Why are people selling their CRKs?

A

asdf12345

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I hear praise ad nauseum for the Chris Reeve folders, so why are they being sold so often? I see several up for sale nearly every day. If the knives are so good in every way why are they being sold so often in barely used condition?
 
Well, perhaps because they hold most of their value and sell well? Also, do you know if they're selling they're only CRK or one of a bunch? Then there are people who just don't like it or don't like it enough to keep it. It happens.
 
I would agree with 2Dead that it's because they're in high demand and they command a good price.
 
Microtechs hold their value well too but I only see them up for sale a few times a week. They sell very well too.
 
Well, so do Hinderers. Are you suggesting that people hold on to their Microtechs but are willing to get rid of their CRKs? I own five CRKs and I'm not planning on selling one of mine until I'm faced with living under a bridge. :D Edit: The "ad nauseum" comment is probably a clue to the intent of this thread.
 
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I don't see Hinderers for sale as commonly as I do CRKs either. I wasn't trying to imply that people hold on to Microtechs but sell CRKs, but now that you mention it, it's a good point. Two brands with similarly priced knives that both sell quickly on the secondary market and retain value well, yet one is offered for sale much more than the other. What is a possible cause for this?
 
I don't get how they can be praised for their craftsmanship and perfectitude when so few of them get used. At least used hard enough to bring them below "lnib" condition. Then again, I don't get why people sing the praises of ducatis after owning one yet never took it to the racetrack. To each their own.

I bought a harley to ride it. I bought a truck and haul shit with it. I buy guns and shoot them. I buy knives and cut and stab things. I don't have many things that are capable of something yet sit unused in a drawer or garage or closet. If it's too nice to use, too high powered to use, too uncomfortable to use, or lacks enough quality to use safely, then I get rid of it. But I can't say something is perfect if I don't or won't or can't use it. That actually makes it imperfect regardless of the price.
 
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I've sold a couple Sebenzas, but I have one I would never part with. I've sold 20 plus Spydercos but have three that I'll die with. I've sold 10 Busses, but have one you'd have to kill me for. I've sold a few Microtechs, but you'll be prying my carbon fiber Socom Elite out of my cold dead hands. These are some of my most beloved possessions. I would recommend any company I just mentioned.

Now, do you know how many Dark Ops I've sold? Frosts? Smith and Wesson? Bud K? None. They must be great knives because I never see them for sale in the exchange.
 
asdf12345 said:
I don't see Hinderers for sale as commonly as I do CRKs either.
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CRK's are much easier to find than Hinderers. (in the retail & used market)

bodog said:
I don't get how they can be praised for their craftsmanship and perfectitude when so few of them get used.
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Have you never seen older ones (10+ yrs) that have been EDC'd for years? I think you guys need to visit the CRK subforum... :)
 
I've seen this exact thread a few times in my years, here. It's sour grapes, at best.

I like the comparison to Microtech, a company that releases knives in small batches, often with huge gaps in availability, with a company like CRK that has been selling the Sebenza consistently for 25 years.

CRK's reputation speaks for itself. You can't rationalize it away. Sorry.
 
No one has still explained why so many are sold, and of those, why so many are near mint and "barely used". Are there that many people who try the knife out and decide it's not for them? And if that is the case why are they so highly regarded? And if the seller needed money, why was the knife purchased in the first place? I could see someone in a really tight spot selling his used CRK but this doesn't seem to happen very often - most look pristine: bought, looked at, put away, and put up for sale.
 
I absolutely HAD to have a sebenza. I bought a small first, then a large. Had them both for a little while, but just couldn't warm up to them the way so many do. I carried them and used them a little. The large was a starbenza and was very sharp. The small was a diamond plate cgg and it came fairly dull and the edge rolled over in a couple of spots after opening a few envelopes. Nice knives, but I didn't love them like I expected I would, and the soft dull steel was a deal breaker for me, so I sold them here on the forums. Later I picked up an insingo with inlays. The insingo blade shape was very nice and sharp, and had no problems with it, but I didn't like the inlays. So I have owned 3 and sold 3. In the future I would like a plain jane insingo, but I've found that there are a number of knives in the sub-$200 range that I enjoy a great deal, so it will probably be awhile before I try another one. For what it's worth, I've also owned 3 Hinderers and 4 Striders, and I've sold them all too.
 
J85909266 said:
I've seen this exact thread a few times in my years, here. It's sour grapes, at best.

I like the comparison to Microtech, a company that releases knives in small batches, often with huge gaps in availability, with a company like CRK that has been selling the Sebenza consistently for 25 years.

CRK's reputation speaks for itself. You can't rationalize it away. Sorry.
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If you've seen this thread before, does that mean people were always selling their CRKs so frequently? Can you give me some insight as to why this is?
 
bodog said:
I don't get how they can be praised for their craftsmanship and perfectitude when so few of them get used. At least used hard enough to bring them below "lnib" condition. Then again, I don't get why people sing the praises of ducatis after owning one yet never took it to the racetrack. To each their own.

