What is 133?

UW Mitch · Apr 19, 2000

I got a third hand Sebenza and on the handle near the pivot where the CR is engraved, the number 133 is also engraved?
I was wondering if this number has any significance.

G2 posted a pic of my knife and sheath here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum29/HTML/000372.html

It's upside down, but you can see the 133.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mitch

grnamin · Apr 19, 2000

Wow! It could be my old lefty that Cliff Stamp sold for me. Is the blade ATS-34? Here's an old pic of it:

If it is, it was originally purchased new from Scott Moore of Moore Knives in California in October of 1996.

-Greg

[This message has been edited by grnamin (edited 04-19-2000).]

UW Mitch · Apr 19, 2000

I think it is your old knife!!!

Bridget says that it's one of the relatively few older Sebenzas that were serial numbered!

I bought the knife from MadDog2020, and he bought it from Charles Falance. I wonder if Charlie bought it from Cliff or if it changed more hands than that!!! This is getting very exciting!

~Mitch

DaveH · Apr 19, 2000

What's interesting to me is, after changing hands that many times it looks like it's still in good condition.

Wonder how a Spyderco Endura for example, certainly a decent knife, might look like after 4 change-of-hands.

DaveH

UW Mitch · Apr 19, 2000

It's in it's current condition because I had CRK re-blast and re-polish it.

So I'm trying to figure out how many miles it logged.

I'm guess it's gone from the CRK factory in ID, to Moore Knives in CA, to Greg in NY, to Cliff (in CA?) to Charlie in ???, to Ray in MA, to CRK for refurbishing in ID, to G2 for the sheath in PA, to me here in WA. This knife has logged quite a few frequent flier miles!

~Mitch

grnamin · Apr 19, 2000

Now that's durability!

. Mitch, if I remember right, the titanium stock used on your Sebenza is slightly thinner than what's used today. Makes for a nice slim profile.

-Greg

JoHnYKwSt · Apr 20, 2000

I've talked to Md2020 about his sebenza, and he was pretty unimpressed with it's edge holding. He was under the impression that his knife was BG42. And if it is indeed ATS34 that may explain the less than great edge holding.

Md2020 also said the finish on his handle was rough. I could not see what he meant because the finish on my sebenza is buttery smooth. That is until I got my second sebenza. The finish on my second sebenza is very rough. I also noticed that my second sebenza is a little slimmer than my first. It also didn't seem to fit together as well as my first. As far as I knew my second sebenza was made in '98 and my first was made in '97. But according to your post grnamin, it may be older.
I found out about past owners of my sebenza by accident also. Seems Senator owned my sebenza before Alan Folts did.

-Johnny

grnamin · Apr 21, 2000

Mitch,
I searched through my records and found the birth certificate of your Sebenza still in mint condition. It reads as follows:

Knife: Large Sebenza
No. 133 left New Shape
Blade: ATS34 59RC
Handle: Titanium
Date: September 24, 1996
Signed: (Chris Reeve's signature)

Email me your snail mail address and I'll send it to you.

-Greg

maddog2020 · Apr 21, 2000

Hmmmmm.......ATS-34 blade?! That would explain a lot!

Sorry about that Mitch, no way for me to know it wasn't BG-42. CRK, how about a small stamp/seal to verify blade material?

JQ (what happened to the rest of your name and the colored arrow?), it was the small LH Sebenza that I had (made in 99) was one I was complaining about the rough finish, not the '133'. I was wearing the small LH clipped to my waistband and it was chaffing me thru my T-shirt.

After a few days of this I had it in my front pocket. The finish that was on the '133' was much nicer - I'm not sure it it was worn, or what, but it had a nice patina to it (may be it had been std bead blasted?). I wish I had taken a picture of it to show you Mitch.

Greg, when you had purchased the '133' back in 96, was the finish on it more of a satin, or just like the std BB CRK used today? I'm just curious.

Its a SMALL community when it comes to LEFTY knives I guess.

BTW, CRK ----> why was the '133' there? Any significance to it?

We are all curious.

------------------
Ray 'md2020'

ATKI member #A001042

grnamin · Apr 21, 2000

Ray,
I remember the 133 having a regular satin finish instead of the current stonewashed one. Sebenzas continue to get better and better as the years go by.

-Greg

Gary W. Graley · Apr 21, 2000

grnamin, the blade was more like the older style finish, a satin and not like the blades made today. Action was nice and of course the lock up was solid as a rock.

G2

------------------
"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...

G2 LeatherWorks

JoHnYKwSt · Apr 22, 2000

Gary and grnamin,
I believe Ray is talking about the bead blasted finish on his handles not the finish of the blade. It's strange some sebenzas have a very rough bead blasted finish (i can file my finger nail on my rough one), and some are very smooth.

grnamin, are you sure current sebenzas are thicker than older sebenzas? My rough finished one which I believe was made in '98 is thinner than my sebenza made in '97. Maybe my dates are off.

Ray,
It's not an arrow it's a sword!! And comments like that is the exact reason why I stopped using it. Plus I got lazy.

But since you miss it so much here it is.

------------------
Johnny
[]xxxxxx[]=============>

grnamin · Apr 22, 2000

Johnny,
I compared the 133 with a Sebenza I purchased from Chris Reeve at the 1998 New York Custom Knife Show. The latter has thicker handles. I purchased another one two months ago and it still has the same thicker handles. Who knows, maybe CRK used thinner stock at one time and then switched to thicker stock and back to thinner stock. The Sebenza vintage may not matter.

-Greg

stjames · Apr 23, 2000

Originally posted by maddog2020:
why was the '133' there? Any significance to it?

The first 200 Sebenzas with the new profile were numbered.

------------------
James Segura
San Francisco, CA

maddog2020 · Apr 26, 2000

Thanks for the response James, JQ, Greg, and Gary.

------------------
Ray 'md2020'

ATKI member #A001042

What is 133?

UW Mitch

grnamin

UW Mitch

DaveH

UW Mitch

grnamin

JoHnYKwSt

grnamin

maddog2020

grnamin

Gary W. Graley

“Imagination is more important than knowledge"

JoHnYKwSt

grnamin

stjames

Sebenzanista

maddog2020