What about your 'other' knives?

usfpaul82

usfpaul82

Joined
Jul 4, 2010
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392
I would assume like most of you i followed the same path to obtaining a crk....I started out with some benchmades and spydercos....but then the time finally came when I got a small sebenza. I should also mention that I have a strider PT but carry the sebbie alot more often and keep the PT as a back up or just to change things up every now and again. So my dilemma...what did you guys do with all of your benchmades and spydercos? I have 6 just sitting in my drawer and am thinking about just selling them off because I never see myself going back to them. If i ever put my sebbie down I grab the PT...should I find these guys new homes and just have a sebbie/pt edc household???
 
Well, what I did was sell nearly all my other knives ( schrade, gerber, kershaw, benchmade, busse, Buck, etc. ) to buy even more CRK. I obtained about a dozen or so One Piece Knives before I even considered a sebenza. My first sebenza, I got off ebay for $280. It was a large regular sebenza, little did I know at the time, but it was a BG-42 to boot. Its in mint condition and once I found out how special it was, safe queen it became and I got other large regular sebenzas to use. I have had some smalls, but they are too small for me and I keep going back to the large...........but back to your original questions ?...........Yes, I did sell nearly all my other knives off to get more CRK. I have even sold a CRK and used the funds to buy 2 crk's. I have had up to 30 CRK at a time, but that seems to be my limit as I always end up trading or selling some. Lately, I have sold or traded a few knives, including CRK to get some xm-18's. I sold my 2 busse knives to buy 2 xm's also. In the end though, I have more knives from CRK and my loyalty remains to them, but I do carry xm-18's often, and others. My main edc is a well used umnumzaan ( scratched the hell out of the blade today......thinking of a way to clean it up ). After that, its sebenzas, xm's, etc. I recently got a Dozier that I really like and have carried that the last few days. I have a strider smf, but I dont really carry it. I like the knife ( its one of the rare good striders ), but its just not comfortable in the hand like the sebenzas, umnumzaan and xm's are.

I would say if your a CRK fan and want some of their other knives, but dont have the funds for them, sell them off and buy CRK. They will certainly hold their value and be worth alot more than a benchmade or spyderco down the road. I have only had a benchmade or two and have had a couple spyderco's. They are great knives, but are not in the CRK class of knives.
 
thanks for the great reply! I have been thinking of getting a good fixed blade which I lack at the moment. I am partial to either the nyala or the 5.5" green beret. I don't know if i can handle that kind of decision!!! :) any thoughts??
 
Why limit yourself?

I have spydercos. I have a military that is an amazing slicer and super light. It goes with me as a back up on hikes. I have a lava that I use when I travel to chicago or other non-knife-friendly city. I have an endura that gets the tar beat out of it. I have an early 90's delica that (other than a sak) was my first good, modern knife. I wouldn't get rid of it.

I have a couple of benchmades. A mini-stryker I've had for over 12 yrs. We have a lot of history and it's pretty worn out but is still solid. I have a 5000 that I carry once in a while because I like it. I have been thinking about possibly getting rid of it.

I have a HEST/f limited run on order as I'm intrigued by it and it will kind of be a special knife as I'll get it right about the time I have my first child and the serial number corresponds to that occasion. We'll see how I like it. If I don't I may sell it and get something else as a memorial type knife. It will be a user though regardless of what I get.

I have a ZT 0300 that I'm still not sure about. It's an awesome knife but I'm not sure if it fills a niche for me that isn't already covered.

I also have various fixed blades. Mainly Swamp Rats with an ESEE Izula and Fallkniven F1 thrown in for good measure. There are certain tasks in the woods even a CRK folding knife isn't up to and honestly I like other fixed blade designs better than the one piece knives.

While I could certainly get by with less pretty much every knife I own has a particular purpose and is appreciated for it's design, function and place. There's nothing wrong with that. :)
 
usfpaul82 said:
thanks for the great reply! I have been thinking of getting a good fixed blade which I lack at the moment. I am partial to either the nyala or the 5.5" green beret. I don't know if i can handle that kind of decision!!! :) any thoughts??
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Personally, I would skip the nyala and 5.5 green beret and go with a Shadow IV. You can still get them for under $300 new and used sometimes under $200, though you might be waiting around for that. Its the best all around of the shadow's for a fixed blade knife as its just the right size. Plus you have the hollow handle to put stuff in. I am not really into the crk fighters and I have not looked into the nyala too much. It looks great and I will probably have one someday, but can wait. If the green 5.5 came without serrations, it would nnot be bad, but for an outdoors knife, I think serrations have limited use and waste valuable blade space. Just my thoughts.

