So... got my new small sebenza today...

Yoffione said:
Applejacks, I know where you are coming from and I think all is normal. I took the plunge and bought a small classic (new) sight unseen and expected butter in my hand. The most I had spent on any knife before that was less than $100. I got a knife I could barely open or close. I even took it in my local Sportsman Warehouse and showed it off to the knife guy. He had never seen one and was very unimpressed.

I got the courage to disassemble and clean. It made a HUGE difference. It is very, very smooth now. I lubed with a teflon spray. One thing I did that I have not seen elsewhere is after I cleaned and tightened I spread the liners with a piece of wood. I pushed the corner of a piece of hardwood into the front of the liners with the blade closed causing them to spread ever so slightly. Made a huge difference. I hope I described that alright. It is all I carry now. As for the flicking, I have heard that Chris did not design the knife for that. I can flick mine just fine now, but I won't tell him:) .
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Exactly! I too was expecting that silky smoothness. And I have been bragging to my buddy for a while now about how the Sebenza was gonna be here soon. He saw it tonight and laughed at me cause the necessary two handed closure, and the hard to open factor (which is a bit better now).

Thanks for the tip, but I am way way too scared to try that wood technique. haha

Is the teflon made for knives or is it just a general mechanical lube? Cause I have some of that stuff too.

Hmm... I would love to get clarification about the 'not meant to flick'. If that is the case, I think I am all set now.
 
Chris Reeve Knives said:
If anyone ever experiences this sort of thing with a new CRK knife, PLEASE call us -- we will want to know where and when you purchased it, and will want to have you send it back to us so we can examine it and make it right!

Applejacks -- please accept my apologies for your bad experience with your Sebenza. Would you mind sending me your phone number so I can call you and ask you some questions about this green gunk, and this lock issue? If that is okay with you, you can send me your contact information at crkinfo@chrisreeve.com. Please mark it "To Dave" so that it is routed to me. I'm currently out of the country, but will be back in the office late next week.

I'd like you to send your knife back to CRK so we can make 100% -- you don't need to wait for me to get back to do this. You can call CRK at (208) 375-0367 to get specific instruction on shipping.

Thanks,

Dave
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Hi Dave. Thanks for the post. I just emailed you with my phone number. You can email or phone me anytime.

The gunk... looked black on the washers and blade when disassembled. When wiped off with some elbow grease and warm water it came off as a green component. It definitely seemed like it could have been some sort of liquid that turned somewhat hard... like old soda that was spilled.

The lock... sometimes it seems engaged 'deeper', therefore making it much tougher to disengage. In fact, it becomes a two handed operation.. and I am not a small man. Doesn't seem real normal, as most of the times it is a regular strong lock that I can disengage one handed.

I really want to avoid sending it back.. but if you think its best, I guess I can. How long would I be without a Sebenza?
 
Applejacks said:
Can anyone confirm or deny please?
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I don't know for sure but my guess is that it wasn't exactly designed with that in mind. But I do it all the time. I have noticed that some of the guys here think that its an absolute no-no. But I went to my local knife shop and asked the shop owner, who is one of the largest suppliers of CRK knives, and he said that it's no problem. Heck, it's one of the toughest knives out there!
 
Hey applejacks, will you ask them about the knife flicking when you talk to them? Please let us know what they say.
 
Search "Sebenza" "flicking" and "warranty" & there's tons of posts on this - - from what I recall reading these posts, it puts stresses on the knife and isn't covered under warranty. - - Personally, to me its like snapping a revolver cylinder back in place like in those old movies (which can cause all sorts of problems)- - why do it ?
 
Pointshoot777 said:
Search "Sebenza" "flicking" and "warranty" & there's tons of posts on this - - from what I recall reading these posts, it puts stresses on the knife and isn't covered under warranty. - - Personally, to me its like snapping a revolver cylinder back in place like in those old movies (which can cause all sorts of problems)- - why do it ?
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I understand. I am curious to know if it is even possible. As with mine, it is not.
 
