I'd really be interested to see one of these Shiro's after a couple months in my pocket in a real working environment like my CRK's get put through.
Why not buy one and find out? Isn't that what you did with a CRK? Maybe look at a Neon, it's not a whole lot more expensive than a new Sebenza. If you want a better comparison look at a 95R, there is more machining and finishing on the inside of the scales of the R than there is in total to make a CRK.
Failing that perhaps look at the videos of them going through destructive testing and see if you can find something similar on a CRK. I never have.
Saying that you passed a GT3 in your Mustang on the Freeway says nothing about the quality of either. Defending a CRK vs a more expensive knife primarily based on cost is no different then defending a Spyderco against a CRK. In fact I have had several CRKs with worse machining than the PM2 I carried today. By your own standard the criticism you level against one brand you seem to dislike is equally applicable to that which you defend. Cost is relative. Maybe someone buying a $3000 folder is spending the same % of their yearly income on it as you are when you buy a CRK, maybe even less. The cost of it is a terrible argument to make, and the durability even worse when you have no experience, and a quick bit of research will illustrate the superiority of the performance characteristics of a comparable model.
The point of the discussion was just where the CPK folder would fit into the market, and what we can expect of it.
But to answer your original question, the Shiro would look better. Similar construction, but better fit and finish, better lockbar interface, similar or better performance on the pivot and much better blade steel and HT, so you would probably sell your CRKs with the piss poor cutting and slicing performance and adapt something that is not outdated. I mean, if you are talking about how well it would hold up to use, name one performance characteristic S35VN has that is superior to say M390, S90V or Vanax 37.
The market will tell you exactly when you price identical models of a Shiro, one in say S30V, and one in M390. By that metric alone there are dozens of knives, when compared to a CRK that will perform better, and cost less with equal fit and finish.
Again, the point here is not to bash CRK. I love Chris, have spent tens of thousands on his products over the past 10 years, carried them all over the world and spent countless hours promoting them.
The point is, what is Nathan working on and how does it compare to what else is out there.
So now that the veggies are taken care of, how about the meat? I'd love to see what Nathan's take on a carving set (knife and fork) would be.
