Why are people selling their CRKs?

I'm not sure what you don't get? It's a luxury knife and folks that get to the place of being able to afford one want to try one. Just because it may not be their cup of tea doesn't mean there is something wrong with them. They are great trade bait and darn near good as cash for acquiring other expensive knives. I sold a Sebenza to buy a $450 watch.

Sure, I'm curious when buying used stuff as why the person is selling. In many or most cases they just want to try something new. I just sold a perfectly good Cub Cadet lawn tractor because I am now in a position where I could get the Zero turn that I have been wanting.
 
Was that because the cub cadet left you wanting more? I mean, if the cub cadet was a perfect lawnmower worthy of praises sung from the mountaintop, then you wouldn't feel the need to upgrade to something better, right? You hang onto it and use it and maintain it properly and leave it to the next generation when you passed on, right? If you sold it that means that it didn't get used for whatever reason, you just didn't like it, or it didn't meet your expectations. At the very least, you'd have used it enough to know you didn't like it before you sold it and you couldn't sell it for like new prices.
 
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Maybe , and this is hard for CRK lovers to grasp , in some cases the seller was totally underwhelmed with the knife .
Maybe they sadly realised that their new purchase wasn't actually what they wanted or didn't quite live up to expectation .
Maybe they just liked but not loved it .
I've got a small 21 sitting in a drawer , and no matter how much I hate to admit it , those things I've mentioned above are true in my case .
I don't need to sell it , so it will sit in my drawer and maybe one day I'll revisit it with a fresh attitude .
I can see why people love them , I just hope those people can see why others don't .
" Such is life "


Ken
 
I got interested in knives only several months ago (and new forum member here), but I can tell you right away, this is a pretty common situation.
I have another passion that I've been into for many many years, it's music and guitars in particular. I find knife community to be similar to guitar community in many ways.

Ebay and forums are filled with well established, high end instruments all the time (Think Gibsons, Fenders , PRS etc), and not for a bad reason. This stuff just gets traded a lot.


- There are people that go like "I HAVE to have" that Gibson and after maxing out a credit card with 2.5k purchase and realizing that it does not get them any closer to being Jimmy Page than a decent guitar they already have , get back to reality and try to sell.

- There are people that realize that as gorgeous as that 2.5k Gibson sounds (or cuts:)))), the neck on it just does not work with their hands in a long run period.

- People get into different music styles and suddenly you needs a good shredder guitar (think fixed blade hunter classic vs small high tech folder)

- If you have disposable funds and can afford top shelf stuff from a get go, that's great, go for it. But please don't be surprised when it does not perform miracles for you. In this sense, yes, you might need to graduate to high end stuff to be able to fully appreciate it.

- People want to try new things. They salivate on those pictures and those Youtube reviews like on porn, and even though there is no rational need for another guitar whatsoever, they just have to have it.
Like myself, having family, kids, and being unable to just park thousands of dollars and collect, I would sometimes buy a good used instrument, enjoy it for a for a few months, and sell it. With experience, I got to the point when I don't even lose money in a process, and often make some. I do have two instruments that have become extension of my body and soul and they are keepers, barring unforeseen catastrophic circumstances.

- There are incredible players out there, who just don't care about the cool factor at all, and treat instruments like you and I would treat a screwdriver. If that 350$ made in Korea guitar fits better for a particular gig than expensive Fender, or performs close enough, they will swap in a heartbeat.



And list goes on. Hope I am making sense:)
Really excited to be a part of this great forum and a knife community. Making my first baby steps here, have Kershaw Scallion, Buck Mini Spitfire and now my new Buck Vantage Force Pro!
 
Ugh. This has gone on waaaay longer than I expected it to....
 
I think that's what the op is getting at. Why are they highly praised when they're barely used. Why do people buy them, sit on them for awhile, resell them, and then talk about how great they are.

If they're collector pieces that's fine. Everyone needs a hobby and interest. But say that. they're collector pieces and when they do actually get used they aren't really any better than anything else. Just say that to the op because it'll answer his questions truthfully. The precision and cost of these production knives is so great that most people are scared to use them. they then turn into baseball cards for most people.

Personally, I wouldn't want someone buying one of my knives just to throw them in a drawer. If I perfected the knife making process so much that I received awards and kudos for my products, I'd want them used and abused more than any other product from another maker. To call $30 knives users what does that make mine? Too good to use? Screw that. Tool makers make tools to be used. Unless the knife you're holding is covered in gold and encrusted with fine jewels, then use it. And if the time comes to sell it, say that you have the best tool on the market and it's capable of this and that and whatever else a knife can do and has the marks to prove it. That the only reason you're selling it is because after so much use you just want to try another tool from the same maker. Sure, you may sell it for less than you bought for it, but it was bought to be used and it got used so now someone without a ton of money can buy one on a true secondary market.

If they're equivalent to the baseball card/comic book/whatever genre, that's fine. But I don't think most makers want that.

