- Joined
- Sep 7, 2011
- Messages
- 224
Hi all, I thought I would chime in today. After having my small micarta 31 for a couple of days, I'm beginning to form some thoughts on how it compares to the 21. These are only my thoughts and opinions for my specific example, there have been reports of issues so I think one more experience can be helpful
I've had a fair amount of sebenza 21s, at least 10 from a wide range of production dates, and different sizes and configurations. I did get out of the hobby for the last 4 or 5 years, so the last one I had was probably made in 2016 or earlier. There are a couple of misconceptions that many have about the 21, one being that you can tighten the screw and always have the same action. I have found this to not be true, if you tighten the pivot screw down harder, the blade will be slightly tighter. It's not a huge amount but it does vary a little.
Another misconception, and something that is more relevant now with reports of lock rock with the 31, is that the lockbar on the 21 doesn't flex. I found this to not be true also. If you push hard enough on a 21's blade in the direction to close, you will feel some movement. But this movement is not lock rock, it's the lock bar flexing a little bit. I would conceptualize lock rock or improper lockup to be when the mating of the blade ramp and lockbar is unstable and able to move. With the sebenza 21 and 31, the lock up is not shifting or moving at the point of contact, it's the bar that is flexing in a perpendicular direction. This is not a bad lock up at all and I think those who test this should probably refrain from doing so in case of unnecessary stress to the lockbar. It's true though that it's easier to feel with the 31, and the larger sizes mitigate the flex on both models.
About the action of the 31 and 21, almost always it's the lockbar that provides the tightness and friction that the blade has while opening. If you disengage the lockbar by pushing on it with your thumb so that the detent ball no longer is in contact with the blade, you'll feel the blade very loose and able to move freely. This means that the washers are not causing much friction to the blade, and technically you'll feel a tiny amount of side to side play on the blade with the lockbar completely out of contact with any part of the blade, again by holding it with your thumb. This is ok because when the lock is engaged you will not feel any side play at all no matter how hard you push.
The lockbar tension on the 31 is definitely stronger than the 21, and this is what might be cause lock stick, the screws backing out, and stiff action on the 31. However I have had lock stick to happen on the 21 as well if you open the blade a little hard or grip the handle hard while in use, so it's not something new with the 31, I just think it occurs now with normal slow opening because of the increased tension. I would not recommend adjusting the tension though because it was done by design, I assume it's because the ceramic ball lock interface of the 31 has a smaller point of contact compared with the titanium bar on the 21. One more note about the lockbar is I like that there is no longer a ramp when nearly open to completely open, since the ceramic ball is in contact the entire time from the side of the blade to engaged on the blade ramp.
About the blade stop/pin, I do understand the complaints of the new design, it was simpler with the bushing around the female post and screw. My theory is that there is more metal now in terms of thickness of the blade stop on the 31 compared to the 21. I've heard somewhere that Tim from CRK claimed that the blade stop of the 21 style would dent over time when they were doing research for the 31. Also the finish on the new stop seems a lot rougher, it makes me think it might be hardened, but this is completely conjecture and I have no idea. My recommendation is to not unscrew the lock side screw ever on the blade stop, just leave it attached and only unscrew the show side. That way you will keep the blade stop in exactly the same position and there is less possibility of screws backing out.
About the reports on screws backing out of the 31, my suspicion is that some grease is getting on the surface of the titanium and screw threads, and may be causing the screws to back out, but like another forum member posted, it could also be the increased lockbar tension, since he reported that the screws no longer back out once he adjusted his lockbar. Just something to think about.
Two more things I want to touch on. The new pocket clip position feels much nicer in the hand for me, but it has the disadvantage of being a little harder to put into the pocket. I don't know if this is only because it's an inlaid version or if it's just very new and the grit of the titanium hasn't worn yet, but it's definitely been harder for me to get in the pocket.
Lastly I think the inlay design is a huge improvement, it looks so much better for me and feels really nice in the hand, more than the two piece inlay design. Of course this is personal preference and totally depends on you.
Lastly the blade is exactly the same.
I'm sorry for the super long post but I wanted to put down some ideas since I have some experience with these knives. I really love them, and these are observations I notice that most don't touch on. I'm a little obsessive with details. I hope this was informative.
