Sebenza 31 Lock Rock?!

brownshoe said:
No matter what the inudustry, the nonconformity rate is confidential business information as is the type, number, frequency and criteria of QC procedures.
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Not necessarily. Many industries around here (mostly Gm subsidiaries) have adopted the Kaizen manufacturing model. Several even have the number of failures per shift on a whiteboard on the production floor.

other use six sigma, which by it's own definition, seeks to limit failures or out of spec product to 3.4 units per million. I think if only .00034% of Sebenzas are defective, this thread would have petered out long ago...
 
jokrswylde said:
Not necessarily. Many industries around here (mostly Gm subsidiaries) have adopted the Kaizen manufacturing model. Several even have the number of failures per shift on a whiteboard on the production floor.

other use six sigma, which by it's own definition, seeks to limit failures or out of spec product to 3.4 units per million. I think if only .00034% of Sebenzas are defective, this thread would have petered out long ago...
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The Kaizan and Six Sigma quality systems certainly do not include sharing with the public or competitors a firm's nonconformity rate or QC procedure and criteria.
 
Signalprick said:
Anyway, if we send them back to CRK for warranty can they fix it? If so how long does it usually take?
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If it were me, I would go straight to the source. Also, if you have never called them, I would do that first. They actually have people that pick up the phone instead of automated answering. You will be surprised what you can learn by talking to CRK versus reading some of the advice on social media.

https://chrisreeve.com/pages/contact
+1 208 375 0367
customerservice@chrisreeve.com
 
Signalprick said:
Just got my brand new small 31 pj today with a production date of Feb. 15 2021 and it has significant movement. I've owned many small Inkosi's since 2015 and never had one with this issue. Anyway, if we send them back to CRK for warranty can they fix it? If so how long does it usually take? Thanks

**Edit and 2 minutes later I found that they must have added this new feature into the double lug versions as well. :(:mad:

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Wow CRK, how the mighty have fallen. Sad. Glad I own a few CRK folders from older runs when they had their manufacturing dialed in. Not sure I'd ever trust purchasing a 31 going forward, used or new. Which is a shame because I'd love a 31 micarta inlay.
 
I always thought those double thumb studs were one piece...Interesting. Why not make them thread together if they are two? Sorry to hear about the misfortune. Definitely send it back as they will make it right.

Signalprick said:
Just got my brand new small 31 pj today with a production date of Feb. 15 2021 and it has significant movement. I've owned many small Inkosi's since 2015 and never had one with this issue. Anyway, if we send them back to CRK for warranty can they fix it? If so how long does it usually take? Thanks

**Edit and 2 minutes later I found that they must have added this new feature into the double lug versions as well. :(:mad:

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I would say since the first 31 made through at least December 2020. My May 2020 and December 2020 definitely had the lock flex. Sent back to dealer and just sticking with my Inkosis. I have a s45vn Unumzaan in the mail on its way to me from a dealer. Hopefully there is no issue as my other 5 Unumzaans were solid. Really sad to see what the 31 brought out. Will avoid them for a long time mow until the issue is just a distant memory
 
Long time traditional knife collector ... I recently purchased my first Sebenza (new)
Left-handed Small Sebenza 31 with Natural Canvas Micarta ... birthday 14Sept2020

I have not read this entire thread or even much of it ... yet.

I have no lock rock ... or micro/nano lock rock if any. Certainly no deal breakers.

My thoughts: Well, mine is left-handed. I wonder since they make MUCH fewer left-handed Sebenzas, if maybe the jigs/tooling and such for LH has higher tolerances than the same jigs/tooling for RH, where the jigs/tooling are used MUCH more.

Or maybe since LH is possibly a build "oddity" ... maybe they pay a little more attention to detail (even if subconsciously) because it's not what they build most of the time.

The other possibility is ... I simply got lucky. Dunno
 
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My small 31 is June 2020, no blade play , lock rock or any issue I could find.
I have / had five CRK knives and none of them has any issue. I won’t hesitate to buy another CRK.
 
Since 2009 I have owned 12 CRK's. All small 21's and small Inkosi's. None ever had the issue. This recent 31 is #13, lucky #13 if you will. It sucks!
 
I own over a dozen CRKs, including a large LH 31 that shares my birthday from last July. Never had a problem with any of them. Keep in mind, critics are often louder than fans. This is a concentrated thread of criticism. Shows how deep some frustration with 31s are, but not how wide.
 
WedgeAntilles said:
I own over a dozen CRKs, including a large LH 31 that shares my birthday from last July. Never had a problem with any of them. Keep in mind, critics are often louder than fans. This is a concentrated thread of criticism. Shows how deep some frustration with 31s are, but not how wide.
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thank you, nicely said
 
I own 2 of the initial 31s produced and have owned at least 8-10 total 31s (micarta, wood inlays, plain, etc). They have spanned from pre-production release to about 2 months ago. I have had two issues.

One of them had a pivot screw that would back out on me.

The other, my very first 31, ended up with a problem caused by ME after I bent my first washer ever. CRK fixed me up in less than two weeks.

The rest of them have been fine. My numbered, large 31 rivals any of my earlier sebenza models in terms of lockup and action. My plain boomerang 31 lockup is just as good as any other sebenza I have and the action is on the way to being great.

Maybe I am just very lucky.
 
I think the issues with the 31’s are proportional to production rate, new employees and new features. If the amount of knives being produced has increased, then the number of issues increase also. The number that slips out without thorough inspection goes up. If some of the employees are fairly new hands that’s never been under the scrutiny of Chris, maybe they don’t understand what’s acceptable yet.
Personally, I don’t feel there are any more issues with the 31’s than any other release of Sebenza’s with new features. I do think more folks are speaking up than in the past. Use to, people would give the maker a chance to make things right before going public about an issue. I guess folks thought they would look foolish when things were made right. Of course, I’ve been accused of living in the past.
 
This thread reminds me of the Gen 5 Glock threads on gun forums. At first many of the Gen 3/4 users find issues with the new Gen 5, declaring Gen 3/4 more reliable and BETTER. Soon Gen 5 becomes the preferred and most popular Glock.

Hopefully the "lock rock" thing is a non issue and nobody's Sebenza closes on their hand. Honesty, I would have never noticed it, had I not come across this thread. I think CRK is right to call it "lock flex". I have had knives with lock rock, this is different and seems like a non-issue. I think there is a huge disparity in reported flex with Sebenza 31 owners, because you really have to push on top of the spine in a certain way to see the flex. Not that you have to push that hard, just that it needs to be done deliberately and in a way that isn't natural to using the knife...just my 2 cents.
 
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CRK has owned up to the fact that the first 31’s were wrong. So the lockflex on the earlier ones was terrible. First hand experience here.
So not quite like the Glock 5 situation. :)
 
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