I bought a harley to ride it. I bought a truck and haul shit with it. I buy guns and shoot them. I buy knives and cut and stab things. I don't have many things that are capable of something yet sit unused in a drawer or garage or closet. If it's too nice to use, too high powered to use, too uncomfortable to use, or lacks enough quality to use safely, then I get rid of it. But I can't say something is perfect if I don't or won't or can't use it. That actually makes it imperfect regardless of the price.
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Pretty close to exactly my outlook on things.

I think they get sold off because:

A: they don't get used

B: people felt guilty for spending so much on them

C: they ordered one due to the glowing reviews and found out they didn't like it

D: they needed money and decided to liquidate something they knew would sell quickly

Pick one, or maybe a combination of some, or all of them...
 
It's a combination of price and reputation. Many knife enthusiasts who either aren't seasoned enough to appreciate the Sebenza or bought one despite it not being what they prefer in a folder go on to sell them either because they didn't get it, or it wasn't for them. Many people who have no business owning a knife that expensive buy one because it's prestigious and highly regarded and then sell them because they can't really afford to keep it. Obviously, in these instances, which are extremely common, the knives are sold with little use.

Alternately, Sebenzas are highly collectable, and many are bought and sold by collectors and never intended to be used. You don't see heavily used Sebenzas often because the owners are attached to them. There's are plenty of well loved Sebbies riding in pockets, I assure you. The knife wouldn't be so old if nobody kept them.

It's really a shame that so many that are new and developing their taste in the hobby are drawn to buying a Sebenza before they are ready, or worse, when it's not their cup of tea. It causes an irrationally negative reaction toward the knife and brand due to both the price and the feeling of being misled or excluded.

CRK quality is truly something to admire, but it's lost on a person that just bought their first 50 dollar folder six months ago.
 
It has to do with the cost to be honest, and where the cost doesn't matter often it's just purchased for the feeling of pride that you will know (and you will imagine others know when in reality they have no idea).

As far as seeing most of them barely used or NIB: It has to do with the fact they won't treat it as a disposable knife.

I bought many sebenzas not because I was proud of owning a CRK like a pair of fashion accessory but because I respect the idea behind the knife which is simple: Do better. At the end of the day though, it's a neat philosophy but the knife just didn't function well enough for a $425 knife.

I actually sold my last sebenza not to recently and this time for good (stupid thing has boomeranged 3x back to me after selling).
 
People sell them because they want to. There are lots of knives bought and sold on this forum every day, why don't you count which brand is sold most often and report back to us:)
Don't forget that crk knives have been made for 25+ years, so there are lots out there to buy and sell. They aren't for everyone, so if someone wants to sell one that is up to them. On a side note, there are lots of Hondas available at the dealership down the street, I can't help but wonder why anyone would ever trade one in that's still in good condition........
 
asdf12345 said:
I don't see Hinderers for sale as commonly as I do CRKs either. I wasn't trying to imply that people hold on to Microtechs but sell CRKs, but now that you mention it, it's a good point. Two brands with similarly priced knives that both sell quickly on the secondary market and retain value well, yet one is offered for sale much more than the other. What is a possible cause for this?
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With all due respect, you haven't been around here for long. It happens is waves, stick around long enough and you will see. People freak out over the latest Ti frame lock, take 100's of pictures, and the next day put it up for sale for a premium. Or you will see the first page on the sales section with mostly CRK, or mostly Kershaw, or mostly ZT, or Spyderco, or....

There is no hard and fast rule for selling a knife. People sometimes sell them for a profit and others want to just break even. Then you have a handful of gougers that try to make a steady paycheck out of each sprint run. It takes all kinds. I own several CRK knives and have sold a few, i have a couple dedicated users and they work fine. I don't pry nails with them or break cement blocks, but they get used.
 
Only reason I bought and subsequently sold a lnib, highly rated, expensive knife was because after holding it I realized that the hype didn't match the knife I was holding and what it cost me. All the rest I use/ used then gave to family or a friend. On my hip is a $300 fixed blade and in my pocket is a $200 folder. They both get used. I'm waiting on a $450 knife and that will get used too. Actually, that will be my duty knife. I will reiterate, the only reason I would sell a knife that was high priced and highly touted was because the knife didn't meet my expectations. That's it.
 
So other people can enjoy them and save a few bucks. Simple economics, CRK's are easy to move with a reasonable loss. Not a bad investment. Look at supply and demand, unlike some knives that are made in small batches, CRK's are more readily available at decent secondary market prices. Sometimes one finds himself with more CRK's than they will ever use in a lifetime and pass them on.
Some just don't like them, can't appreciate the knife for what it is.
 
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