Edit: Forgot to add a picture
https://i.imgur.com/mKj5kg7.jpg
I've had a fair amount of sebenza 21s, at least 10 from a wide range of production dates, and different sizes and configurations. I did get out of the hobby for the last 4 or 5 years, so the last one I had was probably made in 2016 or earlier. There are a couple of misconceptions that many have about the 21, one being that you can tighten the screw and always have the same action. I have found this to not be true, if you tighten the pivot screw down harder, the blade will be slightly tighter. It's not a huge amount but it does vary a little.
Another misconception, and something that is more relevant now with reports of lock rock with the 31, is that the lockbar on the 21 doesn't flex. I found this to not be true also. If you push hard enough on a 21's blade in the direction to close, you will feel some movement. But this movement is not lock rock, it's the lock bar flexing a little bit. I would conceptualize lock rock or improper lockup to be when the mating of the blade ramp and lockbar is unstable and able to move. With the sebenza 21 and 31, the lock up is not shifting or moving at the point of contact, it's the bar that is flexing in a perpendicular direction. This is not a bad lock up at all and I think those who test this should probably refrain from doing so in case of unnecessary stress to the lockbar. It's true though that it's easier to feel with the 31, and the larger sizes mitigate the flex on both models.
About the action of the 31 and 21, almost always it's the lockbar that provides the tightness and friction that the blade has while opening. If you disengage the lockbar by pushing on it with your thumb so that the detent ball no longer is in contact with the blade, you'll feel the blade very loose and able to move freely. This means that the washers are not causing much friction to the blade, and technically you'll feel a tiny amount of side to side play on the blade with the lockbar completely out of contact with any part of the blade, again by holding it with your thumb. This is ok because when the lock is engaged you will not feel any side play at all no matter how hard you push.
The lockbar tension on the 31 is definitely stronger than the 21, and this is what might be cause lock stick, the screws backing out, and stiff action on the 31. However I have had lock stick to happen on the 21 as well if you open the blade a little hard or grip the handle hard while in use, so it's not something new with the 31, I just think it occurs now with normal slow opening because of the increased tension. I would not recommend adjusting the tension though because it was done by design, I assume it's because the ceramic ball lock interface of the 31 has a smaller point of contact compared with the titanium bar on the 21. One more note about the lockbar is I like that there is no longer a ramp when nearly open to completely open, since the ceramic ball is in contact the entire time from the side of the blade to engaged on the blade ramp.
About the blade stop/pin, I do understand the complaints of the new design, it was simpler with the bushing around the female post and screw. My theory is that there is more metal now in terms of thickness of the blade stop on the 31 compared to the 21. I've heard somewhere that Tim from CRK claimed that the blade stop of the 21 style would dent over time when they were doing research for the 31. Also the finish on the new stop seems a lot rougher, it makes me think it might be hardened, but this is completely conjecture and I have no idea. My recommendation is to not unscrew the lock side screw ever on the blade stop, just leave it attached and only unscrew the show side. That way you will keep the blade stop in exactly the same position and there is less possibility of screws backing out.
About the reports on screws backing out of the 31, my suspicion is that some grease is getting on the surface of the titanium and screw threads, and may be causing the screws to back out, but like another forum member posted, it could also be the increased lockbar tension, since he reported that the screws no longer back out once he adjusted his lockbar. Just something to think about.
Two more things I want to touch on. The new pocket clip position feels much nicer in the hand for me, but it has the disadvantage of being a little harder to put into the pocket. I don't know if this is only because it's an inlaid version or if it's just very new and the grit of the titanium hasn't worn yet, but it's definitely been harder for me to get in the pocket.
Lastly I think the inlay design is a huge improvement, it looks so much better for me and feels really nice in the hand, more than the two piece inlay design. Of course this is personal preference and totally depends on you.
Lastly the blade is exactly the same.
I'm sorry for the super long post but I wanted to put down some ideas since I have some experience with these knives. I really love them, and these are observations I notice that most don't touch on. I'm a little obsessive with details. I hope this was informative.
Edit: Forgot to add a picture
https://i.imgur.com/mKj5kg7.jpg
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