It was you who made me in LOVE with the Spyderco Military, and I loved it for years and years and years. I didn't care of any other knives or folders. Then you started talking about Strider, had to try it, and felt in love. And there's a lots of amazing knives out there. But I hold my self to the ones that has a connection with both memories and quality. And now, I'm grown up, and know what I want. I don't just buy a cool knife because it's cool and cheap. Peace out man🤞🌞❤️
I can not explain why I want a knife that is 439 euro's. But I can not deny the urge to buy one. It is so simple, this knife. It has so little parts, it is a unity. Much more than a lot of other knives with compression locks, backlocks or whatever. The framelock with a full titanium frame is so superbly minimalist and sexy. Right?
Just found your channel and I like your approach. Just received my first Sabenza 31 Large sv45vn and it is amazing. My God it was so stiff out of the box it was a two hander until I broke it open and greased it. Now its good and only going to get better!
Awesome video man, first one I’ve watched of you. I’m glad it was on my recommended! I’ve seen so many videos comparing different types of lubrication so it’s refreshing to hear someone else say “use whatever works“.
Archman, a great way to clean around the stop pin with the knife assembled is those floss brushes. I’ve been using the same one forever. They also work great for cleaning off the top of the lock bar.
I need help choosing my first CRK! If I'm going to get a brand new large folder direct from the shop, what would you recommend being my one and only knife from them? I'm also heavily considering choosing a tanto (so either inkosi w and w/o micarta or umnumzaan)
I personally would get a Lg plain DP 31 in your case. 31 because I just think it’s the most physically attractive design to me and DP because I find it to be the most versatile & useful shaped CRK.
Love my small 21 it really is the perfect edc. Ordered my first Randall the other day. Hope it’s worth the price tag. Do you have any experience with them?
November the 11th is a special day, Remembrance Day… As a British Army vet, that’s a date of manufacture that catches my eye for sure. Hope you keep & use it forever 🫡❤️
Just discovered your channel in the past few months- awesome content. I love your longer-form commentary. Just picked up my first CRK- a PJ small sebenza 31 in s45vn (would have been fine with s35vn but I just grabbed what was in stock). Doubt I'll even notice a difference in actual use. Also, happy to say that I got a stiffer detent one as well (which I love). Just makes it feel all the more secure as you have mentioned too!
Howzit Archman, thanks for the videos. I have just pulled the trigger on my very first CRK, small Sebenza 31.... well I pulled the trigger and am now eagerly awaiting delivery ... ssssssigh. Anymoos.... just wanted to ask... what's the reasoning for the hatred of ball bearing pivots...? Not trying to disagree... I was just interested to hear your thoughts on bearings over washers. Sorry if you have already covered this on one of your other videos. Thanks. Regards. Chris
Mxg gear makes a replacement lanyard pin that doesn't have to be glued in that won't rattle or move around. I just installed one in mine and it's great.
Archman when I reassemble my 31 it’s a vice if I snug down the pivot screw :/ but if I back it off and add loctite too the pivot screw all is well in whoville , now should I roll like that or send it in for tuning? I should be able too snug down the pivot screw right ?? Thanks man love your vids
You should ideally (and I believe as the maker describes) be able to snug down the pivot screw. It seems like most peoples 31s cannot be fully tightened. I have 4 31s and only one can be fully tightened. All of the rest of my Sebenzas can be fully tightened.
Just got a new subscriber! Thanks for posting! Got my 1st sebenza coming in and man it's either love or hate but it's great to see someone who uses it qnd just seems like they get it.
as u probably know, protech does not use washers in many if not all of their knives. old fart on his channel reports an aft rattle in his 31 small after removal of lanyard which he resolved w/(after market)replacement. absent a lanyard, had u noticed same. if so is super glue ur solution? thx for a reply
Just discovered your channel also. Thanks for the real practical info and not getting caught up on minute stuff that doesn’t matter. Question - how is the traction on the plain blasted scales version with wet hands?
