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

Niall88 said:
Hey gang, I am new here on the BladeForums, but I am not a noob in regards to knives. I own, use, have bought and sold Hinderer, Spyderco, Medford and others. I am very discerning and picky with my knives. However, I want to ask this question, with genuine curiosity, and would like to hear from others. What the heck is so special about CRK? I bought a Sebenza 21, I think it was, many years back. Took it out of the box, handled it and returned it immediately. I could not stand the wimpy pocket clip, which laid right on top of the frame lockbar, which I don't like, and it just did not impress me for the money. Can any of you experts enlighten me? I would appreciate it!
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To refocus on the topic of the OP:

Got our son a selection of serious combat cutlery before his Marine armored recon unit "surged" into Iraq in 2004. The viet Nam and Desert Storm vets in the training cadre at 29P discouraged taking the Ek dagger or the Camillus Cuda Maxx folding dagger. He brought a CRK Green Beret and another iconic combat knife from a premium maker with a legendary record extending back to W-II. In talking about it later on, he expressed confidence in the Reeve knife to do anything he needed, while expressing appreciation for the cachet the other knife brought him from fellow Marines.

When he deployed again, he only packed the CRK and left the other knife home in a display case.

Is that endorsement enough for CRK knives?
 
Danny Linguini said:
The problem is that the point of diminishing returns varies greatly from one individual to another. For some people, anything more than a box cutter is a waste of money. For others, nothing less than the latest and greatest of the finest materials and designs will do, no matter what the cost. Most people obviously fall somewhere in between, but the point they will not go beyond spending on a knife is greatly dependent on where they consider diminishing returns.

Personally, I’d love to have a Mnandi in my very modest collection, but I just can’t see spending that much on a knife for myself. But I do understand why some people will pay that and several times more, because to them, it’s worth it. Different value scales, different points of diminishing returns. Does it cut better than my $30 Kershaw? Who knows. How do you feel looking at it? How does it feel in your hand? How does it feel in use? How easily does it sharpen? How easy is it to maintain? How quickly does your wife go for the frying pan when you tell her how much it cost? All things that go into your determining its value proposition, and that’s different for everybody.
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I agree, for the most part. We place Different values on things. I value knives as utilitarian tools but I also just enjoy handling and using well made things. Others see it differently.
 
Has CRK changed the policy on flicking. Years ago if you flicked your seb you killed your warranty ("abuse"). Just wondering with the talk of studs, flippers, and fidget factor.
 
I like the clean lines, use of quality materials, and solid build of Chris Reeve Knives, but they're just a bit outside my price range. I might wander up to that price point once a year or so and I've already done so once this year for a Hinderer, so barring a big sale it's unlikely I'll purchase one anytime soon.

What you are willing to spend on a knife is going to be different from someone else and your personal budget/price range will also change over the years. There was a time when the idea of me spending over $100 on a knife was redunkulous and over $50 seemed pretty high. Now I'm regularly buying knives $200-300 and once in a while spending a bit more. That could change again in a few years.

On this forum Chris Reeve Knives seem to represent the standard for quality folders that despite numerous purchases, Olamic Cutlery hasn't managed to take over from.
 
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I have a small 21, the only CRK I have ever owned. I had some good knives before it, but the 21 works really well for me, simple and dependable. I have been really happy with it. I carry and use it often.
 
What can I say that hasn't already been said? They are good knives that are made well from great materials by nice people in Idaho.

I've handled them and came close to buying one against recently. The problem is, it wouldn't get the use it deserves. I'd be buying it just to have it and I don't want to be that kind of collector.

See, I've got some arthritis in my thumb and it makes slow-rolling thumb studs uncomfortable. I open a thumb stud knife the way a person might flick a bean held in the notch of the middle knuckle of the first finger. It's a fairly linear motion that works for me on the right knives. I just can't get the position right on a Sebenza. Having to rotate something out wears the joints wrong for me, which is a challenge both here and for some of the Spyderco back locks.
 
For me it was mainly the blade that hit the spot. A microconvex edge, crowned spine and a hollow grind is what I want in a folder and I find the blade shapes of both the Sebenza and the Insingo more beautiful than most other blades. The clean cut design, the OG frame lock (RIL) and understated robust build leaves me with not much else to wish for. So after I was finally able to buy a PJ 21, and experience it in person, I quickly bought a small PJ 21 and an PJ Inkosi Insingo as well. I would still like a small PJ Sebbie in damascus, some day.

I also like that it is a family owned, American company that stands behind the product and not a large corporation using outsourced labor.
 
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I always like the fact that they want you to disassemble your knife and take care of it by lubing it. It was until recently that Spyderco did not want an owner to disassemble a knife. CRK has a great spa service and good customer support. I realize some people feel the blade steel choice up to now (Magnacut) is not the most robust but, CRK wanted it to be easy to sharpen and maintain.

It seems like people either lover them or hate them.
 
VorpelSword said:
Can anyone tell me how to say it correctly?
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Now, I don't speak Zulu, and I have not read the many posts downthread, but: Just recently I saw some comment to the extent that the leading "Um" is mostly silent, so the pronounciation would be "num-zaan". After so many years in the US I'd say they could just ditch the Zulu names anyway, but perhaps it's part of what may be perceived as the "shtick".

While I'm at it: For me the Regular Sebenza was special in the late '90s; costly, but *so* precisely made by the general standards of the day. And the profile - perfect. Bought two. Now, the following iterations, 21...31..., do not rock my boat at all. De gustibus non disputandum est - I respect that, but won't be buying any of the new shapes.

And then there're the fixed blades. Again, precision made (and also in IDAHO, I gather :D ). CNC is what CRK as a small-medium volume producer adopted perhaps earlier than other makers (those who actually manually shaped blades). Today, with the numerous Chinese CNC "farms" out there...the hare has been caught by the hounds. As in any nature documentary, the outcome is inevitable, however painful it may be to watch. There's only so much juice you can squeeze out of a brand name alone (especially since Chris, the man, has left the firm).
 
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