convex shoulder.

Instead of wasting hours undoing what CRK factory did for a reason (putting on that durable, smooth cutting convex edge) why not sharpen the Sebenza like any other convex blade? Sandpaper on a computer mousepad, or a loaded leather strop, work great on CRK edges. It takes all of 2 minutes to get a hair popping edge if you do it right.
 
MatthewSB said:
Sharpmaker only works if your factory, hand sharpened edge is 40 degrees or less (which it often is not). Otherwise, the stone won't even touch the edge and you're just putting a flat somewhere on the rounded convex shoulder.

Instead of wasting hours undoing what CRK factory did for a reason (putting on that durable, smooth cutting convex edge) why not sharpen the Sebenza like any other convex blade? Sandpaper on a computer mousepad, or a loaded leather strop, work great on CRK edges. It takes all of 2 minutes to get a hair popping edge if you do it right.
Click to expand...

I too prefer to keep the factory CRK convex. Careful use of my Work Sharp Ken Onion makes my 25 look like it has a brand spankin' new Idaho edge, far better than I can achieve by hand. The variable speed trigger lets me run the belt as slow as I want.
 
Both of mine came sharp but their angle was too obtuse for my taste so over time I gave it my own edge.
 
Basically, Sebenza edges do not leave the factory at the suggested 40 dps. They do not, usually. I've had 11 Sebenzas and counting as of today and maybe 2 of them were ready for the sharpmaker out of the box. It's not because the edge is convex, it's not because you don't know what you're looking at, it is because there is a wide margin for human error and lately, CRK edges on their S35VN blades have been abysmally wide. CRK makes an amazing product, with amazing customer service, and is a company made up of what I have personally seen to be very good people. That does not mean we should be afraid of critiquing flaws where they exist.

edit: For some reason, all of my Devin Thomas damascus Sebenzas have had very thin, VERY sharp edges. The S35VN ones will usually come sharp but at like 25 degrees per side.
 
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MatthewSB said:
Instead of wasting hours undoing what CRK factory did for a reason (putting on that durable, smooth cutting convex edge) why not sharpen the Sebenza like any other convex blade? Sandpaper on a computer mousepad, or a loaded leather strop, work great on CRK edges. It takes all of 2 minutes to get a hair popping edge if you do it right.
Click to expand...

That might be the easiest question I'll have an answer for today. Because CRK tells you to use the Sharpmaker.
 
Corskin said:
......
Click to expand...
Cory, you do realize that the stropping stage on a notebook is to reconvex the edge after the Sharpmaker flattens it, right? To be able to do that, the Sharpmaker has to first be able to hit the apex of the edge at 40dps. What exactly does your quote prove?

On the site, CRK specifically recommends you use the Sharpmaker. Not "if" you use it.
 
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