Skipped ZT, went staight to CRK - Good or bad move?

T

Tseg

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Aug 25, 2018
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I'm not even a knife collector, mainly I've been poking around YouTube knife review videos for a month or two. I've 'collected' a lot of things in my life and realize I like the study of various hobby fields (watches, cameras, pens, etc...), understand what makes them tick and acquire a few select pieces to appreciate the hobby rather than become immersed/consumed for long stretches by a hobby. Then ,move on while still keeping in touch with former hobbies.

I have mainly an office job and much of the time it is my home office. The majority of my need for a knife is to open a lot of packages and envelopes and break down a lot of boxes. As such, a few months back after doing research I bought a Spiderco Dragonfly ZPD-189. To be candid, "its all the knife I need". I also bought a bunch of sharpening apparatus and that knife is now scary sharp. My second need of a knife/hobby is to keep me occupied during conference calls, for hours a day. This is where the context of this post comes in...

After many, many hours of review watching and reading I convinced myself my ideal knife purchase as the ultimate knife to toy with would be the ZT562CF. So many reviewers said if they could keep only one knife it would be that one. They really spoke about this knife with true amazed emotion. It was almost all but settled (had the knife in an online 'basket'). But I also kept coming across videos that said Chris Reeve knives is the quality tier of knife where many end up... and once there the money spent on all the lesser knives is somewhat wasted. Not everyone is a CRK fanboy, but enough to know there is some merit there. In all my other hobbies they also all had that 'tier'... Rolex for watches, Namiki Urushi lacquer fountain pens, etc... In all my other hobbies I eventually 'succumbed' to that tier, then the spell was broken, I could move on. Every subsequent hobby I became more efficient getting to 'the punch line' based on my prior experiences. My goal with knives is to experience the hobby in 2 knives or less. I was convinced that smooth, quick launch action of the ZT 562 was what I needed, but I finally got pulled into the siren song that is Chris Reeve Sebenza reviews. But now I started to go down the rabbit hole with CRK to really research which knife really sung to me as I wanted to get this right the first time. In summary, on Monday I have a Chris Reeves Umnumzaan with Tanto Blade arriving Monday. Going Tanto was a bold choice but for me I find it the most beautiful knife. Additionally, the Tanto blade is supposed to be the ideal blade for my package/box needs. I this is to be my last knife, having a lifetime warranty is a bonus. All things considered, did I calculate things correctly? Will my knife spell be broken Monday?
 
On the contrary, friend. CRK’s are like chips... betcha can’t eat just one :D Welcome to the club, you made a solid choice :thumbsup:
 
ZT and CRK are fairly different knives. If you say skipped ZT and go straight to Hinderer, there might be more merit of discussion here.

Yes - ZT 0562cf is a good knife and voted by many as their top choice. But given your intended use (opening package and breaking down lots of boxes), most Spydercos would be better choices than ZT 0562cf.

I have owned only one CRK knife, which is a plain jane large sebenza. It is a good knife, although I am not as crazy about it as many others.
 
Can't go wrong with a CRK. You will not be disappointed but if you are you can sell it on the forum and someone will most likely buy it for what you paid for it.
 
I recently picked up a small CRK Inkosi and it immediatly became my daily beater. I wouldn't say my Spydies and Benchmades were a waste but... I have sold all but 3 of them since picking up my Reeve. Since getting the Reeve I've lost all interest in other folders.

ZT's just don't seem to speak to me. I have no need for a flipper and the hard use heavey folder slot is taken by my BM Adamas folder which is a tank.

The Umnumzaan is a big beefy knife. Pick up a small Reeve and you have your small and large folder needs covered for a few lifetimes.
 
Be prepared to have a sore thumb for the first 3 days, but once you get the hang of it, you'll love it.
 
Thanks for everyone's input... sounds like jumping straight to CRK was a thoughtful no-regrets move... if I can control myself once the 'zaan arrives. I'll let you know my thoughts on the Tanto. I'm sure the spear tip on the other blade is functional but it wasn't doing anything for me and that Tanto makes me drool, fits great with the overall knife design.
 
Your way of approaching a "hobby" is alien and bizarre to me . The whole point (for me) is to have a pleasurable pastime . It's not about getting to the end point as quickly as possible . It's about savoring the process of getting there . The trip rather than the destination . It's like you can't be bothered to experience life , but would rather get to the conclusion ASAP. Speed reading the Cliff Notes is not the same depth or quality of experience as reading the whole book .

It's not a race . There's no trophy for getting to the end first .

Deep breath ...hold it ...slowly exhale . Repeat . Relax and enjoy the ride . :)
 
I'm pretty much in the same situation as you. I have long since stopped buying knives altogether and now I only have 5 in total. One of them is a Opinal to take on trips where I won't have to worry about losing it. The three CRK I have is based on the same notion of "replaceable"; being a factory knife that holds a certain standard, I'm not too worried about replacing it if I were to lose it.

