sebenza lockup question

J

jrgannon

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Aug 24, 2000
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I just bought a new small sebenza classic as a user. Lockup out of the box is about 80%. I always liked linerlock and framelock lockup to be 30-50% generally speaking. Does anyone else think Chris Reeve should not have the lockup so far over or am I crazy?
 
Is there any bladeplay? If not, it's fine. Send it in if or when you feel bladeplay, which will probably be many many years from now.
 
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my sebenza also has "high" lockup. perhaps 60%.

i was initially concerned but soon realized that CRK takes such good care of its customers, that i will simply send the knife in if/when it starts getting loose.

OTOH, if this degree of lockup were on a true, custom knife from a maker who may or may NOT be active after a decade, i'd be more insistent that the initial lockup be around 20-30%
 
I would suggest that you take it apart and do a full clean/lube then as CRK suggest do a LIGHT flick. I'm guessing that the knife did not fully seat. If it is still over the 50% and you are really botherd, then contact CS.

Here is a response that Ann from CRK gave on a similar thread. I edited some stuff out that didn't make sense.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=677210


Chris Reeve Knives said:
..................We still would prefer you send the knife back to us if you are not happy with the lock. Our recommended tolerance is 50-75% - if it goes over further, and there is no galling or blade play, that is even better!


Anne
Click to expand...
 
jrgannon said:
I just bought a new small sebenza classic as a user. Lockup out of the box is about 80%. I always liked linerlock and framelock lockup to be 30-50% generally speaking. Does anyone else think Chris Reeve should not have the lockup so far over or am I crazy?
Click to expand...

Your crazy :D...the deeper the better.... if it works , don't mess with it....i have several that are 60-80%. :)
 
Bro here's the deal if it has zero play and i'm sure it locks up tight like a sebb,itz good,i have a old benchmade that locks 100% with zero play itz like a sheath knife......:cool:
 
Sorry for the resurrection.

I just got a used 25 today that is nearly 80%. No blade play.... wonder if previous owner flicked it too hard too many times.
 
Could have come that way from CRK. Late lockup makes it harder to resell for top dollar IMHO.
 
How are you judging lockup? Are you looking at the edge of the lockbar or are you looking at where the ceramic ball is on the lockbar in relationship to the tang and the far scale?

Keep in mind that the ceramic ball lies about midway into the lockbar..so you are likely around 60%
 
25s and Umnumzaans look completely different than a Sebenza and you can't judge lock engagement the same way. You resurrected the wrong thread. :(
 
My early 25 with press fit stop pin came with lockup ~90%. It has never moved, and when I stopped in Boise a year or two ago, they cleaned and inspected it and said it was just fine.

I really wish people would get this fascination with early lockup out of their heads. It is quite stupid, particularly with CRK knives, in which the lockup rarely changes at all anyway.
 
I used to be all about early lockup. Then i got into CRK. For quite some time i couldn't stand the "late lockup" of my Sebenzas. Then I actually got to know and understand why these knives are designed the way they are. They meant to use. Now, I don't get early lockup. I guess it is for collectors or something. I prefer lockup at 60% or so. IMO, if any Sebenza lockup is less than 50%, something is wrong with it.
 
Corskin said:
I used to be all about early lockup. Then i got into CRK. For quite some time i couldn't stand the "late lockup" of my Sebenzas. Then I actually got to know and understand why these knives are designed the way they are. They meant to use. Now, I don't get early lockup. I guess it is for collectors or something. I prefer lockup at 60% or so. IMO, if any Sebenza lockup is less than 50%, something is wrong with it.
Click to expand...

Amen brother... I use mine hard and don't want an early lockup. If there's a bit of junk between the stop pin and the tang when I open it it means it will still lockup reliably and not slip. Clear your head, take a nap, use a cheap knife for a week and then come back and tell us what you think. Late reliable lockup is way better than early and unreliable like most Chinese knives. Rant over....
 
Depends on the knife. With a Strider (and this is not a Strider bash), I would prefer early lockup on a new knife because in my experience they tend to wear in a fair bit in the beginning. The geometry and finish of the Sebenza (classical, not 25) is different and I'm happy with much later lockup. With the 25 and the Umnu, that's even more true, since the ceramic ball is simply not going to wear at all. As Bradtown says, you can easily see what the real lockup is by looking at the mark on the tang from the ceramic ball.
 
K, rookie question... I think I kinda understand what you mean by "lockup", but then some are using terms like "early" and "late" and I have a feeling I am misunderstanding...

What is "lockup"? :confused:

I know some are rolling their eyes... 😁
 
On a frame lock, are you just looking at percentage-wise how far the frame locks across the blade? Early would be 20% across as 80% would be late?
 
That is correct. However I would say "early" and "late" is not necessarily that cut and dry. It is more determined by what is normal for that knife, manufacturer, etc... The reason I put "late lockup" in quotes in my previous post was because some people call 60% late. In fact, it would be very late for many knives. However, for a Sebenza, it is toward the middle of the acceptable range (I think). Some knives (a lot of customs) are at 10% lockup. I would personally not trust a knife that is that early, but that is just me.
 
Well most my CRK knives are 50%, this one is almost 90%, but seems fine. I don't plan on resale on any of my knives.
 
I don't believe it is possible for a 25 or an Umnumzaan to be at 90% because the lockbar would hit the opposite scale before it could get that far. I know it appears to be 90%, but on the 25 and the Zaan, it is not the lockbar that contacts the blade. It is the ceramic ball on the lockbar that does.

If you look at your blade from this angle, you should be able to see the track of the ceramic ball on the blade tang. Where the track stops is where your actual lockup is at. I hope this picture helps.

wWdWZCEm.jpg
 
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