I really couldn’t say I’ve noticed a negative. Most use knife around water has been a Spyderco Pacific salt which got stolen with my white water gear. I replaced it with a native salt that has not seen much of us since I no longer commercially guiding.
Sir this is very interesting and very good video. I carry a Small Sebenza every day and I really like that knife. The knife is always with me. At work, when I'm relaxing, when I'm walking my dogs,... During this video I was also cleaning and disassembled my Small Sebenza. It's cool process.
Just my $0.02. The holes in the washers are meant to hold grease and lessen surface area (friction) since the washers are pretty wide. Fit is pretty tight, and if you use grease you won't find as much dirt getting in there, not quickly anyway since grease is a lot thicker than oil. WD-40 is a solvent (cleaner) not a lubricant and it doesnt hang around long it just removes sh-tuff. I use mineral oil on everything else. Super cheap, food safe, and doesn't go rancid like olive oil. Sold as a laxative in most grocery stores :). Love your videos, keep making them my friend. Found myself a pj double lug small 31 on your recommendation, and it's awesome.
I just got one with micarta inlays and I love it. I love that micarta it's beautiful with the sandblasted titanium! Thanks for this video. Helped me make sure I picked the right thing
this is going to be a slightly long post because I want to provide my feedback on what you have said here, and my own experience on just having got my sebenza 31 small. BTW love all your commentary on knives. i felt pain on your impinda video, because i had all the same issues, but having made modern slipjoints myself i knew what was up immediately and fixed it all fairly easily, and now its a nice knife, but honestly, i'd never recommend anyone get one over a sebenza for the price they are charging for it. I've used the same large sebenza 21 for 10+ years. what i liked about it was everything Chris always said it should be. all those perfect machine tolerances on flat grinding and getting the bushing, stoppin, and spacer perfect so that you just tighten everything down fully and it works and is smooth but not loose. it is the perfect knife. the 31 when i got it was over tight. i have massive hands so i can hardly open the small seb because of its small size. needed to use 2 hands. i also have sensitive nerves like a baby, so i needed to tear it down anyway to use scotchbrite and remove all the sandblasting debris. feels like holding 2000grit sandpaper to me. measured the blade and washers and they were just 1 thousand or so under the bushing, so should have been fine. the problem with the sandblasting and leaving it there. all those holes in the washers which are definately sharp and not smoothed, are full of grease and fine titanium sand. cleaning out the pivot and washer was all full of fine cruchy debris.. so i recommend everyone to scotch brite this area at a minimum even if you like it rough for the rest. i used a medium spyderco triangle with alchohol to lightly polish and deburr the washers. putting it back together is where i noticed all the problems coming in. (small problems if you recognize them, big problems if you dont) tightening down all screws like a 21 leaves the 31 immobilized. measuring the gap throughout the knife at diferent top and bottom locations gave a lot of different numbers that are no way in spec for a 21. when tightening down all the screws its bending the handles, and compressing the washers and making it not work well. its still really good tolerances. its like the original umnumzaan now, bushing be damned. you need to turn each screw only until with light pressure it stops turning, and no more.. and use the provided loc-tite (this is the proof they know they are taking shortcuts vs the "old guard") that purple loctite only needs a tiny amount like a capilliary action on the thread, but you need to let it set for day to stop the screws potentially loosening before it hardens. with everything screwed down lightly, not torqued down, i have no blade play, the gaps are better, and the blade is now smooth and hydrolic. the detent ball can now suck the blade in with a pop as you expect it to, vs before where the clamp pressure was higher force than the detent. all this is to say that i still love the knife, and its still very high quality. but it is not as good as the 21 i owned (maybe i got lucky) my 21 has been actively used for 10 years and the solid washers are smooth, and have no issue with wear or needing to hold grease. i agree. its a gimmik. maybe the holes are there to collect the sand from the blasting.
Dammit! I just typed out an equally long response and lost it when I went to find this quote which sums it up nicely anyway… To put it in the words of Ice Cube in the closing scene of Boyz In The Hood. “Doughboy: Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the hood.”