But I would definately consider the Shadow IV as I personally feel its better than the two you mentioned. Also abother good knife is the Mountaineer II. Its a hit with the bushcraft guys. Its basically a clip point shadow IV with no top guard. But personally, the shadow IV wins out as I prefer the spear point to the clip point.

My 2 cents !!!
 
I've been into knives about 30 years now. I started collecting old american, german, and itaiian auto's first. Then went to traditional pockets knives, case bone and stag handle stuff. From there I went tactical knives, Emerson, Strider, Hinderer and that lead me to where I am now "CRK". I'm really digging large regular sebenza's, can't seem to get enough of them....
 
I only have a few. I used to have a lot of EKI's but I sold them to support my CRK habit.

Right now I have a couple older "throw-away" Kershaws and Benchmades, as well as a Microtech OTF, concept Auto and an Emerson La Griffe.
 
TLR said:
Why limit yourself?

I have spydercos. I have a military that is an amazing slicer and super light. It goes with me as a back up on hikes. I have a lava that I use when I travel to chicago or other non-knife-friendly city. I have an endura that gets the tar beat out of it. I have an early 90's delica that (other than a sak) was my first good, modern knife. I wouldn't get rid of it.

I have a couple of benchmades. A mini-stryker I've had for over 12 yrs. We have a lot of history and it's pretty worn out but is still solid. I have a 5000 that I carry once in a while because I like it. I have been thinking about possibly getting rid of it.

I have a HEST/f limited run on order as I'm intrigued by it and it will kind of be a special knife as I'll get it right about the time I have my first child and the serial number corresponds to that occasion. We'll see how I like it. If I don't I may sell it and get something else as a memorial type knife. It will be a user though regardless of what I get.

I have a ZT 0300 that I'm still not sure about. It's an awesome knife but I'm not sure if it fills a niche for me that isn't already covered.

I also have various fixed blades. Mainly Swamp Rats with an ESEE Izula and Fallkniven F1 thrown in for good measure. There are certain tasks in the woods even a CRK folding knife isn't up to and honestly I like other fixed blade designs better than the one piece knives.

While I could certainly get by with less pretty much every knife I own has a particular purpose and is appreciated for it's design, function and place. There's nothing wrong with that. :)
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I am not really limiting myself. Even though the high majority of my collection is CRK, I do have knives from other makers. I just feel CRK makes the best knives out there for the price. They also make such a vast majority, they basically have something for everyone. Kinda like Ruger Firearms. They make almost every type of gun you could ask for within reason. Many of the other makers, I just personally dont care for their designs. I hate serrations and the vast majority of spyderco's have them. I also dont like real pointy blades and the spydercos without serrations seem to have pointy blades. I have a couple spyderco's and like them, but they are more of a drop point. I had a little pro grip years ago that I loved and carried every day for about 10 years. My ex threw it away during our divorce ( bitch ), but other than the spyderco's of this style, I just dont care for them. As far as Benchmades, they make some nice knives and I always ranted to try the griptillian, but havent as of yet. I just dont like that they make different classes of knives. All their knives should be top quality, not decrease in quality as you get deeper into the caralog.

I have a Dozier that I just got and I have to say its easily the sharpest knife I have ever owned. I sharpened it up on my sharpmaker at 30 degrees with the ultra fine rods and its scapel sharp. Its the original folding hunter that I got on the forum a week or so ago.

I have had 3 strider. I only kept my smf as my 2 sng's were horrible lemons. I am not going to rehash this.

I like my ZT301. I am not really into recurve blades, but I like it. Its a little on the heavy side, but its built like a tank, so its expected. I am on the list for a 0551 and cant wait for that, it should be sweet.

I have some from other makers like kershaw, gerber, buck.......but I have sold most of them because I dont use them and would rather see them used and appreciated. I then used the funds to buy knives I will use like the xm's, sebenzas, umnumzaans of the world.

I also do realize that many people cant afford high end knives, I really cant either. I only got some of mine because I traded 2 or 3 or 4 knives to get one. Other than that, I am in the same boat as many other are.....poor !!! So to them, a spyderco and a benchmade is a grail to them. And there is nothing wrong with this in any way. Everyone has their likes and dislikes in any price range.

