Sebenza 31 Lock Rock?!

What a way to make my first post. I had the idea to buy an EDC. Did my research and wound up buying a mini bugout. I liked that it was light and easy to keep in my pocket and frankly I don't think I'll use it much, maybe take it hiking and just keep it in my pocket and see how it works out. So somewhere in the process of researching which knife to get I start quickly realizing what a cool hobby it is and decided to get myself one good quality knife and went with the small sebenza in micarta. Problem is, I never came across this thread until it was already shipped to me. So it arrived today, I open it up and look at the card and it says it was made in August of 22. I'm thinking, great, they must have worked these problems out by now, but alas, it had the up & down play. Now mind you, I don't know enough about knives, so if it weren't for this thread, I would have likely kept it and thought it was fine. But when I compare it to my bugout, I find the blade on the bugout to be much more secure. So I'm returning the sebenza and taking the $40 restocking fee as a lesson. Do more research before buying something so expensive. There is no way I can rationalize that a $475 doesn't lock as stiff as a $150 knife. Now that I'm aware of it, I don't have the kind of personality that I can live with that. Maybe I should stay away from frame locks all together. So I'll either keep my bugout and just fade into the background and just be a 1 knife guy. Or I'll take my time, do more research, figure out what knife I like and then buy a more expensive, high quality knife. So whether I wind being a collector or not is still to be determined. So what is the point of my post, I have no idea :) .......
 
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I just got my 1st 31 small ( blue dog paw) today. I don't do any of these IMO silly tests but the lockup seemed fine. The action was extremely stiff, but after cracking the pivot screw loose and re-tightening , all was fine.
But then I live a pretty sedate life and have'nt stabbed a car or tv screen all week. :)
A couple members did have real problems that needed to be addressed by CRK without a doubt.
 
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I'm not trying to compare the mini bugout to the sebenza. I just think the axis lock design holds the blade tighter as it relates to up & down play, side to side I'm sure the sebenza is tighter. I just like having the blade rock solid when it's locked with zero play in any direction, especially if I'm spending more money. Maybe I'm just not a frame lock kind of guy and prefer the axis lock design better. I'm just sour grapes because I got my small sibenza and that it has up & down play and I have to take a loss returning it. I may give CRK another shot but I can't find them locally and online I'm not sure how easy it is to get the seller to pick you one that's rock solid. I would probably consider the large, might even consider the insingo blade, but lean towards micarta and not the plain jane. Would also consider the Inkosi. Or my other option is to just wait, spend endless hours researching and maybe find something else, but I'm impatient and sort of had my heart set on a CRV. There's a few new 21's out there but the sellers are asking crazy prices and I'm not the type that would be happy with used, I prefer to wear it in myself.
 
NYP said:
I'm not trying to compare the mini bugout to the sebenza. I just think the axis lock design holds the blade tighter as it relates to up & down play, side to side I'm sure the sebenza is tighter. I just like having the blade rock solid when it's locked with zero play in any direction, especially if I'm spending more money. Maybe I'm just not a frame lock kind of guy and prefer the axis lock design better. I'm just sour grapes because I got my small sibenza and that it has up & down play and I have to take a loss returning it. I may give CRK another shot but I can't find them locally and online I'm not sure how easy it is to get the seller to pick you one that's rock solid. I would probably consider the large, might even consider the insingo blade, but lean towards micarta and not the plain jane. Would also consider the Inkosi. Or my other option is to just wait, spend endless hours researching and maybe find something else, but I'm impatient and sort of had my heart set on a CRV. There's a few new 21's out there but the sellers are asking crazy prices and I'm not the type that would be happy with used, I prefer to wear it in myself.
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Try the Inkosi. It's a super solid knife, and insingo blades with micarta inlays are relatively easy to get ahold of. Be aware that the small Inkosi is smaller than a small Sebenza, so if you have larger hands, the large may be the better way to go. I have over a dozen CRK folders, and only 2 are small, and they stuck around because of incredible sentimentality. But they're still great knives
 
To be clear, all small 31s will have noticeable lock flex when negative pressure is applied to the spine of the blade while deployed. It's not a case of finding a solid one. If the flex bothers you, but you want to try another CRK, then you'll have better luck with any of their other folders, including the large 31.
 
I thought I read somewhere in these 85 pages the large sebenza and inkosi also had the flex problem.
 
You can force any frame lock to flex with enough negative pressure. The point is that the small 31s flex further and more easily than other frame locks. This has brought the small 31 into the limelight.
 
XL883N said:
My large 31, large Inkosi and 2 Umnumzaans all flex the same. It's a non issue characteristic of the ceramic ball lockup that the internet can't seem to handle.
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Or try to find an older "ball groove" Inkosi. My Large Inkosi, with which I share my birthday, was the initial batch of LI's and still had the ball groove blade tang like the first year or so of (small) Inkosi production. I actually wish they still made them that way.
 
So I bought a small sebenza 31 and did the lock rock test and it failed so luckily I was able to return it. Now I'm thinking I still want one so should I try to find another one and ask the seller beforehand if it suffers from lock rock or should I be patient and try to find a 21 on the secondary market. How confident should I be that the 21's don't have that problem? Should I ask the seller? Also, any advice on how to avoid a knockoff? I'll likely stay away from eBay but it is also a problem on the knife exchange here? TIA
 
If you didn't like that small 31, you will not like any small 31. The lock flex is the result of design choices and geometry. Any frame lock may exhibit some flex, but the small 31s flex more.
 
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