What happened to CRK???

[luh1202]

I have to give the credit to the guy that spot it. Check this out...only the first 3 mins

Grab your CRK and measure.....

 

[goldie]

I'm not surprised, without Chris there, I had a feeling things might go downhill. not sure if this just happens to be a fluke,time will tell. I guess anything made before the change in the company is going to be pre-anne knives....

 

[luh1202]

I'm not surprised, without Chris there, I had a feeling things might go downhill. not sure if this just happens to be a fluke,time will tell. I guess anything made before the change in the company is going to be pre-anne knives....

I just measured my large sebenza and no surprise, was unevenly profiled

 

[sabre cat]

When did Chris leave?

 

[Hackenslash]

I have three CRK from the pre-Anne era and two CRK from the post-Anne era. I can't tell a difference. I'd make certain you have an authentic knife before you attack the brand. There are more fake CRKs out there than any other make...well...except for maybe Spyderco.

 

[luh1202]

I have three CRK from the pre-Anne era and two CRK from the post-Anne era. I can't tell a difference. I'd make certain you have an authentic knife before you attack the brand. There are more fake CRKs out there than any other make...well...except for maybe Spyderco.

Man, i am sure mine is authentic, it's from knifeart.com, they are legit. I am not trying to attack CRK, they are still one of the best out there. And that's why I expected more from them than what I received. I'm not sure if an unevenly profiled blade is OK for the other brand but definitely not good for a Chris Reeve, would you say?

 

[Brendan Garcia]

I just bought my first sebenza 21 in may of this year from BHQ and the first day I was impressed with everything, the packaging was phenomenal, loved the little details such as the sticker and leather sheath. Got to the knife and was star struck. Everything about it was perfect to me, At first. After playing with it I did notice the smoothness, not like ball bearings smooth but for washers it felt awesome. After playing with it for a few weeks I still couldn't get the knife to break in. This was my only knife that I was so unhappy with the opening and the detent to the point where I decided to take it apart and wipe it clean and re-lube it. I still cannot get the thing to break in but I wouldn't sell it, I love the knife and it will probably stay with me forever. I'm not going to measure the grind though, I don't need to know.

 

[luh1202]

I just bought my first sebenza 21 in may of this year from BHQ and the first day I was impressed with everything, the packaging was phenomenal, loved the little details such as the sticker and leather sheath. Got to the knife and was star struck. Everything about it was perfect to me, At first. After playing with it I did notice the smoothness, not like ball bearings smooth but for washers it felt awesome. After playing with it for a few weeks I still couldn't get the knife to break in. This was my only knife that I was so unhappy with the opening and the detent to the point where I decided to take it apart and wipe it clean and re-lube it. I still cannot get the thing to break in but I wouldn't sell it, I love the knife and it will probably stay with me forever. I'm not going to measure the grind though, I don't need to know.

Fair enough. I am sure many people wont care a bit about whether the blade profile is even or not, and I respect that. Maybe I am being stupid but it does bother me a lot...At any rate, I can't deny that CRK is still up there and their knives are great in so many ways.

 

[RevDevil]

I own about 6 Sebenzas all large and I have not measured them, but it makes one think. There were some changes at CRK a while back some people let go and the company might not be the same. The guy in the video is correct in that regard. Sad that they let people go that actually cared about the company. Makes you wonder if the name of the company should be possibly changed. I might measure my knives to see if and by how much they are off.

 

[NJBillK]

I have a Large 21 from 2014, when Chris was still there. The secondaries (tall hollow ground parts) are slightly uneven. Not much, but it is noticeable by the unaided eye, and I don't need my micrometer to measure it.

Blaming an issue on Chris' not being there without proof that issues never occurred while he was there, is ridiculous. Every company and every person makes errors. Even a 100K Loveless City knife will have some flaw, no matter how minor...