@@iAMboognish haha. i do hate it when you loose a long comment. honestly. i still think CRK are top of the line, and im super happy with the knife. its just that these subtle changes are not explained well. it was explained as being essentially the same, but its not. or.. the person who fits the blades together who needs to do all that final hand rubbing is not getting the same level of "inspections" as when chris stood over the line like a tyrant :D I have not had as many of them go through my hands as you. i suspect that maybe i just got real lucky on my first one, that set and validated my expectations
@@knivesandstuff The 31’s stop pin is a real head scratcher. It is both a bad idea and more difficult to make while at the same time it causes the whole knife’s tolerances to be based off of its shoulders… as it cannot be tuned due to the inherent protruding “bosses” of its design. So the only way to get a perfectly dialed in knife would be to manufacture the washers and rear stand-off overly thick on purpose and then bring them down to the same width with hand sanding. As you know, with the 21 every part sandwiched between the handle scales can be dialed in to whatever happens to measure to the smallest part’s (bushing/stop pin/rear standoff) width. Assuming the pivot bushing is in spec., anytime the shoulder width of the stop pin is even .0005 of an inch thinner than the combination of washer/blade/washer, the pivot bushing loses its function. Tightening down the pivot screw will bite down on the area of washer closest to the stop pin before it will bite down on the bushing. What it all boils down to with me is, unfortunately the lesser of two evils… and that is the only part that I’ve ever had wear out on knives is in lock interface… so that ceramic ball calls to me. I have a feeling “The Bobs” may be at work here among other things. Kind of funny… When I managed the rafting company, the owner hired “The Bobs” (economic business consultant.) and their most significant piece of advice was for him to fire his admin. office manager which they saw as superfluous. His office manager was also his best friend. He fired The Bobs instead. He is still a millionaire and Paul is still his best friend… but now makes $300K/yr managing a weed business.
@@iAMboognish yeah. I guess they have their reasons to do what they did that none of us will understand. They went from a 303 soft stop pin sleeve to a hardened 416 shoulder pin. I'd have thought using a hardened 416sleeve and pin would have solved the problem and retained the original design. Once the 21s are all in collectors only hands and all new sales are 31 no one will know what we are talking about anyway
@@iAMboognish Ok, so i feel i should add some more info after breaking down the entire knife again to examine why its so stiff, and sort of reverse engineering what's happening, and what it seems like they have done with the design. When i made my own frame lock designs, they were kind of modelled off the sebenza, being my favorite knife, so after really examining the 31 closely, i feel i appreciate what they have done even more. perhaps we are just too used to the 21's but the 31 tolerances are pretty insane. my impression and findings are these: i can unscrew the pivot screw completely, and remove both screws from the stop pin, so that only the backspacer is holding it all together. the tolerances are so good that this works perfectly fine opening and closing repeatedly with no lockup issues or wobble. anyone thats made framelocks can appreciate how good this really is. what i learned from doing this is that tightening down the stop pin does cause issues, but it doesn't need to be tight. its kind of like the inkosi pin that is just press fit on one side and floating. this backspacer can be treated the same. if you dont put those screws in, nothings going to happen as its a captured pin on the shoulders, so just screwing them down loosely to the point of contact is how they need to go, and the loc-tite is just an unneeded extra safety IMO.. they'd only come loose from a lot of vibration like a motorbike. with the stop pin, not over tight, i can tighten down the pivot bushing and it wont jam up if tested by keeping the lock face off the blade. it is firm but smooth. literally a perfect fit, but it works better if you just ease off a 1/2 turn on the screw. if i do that, there is still no blade play, and using singer sewing machine oil the blade will move like a flipper and cut your finger if you keep the lock bar from contacting the blade. so all of that is pretty awesome. the problem of why its stiff is the lock bar itself on the small. seems like the cutout and tension is the same on a small as it is on the large, but with a shorter arm, making a much tighter spring. all the stiffness in the blade is coming from the ceramic ball friction on the blade. i wouldn't recommend anyone tries to lighten the spring tension on the lockface to relieve this tension though. if you do it wrong, the spring will be irrevocably ruined and have no lockup at all, or too light tension, and then if you try to tighten it again you'd just fatigue the metal. the only real hope is just finding the right type of grease or dry graphite or something to reduce the friction between the 2 parts. All in all. i think if CRK just did a better job of explaining all this kind of stuff to the consumers it would make more sense. but i suspect most buyers just wont care except for the nerdy nerds like us
I watched your video last night drove from Nashville to a authorized dealer in Louisville Kentucky he had a double stud normal. Because of this video I spent six hours in the car and spent $400. You’re an awesome asshole.
