So far I'm not impressed...

Ravenbrook

Ravenbrook

Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Messages
188
I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I can't say I'm impressed at all with my Large 21 with Box Elder Burl that I just got today. Ordered it Tuesday from KnivesShipFree and they sent it right out. Great company service btw. Got it today and opened it up and went to push the thumb stud and it wouldn't open. I had to grab the blade with two fingers to get it to open. It has relaxed a tad but it's still nowhere near what I would expect from a knife like this. I watched a video on YouTube from 2013 where Chris Reeve himself said he tries to inspect every knife before it went out. NO ONE inspected this knife. No way. EVERY SINGLE YouTube video I watched, and there were many, the knife opens buttery smooth. Most of them even flip the blade open with just thumb pressure. Not this knife! This isn't my first Frame Lock and I'm doing my best to keep finger pressure off of the lock bar when opening it. Blade is perfectly centered and not nearly as sharp as I would have expected for a knife with this type of reputation. I just emailed KSF and asked them what to do. There is no way I'm keeping this knife like this. Am I the one in a million lucky customer to get a knife like this? Or have others had issues?

Thanks,

Rick
 
I'm sure others have had the same issue but probably don't write a thread like this about it haha

Send the knife back to Derrick and he'll take care of you or even to CRK. I'm sure it's a simple fix
 
Try opening it with the top of your thumbnail rather than pushing out with the pad of your thumb.

If I try to open my large 21 with my thumb pad, I really have a tendency to hold it weird and it does not open easy, and feels as though I have to exert a lot of pressure.

I typically open it with the thumb stud resting on the top off thumbnail as I push the blade out. When I do it like this........the blade glides out buttery smooth.

Just a suggestion. Maybe give it a try.
 
This is not the norm, but I don't doubt one like this can slip through every once in a great while. Unless you are planning on getting a refund, send it directly to CRK. Call first and they will pay your shipping.
 
Gizler, Thanks for the advice. It didn't make any difference though. I'll wait to see what KSF says tomorrow.
 
Ravenbrook said:
Gizler, Thanks for the advice. It didn't make any difference though. I'll wait to see what KSF says tomorrow.
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No problem! I was hoping that was a possibility.

Definitely contact CRK. Especially if you want to keep the knife. There is no doubt they would make it right.

Keep us updated on how it plays out.
 
Also, when you open, the sebenza requires more of a straight push, as opposed to the arcing sweep that some knives have. Put your thumb down flat(ish) behind the stud, not so much IN the circular cutout as at the rear point of the cutout, and lush your thumb straight forward. It should open right up.
 
Why would you start a thread on an internet forum about an issue before calling CRK:rolleyes::confused:
 
The knife has to break in, my 21 was the same, hard to overcome the detent, now it just glides open with minimal pressure on the thumb stud ;)
 
Newer 21's have stronger detents. The knife WILL loosen up. You gotta give it a few days. CRK tolerances are super tight, thats what your experiencing. There is nothing wrong with the knife in any way. Like bhyde said, call crk 1st before posting.
 
My 1st large 21 came tight (my first ever CRK), so I know the pain when you've built it up in your mind, and it arrives imperfect. With that knife, if I tightened the pivot screws all the way down, it would lock the blade. The pivot bushing was simply too small for the width of the washers.

Having said this, that knife wore in, and is now perhaps my favourite 21. It's buttery smooth, dead centered, and has given me a couple years of use.

In your case, if the blade is centered, and you like the grain in the box elder, I would either send it to CRK, polish the washers yourself on a strop (to slightly reduce width), or simply lock tite the pivot screw at a lesser tension until the knife breaks in.

I started my CRK journey with a similar "not impressed" vibe, but became an addict fanboy in no time. Be warned!
 
I just received a Large Sebenza BEB inlay with w/ double thumb lugs a week ago and they are tight to start. Bought it to match a small that I have in my collection. It will loosen up and they will be very smooth opening. As stated above by other members CRK's tolerances are very tight and thumb placement does make a difference when opening. It may not seem too impressive but find another high end production knife with the exacting standards that CRK's have. Their industry standards are used to gauge other manufacturers for a reason. No angels singing or harps playing in the background. Just a very simple, well thought out and engineered design.
 
It might be worth disassembling, cleaning, and regreasing.
A certain about of "stiffness" is to be expected; but that doesn't mean difficult to open. Have you tried backing off slightly on the pivot tightness?
 
Gizler00 said:
Try opening it with the top of your thumbnail rather than pushing out with the pad of your thumb.

If I try to open my large 21 with my thumb pad, I really have a tendency to hold it weird and it does not open easy, and feels as though I have to exert a lot of pressure.

I typically open it with the thumb stud resting on the top off thumbnail as I push the blade out. When I do it like this........the blade glides out buttery smooth.

Just a suggestion. Maybe give it a try.
Click to expand...


+1 it took a few hours of playing to get used to, now it's hands down my favorite knife (small version) and most often carried.
 
blade man said:
Also, when you open, the sebenza requires more of a straight push, as opposed to the arcing sweep that some knives have. Put your thumb down flat(ish) behind the stud, not so much IN the circular cutout as at the rear point of the cutout, and lush your thumb straight forward. It should open right up.
Click to expand...


I second this. The Sebenza is a little different from other stud opener knives I've had. I don't flick the lug with my thumb like I would on a Benchmade, it just doesn't work, I put the pad of my thumb on the lug and kind of push it straight out. When you overcome the detent there's enough force that the blade just Flys open which brings me to the next part...the knife needs to be used and broken in. Don't freak out just yet, I've handled more than one brand new Sebenza that was not a very smooth opener but with tolerances so close and tight in the CRK folders, they just need to be used and all the parts to get a little bit of contact wear with each other and you'll eventually have a nice smooth blade like you see on YouTube.
 
I am reading this statement frequently: "your knife needs to break in". Can somebody explain what is exactly meant? I mean saying "you just need to open and to close the blade a few hundred times" is what people explaining if you ask them what "breaking in" means. But that is of course an unsatisfying answer. It explains WHAT you have to do. It doesn't explain what is technically happening and therefore it is not explaining WHY you should do it. So am very interested to learn more.

Having said this, let me add that my large 21 insingo KnifeArt exclusive, which is my edc, has been smooth right from the 1st moment I took it out of the box. That is probably the reason why I am still waiting for the "break in" effect, not knowing what to expect :-)

I have never been able to flick the blade open via my thumb, as seen in some videos. But I always thought that this is not the opening way the Sebenza has been designed for. Otherwise Chris may have added a flipper guard to the blade :-) So I am fine with that. But still wondering why some Sebenza are obviously having such low resistance for the thumb, that you can flick them open. I like this "hydraulic" feeling of opening a Sebenza blade, which is not changing in the way how much force you have to apply during its way from out of the handle until its final opening position.
 
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