When I was doing my pre-purchase research on the net, I noticed a lack of really candid opinions or reviews from CRK owners. You can find the occasional negative review but Chris Reeve knives seems to be kind of polarizing between owners and non-owners. It is a brand that people either hate or love. There seems to be no middle ground. I don't know if it is people not wanting to discuss negatives on a $500 purchase or they don't want to offend anyone. But if these opinions or dislikes aren't mentioned, how will manufacturers know what the dislikes are?
Personally, I don't think a perfect knife exists. When I purchased the Sebenza, I didn't expect a perfect knife. I own a lot of knives and no matter how much I may like a particular knife, there is always some feature or nuance that I dislike or would prefer be done differently. The Sebenza 21 is no exception. A lot of the times these things are small, as with this model, but I have found they always exist.
After having the Insingo for a week now and putting it to some pretty extensive use in the woods and around the house, as well as carrying it in the pocket every day since, I am starting to see some of the subtle things I wish were better or could be changed.
-- My thumb is pretty tore up and I mean that literally. The lock bar retention is pretty aggressive. Combine this with the way the thumb interfaces with the grip and inserts into the cutout on the handle and, for my hands at least, this creates serious tension on the thumbs when disengaging the lockbar.
-- The thumb stud. I really like the stylish look of the volcano style stud but I prefer a more cylindrical design when it comes to use and utility. I just don't like it and I am thinking of perhaps finding a way to replace it with a more traditional cylindrical stud. Again, this may have more to do with the stud placement in combination with the way the thumb inserts into the cutout, but it digs in pretty good.
-- The above results in a knife with adequate but not stellar deployment and closing. To be honest, it is near the bottom of the chain of all my folders in terms of speed of deployment and things like one-handed closing etc. I value these things to a degree. It isn't by any means a deal breaker but something I wish were better. It is as buttery smooth as claimed, but it is not a rapid deployer when compared to other contemporary models on the market. It takes deliberate and precise action to deploy. Cleaning and lubing made things better and I an tell the action is smoothing up more, but still it is not a rapid deployer or anywhere near the deployment action of a Benchmade axis. Perhaps this opinion is due to my own expectations based on what I read. I think I might have confused smoothness with deployment ease and speed.
-- The blue anodizing on the stud is wearing off a bit after just a week of use, which is a bit surprising. If this would happen on a $40 Kershaw, I wouldn't think it worthwhile to even mention and wouldn't give it another thought. But on a $400 knife whose main selling point is quality, tolerances, and craftsmanship, I am definitely not going to be afraid to bring it up. Yes it is only a tiny piece and is freqeuntly in rubbing or pushing contact with the thumb, but it shouldn't start to wear off after only a week. A couple months or a year perhaps. But not a week.
Are any of the above cause for me to regret the purchase? No. I would buy it again and already have a Micarta 21 on the way. The Insingo blade profile and shape is EDC perfection for me. The overall quality and feel is as good as people state. I just think there are things that can be done better.
Just some candid and honest input from an otherwise happy owner.
Personally, I don't think a perfect knife exists. When I purchased the Sebenza, I didn't expect a perfect knife. I own a lot of knives and no matter how much I may like a particular knife, there is always some feature or nuance that I dislike or would prefer be done differently. The Sebenza 21 is no exception. A lot of the times these things are small, as with this model, but I have found they always exist.
After having the Insingo for a week now and putting it to some pretty extensive use in the woods and around the house, as well as carrying it in the pocket every day since, I am starting to see some of the subtle things I wish were better or could be changed.
-- My thumb is pretty tore up and I mean that literally. The lock bar retention is pretty aggressive. Combine this with the way the thumb interfaces with the grip and inserts into the cutout on the handle and, for my hands at least, this creates serious tension on the thumbs when disengaging the lockbar.
-- The thumb stud. I really like the stylish look of the volcano style stud but I prefer a more cylindrical design when it comes to use and utility. I just don't like it and I am thinking of perhaps finding a way to replace it with a more traditional cylindrical stud. Again, this may have more to do with the stud placement in combination with the way the thumb inserts into the cutout, but it digs in pretty good.
-- The above results in a knife with adequate but not stellar deployment and closing. To be honest, it is near the bottom of the chain of all my folders in terms of speed of deployment and things like one-handed closing etc. I value these things to a degree. It isn't by any means a deal breaker but something I wish were better. It is as buttery smooth as claimed, but it is not a rapid deployer when compared to other contemporary models on the market. It takes deliberate and precise action to deploy. Cleaning and lubing made things better and I an tell the action is smoothing up more, but still it is not a rapid deployer or anywhere near the deployment action of a Benchmade axis. Perhaps this opinion is due to my own expectations based on what I read. I think I might have confused smoothness with deployment ease and speed.
-- The blue anodizing on the stud is wearing off a bit after just a week of use, which is a bit surprising. If this would happen on a $40 Kershaw, I wouldn't think it worthwhile to even mention and wouldn't give it another thought. But on a $400 knife whose main selling point is quality, tolerances, and craftsmanship, I am definitely not going to be afraid to bring it up. Yes it is only a tiny piece and is freqeuntly in rubbing or pushing contact with the thumb, but it shouldn't start to wear off after only a week. A couple months or a year perhaps. But not a week.
Are any of the above cause for me to regret the purchase? No. I would buy it again and already have a Micarta 21 on the way. The Insingo blade profile and shape is EDC perfection for me. The overall quality and feel is as good as people state. I just think there are things that can be done better.
Just some candid and honest input from an otherwise happy owner.