Funny you mention your buddy’s Shiro, mine absolutely would NOT hold its tightness unless I used a bit of locktite… even then, the pivot would walk loose on me every now and then 🤦🏻♂️ traded it for a Koenig Arius and never looked back ❤️🗡
I was just looking into replacing them myself. According to CRK the washers are fitted to each knife, so it may not be as simple as just selling washers.
@@JAREDGRAF8181 Right, but a person could do the fitting at home with sandpaper or a stone. Someone just needs to make solid a washer with the right specs. Looking at you Archman!
no doubt thats a good idea! The knives would have to be sent to me though. I am 100% going to do some customizing Inkosi handles though... sexy up the shape! I'm hoping to set up that fixture after the CAD/CAM of the prybars.
@@iAMboognish Just wondering: what changes specifically would you make to the Inkosi handle? (Not saying it's a bad idea.) I feel like the large is actually pretty sexy. The small is a little odd with that finger groove.
All the posts in the CRK Facebook group about so called “Sebenza thumb” crack me up. I’ve owned maybe 20 Sebenzas over the years and none of them have been hard to open or in any way damaging to the skin on my thumb. I don’t get it.
brutally honest ! I feel the same way about these new washers, wish they would go back to using solid coper and skip the BS, but I have much love for CRKs.
They also trap any moisture in your environment as well as any particles that get on the blade tang… of which there are a lot. It also adds dozens of ridges to what should be a smooth surface… of course that’s not the ideal outcome… but CRK produces too many knives these days to be overly concerned with ideal.
@@iAMboognish I'd say lock rock would not be ideal. But you see a few brand new 31s with lock rock out of the box. Doing the damned job right the first time used to be a catch phrase over at CRK.
@@-trmxzer0-235 Not rock, flex. The movement isnt caused by a gap between the blade and lockbar, it's because the lockup interface is a tiny point on a ceramic ball which creates enough leverage to flex the lockbar. My Schenk Wind River has the same lock style and it flexes like 3mm. It's really annoying, but not a functionality issue.
@@markpuestohl sand blast bead blast all done the same way just different blasting media. Do you call a stonewash something different if they use ceramic instead of stones lol no.
And so you know more than Chris Reeves the man who designed the knife the man who designed the washers???? He would not have used them if he didn't think that they were better in some way. I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that you cannot pick up a knife open and close it and tell me that it has a smooth washer or a perforated washer in it in a blind text. " Negative comments are from assholes" Sooooooo........you don't value opinions????
No man, I think it's your smart-ass way of framing your content. Since you have absolutely no way of knowing why Chris Reeve put those washers in, your comment seems kinda stupid. He could have put them in simply because he likes what the look like, and came up with grease holding pockets as a way to justify it. No one knows, not even you.
It was you who made me in LOVE with the Spyderco Military, and I loved it for years and years and years. I didn't care of any other knives or folders. Then you started talking about Strider, had to try it, and felt in love. And there's a lots of amazing knives out there. But I hold my self to the ones that has a connection with both memories and quality. And now, I'm grown up, and know what I want. I don't just buy a cool knife because it's cool and cheap. Peace out man🤞🌞❤️
I can not explain why I want a knife that is 439 euro's. But I can not deny the urge to buy one. It is so simple, this knife. It has so little parts, it is a unity. Much more than a lot of other knives with compression locks, backlocks or whatever. The framelock with a full titanium frame is so superbly minimalist and sexy. Right?
