How do I reduce tension on the lock bar on my Chris Reeve Sebenza 31

[Charles Carroll]

About a month ago I bought a small Sebenza 31 for my wife l. She loves it, and I fell in love with it as well. So I bought a large Sebenza 31 for myself. Since then I have been constantly frustrated that it is all but impossible to open either knife with one hand. I have done a bit of research, so I know that this is an oft noted complaint about Sebenzas.

I have disassembled, cleaned and lubricated each knife, and have concluded that the knives are working exactly as they are designed to work with one exception, the lock bar, which is excessively stiff and resistant to being pushed with just my thumb. Put simply the lockbar tension is too high and this makes the knives difficult to open and close.

When I checked this out with AI it advised me that I could use “ …a small flathead screwdriver to bend the lockbar spring slightly. Be careful not to bend the lockbar spring too much, or the lock may not engage properly.”

I was a little wary of using a screwdriver to bend the lock bar. I hit on the idea that instead of a screwdriver I could substitute a small piece of wood to apply pressure against the lock bar. So I very gently inserted a small wooden chopstick between the lock bar and the back of the knife and let it sit overnight. As a result this appears to have reduced some lock bar tension and the knife opens a little more smoothly.

I am, however, a bit concerned that I may damage the lock bar if I continue using this method to reduce lock bar tension. I am very new to high-end knives. In fact, I know nothing about them. Two months ago I had never heard of Chris Reeve, or Sebenza , or lock bar, etc.

So I am wondering what people who know much more about knives may think about this method of breaking in a Sebenza. Is it a good idea? Or am I in danger of damaging these two wonderful knives?

 

[rishma]

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[Dadpool]

If I were you, I’d give it more time before attempting to modify the knife. It definitely changes while breaking in. Your thumb will get a little sore, but you’ll bond with the knife in the process.

100% this. Your 31 will break in. Your hand will get used to manipulating it.

I recommend resisting the urge to tinker with it further.

 

[jacobconroy75]

About a month ago I bought a small Sebenza 31 for my wife l. She loves it, and I fell in love with it as well. So I bought a large Sebenza 31 for myself. Since then I have been constantly frustrated that it is all but impossible to open either knife with one hand. I have done a bit of research, so I know that this is an oft noted complaint about Sebenzas.

I have disassembled, cleaned and lubricated each knife, and have concluded that the knives are working exactly as they are designed to work with one exception, the lock bar, which is excessively stiff and resistant to being pushed with just my thumb. Put simply the lockbar tension is too high and this makes the knives difficult to open and close.

When I checked this out with AI it advised me that I could use “ …a small flathead screwdriver to bend the lockbar spring slightly. Be careful not to bend the lockbar spring too much, or the lock may not engage properly.”

I was a little wary of using a screwdriver to bend the lock bar. I hit on the idea that instead of a screwdriver I could substitute a small piece of wood to apply pressure against the lock bar. So I very gently inserted a small wooden chopstick between the lock bar and the back of the knife and let it sit overnight. As a result this appears to have reduced some lock bar tension and the knife opens a little more smoothly.

I am, however, a bit concerned that I may damage the lock bar if I continue using this method to reduce lock bar tension. I am very new to high-end knives. In fact, I know nothing about them. Two months ago I had never heard of Chris Reeve, or Sebenza , or lock bar, etc.

So I am wondering what people who know much more about knives may think about this method of breaking in a Sebenza. Is it a good idea? Or am I in danger of damaging these two wonderful knives?

I have tried adjusting the lockbar on my small 31 (for the same reasons you are concerned about). I found that the "heavy" lockbar tension seems to be necessary to keep the knife in lockup. When tension was lessened, my knife would close when pressure was applied to the back of the blade.

In short, the relationship between lockbar tension and ceramic ball/detent/lockup seems to be more complicated than one would think. I'd suggest you call CRK, ask them if they can make the knife easier to open, and go from there.

If you are determined to try it yourself, you can take take the knife apart, measure where the lockbar rests (relative to the scale it is part of), then slowly and gently bend it away from the blade position while measuring any change you make. I'm thinking that moving .5 mm at a time would be a good place to start. Put the knife back together after each "bend", and test again. It's going to be a tedious process and chances are you are going to make something "worse" than it is now. And, CRK will probably charge you to fix it if something goes wrong (I'm guessing).

I had to put my lockbar back to the position I found it in. Luckily, I took a careful measurement of where it was before I monkeyed with it...and I didn't mess up the knife. A couple of weeks later the knife feels much better to me. Lots of opening and closing is the key.

 

[Blade Lab]

If you have reasonably strong hands you don't need any implement to bend the lock bar. Just take the knife apart and bend the lock bar past flush with your thumb. There's no overtravel stop, so you don't need to worry about that. I'd suggest doing it very gradually and testing the results after each adjustment. For example, start by bending it 1/4" past flush, reassemble, and see how it feels. If it's not enough, do 3/8". Rinse, repeat until you get what you're looking for. If you go too far, you can always bend it back the other way.

Worked for me. I can now thumb-flick my large 31 open, and it drops to my thumbnail when I release the lock bar.

 

[BD_01]

I’ve used the chopstick overnight method once…only it was a wooden clothes pin and I don’t think a CRK.

If you choose to do what B Blade Lab suggests, be VERY cautious and stop before the tension is “just right.” The knife will eventually settle in on its own…you don’t want to overdo it. I confess I made a small adjustment of this sort to my Small 31. It may be blasphemous to some, but meh… ”it’s my knife and I’ll do what I want.”