Would You Tell Me What is So Special About Chris Reeves Knives?

Wolverine666 said:
Love it šŸ‘ Thatā€™s an ideal CRK for me. Was it a KSF exclusive?
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Yes, but honestly I like the slightly longer 21/31 handle a little better. Iā€™ve use the heck out of that knife though. I took that picture when it was new, now itā€™s covered with battle scars but just as solid as day 1. Thatā€™s a big part of why these knives are great!
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People think that the heavy, blasted look of the CRK titanium is boring, but dang, it takes on some special beauty and character after use.

Thatā€™s why I tell everyone trying to judge a CRK to USE it. Not just for a week or a month, but for 6 months or a yearā€¦or longer. Thatā€™s when the greatness of these knives shine through. 9 times out of 10, love will bloom!
 
Hackenslash said:
Yes, but honestly I like the slightly longer 21/31 handle a little better. Iā€™ve use the heck out of that knife though. I took that picture when it was new, now itā€™s covered with battle scars but just as solid as day 1. Thatā€™s a big part of why these knives are great!
View attachment 1917255
People think that the heavy, blasted look of the CRK titanium is boring, but dang, it takes on some special beauty and character after use.

Thatā€™s why I tell everyone trying to judge a CRK to USE it. Not just for a week or a month, but for 6 months or a yearā€¦or longer. Thatā€™s when the greatness of these knives shine through. 9 times out of 10, love will bloom!
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The older I get , the more Iā€™m into ā€œless is moreā€. That being said , Iā€™ve been yearning for a plain Jane titanium Sebenza31. No inlays , no CCG, just naked titanium. The wood inlays always look beautiful (as does the red micarta) but at the moment , a plain Sebenza31 is on my list.
 
DMG said:
Then why did you buy a Randall?
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In 1999 I was a relatively naive knife buyer looking to support our son with a serious combat knife from a premium maker. Our son had entered Texas A&M (class of 2022) with a commitment to the USMC, and I was an equally naive father of a soon-to-be serviceman. I put down money on a Randall knife based on reputation only.

Then SHTF and our world changed. The knife industry in large part adapted and offered their tactical knives with dull finishes or dark coatings. Delivery of the Randall was still several years off in 2001. When it came and the powers that be in the Marine Corps wouldn't let it go to war as-is I was surprised. When Randall wouldn't help with it in any way I was shocked. I was looking for any sort of factory approved or endorsed modification. I was willing to pay extra. I was willing to accept a recommendation for service from an outside shop at my expense. Randall Made had no interest in dealing with this in any way.

Turns out, reputation is only as good as you perform.
 
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Wolverine666 said:
The older I get , the more Iā€™m into ā€œless is moreā€. That being said , Iā€™ve been yearning for a plain Jane titanium Sebenza31. No inlays , no CCG, just naked titanium. The wood inlays always look beautiful (as does the red micarta) but at the moment , a plain Sebenza31 is on my list.
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I was lucky to score this a while ago; basically new, old stock sm PJ 21 from 2010 with S30V. Itā€™s my only PJ and Iā€™m lovingly giving it the first scuffs!
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Buy cheap get cheaply made garbage. Shoes, machinery, etc quality matters. Same with knives.
 
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If they remade the Wilson Combat Starbenza again, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. (With a Spyderhole and a deep carry clip, now that would be perfection!!) The regular 21/31.... they don't excite or interest me as much.
 
Wolverine666 said:
The older I get , the more Iā€™m into ā€œless is moreā€. That being said , Iā€™ve been yearning for a plain Jane titanium Sebenza31. No inlays , no CCG, just naked titanium. The wood inlays always look beautiful (as does the red micarta) but at the moment , a plain Sebenza31 is on my list.
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The nice thing about the inlays is that they give the knife a bit more width, which can make it more comfortable for gripping.


I originally used the word girth instead of width, but just knew it would start something from all you weirdos šŸ§
 
unwisefool said:
The nice thing about the inlays is that they give the knife a bit more width, which can make it more comfortable for gripping.


I originally used the word girth instead of width, but just knew it would start something from all you weirdos šŸ§
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Haha ya got that right šŸ˜

I hear ya on the inlays. The new one-piece inlay is nice but there was something about two piece inlays on the 21 that I felt just looked cool.
 
The sebenza misses the mark for me in so many ways. I don't really care for metal handles, as I mentioned before I also don't like thumbstuds, and their conical ones are usually for me, and I have to open the knife with two hands.