I Purchased my first Sebenza years ago after watching one of your videos talking about the knife.
Thanks for this review. Just got my first CRK. Sebenza small 31. Definitely stiff but I'm rapidly warming up to that. Build quality is impeccable.
Just found your channel and I like your approach. Just received my first Sabenza 31 Large sv45vn and it is amazing. My God it was so stiff out of the box it was a two hander until I broke it open and greased it. Now its good and only going to get better!
I love the videos in your shop dude. Keep killing it.
Awesome video man, first one I’ve watched of you. I’m glad it was on my recommended! I’ve seen so many videos comparing different types of lubrication so it’s refreshing to hear someone else say “use whatever works“.
Archman, a great way to clean around the stop pin with the knife assembled is those floss brushes. I’ve been using the same one forever. They also work great for cleaning off the top of the lock bar.
I love your attitude man I kept smiling while watching the whole thing thank you for the video
Awesome been waiting for another crk vid
I need help choosing my first CRK! If I'm going to get a brand new large folder direct from the shop, what would you recommend being my one and only knife from them? I'm also heavily considering choosing a tanto (so either inkosi w and w/o micarta or umnumzaan)
I personally would get a Lg plain DP 31 in your case. 31 because I just think it’s the most physically attractive design to me and DP because I find it to be the most versatile & useful shaped CRK.
Love my small 21 it really is the perfect edc. Ordered my first Randall the other day. Hope it’s worth the price tag. Do you have any experience with them?
my highest recommended fixed blades are Carothers and Survive. The Randalls are sweet but I prefer a more modern build and look
November the 11th is a special day, Remembrance Day… As a British Army vet, that’s a date of manufacture that catches my eye for sure. Hope you keep & use it forever 🫡❤️
I love how long it took you to do the disassembly! I like this kind of shit
Just discovered your channel in the past few months- awesome content. I love your longer-form commentary. Just picked up my first CRK- a PJ small sebenza 31 in s45vn (would have been fine with s35vn but I just grabbed what was in stock). Doubt I'll even notice a difference in actual use. Also, happy to say that I got a stiffer detent one as well (which I love). Just makes it feel all the more secure as you have mentioned too!
Howzit Archman, thanks for the videos.
I have just pulled the trigger on my very first CRK, small Sebenza 31.... well I pulled the trigger and am now eagerly awaiting delivery ... ssssssigh.
Anymoos.... just wanted to ask... what's the reasoning for the hatred of ball bearing pivots...?
Not trying to disagree... I was just interested to hear your thoughts on bearings over washers.
Sorry if you have already covered this on one of your other videos.
Thanks.
Regards.
Chris
Mxg gear makes a replacement lanyard pin that doesn't have to be glued in that won't rattle or move around. I just installed one in mine and it's great.
Archman when I reassemble my 31 it’s a vice if I snug down the pivot screw :/ but if I back it off and add loctite too the pivot screw all is well in whoville , now should I roll like that or send it in for tuning? I should be able too snug down the pivot screw right ?? Thanks man love your vids
You should ideally (and I believe as the maker describes) be able to snug down the pivot screw. It seems like most peoples 31s cannot be fully tightened. I have 4 31s and only one can be fully tightened. All of the rest of my Sebenzas can be fully tightened.
“Ferris has how many Sebenzas?” “Niiiiiine Sebenzas.”
With your back Ed, you shouldn’t carry Nine Sebenzas.
@@iAMboognish RooOOOnEy
Just got a new subscriber! Thanks for posting! Got my 1st sebenza coming in and man it's either love or hate but it's great to see someone who uses it qnd just seems like they get it.
as u probably know, protech does not use washers in many if not all of their knives.
old fart on his channel reports an aft rattle in his 31 small after removal of lanyard which he resolved w/(after market)replacement. absent a lanyard, had u noticed same. if so is super glue ur solution?
thx for a reply
i just love your attitude man. you deserved the sub. also it’s interesting to hear your opinion on the different things. 🤩🤙
Do you prefer the plain jane or the micarta on the small 31?
