Has CRK ruined other knives for you?

I only own one, a small pj 31. I'll carry other knives periodically, but they all wind up having the same problem... They aren't my small pj 31.

Obviously this only applies to my primary work knife, I still keep my swisschamp and a slip joint of some flavor with me for detail work. I have plenty of knives that can handle the same heavy lifting as the sebenza, but none of them make me smile the way it does.
 
Iā€™ve had my small Sebenza for a year this month. Carried it every day. First CRK Iā€™ve ever had. I recently sold one of my two locking carry blades due to the fact that it had been ousted by the Seb and sitting. I had owned it for around 20 years. Itā€™s not that it was inferior in any way because it was a finely made blade with fantastic fit, finish and materials, Smooth as butter and a tight lockup fully capable of still being in great shape long after Iā€™m gone. The guy who got it was elated.
It was bigger, heavier and the clip point and overall design on the seb is more to my liking ā€œtodayā€. I doubt that I will look further for a pocket carry locking blade but there are plenty of high quality blades out there that are certainly up to a lifetime of carry and use.
 
rishma said:
I have no interest in other modern folders. Traditionals are another story.
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if chris reeve dropped models like Bill Howard, you can bet there will be some ruffled feathers. i was quite shocked when i heard the 21 was being discontinued as I hadnt rebought a small insingo yet. hell people were trading sebenzas for gecs!
 
I divested myself of almost everything but CRK at this point, folder-wise. I've got a couple of TRM and a few traditionals, and a Dragonfly in Super Blue that I am still trying to decide if I'm going to keep. But I always carry a CRK. The rest just take up space in my knife drawer at this point. CRK offers all I want or need in a folder through their models.
 
Good topic, and one that I have given some thought to since the thread started.

Ruined? No, I wouldn't say that. Speaking for myself personally, I am not a "collector" of knives. I purchase knives based on their ultimate utility and what function/purpose they might serve long term. I haven't found anything that can top CRK, but there are some that are certainly in their league. The Spartan Harsey Folder is an incredible knife, I spent a year with one - if you are so inclined you can read about my experience here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/one-year-with-the-spartan-harsey-folder.1902410/ . I own quite a few Medford knives, polarizing as the maker might be; definitely a quality contender. I have a slew of autos - mostly Pro-Tech - they are wonderful, I really can't find fault with them.

I rarely carry those anymore however. I don't really see the point in doing so; I am not one that really seeks out having something new in my pocket everyday. I guess it's similar to my choice in firearms; I don't change up my carry. Moreso with a firearm, familiarity, reliability and training play more of a role than anything.

CRK are my measuring stick, no matter what competes for my attention, I always compare it to a Large 21 or an Inkosi. Boring maybe, but they are my barometer.

Let's face it, CRK's can be considered boring - a titanium folder (inlays not withstanding), no flipper or "spydie" hole to fidget with, no bearings, no mokuti/zircuti, timascus, etc ... but for me they are just pragmatic and utterly reliable.

One day maybe, I would like to at least handle an Arius or a Grimsmo Norseman; but I am not doing anything to actively seek one out.
 
For modern folders, I have to say yes. Iā€™ve had a small Sebenza for close to 20 years and just donā€™t see a need to explore another option for edc. Iā€™ve honestly never needed more knife anywhere other than the wilderness. Itā€™s crazy light, super easy to carry, has a great clip, easy to maintain, holds an edge nicely, and certainly holds up to use. Not fancy, maybe boring, but it works. Perhaps stupidly, I have four.

I have a Mnandi for the rare dress occasion and feel the same way. I might like a William Henry, but wonā€™t spend the $ for something so occasional. I love how light these are. Might get one in another wood someday.

For fixed blades, no. I have a thing against choils and stainless steel on fixed blades. Iā€™m in the Fiddleback Forge camp there.

I rarely carry a slip joint (and then always in conjunction with a fixed blade) but itā€™s always an existing GEC for me there. I got my before pricing got insane and think theyā€™re more than up to any task Iā€™d throw at a slip joint. Iā€™ll probably end up selling all but 3 at some point.
 
Followed the herd back in the day and had a bunch, only one remaining and it never gets carried..
 
I don't know if CRK ruined the others for me, but as said previously in this thread, they are the yard stick in my world.

I picked up a couple of Hinderers lately. They are nice knives, but compared to CRK they are thick, heavy, don't cut as well, and much harder to get. The Hinderers are really fun to fondle though (autos and Gen 6 flippers...that is).

