Small 21 lockup

I know exactly how the OP feels at this moment, you buy a knife and read all about the wear and tear about a lockup blablabla........it will wear and the lockbar will travel to the right, inwards..............the earlier the lockup, the more years you have left................excuse my English, it is not good, I know.................people are afraid to use their knife it is designed for, middle or hard use............they think (including me) if I use the knife real hard, the lockup becomes 'worst" and I have to send it in. My thoughts exactly...............what kind of use can a knife take with a lockup that is almost 80 or 90%?.............some people do not take that for granted..............if you own a knife like this, you know what it can take and how many years it has before you need to send it in.............just my thoughts............or something.................I have a question, tell me why a framelock knife, the lockbar will travel to the right side when you apply huge force on the blade?? In other words, take the knife in your hands, put the blade on a surface and apply force onto the handle to the tip, why does the lockbar go the the right side of the handle?.........the pressure on the blade is upwards......why does the lockbar travel to the right??.........going inwards?...........anybody with an answer?..............please tell me..............
 
marcengels said:
I know exactly how the OP feels at this moment, you buy a knife and read all about the wear and tear about a lockup blablabla........it will wear and the lockbar will travel to the right, inwards..............the earlier the lockup, the more years you have left................excuse my English, it is not good, I know.................people are afraid to use their knife it is designed for, middle or hard use............they think (including me) if I use the knife real hard, the lockup becomes 'worst" and I have to send it in. My thoughts exactly...............what kind of use can a knife take with a lockup that is almost 80 or 90%?.............some people do not take that for granted..............if you own a knife like this, you know what it can take and how many years it has before you need to send it in.............just my thoughts............or something.................I have a question, tell me why a framelock knife, the lockbar will travel to the right side when you apply huge force on the blade?? In other words, take the knife in your hands, put the blade on a surface and apply force onto the handle to the tip, why does the lockbar go the the right side of the handle?.........the pressure on the blade is upwards......why does the lockbar travel to the right??.........going inwards?...........anybody with an answer?..............please tell me..............
Click to expand...

Locks are springs. When you push the blade upwards (as if cutting something hard) the lockbar is taking up any slack and wedging (locking) tighter.
 
Safetyman et al,

I say this as a CRK EDC'r. Normally, when a NIB production (or otherwise really) framelock is nearly touching the other side, that's not indicative of a long life before bladeplay sets in. If the lock slams at 100% consistently enough, you're going to develop bladeplay, plain and simple. Seems like there's a lot of NIB classic/21 profiles being born with what seems to be awfully late lockup; this is a mystery that I've been pondering lately; keeps me up at night despite the power of G&T's.

That said, I do not own a 21 or Classic for that matter, never have (and considering my Regular will outlast me, probably never will). Got my first Umnum ever on the way.

I have, however, owned umpteen Regular-profiled Sebenza's (and have EDC'd one or two since '02), and the lockup NIB was never past about 50%, and beyond long-term break-in never surpassed 80%.

I understand acceptible specs, they are "acceptible deviation," more or less.

I personally would be bothered with the lockup pictured by the OP on a NIB CRK, UNLESS there have been recent evolutions with the blade tang/lockbar face interface that are not public knowledge. This interface has certainly changed over the years, and maybe it's changed again (in the interest of more secure lockup and less long-term wear, despite appearances).

As a goal for us CRK enthusiasts, some comparative closeup pics of blade tang ramps over the years in particular would be sweet. They sorta tell a story of their own.

I'm a straightup CRK fanboy at heart, as most of you are, but I'm curious about this issue too. Help me investigate further and set all our minds at ease? :)

For reals.

Professor.
 
Last edited:
Professor said:
That said, I do not own a 21 or Classic for that matter, never have (and considering my Regular will outlast me, probably never will). Got my first Umnum ever on the way.
Click to expand...

the Umnum lock up percentages can't really be compared to that of a standard framelock, but yours will not look anything like that :thumbup: :)

if i received a knife with lockup like that, i'd send it back. if I wore it into that point, it's a different story though. I'd say the knife shouldn't wear that much from 50% during your life time, because it seems like it'd just get worse.
 
marcengels said:
why does the lockbar travel to the right??.........going inwards?...........anybody with an answer?..............please tell me..............
Click to expand...

Because it is designed that way. The more force applied the tighter the lockup. When using a well designed framelock the lock will engage further to 80 to 90 percent and then when the knife is closed and opened the lock will be back to were it was say 50%. This holds true to both Sebenzas I have owned.

However when it comes to framelocks STR makes a valid point on:

"Chris Reeve makes a great knife. His frame lock is in my opinion the best engineered highest tolerance folder of that type on the market. He'd cover it if it did develop blade play and I know this because I know people he has replaced locks for just for that reason. One of these a lock was replaced on was a large Sebbie pass around knife for the blade forums that developed play and excessive travel during the pass around. Bottom line is the Sebbie is a frame lock. If it is used heavy in the field it will eventually suffer the same wear issues associated with these integral locks of titanium. It is possible due to the better fit and finish that it will last longer before suffering this fate but based on my own tests of my own customs and others both custom and production I'd have to say that this lock type is not going to be immune from the effects of heavy usage regardless of the maker."

This applies to ALL framelocks. STR was discussing wear on locks. All locks wear out eventually. IMO liner locks wear out the fastest in my use (about 6-8 months they start develop bladeplay). I have not worn a Sebenza framelock in the 1 and a half years I owned my Small Reg. Not worn a axis or a lockback. The lockback and Axis are still my preferred lock for larger knives, but that might change as opinions do due to the large Insingo I own and use.

As to the initial post: If there is no bladeplay do not worry about it. So-lo has been using a large reg bg 42 blade for 3-4 years now with lockup at 90+% if I can recall correctly. No issues. The knife itself is older then 10 years and there have been sebenzas from 1992 (users) without any issues with the lock. Use it and if it bothers you call CRK. It comes up time and time again. To late.....to early....to late.... to early......not enough....less..... It is all a matter of opinion. CRK must shake their heads, they can never win. Each lock is fitted to that knife by hand to ensure the knife functions as intended.
 
Lockup on my Insingo, now 3 days old.


Seblock.jpg
 
SteelSnob said:
50%-75% percent is spec. I would send it in.
Click to expand...

It looks within spec to me.

I don't really see the major concern over lockup. Is there play? Send it in. Not? Don't fix it if it isn't broke.
 
Mailed a pic to Chris Reeve, they said the lockup looks perfect. To quote Heather at Chris Reeve Knives:

"Congratulations on your purchase. Your lock up looks perfect. Some frame locks tend to move as they are used. We have very tight tolerances so our locks don’t travel like other brands may. I believe that is why there is a misconception that less coverage is better (it isn’t for a CRK). If you ever do have any trouble just let us know, but for now use your knife and be assured it is well within our specs. Please let me know if you have any further questions."

Thanks for all the responses.
 
So stop worrying now and use the sebenza in good health!!!! =D
 
I wasn't worried, I had heard people discuss the topic before. Was just purely curious how mine stacked up.
 
I had mine for about 3 weeks at max. It's at the exact same stage. Was almost always at that point.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top