I think it's just a fundamental difference in what people think knives are for. Are they meant to be used as a tool? Or admired as a piece of art?

Either way is fine, everyone here needs a knife for any number of reasons. Just don't fool yourself into thinking you have the best tool on the market when you're afraid to use them as a tool and don't say a piece of collector art is the best tool. They're not necessarily the same.

People are unafraid to use a $500 gun, but they shy away from using a $500 knife. Why? Is that $500 knife too fragile to use? If so, why the hell spend $500 for it?

To me, spending $500 on a knife and letting it sit there because you can't fathom scratching it is like buying a Ford F150 and dumping 40 grand into upgrading it to be the baddest off road truck out there but then saying you can't take it off road because you don't want to mess up what you just spent so much money on. Spend the money, buy a great knife, use the hell out of it, and then keep on using it until you can't anymore or just want to try something different.
 
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bodog said:
I think that's what the op is getting at. Why are they highly praised when they're barely used.
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I bought an Umnumzaan.
Since I have it, I use it.
Since I acquire knives rather than sell them, I still have it.
Since I still have it, I still use it.
 
There are as many reasons as there have been Sebenzas for sale. No right answer here guys. I feel like this has become an argument just for the sake of arguing.

The point is there is no one answer. Some it didn't float their boat. Some need money. Some want something different. Some have their significant other tell them they've bought too many knives and they need to liquidate fast.

I've never sold a sebenza, still have both, but have sold others trying to find the right fit. I'm not a collector so if I don't use it I don't keep it.
 
007 Agent ZZero said:
There are some great points in this thread and all seem very relevant, but I think to answer the OPs question it boils down to 3 things;

Resale Value: Everyone already said it and it's true. A sebbie will sell for most of what you put into it. There is little risk to buying a sebbie just to check it out.

Refined Tolerances: This is where most are underwhelmed(including me). Tight tolerances doesn't mean shocking style(Carrillo) or invigorating lines(GTC). The sebbie could be called "graceful" in its own way. It's a highly produced midtech. It's shows exactly what a midtech is supposed to, the tremendous ability of machines to produce identical knives with tight tolerances. The Sevenza will always be a high quality knife machined to exacting standards.

Cutting power: Most users will not be able to tell the difference between a Sebenza and a Spyderco in daily cutting chores. The same argument can be made for many other knives but that is where style and intriguing design come in to play. Both of which could be summarized as lacking in the sebenza.
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I'd say the biggest draw (and why you see so many reselling the knife) is that the knife hold's its value very well and they resell fairly quick. You'll get people who really aren't all that interested in knives like the Sabenza giving it a try, not digging it, and selling it.

As for the tight tolerances. Its something that the industry has really caught up to. From what I understand, it really got started where the was a disparity between the mid-level productions and the high end productions (I consider Sabenza's to be production). However, the Spydercos, Benchmades, and the Kershaws of the industry have really stepped up their game and closed that gap


Now, there comes the price? As always, value is a very subjective issue and people will always find a way to justify their purchase. In my experience around the $250-300 mark is where you really start getting a diminishing return for your buck. Of course, there are a plethora of popular knives that fall above this like Strider, Hinderer, CRK, etc Now to me, there are very few knives above my "arbitrary" price limit that can justify it's price in today's market.
I can hold a $120 Benchmade and can readily tell myself that this is a $120 knife.
I can hold a ZT 0560 and can readily tell myself that this is a $200 knife.
I can hold a Sabenza and tell myself I might have overpaid for it.
I can hold a SMF and tell myself no way this is worth $500.
I can hold a XM24 and laugh at the people willing to pay on the secondary market.
I can hold Bodega and say I'd pay $800 for it
Of course there are people who can't see the value in a Benchmade. There are also people who have no problem justifying a Strider purchase
 
bodog said:
Was that because the cub cadet left you wanting more? I mean, if the cub cadet was a perfect lawnmower worthy of praises sung from the mountaintop, then you wouldn't feel the need to upgrade to something better, right? You hang onto it and use it and maintain it properly and leave it to the next generation when you passed on, right? If you sold it that means that it didn't get used for whatever reason, you just didn't like it, or it didn't meet your expectations. At the very least, you'd have used it enough to know you didn't like it before you sold it and you couldn't sell it for like new prices.
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Is this sarcasm? I bought a Zero turn mower because I wanted one and could afford it. There is no great mystery. I sold a Sebenza to buy a Strider. Then when finances allowed I bought another Sebenza. I am not underwhelmed with a Sebbie at all, just use them for trying other things, but always get one back!
 
Same could be said for ZT's. often suggested to newbs, often in the classifieds and most always brand spankin new.
 
crom said:
Same could be said for ZT's. often suggested to newbs, often in the classifieds and most always brand spankin new.
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...and usually with a statement like "It's the best knife I have ever laid my hands on, but I need new hearing aids so it has to go." We should all be more honest in that We're bored with it, I don't like a boat anchor in my pocket, etc..
 
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