Professor
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 1999
- Messages
- 3,426
Just things I've noticed as a multiple small regular-profile Sebenza owner and user since '02. You've maybe noticed these things too, and feel free to chime in if my observations are more gin-related than based in reality (doesn't make me a bad person). I do not own a 21, but my quasi-educated guess is that these changes/evolutions were probably applied on them too:
1. Clip thickness. The gauge of ti went from super thick on my '02 small regular Seb to whimpy thin on my '07 small regular Seb to a happy medium thickness on my current '08 small regular Seb (my '07 small regular that I unwrapped from my safe and started carrying three weeks ago is now at the bottom of Smith Mountain Lake if anybody has some scuba gear, an underwater metal detector and about three years to scour the places I was jet-skiing with my Son this past weekend--life is all about loss). Please, CRK, no more whimpy clips!
2. Blade tang ramp width and angle (not the lockbar face). My guess is that the changes were made to reduce long-term wear. It would seem that the angle has increased ever-so-slightly over the past eight-or-so years. The tang face on my '08 is less wide too. CRK probably got tired of repairs related to this! Can't blame them in the least. I'm not a rich man by any stretch, but there's a reason why my Son and I believe in these knives.
3. CRK logo placement. The logo seems to have drifted somewhat (a millimeter or two) to the right of where it was back in '02 on my '08. Could well be the Tanqueray, however.
4. Side handle ridges. They dissappeared at some point; my '02's got three ridges the full length of the handles except on the front (blade side) of the handle. My '08 has none. My nearly departed '07 had none.
5. Bead blast agressiveness. Not sure at all on this, but it would seem that the blast has become more agressive over the years. Perhaps to increase grippiness. Perhaps the gin. Again, not sure.
6. Magical properties. Definitely not the gin. Some will say that the Sebenza is just a tool, like any other knife. I guess opinions on this will vary like they will on religion, politics, etc. But to me, the magic is still very much there. At the risk of placing Chris too high on a pedestal and sounding like a nutjob fanboy (which in reality I probably am), the Sebenza is the product of ~30 years of refinement. Is the same true of our other custom and production folders? You tell me. Personally, I only wish that every product we had available to us had this level of quality and refinement. Maybe one day when we all get the flying cars we were promised.
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All that said, what have you noticed in regard to CRK product changes?
Professor.
1. Clip thickness. The gauge of ti went from super thick on my '02 small regular Seb to whimpy thin on my '07 small regular Seb to a happy medium thickness on my current '08 small regular Seb (my '07 small regular that I unwrapped from my safe and started carrying three weeks ago is now at the bottom of Smith Mountain Lake if anybody has some scuba gear, an underwater metal detector and about three years to scour the places I was jet-skiing with my Son this past weekend--life is all about loss). Please, CRK, no more whimpy clips!
2. Blade tang ramp width and angle (not the lockbar face). My guess is that the changes were made to reduce long-term wear. It would seem that the angle has increased ever-so-slightly over the past eight-or-so years. The tang face on my '08 is less wide too. CRK probably got tired of repairs related to this! Can't blame them in the least. I'm not a rich man by any stretch, but there's a reason why my Son and I believe in these knives.
3. CRK logo placement. The logo seems to have drifted somewhat (a millimeter or two) to the right of where it was back in '02 on my '08. Could well be the Tanqueray, however.
4. Side handle ridges. They dissappeared at some point; my '02's got three ridges the full length of the handles except on the front (blade side) of the handle. My '08 has none. My nearly departed '07 had none.
5. Bead blast agressiveness. Not sure at all on this, but it would seem that the blast has become more agressive over the years. Perhaps to increase grippiness. Perhaps the gin. Again, not sure.
6. Magical properties. Definitely not the gin. Some will say that the Sebenza is just a tool, like any other knife. I guess opinions on this will vary like they will on religion, politics, etc. But to me, the magic is still very much there. At the risk of placing Chris too high on a pedestal and sounding like a nutjob fanboy (which in reality I probably am), the Sebenza is the product of ~30 years of refinement. Is the same true of our other custom and production folders? You tell me. Personally, I only wish that every product we had available to us had this level of quality and refinement. Maybe one day when we all get the flying cars we were promised.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
All that said, what have you noticed in regard to CRK product changes?
Professor.
) but I'm pretty sure the blades on the older models were a little thicker at the point than the more recent ones. Yup, just went and checked and the tip on my Small ATS-34 model is even thicker than that of my Large 21!
IIRC, it was the same with the Regulars and Classics as well.
