sebenza lockup question

I'm OCD about symmetry so i was lucky to have 50% lockup for my small and large 21. On my 25 and zaan, it is the usual, 50-60% showing on tang, but lockbar appears to look like 75-90% I've gotten used to it.
 
Early lockup is to knives what preme ejac is to girls, no good. Lol
i wouldnt trust a knife with less than at least 40% lockup, 50-80% is ideal, but no harm in even 95% as long as the blade isnt flapping around and the lock stays put it really dont matter now does it?
 
Corskin said:
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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Probably true, from that perspective. However, if the ceramic ball was touching the other scale, that could also be considered 100%, regardless of where the ball actually contacts the lockface.
 
You make a good point. My Zaan is at the spa right now because lockup was ALL the way over. It was starting to develop up and down blade play.
 
Corskin said:
You make a good point. My Zaan is at the spa right now because lockup was ALL the way over. It was starting to develop up and down blade play.
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I'm surprised to hear that. Seems quite out of the ordinary.

Is this your hard-use knife?
 
- SpyderMan - said:
I'm surprised to hear that. Seems quite out of the ordinary.

Is this your hard-use knife?
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I guess I could consider it my hard-use knife. I got this one pre-owned in great shape (I think it had a previous spa treatment though). When I got it, the lockbar was about 80% of the way over. I do flick it open, but only to the point where it locks smoothly. No wrist flicking or anything like that. In about 3 months of EDC, it got all of the way over, to the point where I couldn't push it any farther if I tried. At that point, I noticed the up and down play starting and sent it in. I tried taking it apart and reassembling to no avail. I even tried thicker O rings, which helped the lockup percentage, but I didn't like that as a solution. I think you shouldn't need the O rings, but I may be wrong.

It does makes me curious if anyone else has had this happen with a 25 or a Zaan. Ceramic is used for sharpening and is obviously harder than steel. I can't help but wonder if it actually wore the blade tang down, making the lockup creep over. I haven't heard anyone make this claim, so I didn't feel like it was worth mentioning. But now that you mention it...
 
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Thanks for providing some more details, Corskin. I'm interested in hearing from others, as well.

Hmmm......
 
I'll add a conspiracy theory here. The issue with the lockup may have been there when I got the knife. Because it had new O rings, it kept the lockup normal and tension on the lockbar. I wore the O rings down to the point that they were not useful anymore and the problem showed its head again.

Here's the far fetched conspiracy part.... I'm not accusing anybody of anything here. Just a crazy thought that crossed my mind. The blade is not original to the knife. Maybe a blade swap from someone who wanted their knife to have an earlier lockup and the blade off of my knife fit the bill for them? Maybe it got confused with another Zaan blade at a knife cleaning party?

What I do know is CRK will fix it up for me and I won't have to worry about it again.

Edit: I am really starting to believe my conspiracy theory the more I think about this. The birth card for my Zaan is reissued and says "Tanto" on it. My (non-tanto) Zaan is a Wilson Combat so the birth card had to stay with the knife.

I take back my question of the ceramic ball wearing down the tang.
 
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Corskin said:
I'll add a conspiracy theory here. The issue with the lockup may have been there when I got the knife. Because it had new O rings, it kept the lockup normal and tension on the lockbar. I wore the O rings down to the point that they were not useful anymore and the problem showed its head again.

Here's the far fetched conspiracy part.... I'm not accusing anybody of anything here. Just a crazy thought that crossed my mind. The blade is not original to the knife. Maybe a blade swap from someone who wanted their knife to have an earlier lockup and the blade off of my knife fit the bill for them? Maybe it got confused with another Zaan blade at a knife cleaning party?

What I do know is CRK will fix it up for me and I won't have to worry about it again.

Edit: I am really starting to believe my conspiracy theory the more I think about this. The birth card for my Zaan is reissued and says "Tanto" on it. My (non-tanto) Zaan is a Wilson Combat so the birth card had to stay with the knife.

I take back my question of the ceramic ball wearing down the tang.
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An interesting series of posts - thanks.

It probably goes without saying, but if you hear anything interesting from CRK when you get the knife back, let us know.
 
If the lock goes down really late >80%, wouldn't the lock stick? My experience with a SmF and 0560 would stick like crazy if the lock has gone very far in. For reference, my Umnumzaan is about 50% and large 21 around 30-40%. So far no issues with as both lock solid and no play in any direction whatsoever.
 
jumpstat said:
If the lock goes down really late >80%, wouldn't the lock stick? My experience with a SmF and 0560 would stick like crazy if the lock has gone very far in. For reference, my Umnumzaan is about 50% and large 21 around 30-40%. So far no issues with as both lock solid and no play in any direction whatsoever.
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Not sure. I guess it depends on the lock geometry. I've had striders that stick so hard I had to pry them free, and others that released like butter.

On the other hand I have never had a Seb stick to that point. I did own a large 21 that felt a little sticky sometimes but nothing like I described.
 
I've never been concerned with the lockup of any of my Sebenzas.

The knives below however have always freaked me out a bit. People seem to love it though..

8051417980_e3d1274c3f_b.jpg
 
jumpstat said:
If the lock goes down really late >80%, wouldn't the lock stick? My experience with a SmF and 0560 would stick like crazy if the lock has gone very far in. For reference, my Umnumzaan is about 50% and large 21 around 30-40%. So far no issues with as both lock solid and no play in any direction whatsoever.
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Not necessarily.

As a matter of fact, every Sebenza should be at 50% or more, or it is not in CRK specifications.
 
Tripton said:
Not necessarily.

As a matter of fact, every Sebenza should be at 50% or more, or it is not in CRK specifications.
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Noted. On the other hand I really like the Umnumzaan with its ceramic ball lock, buttery smooth when disengaging the lock. I wish the 21 have this lock system in them. The perfect sebby IMO.
 
RetiredGuns said:
I've never been concerned with the lockup of any of my Sebenzas.

The knives below however have always freaked me out a bit. People seem to love it though..

8051417980_e3d1274c3f_b.jpg
Click to expand...

I too have a similar folder as pictured. Indeed, the lock is very early, but somehow its rock solid in mine. Looking at it does make one show concern, probably it was designed that way.
 
I have owned a few sebenzas, i have wondered if this or that was just right a few times. Turns out, chris reeve knows more about knives than i do. Shocker
 
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