My CRK is 1 of 7 made on that (very sentimental) day, so I am not sending it back, or selling it. I love it for what it is.
A fantastic knife by just about any standard, one that will able able to be handed down to my daughter or her future significant other on their wedding day, or one of my last days.



Edited for grammatical reasonings.

 

[luh1202]

I have a Large 21 from 2014, when Chris was still there. The secondaries (tall hollow ground parts) are slightly uneven. Not much, but it is noticeable by the unaided eye, and I don't need my micrometer to measure it.

Blaming an issue on Chris' not being there without proof that issues never occurred while he was there, is ridiculous. Every company and every person makes errors. Even a 100K Loveless City knife will have some flaw, no matter how minor...

My CRK is 1 of 7 made on that (very sentimental) day, so I am not sending it back, or selling it. I love it for what it is.
A fantastic knife by just about any standard, one that will able able to be handed down to my daughter or her future significant other on their wedding day, or one if my last days.

I agree, and honestly, I am not asking for a "perfect" knife. But I really don't expect knife from CRK can be that much off. If many production knives out there can seem evenly profiled, why semi-production knife can't? I absolutely agree CRK is great but I do expect more "attention to detail" here. At the end of the day, it's a Chris Reeve we are talking about.

 

[NJBillK]

I agree, and honestly, I am not asking for a "perfect" knife. But I really don't expect knife from CRK can be that much off. If many production knives out there can seem evenly profiled, why semi-production knife can't? I absolutely agree CRK is great but I do expect more "attention to detail" here. At the end of the day, it's a Chris Reeve we are talking about.

I will reword what you said another way, so tell me if I am wrong here.

You are saying:
I see even grinds on my Benchmades, ZTs, and Spydercos. Why should there be uneven grinds occurring on my CRK knives, when they receive more attention per piece, and are manufactured to a higher standard.

This change has to be (mostly) attributed to Chris leaving the company, as we haven't heard much about issues prior to his departure.
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My response will be based upon the above being akin to what you are saying. If I am incorrect, please let me know.

 

[pyreaux]

Wonder if he or anyone else who has a grind issue has asked for it to be fixed or replaced.

 

[SpySmasher]

When did Chris leave?

In June of 2016, he was reported to have been in reduced capacity at CRK for almost two years. Which means unless your CRK predates June 2014, your knife was not truly made in the "Chris Reeve" era at CRK.

Which as Bill points out, may not really mean much at all. I have two CRKs from before that date but even knowing what I know I still plan on picking up a brand new Inkosi Insingo.

On the other hand, you'd have to be a fool not to wonder how CRK will change without CR being there at all. It has to change.

 

[austonh]

Before we all don our tinfoil hats and cry the sky is falling; there are some significant changes happening at CRK that will affect fit and finish. As you can imagine, Chris left under not the best circumstances as his wife and son took over, either was part of a divorce settlement or pending a divorce settlement. While CRK has been legendary because of their incredible quality over the years, they haven't actually capitalized upon that brand recognition and reputation to its full potential. Many knives were rejected because Chris was OCD. When you're taking a company toward max profitability; either running a cash cow into the ground, or attempting to get it ready for a sale, your income statement needs to show very health profits for another company to make a worthwhile offer. The margin of error will widen to improve profitability.

That's not to say that CRK is not able to still make an incredible knife, it's just saying that CRK moving forward may not have that same level of anal retentive fit and finish that it once held. It is sad to see things change that we hold very dear, but that is life. As some companies slowly drift to the background, others will come forward to take their place. C'est la vie.

PS. The move away from the pivot bushing system of the 21 was a cost saving measure...

How many people have I upset?

 

[luh1202]

I will reword what you said another way, so tell me if I am wrong here.

You are saying:
I see even grinds on my Benchmades, ZTs, and Spydercos. Why should there be uneven grinds occurring on my CRK knives, when they receive more attention per piece, and are manufactured to a higher standard.

