Why is the wait 6-9 mos for damascus and 3-6 mos for a unique?

R

rigger

Joined
Oct 29, 2002
Messages
36
The economy is trying to get moving and millions of workers r out of jobs, so lets make the customer wait til they loose theirs to get them the product...

sounds to me like Mr Reeve needs to hire some more folks

or is it something else?

How do you feel about the wait?

Maybe more dealers need to carry more of CR products?

Or is Mr Reeve getting ready to retire...Hmmm.
 
hmmm....how to phrase my response:


Ok, lets see. Chris has a theory with his knives, that they be the best that he can do and life up to his precise expectations. The company fits a unique niche in the knife world, knives that are far more precise and qc'ed than production and still rival the best of the custom world. to ensure that his expectations are met he has a small group of high quality people, these people do their job well and take the time to make it perfect.

This quality has put a demand on chris for his knives, which creates a backlog...now when you factor in the unique designs it is with lisa to design things that look nice and attractive this will add time, and you have to stand in a line cuz other want one too.

Now with damascus they are relying on devin thomas for the steel. so when they get it in they get working and when they run out they take orders for when devin will have another amount for them. fyi damascus is not easy to make and can take quite a bit of time to fill the orders theat devin has, and the large order that crk makes.

I wish the wait was shorter, but i understand it and when i get my knives i know they are the best and it was worth the wait.
 
I think that actionjeep said it well. If Reeve adds more staff and pushes to get product out the door, quality will decrease. Retire soon? I think that is highly unlikely. Chris is a hard working stuborn guy that has very high standards for the knives that he sends out. That is a point that he not willing to negotiate. It may drive his business manager crazy but Chris has his names on those knives and insists that the job be done to his satisfaction. His knives are popular all over the world and the quality is incredible. My advice is to put yourself on a waiting list and take your chances. I don't think that Chris requires a deposit so if you don't have the money when the knife is ready then just say no. Someone else will surely pick it up.

Why the wait you ask? Because the demand is there and to increase production would lower the quality of the knives. I think that he is putting them out as quick as he can given the quality he expects.:cool: ;) :) :p
 
The Last two posts said it all, and it is true you do not need to have a deposit. My name was on a waiting list a year for my Small box elder inlay. Patience is the key and they definitley are worth the wait.
 
Perfect responses. I would prefer to wait a full year for the quality product Chris puts out. If he speeds up production quality will go down and people who enjoy high quality products will suffer, and have to start looking somewhere else. Not something I want to do since I am addicted to the sebenzas.


Jeff
 
Rigger,

I just checked true north knives, bladeart and knifeart they all have some uniques and some damascus ready for you to buy.

So there's no waiting, unless you want something specific.
 
thanks for the responses ( i still dont see any sebbies w/damascus on those above sites)

i guess i already knew the answer to my question but i like to hear other opinions.

As a business and money oriented knife lover, i just dont understand why any business would not expand and meet the demand of the customer.

i would look into making my own damascus or getting more than 1 damascus supplier to offer more choices to the consumer. i would think that most knife parts are made by machines and put together by humans, therefore producing the parts should be easy to increase production. putting them together isn't rocket science and Mr Reeve can do all the QC inspections.

i guess i dont fully appreciate the overly simplistic design of the Sebenza and equate it with a waiting period.

i am not talking about anything custom. Custom means wait in line.

anyway- i guess all knife lovers dont mind waiting when it comes to a Chris Reeve knife, but my point is that a damascus blade and a unique knife that has already been designed should not require a wait.

But i have been wrong many times in my life before, just my opinion.
 
ok....

psst...they are basicly custom.

the handles and blades are cut by machine, but then are finished to what they should be like by hand. do you know that each blade will only fit one handle? with my bm's and other productions i have swapped blades and handles.

i guess your idea of the sebenza is just a different bm model 750, or similar production framelock.

but the damascus blade is not already made. as soon as one is finished enough to me mated with a handle it is and then the blade is finally finished and then it is sold. trust me that there are not any blades just laying around.
 
Rigger, OK, don't take this too personally, but I think you are wrong.

1) I don't think demand is what is used to be. Sebenzas used to fly off the dealers shelves. It looks to me like they sit for a little longer than they used to.

2) Even if CRK isn't quite keeping up to demand, hiring additional people may not help. There are costs and overhead involved in hiring, plus those costs must be payed for and making your knife may not justify it.

i guess i dont fully appreciate the overly simplistic design
Click to expand...

So you think a "simple design" should be easy and fast to produce? First the design isn't simple, secondly simple or not, as already mentioned quality takes time.

How much have you looked? Checked ebay recently? Posted a want add?

Instead of whining about not having one available why don't you get in line or continue your search?
 
i thought this would make a good debatable topic...

my order has been placed and i am waiting patiently. not a big deal.

i was just surprised and thought it was odd to wait for non-custom work.

Mr Reeve knows what he is doing obviously, just wanted to hear what other sebenza consumers thought.

do you remember when a man customized computers in his garage about 20 years ago, he ran out of room and had to hire more employess... his name was Michael Dell. Thank god for him- he makes my job easier and my bank account thankful.
 
About Michael Dell and his "custom-made" computers: all he did (in the beginning) was to buy parts and assemble them to order. He didn't actually make or even design any of the components himself except for the label on the front. That's possible in a market full of interchangeable commodity components, and it requires no capital investment, no specialized machinery, no skilled help.

Chris Reeve doesn't buy blades and handles and liners from someone else; he (referring not just to Chris but to his entire, still small operation) manufactures them in his own shop. Sure, he doesn't make his own wood or titanium or steel, but he does all the machining that makes them into blades, handles and inlays. He probably does buy readymade screws, but even that's not necessarily a given.
 
Reeve not custom?:confused: Rigger you know not what you say.:eek: I waited over a year to get a Damascus blade for my wood inlay. In my book CRK is a custom shop. The only reason that it is not technically custom is that Chris doesn't want to play the games associated with having his knives be called custom. Comparing computers to knifemaking is like comparing the computer to the abacus. I've known of some "custom" knifemakers that order the parts and put them together. You really need to do your homework before you buy a knife. Of course you can always do it the hard way like I did, searching, paying a lot of money and ending up dissapointed. Or you can do it the easy way and start out with CRK. You will be a very happy man when you get your knife. CRK puts out a better product than all the production companies and 90% of the custom makers. CRK non-custom? Ouch that hurts!:eek: :cool: :D ;) :p
 
not you scott....mr. rigger.....

look at some of his other posts, most seem to be negative on sebs...
 
i am not negative, just want to hear other peeps opinions.

i own 3 sebbies and am very happy with them,

i notice that all 3 sebbies behave differently(1 damascus, 1 reg, and 1 classic)

i also feel that their are other companies out their that produce excellant knives.

troll-hmmmm

just wondered if others didnt see the logic in a 9 month wait for a damascus blade or 3-6 months for a unique small sebbie.

the comparison with knives and computers might be out there, but the point is that the "best" will make more money than the rest and force others to fold, that way they stay making money.

just for arguement sakes, i waited less for my 4 bedroom house to get built. take it for what it is...
 
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