Hope you get it all sorted out. I know it's real disappointing when youre excited about getting something new, only to find it has a problem. Please let us know how it works out & how CRK treats you if you send it back to them. Regards, - -
 
Pointshoot777 said:
Hope you get it all sorted out. I know it's real disappointing when youre excited about getting something new, only to find it has a problem. Please let us know how it works out & how CRK treats you if you send it back to them. Regards, - -
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Thanks. I appreciate it, and you're totally right. I was so eager to get this knife. I hope its a case of me needing some good lube for the blade, and a graphite pencil on the lock.
 
Personally, - - if it were me - - I wouldn't do more than the very minimum on it. If it took more than that I'd be sending it back by expedited shipping. You won't have possession of your knife for a little while, but it sounds unsatisfying to have it in its current state anyway. Before you know it you'd have it returned and in tip-top shape. Regards, - -
 
It's been a few years since the last great fllicking war. I'll see if I can summarize:

- CRK advises not to wrist flip as they feel it puts extra wear on the knife. (Exception being the first oen on reassemble, see FAQ)

- Most sebenzas are tight enough you can't flip them anyway. Some well used ones you might.

- Screws should be tight always, don't loosen them so the knife will flip.

My personal opinion if you want a knife to flip, buy a balisong or one of the scads of assisted openers out there.

Also it's been my experience that a graphite pencil trick will not work on a sebenza, if the lock sticks when trying to unlock, something it wrong with it.
 
Applejacks:
Save yourself a lot of grief and send the knife back and tell them where you bought it. CRK can't address QC issues if we just fix the knives ourselves. I know it's a hassle but IMO well worth it!;)
 
Heres one more thing to think about in reference to flicking - a fellow posted in the knife law forum about running into a problem with a policeman regarding his knife being able to be 'employed by gravity or centrifical force'. His knife was confiscated from him after failing the flicking test. - - I did a little research. Some local laws are written so that its almost impossible for any knife Not to qualify as a 'dangerous weapon' technically that could be flicked open. - - - I made sure to tighten the pivot on my Emerson Commander a little. It sits nicely centered between the liners. It can't be flicked open. But it has the Wave feature that allows it to be opened quickly while being drawn if needed - and its a different kind of knife with a different purpose than the CRK. Just my 2 cents worth, - - -
 
Pointshoot777 said:
Personally, - - if it were me - - I wouldn't do more than the very minimum on it. If it took more than that I'd be sending it back by expedited shipping. You won't have possession of your knife for a little while, but it sounds unsatisfying to have it in its current state anyway. Before you know it you'd have it returned and in tip-top shape. Regards, - -
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Thats how I am feeling more and more. Buy a new product and have to do quality control work on it myself.. pretty stupid. Especially at this price. I enjoy knives, but am far from a serious collector or aficionado. For me, $340- is alot of money for a simple folding knife. $40- Benchmade's don't require this kind of extra work.
 
DaveH said:
It's been a few years since the last great fllicking war. I'll see if I can summarize:

- CRK advises not to wrist flip as they feel it puts extra wear on the knife. (Exception being the first oen on reassemble, see FAQ)

- Most sebenzas are tight enough you can't flip them anyway. Some well used ones you might.

- Screws should be tight always, don't loosen them so the knife will flip.

My personal opinion if you want a knife to flip, buy a balisong or one of the scads of assisted openers out there.

Also it's been my experience that a graphite pencil trick will not work on a sebenza, if the lock sticks when trying to unlock, something it wrong with it.
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Thanks for the info. I am glad that its not a flicking knife.. as I don't really have the intent to do so. I just wanted to know if it was possible to flick open as mine was too tight to be able to. After working it open and closed MANY times, a thorough cleaning and a healthy amount of wd40, it has loosened a bit to the point where I think its okay.

As far as the lock.. it engages very deeply, and is not a one handed operation without making my thumb bleed. Two handed it goes fairly okay. Normal?
 
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