Recent production CRKs and fidgeting usually equals a sore thumb for me. The detent on my new (and only) Seb 31 is....not good. It's tough. It's hard. It hurts. I also think that a "military level" detent on a non-flipper pocket knife is unnecessary.

My CRK Regulars don't hurt my poor little finners when fidgeting.

No thread drift intended, but is there anything out there that is in any way similar to ye olde CRK Regulars or Annuals?
 
CRK made me take a hiatus from knives. I got these three and decided that that was pretty much it, these were going to be the keystone to my collection that I would keep until the end of time and have no need for any other folders. They did stop me from buying any new knives for at least 5 years, but then curiosity got the better of me and I started looking around to see what was new. Now I have a variety of new knives that fill different niches, in particular I've added more automatics, traditionals, and Chinese titanium knives with complicated machining. I still think that for the type of knife CRK does, no one can do it better. There are a lot of other options that are different and excel in other ways, though. One of my friends considers Reate's drop shut action to be the peak of folding knife quality; for me it's the solid click of the old Sebenza 21's framelock.

Ironically I carry these less often now because I've come to realize that they would be very difficult to replace, and may have gone up quite a bit in value since I bought them. They're still my favorites.


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I just couldnt like the sebenza as much as i wanted to back when i had one for a month or two.
Now the Koenig Arius on the other hand, nothing has come close since i got my hands on one recently.
 
jacobconroy75 said:
Recent production CRKs and fidgeting usually equals a sore thumb for me. The detent on my new (and only) Seb 31 is....not good. It's tough. It's hard. It hurts. I also think that a "military level" detent on a non-flipper pocket knife is unnecessary.
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Just think! If you continue fidgeting with the 31, you too can kill the nerve endings in your thumb, thus enabling limitless cycles of your favorite crk. I haven't had sensation in my right thumb since i got my third Sebenza. Why, just recently, a coworker alerted me that my right thumb was on fire, quite unbeknownst to me.

In all seriousness, I think the strength of the detent pressure is meant to sustain the integrity of the mechanism throughout a lifetime of use. I love it. I've lost interest in knives that fly open and drop closed. It's fine and all. Just doesn't mean anything to me anymore.
 
Glad I'm not alone in this. I do find CRK as the standard for folders for me.

There are some Benchmades, Kershaws, and Spydercos I like but I know they're just not going to get the pocket time.

On the other end of the spectrum, I'd like to try an OZ Roosevelt, Koenig Mini Arius, Holt Haptic, or just about any Shirogorov but the fact that they're either small brands or out of the country scares me off, just in case the knife ever needs to go back to the mothership. Not knocking the service of any of those brands. Just based on the size of the company or the distance away I could see service being an issue. Not to mention, I could get a damascus Sebenza for the same price or less.

I've had a couple Hinderers, Medfords, and Striders. I still have an SnG, but they just feel bulky and overbuilt for what I require from a pocket knife.

The Sebenza is really the sweet spot for me. I have a large and a small and between the two I feel I have just about everything covered. I'm sure I'll get the itch to try something different again, but it'll be hard pressed to replace a CRK.
 
Modernflame said:
Just think! If you continue fidgeting with the 31, you too can kill the nerve endings in your thumb, thus enabling limitless cycles of your favorite crk. I haven't had sensation in my right thumb since i got my third Sebenza. Why, just recently, a coworker alerted me that my right thumb was on fire, quite unbeknownst to me.

In all seriousness, I think the strength of the detent pressure is meant to sustain the integrity of the mechanism throughout a lifetime of use. I love it. I've lost interest in knives that fly open and drop closed. It's fine and all. Just doesn't mean anything to me anymore.
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I'd say the strength of the detent is necessary to keep the 31s locked when open. I "adjusted" the lock bar pressure until the detent felt like a Seb 21. Thought it was an easy solution indeed!

Then I figured out the thought the knife appears to lock open, but any pressure on the back of the blade will push it out of lock. My 21s don't come out of lock regardless of detent pressure.

Also makes sense to me that CRK is doing this to discourage flipping/flicking. Pure conjecture on my part though. In any case, they just don't feel like earlier CRKs to me. Sample size of one.

My hope is that the ceramic will wear and settle in more, then maybe one can back off the lock bar pressure without nuking lockup.
 
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