I haven't done watching the video yet but here is My impression on CKR First of all I allready apologize for my English, as a french i'am not the best as writting English. my first ever CRK is a small sebenza 31 with natural micarta. This one come out of the box with the thumb stud out of the blade💀 and the lock up was terrible. So fit was terrible, but finish was wonderful, on the scales, the inlays, the blade. But none the less I had to send it back. First time ever I had to send a knife back it's hurt me a lot. Thank's to my dealer i got a new a one witch come out perfect out of the box best fit&finish I've ever seen and feel at a point that this small sebenza change my Way to look at knives in general and to look at my own collection. The small sebenza is just the PERFECT edc for me. And it's also the first time I put an expensive knife in work day one with no fear, thank's to the way they are built, feel like nothing can get rid of it. I also have a plain large sebenza 31 that i also absolutly love. Those two are on top of everything. Since i get them i look for a large plain inkosi tanto, an small plain inkosi insingo and an umnumzaan tanto to complete my collection. Too sum up CRK are just the best knives I've ever handeld since I fall in the edc world. Of course here is upgrade to do but they are just amazing to me. Built like tanks (in the good way) the tolerances are stunning, they are so pleasant to took appart witch is very important to me. I just love them and I wan't more
Got a small Sebenza; have a large Inkosi arriving today and a large Umnumzaan due Saturday. The Umnumzaan was hard to find. I’ve watched this video multiple times and it, along with other informative videos, helped inspire my purchases. Thanks for your continual posts of all knives!
I have bought and sold about 20 CRKs. Out of all I have owned my plain OG small sebenza and my large inkosi will never leave my collection. This is something special about then two knives and they bring my joy. I also know for a fact that I can 100% depend on either of them to open smoothly, lock up tight and close smoothly. You truly have to love a product that you can wholly trust to do its job, take what you ask of it and is ready to do it again and again, pride of ownership is another huge part of CRK. I have knives that cost 4 to 6 times as much that do not bring me the joy or pride of ownership then that of my plain ol Sebenza.
You have knives that cost 6 times more than a 500 dollar sebenza? Those are some expensive knives lol. My inkosi is my most expensive and my only knife now. Best working knife ever
One problem I have with my more expensive knives is that I feel a bit GUILTY spending so much money on something I do not need (I have a collection of about 30 of the very best manufactured knives, average cost about $300 each). I could stop now, and always have a very good collection (but collecting is an act, not a thing. Buying something new is a big part of the joy)!
@@Phaminator525 Some of us can’t resist buying a new knife from time to time! But I have great respect for a person who can buy one thing, once, and keep that item going for a lifetime.
Ugliest way to use Micarta I've ever seen. You would never see anyone use end grain in fine wood, nor should you see in Micarta. It is a cheap way to save on material by using what would be called in a machine shop "Drop".It is what is swept up off the floor at the end of the day. Shameful! Bob Loveless is the man, (Maker) that pioneered the Use of Micarta for knives. If you want to see how it really can look cut properly, Look uu Bob Loveless Knives. He was the Dean of Knife Making for a Reason! Hydrolicky? Bet virtually no one using this statement has never used anything with hydraulics in their life. They just have heard the hype so often without questioning what it actually means. KnifeMaker / Retired after 47+ years in the Shop
Nice comparative vid🤙 A lil late to the party, though I watch very very few of these knife vids, however you did a nice job🤙 I've had a Chris Reeve knife either in my pocket or on my belt for 30+ years, since I was fortunate to get one of the first 40 knives that he produced in 1983, the 7" fixed blade, MK IV. Chris would start his company the following year, in 1984. As former Federal LE, where I spent 5 1/2+ years as a Long Term(deep) Undercover Operative, I carried six(6) concealed fixed blade knives/daggers on my person, 4 of which were made by Chris, with one, a single piece Damascus 3" tanto blade, Damascus grip, that I carry to this day and it saved my life twice as I was involved in three(3) knife encounters in my 5 1/2+ years of Undercover. Needless to say, I've got all of his production releases along with seven(7) customs, all being fixed blade self defense knives. I presently own a bar and a machining company, where I need an overbuilt heavy use knife, as I usually do myriad warranty voiding activities a day, and my rotation consists of the Zaan, Hinderer XM-24 Spanto & the Cold Steel AD-15, with the Zaan and 15 getting most of the pocket time. I probably carry the 15 the most, as I just love that Scorpion lock, as the tighter that you grip the knife, the more secure that lock becomes. Though I do have a Demko custom 15, I use the retail version as my EDC and it is just a superb high quality well crafted blade that you can literally beat the sh!t out of, 😮and it will be none the worse