Wheres my "buttery smoothness" ???

U

Uz4u

Joined
Jan 23, 2009
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Ok, so I went to a knife show today and handled my first CRK folder, and my first Strider folder. Not the first high dollar knives I've handled/owned, I mostly buy balisongs any way. But the GeorgeKnives FM-1 I sampled put both to shame.

I know general consensus seems to be that CRK/Strider is the standard to which most other folders are held to.

I only held each knife for a minute or two. Mind you this minute was spent intensely scouring the knives for evidence of divinity. But when I opened the Ummnanzan I discovered that the action of the knife (once described to me as "a bank vault sliding on glass") wasn't even as smooth as my Emerson (I did spend some time tuning my Emerson, it didn't come out of the box that good)

The strider was the same way.
Now the lock up and Fit/Finnish on these knives was too god to for them to be fakes, that I know.

But is it possible that BOTH knives just needed some oil? Thy both seemed to be NIB. Moreover both the strider and ummnanzan have pivots that shouldn't need any adjustment.

So, not to offend any one, but I demand to know. Where is my buttery smooth action??

Note: I dislike unbalanced folders, the Ummnanzan was fine. But the Strider was WAY blade heavy, its ergonomics left much to be desired as well.

please don't bathe me in hatred:D
 
I got my first BNIB Sebenza Thursday. It was so rough opening that I couldn't do it one handed. I was thinking something must be wrong with it, but I searched around the forum until I found this thread describing the same thing, with the OP solving his problem just by playing with it a lot: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=779879

After about half a day of opening and closing it (a couple hundred times maybe?), the movement became buttery smooth, though the closed detent was still very difficult, to the point that once the detent was overcome, the force I had to apply to overcome the detent would fling the blade 1/2-2/3rds of the way open. I've been opening and closing it a lot since I received it, and finally today I was able to flick it open (thumb flick like flicking a marble, not a wrist flick), which I used as a measure only because before that, I had to push with the tip of my thumb because of the strength needed, while such a flick I do with my thumbnail, which has much less strength behind it. That's three days of playing with it until I'd call it broken in (though it's still nowhere near as broken in as my 5 month old Insingo).

tl;dr version: It needs to be worn in and is not smooth first thing out of the box.

edit: forgot to mention, I've also greased it with Hoppe's #9 and replaced it twice each day so far, with it being a deep black each time. Keep in mind I haven't even used it or pocketed it yet, so it's not debris from cutting something or pocket lint. I assume it's material from the knife breaking in.
 
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I just received my 1st. Umnumzaan today, and I am very impressed with it. But.. I agree with you on the buttery smoothness. The umnumzaan feels like there is some kind of sand or something within the washer, there is a faint type of scratching I can feel when I open this knife, nothing to be alarmed about, but it is not smooth... I am going to take it apart, clean it up really good, and then report back about the smoothness.

Now, I do own 3 sebenzas, and all of them truly are buttery smooth as everyone sais they are. It is like glass sliding on ice, if that makes sense, lo. But you can not flick a sebenza, but once you get enough force to get the umnumzaan out of the detent it just flicks open on it's own. Not with a ton of force, but enough momentum to get it into the lock position. I am not trying to flick it, it's just how it opens.
 
Incahiker said:
But you can not flick a sebenza
Click to expand...

Both of my smalls flick open. The Insingo is very easy, being older. By flick, I mean a thumb flick with my nail that includes absolutely 0 wrist movement. Honestly, it takes very little force. It's not due to an overly weak detent, either. I just recorded a video first of me shaking it to show the detent is good and then flicking it open:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLDhij8YEqg

edit: tried to embed with youtube][/youtube] but it didn't work :(
 
here is Kreoles video embedded

[youtube]FLDhij8YEqg[/youtube]


i can flick open my small regular as well. another reason the CRK's you felt may have felt stiff is because they might take time to break in.
 
I posted this previously but here is a few things to keep in mind when the knife is new.

1. The blade is stone washed (base model)
2. The washers

Now when the knife is stone washed the blade detent ball has resistance when opening and closing the knife. As you use the knife more and more it will polish the groove ever so slightly creating a mirror type line.

The washers will polish the edge in the same way, but the stone wash creates resistance till this is done. If you remove the blade of a Sebenza or Zaan that has been used for some time the blade will have a mirror polish under the washers.

These are things I realised owning stone washed blades and after I held a polished blade and compared the two. The polish blade was MUCH smoother just because there is less resistance. The Sebenza has so high tolerance that you will feel the difference when comparing the two. Or at least in my experience it has.

Both Strider and CRK needs some time to break in. Strider as far as I have heard quite a bit more then a Sebenza.

As for flicking a Sebenza I can do it with my left hand as well. It is all about placement next to the stud and not on top as with other knives.

[youtube]82MrS3sJXZI[/youtube]
 
I have 7 Sebenzas, and none of them were what I would call "buttery smooth" out of the box, and they didn't "flick" open either. However, after a little breaking in, and a re-lube -- with CRK's fluorinated grease, not oil! -- they were indeed buttery smooth.