Just discovered your channel also. Thanks for the real practical info and not getting caught up on minute stuff that doesn’t matter. Question - how is the traction on the plain blasted scales version with wet hands?
I really couldn’t say I’ve noticed a negative. Most use knife around water has been a Spyderco Pacific salt which got stolen with my white water gear. I replaced it with a native salt that has not seen much of us since I no longer commercially guiding.
@@iAMboognish thanks for the reply! Seems like it would be pretty grippy with that sandblast type texture
Sir this is very interesting and very good video.
I carry a Small Sebenza every day and I really like that knife. The knife is always with me. At work, when I'm relaxing, when I'm walking my dogs,...
During this video I was also cleaning and disassembled my Small Sebenza. It's cool process.
i really liked your review. everyone is too feely out there it seems. Down to earth review
Go Cubs! Great video, thanks.
When I got a small Inkosi it was TINY. Is the Sebenza a tad bigger or same size?
Buy a large
Just my $0.02. The holes in the washers are meant to hold grease and lessen surface area (friction) since the washers are pretty wide. Fit is pretty tight, and if you use grease you won't find as much dirt getting in there, not quickly anyway since grease is a lot thicker than oil.
WD-40 is a solvent (cleaner) not a lubricant and it doesnt hang around long it just removes sh-tuff.
I use mineral oil on everything else. Super cheap, food safe, and doesn't go rancid like olive oil. Sold as a laxative in most grocery stores :).
Love your videos, keep making them my friend. Found myself a pj double lug small 31 on your recommendation, and it's awesome.
WD is definitely more of a solvent than a lubricant. I was really just displaying that anything is usable really.
I also use mineral oil. I like that it's food safe.
@@markpuestohl pro move
Great video as always Arch! Small Sebenza 31 vs Small Inkosi? Who you got?
If you put them on a table and said I could only have one it would be the 31 10/10. 🙌
Since I got mine with micarta inlays, I am slowly getting rid of my other knives
I sold five knives this past week, why? To get my first Inkosi! Yes, two Sebenza 31’s; one large and one small already; love my Chris Reeve Knives!
I just got one with micarta inlays and I love it. I love that micarta it's beautiful with the sandblasted titanium! Thanks for this video. Helped me make sure I picked the right thing
this is going to be a slightly long post because I want to provide my feedback on what you have said here, and my own experience on just having got my sebenza 31 small. BTW love all your commentary on knives.
i felt pain on your impinda video, because i had all the same issues, but having made modern slipjoints myself i knew what was up immediately and fixed it all fairly easily, and now its a nice knife, but honestly, i'd never recommend anyone get one over a sebenza for the price they are charging for it.
I've used the same large sebenza 21 for 10+ years. what i liked about it was everything Chris always said it should be. all those perfect machine tolerances on flat grinding and getting the bushing, stoppin, and spacer perfect so that you just tighten everything down fully and it works and is smooth but not loose. it is the perfect knife.
the 31 when i got it was over tight. i have massive hands so i can hardly open the small seb because of its small size. needed to use 2 hands. i also have sensitive nerves like a baby, so i needed to tear it down anyway to use scotchbrite and remove all the sandblasting debris. feels like holding 2000grit sandpaper to me.
measured the blade and washers and they were just 1 thousand or so under the bushing, so should have been fine. the problem with the sandblasting and leaving it there. all those holes in the washers which are definately sharp and not smoothed, are full of grease and fine titanium sand. cleaning out the pivot and washer was all full of fine cruchy debris.. so i recommend everyone to scotch brite this area at a minimum even if you like it rough for the rest. i used a medium spyderco triangle with alchohol to lightly polish and deburr the washers.