This change has to be (mostly) attributed to Chris leaving the company, as we haven't heard much about issues prior to his departure.
------
My response will be based upon the above being akin to what you are saying. If I am incorrect, please let me know.

That's exactly what I wanted to say there.

 

[NJBillK]

Ok, that being the case;
I have seen more knives come out into the knife-enthusiasts hands from Benchmade, Spyderco or ZT that had uneven grinds, swedges, and primary bevels than I have from CRK After Chris has reduced his involvement with the company.

The knives that I have owned, or handled (for sharpening, making custom handles, or sheaths), that have had issues are as follows (from 2015 to today, not counting blade play into the issues count):
Benchmade: 13+ issues, 3 on one 710 and 2 on an 810, 940, 943, 551, 556.
Common issues include: uneven secondaries, off center primary bevel, uneven swedges

Spyderco: 6 or 7, mostly uneven factory primary grinds, 2 have the "flat ground" portion of the bevel not reach the spine on only one side of the flat grind, one had more blade material removed from 1/2 of the blade than the other half, making the primary bevel and apex off center (the depths of the shoulder at the ricasso was measurably off).

ZT: 6-7
Mostly uneven primaries, secondaries and swedges.

CRK: 2
Mine with the secondary, and one other one (a 25) with the same issue (None have had blade play).
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To be fair, I have handled less of the CRKs than the others over that time span. But after about 13-15 CRKs, I would think it would be a sufficient number to get a decent reading from. Of those 13-15 CRKs, one of them was from 2013, and every one was from after his declination of involvement, and it did not have an issue.

Mine is from July 2014, one month after his stated decline in involvement.
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luh1202
I would say that I have had enough knives pass through my hands to get a good read on the companies QA practices, and barring any significant changes, I would say that, despite the changes within CRK, they are still above the others listed in terms of quality of output.

Edited for grammatical reasonings.

 

[luh1202]

Ok, that being the case;
I have seen more knives come out into the knife-enthusiasts hands from Benchmade, Spyderco or ZT that had uneven grinds, swedges, and primary bevels, then I have from CRK After Chris has reduced his involvement and also after he has left the company.

The knives that I have owned, or handled (for sharpening, making custom handles, or sheaths), that have had issues are as follows (from 2015 to today, not counting blade play into the issues count):
Benchmade: 13+ issues, 3 on one 710 and 2 on an 810, 940, 943, 551, 556.
Common issues include: uneven secondaries, off center primary bevel, uneven swedges

Spyderco: 6 or 7, mostly uneven factory primary grinds, 2 have the "flat ground" portion of the bevel not reach the spine on only one side of the flat grind, one had more blade material removed from 1/2 of the blade than the other half, making the primary bevel and apex off center (the depths of the shoulder at the ricasso was measurably off).

ZT: 6-7
Mostly uneven primaries, secondaries and swedges.

CRK: 2
Mine with the secondary, and one other one (a 25) with the same issue (None have had blade play).
-----
To be fair, I have handled less of the CRKs than the others over that time span. But after about 13-15 CRKs, I would think it would be a sufficient number to get a decent reading from. Of those 13-15 CRKs, one of them was from 2013, and every one was from after his declination of involvement, and it did not have an issue.

Mine is from July 2014, one month after his stated decline in involvement.
-----
luh1202
I would say that I have had enough knives pass through my hands to get a good read on the companies QA practices, and barring any significant changes, I would say that, despite the changes within CRK, they are still above the others listed in terms of quality of output.

Thanks for your informative reply! I learned a lot

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Subscribed :sigh:

 

[Sonnydaze]

I really, really hope that the Easter Bunny has not died...
Ya gotta believe in something...

btw, I just checked, and my newest CRK is a Wilson Combat Sebenza, born in Sept of 2015, and I never even suspected that it was anything but perfect.
And, it is.
If anyone here, like about half of us, have been thru a divorce...then ya remember that it's kinda rough to get going again, but then it smooths out with time. And, I would expect nothing less from CRK...