Sebenza (huge) blade play

[Alpha556]

Here's a short vid I just shot at work. I don't have a 21 or 31 on me but here's a large inkosi.
It flexes albeit it's a lot of pressure being put down on the knife.
Maybe the 31's are prone to flex more but the other knives do also share the trait to some extent.

https://imgur.com/a/vfwcL3t

 

[Chippa]

When did everyone get so soft. The 21 and 31 are both awesome.

 

[kjd2121]

Never in my life have I seen a folder "tested" like that. I don't know if it's a good test or not, I've just never seen it.

I wonder if this is going to become a trend, the new way to "test" the quality of a knife, the "table press". Perhaps in a few years this will become as common as the "spine-whack test".

I imagine a lot of people are going to read this thread, and start pressing, or trying to press their blades against a table top to see what happens (if you haven't already ).

How long before it shows up in Youtube videos? If it hasn't already. Youtubers are always looking for new ways to review and test knives.

I just tried it with my Slyze Bowie...lol No movement

 

[Dadex]

Disassembled and reassembled it without using grease. When pushing a bit with the fat finger of the holding hand 0 movement. The test i did was probabbly trash although it did not damage anything of the knife. There was defenitely something wrong with my knife as it is more solid after i disassembled it.
Conclusion: Dont make the test i did but if u feel that the lock is not solid i suggest trying disassemble and reassemble it.
Lastly i would like to say that the knife took his revenge and cut my finger when i tried to push it a bit. Mainly because it didnt move this time and my finger slid into the tip.

 

[craytab]

Disassembled and reassembled it without using grease. When pushing a bit with the fat finger of the holding hand 0 movement. The test i did was probabbly trash although it did not damage anything of the knife. There was defenitely something wrong with my knife as it is more solid after i disassembled it.
Conclusion: Dont make the test i did but if u feel that the lock is not solid i suggest trying disassemble and reassemble it.
Lastly i would like to say that the knife took his revenge and cut my finger when i tried to push it a bit. Mainly because it didnt move this time and my finger slid into the tip.

You fixed it! All this for nothing...

 

[Jsega51]

The first 31 I bought did it a little bit but it went away after carrying it and getting it broken in. I could feel it tighten up as some time passed.

 

[T.J. H]

I would of never thought to try this with any of my CRK’s (or any knife for that matter) ,and I still have no desire to try. This is all a big nothing burger, IMO.

 

[RBB2]

A good discussion, not about the 31 specifically, but about this issue. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZOfpSnljNN/?utm_medium=copy_link

 

[rileybassman1]

Lock bar flexing over the ball. Big thread on it already. It’s the titanium lock bar moving vertically. If you find something to shim between the bar and frame and try again it will hold. There were some early 31s that were worse then others… not the table test, but audible clicking up and down by moving it by hand, or lock rock. Newer 31s have a change in geometry in the lock bar cutout that fixed the lock rock, but there is still a bit of flex. But not how a knife was made to be used IMO.

 

[TrainedBullets]

The general topic is much ado about nothing, IMHO.

My small 21, small regular, and small 31 all flex the same amount - a tiny bit if you push down on the spine. Something I never did until the 31 complains started rolling in. And I did it just once per knife to see. Otherwise, I just use the sharp side.

All that said, please bail on CRK so maybe I don’t have to wait 2 years for them to make my next one.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I would of never thought to try this with any of my CRK’s (or any knife for that matter) ,and I still have no desire to try. This is all a big nothing burger, IMO.

Yup. Exactly. This is the equivalent to somebody testing a box end wrench by laying it across two 2x4 and driving over it and saying it won’t hold up to daily wrenching. People will find any way to “test” a product and say it’s garbage just because it did things it wasn’t designed to do. If it was advertised as fixed blade strength or something along those lines sure, but the lock keeps the blade upright and open and under NORMAL circumstances nobody would EVER exert that much force on a knife. I’m saying this across the board, not just CRK. To an extent the tests with locks and sand as well are kind of bogus. Yes, in the real world that may happen, but locks aren’t designed around an issue with sand. Engines aren’t designed to suck up water either which is why hydro lock occurs. Are all the engines that people dunk in the water and destroy junk?

 

[353]

When did everyone get so soft. The 21 and 31 are both awesome.

The 31's are soft

 

[353]

But I'm happy that they somewhat fixed the issue and they seem to get better as they wear in.

I'm just not a fan of the change, I think Tim should have left the sebenza as it was.

But the 31 is said to be harder to make fail now with the ball interface and that is at least something positive with the change.

 

[badmatt]

But the inkosi and zaan don't do that. It's a special "feature" of the 31.

Both of my inkosi's do it and so did my umnumzaan.. Push hard enough and they will move.

Wonder what would happen if I tried this with my Impinda....

 

[rileybassman1]

Was going to edit my post but decided to make a new one, in your vid when you push down, I can see the lock bar moving up vertically... so yes, that is what is causing it. I wish CRK would add an over travel stop similar to a Hinderer, if you look at the Hinderer design, yes, it prevents the lock bar from being pushed OUT, but it also prevents the lockbar from moving vertically or UP and eliminates the travel you are getting.

I would say that the reason the Inkosi tends to be better is the lock bar thickness and lock bar cutout. The ceramic ball gets hate, but I don't think it is the the primary cause of this issue in your case - it is acting as a fulcrum, but lock rock and lock bar flex are two separate issues.

 

[DavidABQ]

I can’t imagine why I would test a lock that way. To each his own I guess.

 

[Knives&Lint]

 

[Gilbert G]

My that's a great shot and love the fallout treatment with Bronze hardware.

For the overall thread, were there flex concerns on the downward spine test on the 21s in any of the previous years when it was the only Sebenza available?
The test itself reminds me of fixed blade ones where the blade is shoved horizontally in a tree and someone stands on in to test the blade to see if it will bend. Anyone want to try this with a 'Benza or turn the blade upright (so edge points toward the ground), shove that sucker in, and do the stand test? I'd pay to see but guessing the cutoff weight is 175lbs then the lock fails.

 

[WedgeAntilles]

Those that have complained about the ceramic ball interface being added by Tim Reeve, remind me. Did the Umnumzaan get designed and released by Chris before he left? What about the Inkosi? And if I'm not mistaken, didn't the 25 have a ceramic ball too, making it not the first Sebenza to have that? Just curious for all the Tim Reeve haters...

 

[johnnytoxin]

Those that have complained about the ceramic ball interface being added by Tim Reeve, remind me. Did the Umnumzaan get designed and released by Chris before he left? What about the Inkosi? And if I'm not mistaken, didn't the 25 have a ceramic ball too, making it not the first Sebenza to have that? Just curious for all the Tim Reeve haters...

Yup the Umnumzaan and the Sebenza 25 were Chris’ designs for sure, possibly the Inkosi as well. You can force flex into all of these knives. The issue with the 31 is that it requires much less force to get it to flex.