What happened to CRK???

[Thomason]

Once I got the knife back you could tell they reprofiled the edge back alot. It was terrible. So much so that I wanted to send it back to them and pay for another blade. but instead sold it.

With full disclosure about the edge to the buyer of course.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

I've owned 2 pre and 1 post. All i can say is they're all perfect except..

When I turned in a 25 for a spa I had my own edge from my KME on it and it was great. Once I got the knife back you could tell they reprofiled the edge back alot. It was terrible. So much so that I wanted to send it back to them and pay for another blade. but instead sold it.

This won't stop me from getting more in the future but I will pay attention and if it's anything less than perfect I will replace it

-u

Or you can just ask them not to sharpen it. Putting some tape on the blade with a second reminder doesn't hurt , if it really matters to you.

 

[James Y]

-u

Or you can just ask them not to sharpen it. Putting some tape on the blade with a second reminder doesn't hurt , if it really matters to you.

Agreed.

Although I've never had to send a CRK back, I have had to send knives back to other companies, and each time before I sent a knife in, I specified in a note exactly what the problem(s) was/were, and what I did NOT want done to the knife. In each case, I liked the edges that were already on the knives, so I specifically asked them NOT to resharpen it. Otherwise, they may very well take it upon themselves to resharpen it as a matter of course, lest someone complain that the edge came back the same way. But I'm a bit OCD that way. I try to cover as many bases as possible beforehand, to hopefully avoid later regrets.

Jim

 

[Max1966]

Hi Guys, I am new to the forum but owned knives since I was about 7 (44 years ago!). Just learned a great trick. I bought a Tungsten Carbide 8mm width domed wedding band with a bevelled edge. Now I can brush my CRK Small Inkosi over the edge of the bevel of the ring to hone it. Take the ring off first!! It really does give a great edge
I had this in mind when I bought the ring but I am gob-smacked at how well it works. Try it with https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015UR9MUG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 or any other suitable WC ring. I also honed my Victorinox (even more easily).
I bought the Victorinox Pocket Knife Ceramic Sharpener also, in case the blade edge really needs to be taken back to basics before the ring trick.
No need for a whetstone, just the ring to hone, and if you really trash the blade use the Vic fix first and then the ring bevel.
Honestly,
Matthew Peterson.

 

[highestpoint]

With full disclosure about the edge to the buyer of course.

Of course, I'm extremely thorough with disclosing info. In this case it was a face to face trade with a friend.

 

[highestpoint]

-u

Or you can just ask them not to sharpen it. Putting some tape on the blade with a second reminder doesn't hurt , if it really matters to you.

I fully understand that and actually meant to but I was actually in Boise at the factory and dropped it off and chatted with Angela while I was fondling some of the show room pieces and it had just slipped my mind.

I will say that since I was in town they offered to do the spa treatment overnight. Well technically within 12 hours I believe they notified me that it was ready to come pick up again with all new blasted handles, a new lanyard, greased up and sharpened. When all I asked for was the handles to be re-blasted. Even though the grind wasn't close to being CRK quality the turnaround time and great customer service was outstanding. Even was able to snag a free hoodie.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

I fully understand that and actually meant to but I was actually in Boise at the factory and dropped it off and chatted with Angela while I was fondling some of the show room pieces and it had just slipped my mind.

I will say that since I was in town they offered to do the spa treatment overnight. Well technically within 12 hours I believe they notified me that it was ready to come pick up again with all new blasted handles, a new lanyard, greased up and sharpened. When all I asked for was the handles to be re-blasted. Even though the grind wasn't close to being CRK quality the turnaround time and great customer service was outstanding. Even was able to snag a free hoodie.

The full spa treatment is the default. They are so used to doing it , it can be a bit hard to break them of going to it automatically. This is why I say to even tape the blade besides telling them. Sometimes the message doesn't get transferred to all. It's just another area where mistakes can happen from time to time, so if it is important it is best to take all the steps you can to help make it clear.

 

[palonej]

Very true!!
Most companies will just go ahead and sharpen whatever you send in.
Benchmade sharpened one that had a beautiful edge on it......glad they didn't trash the edge!!
Since then I always tape the blade and write please don't sharpen on it.
Joe

Agreed.

Although I've never had to send a CRK back, I have had to send knives back to other companies, and each time before I sent a knife in, I specified in a note exactly what the problem(s) was/were, and what I did NOT want done to the knife. In each case, I liked the edges that were already on the knives, so I specifically asked them NOT to resharpen it. Otherwise, they may very well take it upon themselves to resharpen it as a matter of course, lest someone complain that the edge came back the same way. But I'm a bit OCD that way. I try to cover as many bases as possible beforehand, to hopefully avoid later regrets.

Jim

 

[nick21]

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?

Did they really stop using the pivot bushing? I was thinking about getting one, but if that's true I'd rather save my money.

 

[James Y]

Very true!!
Most companies will just go ahead and sharpen whatever you send in.
Benchmade sharpened one that had a beautiful edge on it......glad they didn't trash the edge!!
Since then I always tape the blade and write please don't sharpen on it.
Joe

Great suggestion from you and Peter to tape the blade in addition to a note if you don't want the edge messed with. The last time I sent a knife in for service to a company was probably the early 2000s. If I did it again and was happy with the edge as is, I would now tape the blade.

Jim

 

[Peter Hartwig]

Did they really stop using the pivot bushing? I was thinking about getting one, but if that's true I'd rather save my money.

No- 21 still has the pivot bushing, some other models do not.

 

[TRUE LIBERTY]

Wow, I leave BF for a while and even CRK is no longer CRK.

I find it interesting that people are commenting here (I assume knife aficionados) and don't know that Chris is what set CRK apart. I guess I should have known things were not the same when I ran into that Cold Steel video of the Sebenza failing to hold 45lbs and did not see immediate improvements/feedback from Chris. Seems like the knives where no longer being made "the best I know how to make them at the time". Plenty of lesser knives equipped with the Chris Reeve Integral Lock ("frame lock" for the uninitiated) pass the Cold Steel test at 45 lbs.

I'm sure it broke a lot of hearts to see THE knife made by the man who invented the lock fail so easily.

We'll always have Paris.

I had just about saved up enough money at the time of that video for one and said hell no when not one knife failed but two in that video straight out of the box. Went with a 600 dollar protech auto and glad I did. But now I've saved up just about the same amount for the price of a sebenza and this makes me look elsewhere again. Maybe protechs frame lock seems to be much like a sebenza.