Chris Reeve Knives

[abbazaba]

Haha! Yes, that make sense.

I've had a few CRK tantos, small and large inkosi, and Zaan... All were sold eventually because I didn't enjoy using them. But **** they look good!

Nice line up. Is that KSF a glass blast?

[Brock O Lee]

Thanks! Yes the one in the middle is the KSF red linen micarta with the glass blast. The PJ is S45VN, the inlays are both Magnacut.

I really like the glass blasted finish. I discovered that the added cost for the glass blast unfortunately nudged a large inlay Sebenza or Inkosi over the A$1000 limit, where I am slugged with a 10%+ import duty. These knives are already expensive without an added tax, so most likely no more large glass blasts for me, unless I can find a PJ, or an elusive Umnumzaan...

[Brock O Lee]

I recently got a glass blasted large Sebenza Insingo.

Here it is (left) with a standard sand blasted Sebenza (right).



I really like the smoother finish. It seems to be very similar to the original Sage 2. The finish on the Sage has been incredibly resillient over the years. Even after thousands of hours of carry and use, the Sage has no snail trails at all!

[akapennypincher]

I think Chris Reeve Knives are pretty, like William Henry Knives, functional art. In my life time I will in all probity new own ones, it would sit in box or displace case to view if I did. If it was not for OpsFocus Program I would only own one larger folding knife, a Spyderco Rescue Jr.

Lot of bang for buck, functional, not just a show pony, something I will refer too as a working tool.

[Brock O Lee]

I think Chris Reeve Knives are pretty, like William Henry Knives, functional art. In my life time I will in all probity new own ones, it would sit in box or displace case to view if I did.

I agree, some CRK’s are almost too pretty to use, like the fancy wood and Damascus models etc.

The base models however are solid working tools, if you look beyond price. In my view a large Sebenza is more overbuilt than a PM2, and a large Inkosi or Umnumzaan is one level up, on par with a Shaman. With a well heat treated and tough steel like Magnacut they are not just show ponies.

They are expensive though. This is perhaps the main mental block against using them, but there are many examples of well-worn CRK’s if you poke around the forums. So in general I’d say many people use them as tools, but don’t abuse them because they are expensive.

What I do not see often though are low edges or bad sharpening jobs. My impression is that many people tend to prefer the low risk stropping approach, rather than sharpen them, which makes sense given their initial high cost and potential high resale value.

I dislike CRK’s obtuse convex factory edges, so I sharpen mine. I am proficient at sharpening, but I still have to take a deep breath each time I take a brand new CRK to the stones for a reprofile…

A famous person once said: “Letting it die in the box is to lose 75% of what we put into it - Sal”

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I like some of the designs but they are very expensive. I am disgusted that people counterfeit them but I wish Reeve would collaborate with some factory company and make a budget Sebenza. FRN scales plus VG10 or AUS stainless steel.

[kennethsime]

I like some of the designs but they are very expensive. I am disgusted that people counterfeit them but I wish Reeve would collaborate with some factory company and make a budget Sebenza. FRN scales plus VG10 or AUS stainless steel.

Here ya go!



More.

[Brock O Lee]

I like some of the designs but they are very expensive. I am disgusted that people counterfeit them but I wish Reeve would collaborate with some factory company and make a budget Sebenza. FRN scales plus VG10 or AUS stainless steel.

Here ya go!



More.

That link is broken...

[abbazaba]

Nick Shabazz has a video on the plastic sebenza

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I like some of the designs but they are very expensive. I am disgusted that people counterfeit them but I wish Reeve would collaborate with some factory company and make a budget Sebenza. FRN scales plus VG10 or AUS stainless steel.

Here ya go!



More.

Wow. I read on a reddit about it after you posted this. Thank you. They claim after Reeve saw that it was inferior in quality compared to his he decided not to go into mass production with it.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Some dude once claimed a woodsman killed an adult lion that attacked him, and the knife was a large Chris Reeve fixed blade through the lion's heart. Realistic or hard to believe?

[kennethsime]

I like some of the designs but they are very expensive. I am disgusted that people counterfeit them but I wish Reeve would collaborate with some factory company and make a budget Sebenza. FRN scales plus VG10 or AUS stainless steel.

Here ya go!



More.

That link is broken...

My bad, here ya go:

More.

[Brock O Lee]

From the link above:
"This was created in the Mid-Nineties as an attempted collaboration between Columbia River Knife and Tool and Chris Reeve knives. Apparently CRKT made prototypes, then brought them to Chris Reeve, who said, roughly, "LOL NO!", and the project was cancelled."

Wow. Plastic pivot bushing and plastic frame lock? That is wild.

[kennethsime]

Wow. Plastic pivot bushing and plastic frame lock? That is wild.

Presumably, they would have added liners and pb washers in the production model?

[Brock O Lee]

Congrats Hans! Interested to hear your thoughts on it, as we seem to have/had a lot of the same CRK's over the past few years.

Thank's Rick, here are my first impressions of the Umnumzaan:

- It is smaller than I had imagined, very similar in size to the others.
- It cuts well with the deep hollow grind. More like a Sebenza than an Inkosi.
- It broke in and smoothed out quickly. I can thumb-flick it if I try.
- I like the extra grip due to the grooves, and it looks great. I don't like the look of the monkey frag version.
- People complain that the lockbar tab is uncomfortable. It doesn't bother me.
- People complain that the clip is uncomfortable. Yup! 80% of the time it's okay, but the other 20% it's bad. I find it to be really annoying in certain grips. I took it off today as an experiment, and what a huge improvement... I might go clipless on this one.

I'd rank the large plain CRK's as follows:
- Most bad-***: Umnumzaan, Inkosi, Sebenza
- Best looking: Umnumzaan, Inkosi, Sebenza
- Best ergonomics: Inkosi, Sebenza, <large gap>, Umnumzaan
- Best tough user: Inkosi (for ergos and thicker grind), Umnumzaan, Sebenza
- Best EDC: Sebenza (lighter, better opening access, great slicy grind)
- Best slicer: Sebenza, Umnumzaan, Inkosi.
- If I could only have one: Sebenza (good ergos, and I prefer slicy over hard use).

I'm very happy to have this iconic CRK in the collection. It is going to be a user!

Edit: added ergos

[JSumm]

Just asked for an impression in the "other" in your pocket thread @Brock O Lee. This does well! Thank you!

[Wandering_About]

Small Sebenza on a 7 day backpacking trip in Wyoming at the beginning of this month. A CRK is entirely fit for the wilderness.



Yesterday I got out my small Insingo Sebenza, which was in need of some attention.

[A.S.]

I recently picked up a Shadow III. These hollow handled CRK are amazing. I wish they weren’t so expensive and hard to find now. The Shadow III is a smaller size among the fixed.

[murphjd25]

I found a Green Beret 7” in Magnacut on vacation over the weekend for $200, brand new in box! These have a five year lead time from CRK right now.

[kennethsime]

I found a Green Beret 7” in Magnacut on vacation over the weekend for $200, brand new in box! These have a five year lead time from CRK right now.

Jesus, you bought it right? Where and how?