And who knows how the knives you handled today were treated in the past. I too was at a Gun and Knife today (in MI), and I was horrified when I saw one dealer pick up a case of BM's, Spydies, CS's, etc., and dump the knives into a bag - no boxes, no nothing!! Another guy (a "dealer") tried to convince me that the best knives are now being made in China! LOL! I asked him if he was serious, and he insisted. Of course, that's all he had for sale -- crap from China.

At any rate, get the CRK grease and clean/lube your CRK's -- if you're not sure how to do it, there are several youtube videos to show you how.
 
Just got done cleaning my umnumzaan (taking it apart, etc..)) and while it is a little better, it still feels a tad gritty. It can not be because of any grit cause I cleaned it all out (it was used but in great condition, but still had some pocket dust/grit in there). I believe it has to do with the ceramic ball. I know it has to do with the ceramic ball because I can fill the grit with in the lock bar. I can feel the small vibrations coming from the lockbar when I open it. Either way it still opens very smooth, but has the small grittiness that you can hear, but it doesn't affect its opening performace, still opens smooth.

My sebenzas open smooth with no gritty sound. Just smooth all around
 
Incahiker said:
Just got done cleaning my umnumzaan (taking it apart, etc..)) and while it is a little better, it still feels a tad gritty. It can not be because of any grit cause I cleaned it all out (it was used but in great condition, but still had some pocket dust/grit in there). I believe it has to do with the ceramic ball. I know it has to do with the ceramic ball because I can fill the grit with in the lock bar. I can feel the small vibrations coming from the lockbar when I open it. Either way it still opens very smooth, but has the small grittiness that you can hear, but it doesn't affect its opening performace, still opens smooth.

My sebenzas open smooth with no gritty sound. Just smooth all around
Click to expand...

That is the ceramic ball going over the stone washed finish on the blade. It will smooth out with use as with your Sebenza.
 
marthinus said:
That is the ceramic ball going over the stone washed finish on the blade. It will smooth out with use as with your Sebenza.
Click to expand...

Yup, I was hoping that is what it was. I just opened the lock bar just a tad bit more to where the ceramic ball was not touching the blade (I did not overextend, there was barely a gap) and it was floating on ice. The ceramic bar going over the stonewash is definitely what it is.
 
Not sure where yours is, mine's right here on the knife. :)

It will probably become smoother with use.
 
I've never understood all the talk of Sebenza being buttery smooth, or action like a bank vault door sliding on glass or whatever... I've never had a smooth Sebenza out of the four I have owned. My Mnandi and Umnumzaan were nice and slick, though. This despite much cleaning, oiling and breaking in. I should also add that they all were "flickable" regardless of how smooth the action was. It is one of the reasons I will probably never buy another Seb. Many Mnandi and Umnumzaans in my future, but it will be a Sebenza-less one.
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
I've never had a smooth Sebenza out of the four I have owned . . . despite much cleaning, oiling and breaking in.
Click to expand...

Curious, did you use the CRK fluorinated grease, or just whatever oil you happened to have around? The CR grease works wonders because it's specifically meant for steel-on-titanium friction.

My Sebs were all much smoother -- after they were properly greased, that is -- than my Mnandis ever were.
 
Yep, used CRK fluoro grease and every other oil and/or grease product on the market. CRK probably worked best. Regarding your steel-on-Ti comment, I always wondered about that. Some say that's why Sebs aren't really ultra-smooth like some other folders, but isn't there a ceramic ball between the steel tang and Ti lockbar? If so, then wouldn't it be a ceramic-on-Ti situation?
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
Yep, used CRK fluoro grease and every other oil and/or grease product on the market. CRK probably worked best. Regarding your steel-on-Ti comment, I always wondered about that. Some say that's why Sebs aren't really ultra-smooth like some other folders, but isn't there a ceramic ball between the steel tang and Ti lockbar? If so, then wouldn't it be a ceramic-on-Ti situation?
Click to expand...

Its ceramic on S30v (correct me if I am wrong, but the ball is between the Ti and S30v and does not move :confused:). Ceramic is harder then the steel and will wear the area over a long time. I carried my old regular for more then a year before it started to become this glass smooth that people talk about. Before then I would describe it as a big well designed safe door. It moves fluently but has resistance
 
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[QUOTE=Incahiker I just received my 1st. Umnumzaan today, and I am very impressed with it. But.. I agree with you on the buttery smoothness. The umnumzaan feels like there is some kind of sand or something within the washer, there is a faint type of scratching I can feel when I open this knife, nothing to be alarmed about, but it is not smooth...


Trust me your Umnun will be smooth...cycle the action a few hundred times.

They get smoother the more you open/close, open/close, etc.....I got my

Umnun the day after Thanksgiving last year. Mine wasnt scratchy but it was

very stiff...I had to Pull the blade out at first. I edcd it for most of 3 months.

My Umnun is as smooth as my other CRKs!
 
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