I like a fidget friendly knife as well. If the ditched the conical studs, maybe I'd like one with inlays. I'm not willing to pay $500 for a knife just to spend additional money putting a hole opener in the blade.
 
kafolarbear said:
Benchmade, specifically the bugout I'd say is the "glock" of knives, many will see it as high end but still fairly attainable in terms of price. You gotta remember that 99% of knife users aren't hobbyists like we are, most people think spending $200+ on a knife is insane, hell the fact I just bought a Sebenza for $450 still seems insane to me. When people see I'm carrying a really nice knife on me they're like "oh is that a benchmade" even if it's a Winkler or Bark River because benchmade is that top tier in their minds. It's just interesting to see how people's perceptions of knives differ between communities, but I didn't think I'd ever see someone saying that CRK aren't high end knives. Which is fine, it's your own perspective I was just surprised by the comment.
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If you think CRK are 'high end' you might be missing a lot in this hobby
 
The Sebenza was sort of a grail for many of us 20+ years ago. While the gap has closed between CRK and other brands in terms of fit and finish, they do remain at least the anecdotal benchmark for titanium frame locks.

I purchased this PJ Large Inkosi from Spark as a reward to myself for completing a degree long put to the back burner. This was in the fall of 2019, and I have carried it more days than not.

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It's not been babied. You can even see the pocket fuzz accumulated around the pivot šŸ˜‰ It has cut, scored, and sliced just fine. Not the sharpest knife I own nor the superiest of super steel, but it is as tight today as when I purchased it.

I've taken it apart for cleaning about 6 times, mostly just for fun, but it always goes back together exactly the same way.

Chris Reeve set out to make a hellova a work knife, and I think the Sebbie, Ink, and Zaan succeed.

I have no issues with the ceramic lock up on the Inkosi, but I do wish I had gotten an OG steel on titanium 21. That said, I plan on picking up a 31 of some flavor from Spark when I am in town, have the cash, and he has the stock.

I generally have gravitated toward OTF autos over folders, but I still carry the Inkosi most days and it certainly sees more hard use than my Microtechs.
 
Chris Reeves knives are incredibly boring by most standards today:

Titanium framelock ... yawn, who isn't doing that?

S35VN steel ... ok so they upgraded to S45 and now Magnacut, but the Magnacut is slowly trickling out and still pretty hard to get

Basic inlays or maybe a CGG on the handle ... who cares, no fancy anodizing, beyond that?

Thumbstuds ... yeesh, no flipper tab or other fidget worthy method of opening, please that doesn't suffice my ADD

Only a few models for purchase ... c'mon really, they don't make over a hundred different flavors?

Washers ... really, no fancy bearings to make the knife "drop shutty?"

All this amounts to the fact that I LOVE THEM!


I have many CRK's in my collection, they ALL get used; and I do not baby them. I think the comparison to Glock is a good one, or at least in our circles (I do agree that the initial sticker price would be shocking to those who are not knife enthusiasts), basic construction, easy take-down, and perhaps most importantly often copied or inspired other designs.

CRK have soul, they have pedigree and they are like it or not they are standard by which many compare current offerings to. They are not the latest whiz bang knife on the block; they don't represent themselves as such; but what they make they make well. I personally don't need another generic, soulless knife; some companies are so saturated with different models that really don't add much to their brand - CRK sticks with the basics, keeps it simple and generates knives that will last a lifetime. Have they been lapped on the track? Arguably so, but I don't think CRK cares much about keeping up with the Jones', they don't have to. It appears to me that they don't really follow the current trends - they most certainly aren't ignorant of them - but they are going to keep doing what they do, and I think their wait times speak for themselves.

They are true workhorses, they are built to work, not show off in a case. I don't worry about them failing under hard use, my knives have been muddy, dusty, dropped, bumped you name it and they all go right back together as they should, with little effort at all.

They aren't for everyone, and that's fine; different strokes and all - they are most certainly for me, and I my sons who will inherit them, and future generations beyond.
 
My take on CRK knives is a little different. I put them in the "one knife for life" category.

If you own one and you're not a knife accumulator , that one knife will last a lifetime.

My boss is not a knife nut, but owns an early Sebenza that he uses hard on camping trips.
Busts it up , sends it to CRK every 5 or more years and gets it back looking like new.

Funny thing is that when I first saw it in the early 2000's , I had no idea what it was.
I opened the package for him from CRK, and saw the knife with a receipt for $85. I thought that was the cost of the knife, but it was coming back from its first spa treatment.

One can argue that you'd get the same service with a Buck 110, but they're different knives and appeal to different users.
 
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