Spend my money!!! Which SMOOTH action folder?

[DocJekl]

I'm glad to hear it! It sounds like you've got yourself quite a nice EDC rotation from this quest.

Civivi and Sencut are both made by WE knives and are among the best quality at their respective price levels. CJRB is made by Artisan and unfortunately, I've gotten a lot of lemons from them over the last few years. CJRB gets cool designs but overall, I can't recommend them.

I'll be glad to see how you like these as you get more time carrying and using them. I'm watching this thread but also feel free to avail yourself of the EDC XIII thread. Some of the guys there are impressive photographers but you don't need to be. Just post a pic and maybe some brief thoughts on what you are carrying on a given day.

CJRB may be hit or miss, and sometimes they're good and sometimes not? I have a Pyrite KC Exclusive (Ti bolsters and micarta scales) that is pretty smooth, and Lago from them that is also pretty smooth. Didn't really feel any flaws on them. Not as good as my pair of Protech Malibu, but not bat at all.

 

[Chronovore]

CJRB may be hit or miss, and sometimes they're good and sometimes not? I have a Pyrite KC Exclusive (Ti bolsters and micarta scales) that is pretty smooth, and Lago from them that is also pretty smooth. Didn't really feel any flaws on them. Not as good as my pair of Protech Malibu, but not bat at all.

That's exactly the issue. Sometimes, they are great. For instance, I have an Artisan Arroyo with close to perfect fit and finish, good action, good grind, etc. However, I had another Artisan Arroyo with both scales and a grind that should never have left the factory. I'm only one guy but I've had at least ten knives from Artisan/CJRB. At least half of those knives were instant returns for QC issues and some of the others were remedied with amateur tinkering skills.

The most recent fiasco is my Knife Center Exclusive Pyrite. I was reluctant due to past experience but the knife looked cool and I wanted to see how their button locks stacked up. The action on this one was gritty but having had other new knives from them apart, I figured it was just some dirt, grit, etc. So I took it apart to clean it up and noticed little depressions in the bearing path on both the blade and liners. They match the bearings and suggest that this knife was radically over-tightened not once but twice at the factory. (There are two sets slightly offset from each other.)

Unfortunately, Knife Center won't take it back because it has been taken apart. Policy is policy and too bad for me that it was a defect from the manufacturer. So I tried reaching out to Artisan. I called, emailed, and even tried texting their US rep. Still no luck...

 

[VorpelSword]

I have been given a large Spyderco. It opens smoothly. I put a drop of oil on it and worked it a little. Started smooth and remains smooth.

Twenty years ago, I bought a Camillus Cuda Maxx folding dagger for an active duty Marine about to deploy to a combat zone. I loved that it flipped open almost by thinking of it. These are still found on eBay, as sed and NIB, for $400-$1,000. How is that for spending your money for you?

My current Leatherman Wave is disappointing in that the blades do not deploy as smoothly as I recall my old (lost) one did.

 

[Thorgrim]

I absolutely love my Para Military 2 in Cruwear with the tan canvas Micarta scales. I'm an old fart and I've only used the word "love" to describe one other knife, and it was lost long ago in a fire. The fuzziness of the scales didn't appeal to me right off, but now I like it very much.