Should I pull the trigger on a starbenza?? A few concerns

Bladenoobie1

Bladenoobie1

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Jul 20, 2012
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Everything I hear about CRKs are good and at the moment, I'm looking for 1 solid edc to last me the next 5+ years. I've been selling the few knives I have and look to just hold onto one--hopefully a CRK. My main concern is the factory edges from CRK. From what I've read, CRK edges aren't necessarily sharp coming from the factory. Now I do have stops and a sharpmaker, and will be making a freehand rig with sandpaper and glass. But I much rather prefer to have even bevels to start out with and then just strop them to maintain it.

Are these things I'm hearing about CRK edges true?

- Bladenoobie1
 
Dude I have 3 wilson combat CRks.... 3....

all 3 came what I would call, sharper than a mother $#%@er....

I literally lightly stropped my startac umnum when it came and that biznitch can shave hair right off my arm, also the bevels on all 3 came damn near perfect.


BUY WITH CONFIDENCE
 
My small sebenza is the sharpest knife I've had from the factory...this includes multiple Benchmades, Spydercos, Ka Bars, Cold Steels, Kershaws, Gerbers, etc. They're not even close to how sharp the sebenza is. In the highly unlikely event it's not sharp, you can send it in to CRK to redo.
 
I'm pretty convinced so far. Still want to see what others have to say. Also do CRKs come with a V-grind or a convex edge?
 
I think you'll be OK, every CRK i've ever purchased has been incredibly sharp. A few pulls on the strop every now and then should do the trick. I find that the Spyderco Sharpmaker "fine" rods are still a bit toothy for the likes of the Sebenza's edge... Get a set of Ultra Fine rods. Touch up often.... and by touch up, i mean just stand the edge back up... I wouldn't change the bevel. I've NEVER had any of my CRK's come with an uneven bevel... While possible, l'm thinking it would be a rare occurrence. They are good knives by a company that has fantastic customer service...If you ever have a concern, they really go out of their way to address it.
 
a strop and some sandpaper from 320-1200 grit and some compound is all you need
may the edge be F.. sharp or not, you can sharpen and maintain it easily and being the edge convex already, it takes one less step ;)
 
I'd be curious where you heard or read of a factory CRK not being sharp. Anyhow I wouldn't worry about that. I've have heard about the complexity of the regrind. I personally never had an issue putting an edge on one conventionally.
 
Chris Reeve recommends using the sharpmaker to sharpen his knives. So it sounds like you are good to go. I have owned about a dozen CRK's never had one yet with an uneven bevel.
 
My CRKs have all been unbelievably sharp outta the box. I mainly use a Sharpmaker and I've never had a problem touching up & eventually rebeveling any CRK edge on it. I try to do as much as possible on the 30deg side (back bevel) & hit the last bit at 40deg to micro bevel. Depending on how long i wanna take sharpening i usually remove the burr by holding the edge at a slightly more obtuse angle and do 5 light strokes on each side. With the slight variances of the human hand I usually end up with somewhat of a convex edge at the end.

Honestly, with proper sharpening, my Sebs edges last equally as long as other knives with the same steel but higher heat treat. I'm 100% convinced that anyone who has a problem with CRKs heat treat simply has not removed the burr. There are plenty of folks around who don't pay enough attention to be making informed comments. They have an experience (real or perceived) without realizing that every step involved makes a difference. The most simple method I've found is to sharpen the best edge you can then smack the edge pretty hard a few times on a piece of hardwood. If, then, you can "see" the edge (I mean the edge not the bevel) or get a reflection off of it you did not remove the burr and the edge holding will seem poor. But it is actually user error.

As far as the steel itself... There are plenty of charts and graphs & folks who I lovingly call "cardboard cutters." There is a lot of data. In my use, I personally find that S30V/S35VN is fantastic. I have 154CM, Elmax, S90V, SR101, 01, 1095 & D2 at the moment. All things considered, S30V/S35VN (CRK, Strider, Shirogorov, Spyderco, Benchmade) has been my fav. It is a Jack of all trades, master of none steel but its edge holding is as good if not better than most, its not too difficult to sharpen, it's as or more stainless than most. It is not the most durable steel out there but is more than tough enough for an EDC folder. CRKs one point lower on the RC hardness scale makes him one of the only makers that I know of who addresses what I see as this steels only shortcoming.
 
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First thing I do with a factory CRK edge is slice through some boxes. That man seriously knows his knives, and sharpening is definitely something he excels at. (blades arent all ground by chris, but I do believe the majority of them are sharpened by him? Anyone care to elaborate?)
 
I only have 5 Sebenza's at the time, but have had about 10 to 12, and all came with perfect bevels, and all came very sharp.
 
My Sebbie 21 came out of the box sharp as a razor. I shaved some hair off my arm to test it. I guess there could be an exception, but my money would be on a sharp blade, sharp enough for anything but brain surgery, and even then, in a pinch, a CRK might do the trick :)
 
Not exactly sure where you heard that, but its a non issue - mine came with a perfect bevel and only takes a light stropping to bring it back to hair popping sharp.
 
My Sebenza came OutOfThisWorld sharp, sharpest knife i have ever bought.
what ever you heard, i would ignore it
 
I'm convinced! I'll be looking to grab a CRK hopefully within the next few days. Another side question, does anyone know any good knife stores to check out in the Las Vegas area?
 
Mine is a large 21 and was second hand. The edge was a v bevel of unknown angle, not convex, and I have changed it to a 20 degree nasty polished edge. By far the sharpest of my knives and stays sharp with only a strop needed to keep it dialed in. I know nothing of what it was like when new, just that the steel and heat treat is great and it holds an edge better than my other knives. S-35V seems to be awesome in my mind.
 
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