Thumb stud debacle

D

dwdickey

Joined
Feb 14, 2014
Messages
261
So I have a small regular that I purchased sometime in late 08/early 09. I've never found the thumb stud to be an issue on this knife other than it can be a bit hard to get a good purchase on quickly. Fast forward to the present...

I purchased a new large 21 in late June and have been rotating it in and out of may carry rotation since and I just can't warm up to the thumb stud on this knife. It feels like it's in the wrong location and is downright almost useless unless I use the top of my thumb nail. I know a lot of people have mixed option on the stud itself, however for the life of me I can't figure out what the real difference is between these two knives concerning the stud that would make one a non issue and one almost useless.

Anyone else experience this feeling? I so wish CRK would bring back the regular pattern!
 
I started of with a 21 and then the regulars. I found that by putting more thumb between the slab and lug has been most helpful. Learning to open the 21 first, made the regular feel like a breeze to open.
I can understand the aggravation you're having.
 
I honestly never had an issue with thumb studs on regulars or 21's, both large and small. Perhaps it's because I am not coming from another brand and have been carrying CRK for years that I am just accustomed to getting it in hand and operating it without thinking about it.
 
nyefmaker said:
I honestly never had an issue with thumb studs on regulars or 21's, both large and small. Perhaps it's because I am not coming from another brand and have been carrying CRK for years that I am just accustomed to getting it in hand and operating it without thinking about it.
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X2!

Mike B
 
nyefmaker said:
I honestly never had an issue with thumb studs on regulars or 21's, both large and small. Perhaps it's because I am not coming from another brand and have been carrying CRK for years that I am just accustomed to getting it in hand and operating it without thinking about it.
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Totally agree, and that's coming from someone who uses a number of different brand knives.
 
nyefmaker said:
I honestly never had an issue with thumb studs on regulars or 21's, both large and small. Perhaps it's because I am not coming from another brand and have been carrying CRK for years that I am just accustomed to getting it in hand and operating it without thinking about it.
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+3. The thumb studs have never been any issue for me.

 
What are the differences between the 21 and Regular thumbstuds?

I've only ever handled small 21's and they look very similar to the Regular in pictures to my untrained eye.
 
benchwarmer380 said:
What are the differences between the 21 and Regular thumbstuds?

I've only ever handled small 21's and they look very similar to the Regular in pictures to my untrained eye.
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I don't remember there actually being any difference in the studs them self, but its more a factor of the shape of the scales and access to them. I did not have any issues going back and forth between my 21 and my 2010 Annual (regular). I do think I naturally used a little change in the angle I used the stud. It is hard to tell it was natural to me to use them.

That said I can work the thumb stud on my Inkosi from more angles then my 21. It could be what I do on the Inkosi transferred over to the Regular with out me knowing.
 
Driften said:
I don't remember there actually being any difference in the studs them self, but its more a factor of the shape of the scales and access to them. I did not have any issues going back and forth between my 21 and my 2010 Annual (regular). I do think I naturally used a little change in the angle I used the stud. It is hard to tell it was natural to me to use them.

That said I can work the thumb stud on my Inkosi from more angles then my 21. It could be what I do on the Inkosi transferred over to the Regular with out me knowing.
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Thanks!

That is interesting because it looks like there is more room behind the stud with how the scale is scooped out on the 21. Where the 21 has the half circle cut out, the Regular's cut out has an elongated curve (my brother said it looked kind of like the bottom of a Nike check) which looks it may have more room for your thumb when opening by pushing from the bottom of the stud and going out and up. Any thoughts on this from those who feel they open differently?
 
There's definitely a difference in how your thumb interfaces with the stud. The sebenza a uses a different angle than other thumb studs more of an outward sweep instead of a forward sweep, so in theroy the 21 should give you more thumb room, but for whatever reason for me the regular cut out gives me a better experience, and maybe because it does allow for a more "traditional" sweeping motion, I.e. It's less motion specific.

I just wish CRK still gave us the choice, I remember wanting a large regular to go along with my small but I just couldn't afford it at the time, and I still can't, now that the secondary prices for them have skyrocketed.
 
I would say it's not the fastest deploying knife but I don't have any issues with purchase or anything like that. For speed id pick anything Spyderco before any other knife manufacturer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My one and only small Sebenza came with a very stiff detent. It took some effort to deploy from the handle, no doubt. This resolved itself after my initial cleaning and subsequent opening / closing for a week or so religiously, but it was a pain in the ass at first.

As far as the thumb stud goes, I've never had an issue getting a hold of it. I find the large to be especially pleasant. Try coming at it from below rather than from the side. My thumb makes contact at 5 o'clock, and it's effortless to push up & out from there.
 
The CRK thumb stud is a work of genius, not because it is particularly comfortable or ergonomic, but because it does a multitude of things really well that are also worthwhile:

1- it does not snag on your pocket!

2 - (very important) it minimizes interference with the material you are cutting. It is outta the way as much as it can be without being a spydie-hole or flipper tab. As studs go it is reasonably low profile. I think this is s major consideration in Chris' longstanding design. When the blade is open, and your cutting up boxes etc, the stud is not a hindrance.

3 - it looks good and ads a little bit of interest to an otherwise very subdued design, especially in the anodized versions.

4 - being made of titanium it does not add to the weight of the knife and does not rust.

5 - being press-fit it does not come loose.

6 - being a relatively small fixture, requiring a relatively small drill hole, it does not significantly weaken the structure of the blade.

I use the top of my nail the break the detent free then swing around on my thumb. I've done it for so long it's really second nature and I probably also have some sort or callous built up. One you get used to it, they are fine. Not as obviously ergonomic as a Spydie-hole, but not as fugly either, nor does it require drilling a massive hole in the blade.
 
I recently purchased my first small regular BG-42 (2000). I immediately noticed how smooth this knife was, its seemingly lighter detent, and a more grabbie thumb stud. As like with all my knives, I take them apart and clean them, whether its needed or not, but I noticed two things about this particular knife i hadn't on my other later model Sebenzas. The detent pocket is slightly larger making for a lighter detent and the thumb stud is super grabbie if not almost a sharp center layer that catches the thumb way easier. For my small 21 (2015) I almost have to keep forcing my thumb into the stud all the way throughout opening. On this new to me small regular, all pressure for opening is pushed horizontally with the spine rather than keeping "downward" pressure (perpendicular to the axis).

Anyone else notice this change? I search for it repeatedly, but couldn't locate a thread.
 
Not sure the pictures describe what I am stating...

But in order
1) small 21 s35vn 2015
2) large ug regular s30v 2002
3) small regular bg42 2000
61FA11ED-238A-4FA4-AD62-30EF292FEA38_zpsvky7bfid.jpg
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333C2DA2-533A-42BE-BF95-C8A14E55690A_zpsfn9wrmbz.jpg
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Obviously one is blue (small reg), but the subtle difference is how much less pressure it takes to grab the thumb.
 
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