for wear, though the same can be said for the Zaan & the 24, only at a much higher price point, lol. Hinderer & CRK knives are WORKING TOOLS, and as such, designed to take as much use, abuse and wear as a person can dish out. These are serious TOOLS!! These are not toys or poseur's pieces. If one wants one of the cute knives that they can flick and fidget with, get a Bug Out. I've gotta bunch of em and they're fun to play with, they'll entertain you for hours and they're great at opening letters, boxes and slicing fruit🤙 Hell, if you want a legit tool watch with a high fidget factor, get the Demko Atlas lock, found on the Engage 2.5, 3 & 3.5, which is a rock solid tool knife with a fidget factor every bit if not greater than the Bug Out, and this knife will do heavy duty work, as will any knife designed by Andrew Demko. Also high on the fidget factor scale though still a legit tool watch is Demko's Atlas lock, found on his AD 20.5's and 20's. The 20's are the Tool knife, though the 20.5 is a great low pro EDC. That said, none of these are in the class of Hinderer's XM-18 or 24, Demko's AD-10(Triad lock) or especially the 15 or any of Chris's bigger knives, especially the Zaan. Yah, Chris retired in 2014, with his wife, Anne, though they also divorced in 2014, still involved though most of the day-to-day operations are😂 handled by their son, Tim. A few Chris Reeve contributions to the knife world is one, his invention of the frame lock mechanism, which for years was referred to as the Reeve Integral Lock (R.I.L), along with he and Crucible Steel inventing CPM S35VN steel. He had many more innovations, though these are probably his two most Iconic and far reaching. The amazing thing is that even though Chris retired a decade ago, if for any reason a CRK knife fails in the field, for whatever reason, he is still made aware and takes a personal interest at getting to the root of that failure. Obviously there are not many, and I last spoke to him this past holiday season, and in our discussion, he said that there had been four(4) "failures" in the past almost decade, in which the knife had to be sent back to the company for service/repair. He stated that in all four instances the "failure" was a result of the customer having disassembled the knife then they incorrectly reassembled the knife. Even though in every instance, it was the customer's fault and not the result of a CRK error or CRK's fault, CRK honored the warranty, and in one case, replaced the knife, and in none of the cases did CRK blame the customer as Chris told me that their knives were designed to be repaired, serviced and if desired, modded, so it was up to CRK to make the situations right. I said that that was a very noble way of thinking, though some people are just morons, with absolutely zero technical thought process to embark on the assembly/disassembly of a tool such as a CRK knife. Chris laughingly responded that it was CRK's job to one, educate their customer and two, provide a world class knife that was simple enough for their customer to disassemble, work on and then reassemble. I'm amazed with two things, one being that with all of the idiots out there, that they've only had four "failures" in a decade, and two, even though he retired a decade ago, Chris was personally involved in each of these four situations. He's Old School, a Class Act and a Gentleman's Gentleman. His EDC is a Sebenza 31(small). Though I love my Zaan, my CRK GOAT🐐 is my Damascus fixed blade, which Chris actually made me two, and they are the only two of this design. and specs that he ever produced, which is pretty cool. The one is a collection piece though the other is para-cord wrapped and his been in my front right hand pocket for 25+ years. Apologies for the Novella though you seem like a good hearted sincere guy, so I thought that i'd share a few worthless stories, lol😂🤪 Stay Well & Continued Success👊 RP
Cool video. If I am ever going to spend that much on a knife it's going to be a Chris Reeve. It seems all to common now days for $400+ knives to not be perfect. Taking a step back that's an insane amount of money for a pocket knife, it better be absolutely perfect.
Fantastic video Wayne! Great explanation on the differences between Inkosi and Sabenza. Originally I wanted the Umnumzaan which was sold out everywhere so I went with the 21, once I felt it in hand I "got" it yes it feels worth the money. I still enjoy carrying my Sabenza 21 and slow rolling it out.
I have 3 small Sebenzas (I went nuts once), 2 with drop point blades and inlays, one with Elforyn, another with box elder, and one plain with the Insingo blade. The latter is my favorite (the others live in my cabinet). I like them all, but I prefer the Insingo blade.
Just picked up my third as well! I have a ebony inlay, micarta with raindrop Damascus and now the knife art carbon face exclusive. They just check every box for me
I don’t know if there’s a distinct purpose for the whole spine, but when closed, the end of the spine tip slightly sticking out can be used as a glass breaker.
I don’t say this lightly but this is the best knife video I have ever seen and I have seen most of them 😊 just brilliant work here - thank you! I am quite a fan of many knives but have the most Chris Reeve (16) in my collection for the cost of shipping, CRK will sand or bead blast, tune, clean and sharpen your knife for life - which is an incredible service!
