since some people here are skeptical about this whole thing I figured I’d chime in. this was their response to me. That was my email that was posted at the start of this thread. Here’s what I’ve come to find about the Sebenza 31:
1.I own three large Sebenza 31’s. Two plain that I got from dealers and one black micarta inlay that I ordered direct from Crk. I think three knives should be considered a fair sample of the product.
2. from what it looks like to me is that when any pressure (doesn’t have to be a lot of pressure)is applied to the spine, the lock bar actually moves slightly. It doesn’t move further into lockup towards the show scale . The best way I can describe it is the lock bar moves towards the stop pin. When this happens the blade moves slightly. It feels as if the ceramic ball remains in contact with the tang of the blade the entire time.
3. There does not appear to be any issue with lock slip. So far I have been unable to get the lock to fail. This has nothing to do with “spinewackers.” This isn’t an issue like in that stupid ass video where the cold steel triad lock guy spine whacks the Sebenza with a thousand pounds of force with his fancy contraption causing the lock to fail and everyone comments that they are never buying a Sebenza. Nobody uses their knife like that (cold steel fanboys relax). It’s not something a lot of people would notice in everyday use. If you are say cutting some thick cardboard and the blade gets stuck or gummed up and you need to wiggle the knife out, you might feel the lock bar moving under your fingers. In a simple slicing/cutting scenario, which is what these folding knives are designed for, you wont notice the issue. Most people don’t use their knives in a scenario where they put pressure on the spine. Not trying to pick on people here, but a lot of people, including a lot of the famed “YouTube reviewers” don’t actually use their “high end” knives and wouldn’t notice an issue like this while it is sitting in a safe or case.
4. Like I said, I have 3 large Sebenza 31’s. Two plain and one black micarta. This issue is much more noticeable on the two plain Jane 31’s I have. It’s noticeable on the micarta 31 I have but it is not as noticeable as it is on my plains. The lockup on the micarta feels slightly sturdier, but it’s still noticeable.
5. So in short, it does feel more like “flex” than “lock rock” but it does not appear to affect functionality at this point.I’m still a fan of CRK, hopefully this issue is addressed in some way. I’m not being critical of CRK because I’m a “hater.” I sent that email to metal complex and he sent it to someone else who posted the screenshot without my knowledge. I just came across it on Instagram where it was also posted without my knowledge. I only reached out to metal complex because he had just posted his Sebenza 31 video and I wanted him to check if his had the issue which he told me neither of his had the issue (which apparently one of them now does)
6. I still love CRK and I’ve had a 31 in my pocket since I first got one in January