I recently went home for a few days to visit and my dad showed me his new knife. He said it was the most he ever spend on a knife and it was a case trapper at $50.00. I showed him my non flipper xm-18. When I told him what it was worth, he about fell over. Both knives do exactly the same thing.....Cut ! So is one really any better than the other ?, not really.
 
nyefmaker said:
I am not really limiting myself. Even though the high majority of my collection is CRK, I do have knives from other makers. I just feel CRK makes the best knives out there for the price. They also make such a vast majority, they basically have something for everyone. Kinda like Ruger Firearms. They make almost every type of gun you could ask for within reason. Many of the other makers, I just personally dont care for their designs. I hate serrations and the vast majority of spyderco's have them. I also dont like real pointy blades and the spydercos without serrations seem to have pointy blades. I have a couple spyderco's and like them, but they are more of a drop point. I had a little pro grip years ago that I loved and carried every day for about 10 years. My ex threw it away during our divorce ( bitch ), but other than the spyderco's of this style, I just dont care for them. As far as Benchmades, they make some nice knives and I always ranted to try the griptillian, but havent as of yet. I just dont like that they make different classes of knives. All their knives should be top quality, not decrease in quality as you get deeper into the caralog.

I have a Dozier that I just got and I have to say its easily the sharpest knife I have ever owned. I sharpened it up on my sharpmaker at 30 degrees with the ultra fine rods and its scapel sharp. Its the original folding hunter that I got on the forum a week or so ago.

I have had 3 strider. I only kept my smf as my 2 sng's were horrible lemons. I am not going to rehash this.

I like my ZT301. I am not really into recurve blades, but I like it. Its a little on the heavy side, but its built like a tank, so its expected. I am on the list for a 0551 and cant wait for that, it should be sweet.

I have some from other makers like kershaw, gerber, buck.......but I have sold most of them because I dont use them and would rather see them used and appreciated. I then used the funds to buy knives I will use like the xm's, sebenzas, umnumzaans of the world.

I also do realize that many people cant afford high end knives, I really cant either. I only got some of mine because I traded 2 or 3 or 4 knives to get one. Other than that, I am in the same boat as many other are.....poor !!! So to them, a spyderco and a benchmade is a grail to them. And there is nothing wrong with this in any way. Everyone has their likes and dislikes in any price range.

I recently went home for a few days to visit and my dad showed me his new knife. He said it was the most he ever spend on a knife and it was a case trapper at $50.00. I showed him my non flipper xm-18. When I told him what it was worth, he about fell over. Both knives do exactly the same thing.....Cut ! So is one really any better than the other ?, not really.
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I really meant that first part as more of a rhetorical question :D In no way shape or form was that directed at any one and "limit" wasn't the greatest word choice.

I love my CRK's and they are my standard. There's nothing wrong with having one brand that you love or having a few different flavors.

The two knives I indicated that I'm debating on selling are because they don't see pocket time because I like my umnum and large sebenza so much better.

In some ways this is like the "user" vs. "collector" arguments. There is no right answer here other than what you can afford and what you like.
 
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TLR said:
I really meant that first part as more of a rhetorical question :D In no way shape or form was that directed at any one and "limit" wasn't the greatest word choice.

I love my CRK's and they are my standard. There's nothing wrong with having one brand that you love or having a few different flavors.

The two knives I indicated that I'm debating on selling are because they don't see pocket time because I like my umnum and large sebenza so much better.

In some ways this is like the "user" vs. "collector" arguments. There is no right answer here other than what you can afford and what you like.
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Thats Cool, no worries.

I have many knife that I will probably never use. Even high end ones. You hate to spend $500 on a knife and have it sit there, but then again, if you do use it, then the value goes way down should you decide to sell it. I am not really a collector, I just buy the knives I like. More than I should....lol. Some I like so much I have multiples, like sebenzas, xm-18's, some of the One Piece knives, etc. Sebenzas are a little different because you can have plain, wood, micarta, and the unique graphics are numerous. The xm's are the same, but with different scale colors, unless you wanna switch all the time, having multiples is cool.

Also, if you buy a sebenza or any CRK for that matter, and never use it, there is a good chance you can get exactly what you paid for it or more down the road. Other makers, its like driving a car off the parking lot, it loses 3K. I dont know what values hold for spyderco's, but I have heard by many that benchmades lose value.

I can also see the safe queen motto though. I would love to have a crk with mammoth ivory. Is it a knife you wanna use heavily ?? What if you drop it and break the ivory...:eek: But is it worth almost 1K to sit and collect dust ??

I have a double rifle that I paid a few $$$ for many many years ago new. I use it for just hunting whitetails. Its all scratched now from having it over my shoulder and dragging out. I got it to use, not to sit there. I got 7 whitetails with it to date. Every scratch hurts, but it was a grail item that I wanted for many years as well. I have other guns that I use, but this one brings me the most joy. Same goes for carrying that special knife !!

I think alot of us have sold off some of our lesser knives to buy more expensive ones over the years. I also think, that for the money, most of the CRK are well worth it, with the exception of a few.

Knives are certainly a fun hobby arn't they ???
 