The three CRK I have, all smalls and plain, began with the Insingo followed by the Clip point and lastly the Tanto. I find the Tanto the worst in the everyday tasks you mentioned because of the thick tip and the blade shape. The tip renders it useless in delicate(ish) tasks such as paper envelopes; for carton boxes it's not as ergonomical as the Insingo, one have to twist the wrist down to an somewhat uncomfortable to be able to use the tip efficiently to open packing tapes. To be honest the clip point and the Insingo is a pleasure to use, a slight puncture-and-slice motion is like a natural motion for me.
 
With the tanto try using the intersecting angle of the main edge and the tip edge to open boxes instead of the tip and you should be pleased it works like a wharncliff to zip stuff open

OP - the difference between the 2 designs is more significant than the difference in their quality IMO. Do you prefer flippers or not? I will say however that I decided not to buy the very appealing ZT when I was examining it in the store after I cut off the tip of my pinky while closing it . . . messy

On the other hand I have bought several CRKs and sold all of them when I remember how much I hate those pointy thumbstuds
 
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Tseg said:
I'm not even a knife collector, mainly I've been poking around YouTube knife review videos for a month or two. I've 'collected' a lot of things in my life and realize I like the study of various hobby fields (watches, cameras, pens, etc...), understand what makes them tick and acquire a few select pieces to appreciate the hobby rather than become immersed/consumed for long stretches by a hobby. Then ,move on while still keeping in touch with former hobbies.

I have mainly an office job and much of the time it is my home office. The majority of my need for a knife is to open a lot of packages and envelopes and break down a lot of boxes. As such, a few months back after doing research I bought a Spiderco Dragonfly ZPD-189. To be candid, "its all the knife I need". I also bought a bunch of sharpening apparatus and that knife is now scary sharp. My second need of a knife/hobby is to keep me occupied during conference calls, for hours a day. This is where the context of this post comes in...

After many, many hours of review watching and reading I convinced myself my ideal knife purchase as the ultimate knife to toy with would be the ZT562CF. So many reviewers said if they could keep only one knife it would be that one. They really spoke about this knife with true amazed emotion. It was almost all but settled (had the knife in an online 'basket'). But I also kept coming across videos that said Chris Reeve knives is the quality tier of knife where many end up... and once there the money spent on all the lesser knives is somewhat wasted. Not everyone is a CRK fanboy, but enough to know there is some merit there. In all my other hobbies they also all had that 'tier'... Rolex for watches, Namiki Urushi lacquer fountain pens, etc... In all my other hobbies I eventually 'succumbed' to that tier, then the spell was broken, I could move on. Every subsequent hobby I became more efficient getting to 'the punch line' based on my prior experiences. My goal with knives is to experience the hobby in 2 knives or less. I was convinced that smooth, quick launch action of the ZT 562 was what I needed, but I finally got pulled into the siren song that is Chris Reeve Sebenza reviews. But now I started to go down the rabbit hole with CRK to really research which knife really sung to me as I wanted to get this right the first time. In summary, on Monday I have a Chris Reeves Umnumzaan with Tanto Blade arriving Monday. Going Tanto was a bold choice but for me I find it the most beautiful knife. Additionally, the Tanto blade is supposed to be the ideal blade for my package/box needs. I this is to be my last knife, having a lifetime warranty is a bonus. All things considered, did I calculate things correctly? Will my knife spell be broken Monday?
Click to expand...

You got nothing to worry about. CRKs are great knives and imho a better choice for a knife you’re going to carry around than most zt models.

Enjoy the knife. It is arguably the best production knife ever made. There are other knives out there that are desirable for many reasons but imho virtually none are better in terms of build quality than a CRK.
 
Didn’t read all the posts...based on the subject title, yes, correct decision.
 
ScooterG said:
Didn’t read all the posts...based on the subject title, yes, correct decision.
Click to expand...
Same here, except I would have suggested a Ti-Lock or a Mnandi for days when you actually go into the physical office, or work someplace other than your peraonal remote office.
 
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I've been collecting knives for over 30 years now. The best thing I found was this forum. I read as much as I could and checked out what all the knife owners had to say and in the end I wanted a Chris Reeve knife. I've ended up with several Sebenza folder knives and a Chris Reeve Shadow III fixed blade knife.

Tanto style blades are nice and I have a Bud Neely neck knife that has that style of blade. But for everyday use I rather have a drop or clip point knife shapes. You will love your Chris Reeve knife and I have a feeling you will be acquiring more from that knife maker.

BTW, I also collect lighters, firearms, writing instruments, and sunglasses. Some much to collect and so little funds...ha!
 
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