Thank you for this in depth look at these knives. This was very useful information, but I still feel like I want all three =( BTW, I've seen the guy on the Knife Center videos, DCA, actually flicks his Sebenza open using centrifugal force after having 'broken it in'. Have you seen him do it?.... let me know what you think? Your presentation is awesome- just remember... the 'H' in heirloom is silent! 😉
While simple, this is one of the most effective knives/tools out there. CRK's tolerances are 10X tighter than other manufacturers, hence the "hydraulic" feel. Pretty much everyone else has tolerances that can be measured in the 1/1,000" whereas CRK takes their tolerances down to 1/10,000" which feels really amazing, and expensive. This ensures that their knives will stay tighter and outlast anything out there in terms of wear, loosening or breaking of the pivot. The tight tolerances prevent grit from getting into the pivot and causing premature wear.
Good review. Not saying you're right or wrong, it's all personal preference, right? From my personal experience and ownership, I would rank them differently. 1. Zaan 2. Large Inkosi 3. *Small Sebenza I don’t even have the Large Sebenza ranked. I think the Lg Inkosi is a better built knife with superior ergos compared to the Lg Sebenza. It feels so much better in my hand when using it for big and small tasks. The small Sebenza beats the small Inkosi all day. I probably carry the small Sebenza most often as I think it’s a better EDC. However, that does not mean it's a better built knife. #1 & 2 win all day but are not better EDC knives.
I love the Inkosi blade shape, especially that Tanto, the regular Sebenza is also my favorite drop point blade shape. Not many are that nice looking. I think overall I’d rather have the Zan overall! Guess I need all 3 one day lol.
In terms of the micarta, both colors are phenomenal. It just comes down to which color you prefer. Personally, I would go with micarta over ebony wood, but again, that’s just personal preference based on appearance. If CRK is putting anything in for an inlay, you can rest assured it is with the best of quality and durable enough for its purpose. I really love the box elder inlays.
I have the same sebenza in the vid with 45vn. My first crk. Love it, i really do. But i just got an inkosi with insingo and 45vn and i already like it better than the sebenza. Better ergos, smoother action and the washer/pivot design is better for me. I keep going back and forth on a zaan tho. I love the looks just not sure if the quirks will ruin it for me or not
I would have to strongly disagree that the Zaan is a stronger knife then the Sebenza. The Sebenza has three points of contact that are tight tight. The Zaan has an adjustable pivot and one tight point of contact in the butt of the knife. People think the Zaan is so much stronger because the pivot is larger but that, in my opinion, is not necessarily adding strength to the knife. The Sebenza also has a more robust tip over the Zaan. It’s a common misconception that the Zaan is ‘stronger’. It may look stronger but it is the construction of the knife that matters. Still an awesome knife I might add!
@@jamesstephenson2346 I too have heard Chris talk about it. But he is still a person trying to sell something. You can take peoples word on something or just do a little thinking yourself. I never implied I’m smarter than one of the greatest knife makers ever. Sorry for my opinion.
I don’t know if I will ever spend $500 on a knife but CRK would be on my short list in that price range. It wasn’t that long ago a balked at the thought of a $200 knife but recently spent $250 on a Viper Turn. So a CRK is possible. I would pick the Sebenza.
Dont make the mistake i did. After buying all kinds of budget to mid range knives I finally bought an Inkosi and just sold off the rest of my collection. The price of a bunch of budget knives and a couple mid range knives far exceeds the price of one really good knife.
@@dylan-gh5ll nice. I had an xm-18 spanto. Didn't perform at all. Grind way too thick but the knife was made nice. Maybe if i tried a skinny slicer grind one. But yeah def worth it to spend the money for a good one if yiu are already a knife addict lol
I believe the large Inkosi is the greatest production knife ever made. The combination of being able use it for hard use,the ability to tune it how u want, the hydraulic feel make it the perfect knife.
I like Chris Reeves knives I think they are very good looking knives and they are built very well. The Sebenza is still my favorite. But they just aren't really for me. I like more fidgety knives with drop shut action. And even though those have great action in their own way, they just aren't built to drop shut.
I’m not a big Hinderer fan. His knives are good, don’t get me wrong, I’ve just had some issues with the detents and a few other small things. Demko is badass, I’m just not a fan of the 20.5. Gimme a full 20 all day though! 🔥
This is probably the best overview of the 3 that I’ve seen so far. Thank you SO much for this! I agree with your points about CRK action. I can’t really describe or explain it yet, but it’s not just a “stiff” action. I can get that by cranking the pivot down on any knife. You can tell when you’re using it that it’s the way the knife was designed and somehow speaks to its sturdiness. Even though my Sebenzas might not be my absolute favorites, they’re still a marvelous piece of design/engineering and they’ll always be in my collection because of that.