I bounced around between customs,crk and other high quality production knives but I did sell of a lot of knives. I always end up coming back to my crk though.
 
I personally feel that, whilst Chris Reeve makes some of the most beautiful and functional knives ever made, Sal Glesser and the team at Spyderco also make wonderful knives. As such, I simply have to own a Spyderco or two at all times. I've owned over a dozen Spydercos at one time before, and I'm sure I'll reach that number again in the future.

As of today, I own both a Para Military 2 and a Street Beat, and I adore them just as much as my CRKs.

So, to answer you question, I say keep your Spydercos and use them when you can!
 
Variety is the spice of life.

I like to use all my knives, so I change out when I feel like I want to. I have a limited amount of knives. Currently only a Benchmade 550HG to swap with my Lrg Insingo. I carry that for a week and then back to the Insingo. Just like that because it gives me a nice cozy feeling knowing you can 'play' with different knives and locks for a while. I generally carry the Seb most for what it represents in my life.

Life would be boring if I did not swap and play with different knives.

Ideally I would love to have: Benchmade Bone Collcetor Large and Small. Swop that out with a Burger LArge EXK and Small EXK. Sebenza Insingo Large and Small Regular and then Umnumzaan thrown into the mix and for Water environments. Pacific and salt o and recently the new Caly3 3.5 with a small. That way I can chop and change however I want with what I think would be my perfect collection. Thats on my list.
 
I sold a lot of my other knives over the last year or so, mostly because I really focused in on what my likes and needs were.

I edc the Umnum, and I also carry the Nyala as my fixed blade when needed.

I still have a few Benchmades and Spydercos that were my favorites, but most are gone now.

I got real tired of staring at a table full of knives and fighting with myself over which one I was going to edc that day.

No regrets.
 
Before I became a CRK fanatic I was a Spyderco fanatic while liking some Benchmades as well.
All of my "other" folders have not seen any pocket time in months. They are all great knives but when comparing them to my CRK's, which I consider the standard they just don't compare.
 
Toyz said:
I sold a lot of my other knives over the last year or so, mostly because I really focused in on what my likes and needs were.

I edc the Umnum, and I also carry the Nyala as my fixed blade when needed.

I still have a few Benchmades and Spydercos that were my favorites, but most are gone now.

I got real tired of staring at a table full of knives and fighting with myself over which one I was going to edc that day.

No regrets.
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I think this is one thing that I want to avoid. I have my list of knives I want to get and that is it. Sure it wont ever truly stop but I really dont want a bed full of knives to chose from. 10 decent knives I think is a good count. One for each day. One for fancy suit, One for the beach and then one to screw around with. That is my logic.......it can be wrong. :D
 
I have two large Sebebzas - one Dog Paws and one unique plus a small micarta Sebenza. I had an Unum and a Mnandi and sold them. I also owned to Striders and sold 'em.

I have about 20 other knives and they get more pocket time than the Sebenzas. Collectively they fill other needs. I carry a Spyderco Pacific Salt in the water, for example, a Microtech UTX-85 or Lone Wolf D2 when I want an automatic, a Victorinox Spartan when I'm likely to be among non-knife people, or a Spyderco Military when I'm grilling out.

What I don't keep are knives that are substantially similar to the CRKs. I sold my Strider PT, for example, because it just doesn't do anything better than a small Sebenza. I sold the Spyderco Sage II and Bradley Alias II for the same reasons, although I did keep that Bradley Alias I. (But that's another story...)
 
I still own quite a few Spydercos, 2 Benchamdes, an izula, a few saks, 1 Dozier Lg, and 4 CRKs!

I sold off MANY Spyderco's and a couple Benchmades to justify purchasing a new CRK. Sebenza's get around 50-60% pocket time while the rest of the collection gets rotated in between the 40-50%. I still love my Spydies.

When I feel my knives aren't being carried enough I just carry more. lol
From 1 to 3.

Never saw myself owning more than 1-2 CRKs. A "collection" of CRKs is way out of my living standards.
 
I like knives. Spyderco, CRK, Kershaw, etc. Most quality companies have a knife or two that appeal to me. As good as Chris' stuff is he doesn't hold a monopoly on making good knives.

As much as I like my large regular I don't carry it all that much because dress pants and pocket clips don't go together all that well. Most of the time I'll have a custom slipjoint in my pocket, with a Kershaw Spec Bump in my briefcase. On casual Fridays and weekends I'll carry the Sebenza. Occassionally I'll swap it out for a Spyderco Military or a Microtech LCC depending on my activities for that day.

They're all good. CRK or not, all my knives are well-made. And I enjoy using every one of them.
 
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