putting it back together is where i noticed all the problems coming in. (small problems if you recognize them, big problems if you dont) tightening down all screws like a 21 leaves the 31 immobilized. measuring the gap throughout the knife at diferent top and bottom locations gave a lot of different numbers that are no way in spec for a 21. when tightening down all the screws its bending the handles, and compressing the washers and making it not work well.
its still really good tolerances. its like the original umnumzaan now, bushing be damned. you need to turn each screw only until with light pressure it stops turning, and no more.. and use the provided loc-tite (this is the proof they know they are taking shortcuts vs the "old guard") that purple loctite only needs a tiny amount like a capilliary action on the thread, but you need to let it set for day to stop the screws potentially loosening before it hardens.
with everything screwed down lightly, not torqued down, i have no blade play, the gaps are better, and the blade is now smooth and hydrolic. the detent ball can now suck the blade in with a pop as you expect it to, vs before where the clamp pressure was higher force than the detent.
all this is to say that i still love the knife, and its still very high quality. but it is not as good as the 21 i owned (maybe i got lucky) my 21 has been actively used for 10 years and the solid washers are smooth, and have no issue with wear or needing to hold grease. i agree. its a gimmik. maybe the holes are there to collect the sand from the blasting.
Dammit! I just typed out an equally long response and lost it when I went to find this quote which sums it up nicely anyway… To put it in the words of Ice Cube in the closing scene of Boyz In The Hood. “Doughboy:
Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the hood.”
@@iAMboognish haha. i do hate it when you loose a long comment. honestly. i still think CRK are top of the line, and im super happy with the knife. its just that these subtle changes are not explained well. it was explained as being essentially the same, but its not. or.. the person who fits the blades together who needs to do all that final hand rubbing is not getting the same level of "inspections" as when chris stood over the line like a tyrant :D
I have not had as many of them go through my hands as you. i suspect that maybe i just got real lucky on my first one, that set and validated my expectations
@@knivesandstuff The 31’s stop pin is a real head scratcher. It is both a bad idea and more difficult to make while at the same time it causes the whole knife’s tolerances to be based off of its shoulders… as it cannot be tuned due to the inherent protruding “bosses” of its design. So the only way to get a perfectly dialed in knife would be to manufacture the washers and rear stand-off overly thick on purpose and then bring them down to the same width with hand sanding. As you know, with the 21 every part sandwiched between the handle scales can be dialed in to whatever happens to measure to the smallest part’s (bushing/stop pin/rear standoff) width. Assuming the pivot bushing is in spec., anytime the shoulder width of the stop pin is even .0005 of an inch thinner than the combination of washer/blade/washer, the pivot bushing loses its function. Tightening down the pivot screw will bite down on the area of washer closest to the stop pin before it will bite down on the bushing.
What it all boils down to with me is, unfortunately the lesser of two evils… and that is the only part that I’ve ever had wear out on knives is in lock interface… so that ceramic ball calls to me.
I have a feeling “The Bobs” may be at work here among other things. Kind of funny… When I managed the rafting company, the owner hired “The Bobs” (economic business consultant.) and their most significant piece of advice was for him to fire his admin. office manager which they saw as superfluous. His office manager was also his best friend. He fired The Bobs instead. He is still a millionaire and Paul is still his best friend… but now makes $300K/yr managing a weed business.
@@iAMboognish yeah. I guess they have their reasons to do what they did that none of us will understand. They went from a 303 soft stop pin sleeve to a hardened 416 shoulder pin. I'd have thought using a hardened 416sleeve and pin would have solved the problem and retained the original design. Once the 21s are all in collectors only hands and all new sales are 31 no one will know what we are talking about anyway
@@iAMboognish Ok, so i feel i should add some more info after breaking down the entire knife again to examine why its so stiff, and sort of reverse engineering what's happening, and what it seems like they have done with the design. When i made my own frame lock designs, they were kind of modelled off the sebenza, being my favorite knife, so after really examining the 31 closely, i feel i appreciate what they have done even more. perhaps we are just too used to the 21's but the 31 tolerances are pretty insane.
my impression and findings are these:
i can unscrew the pivot screw completely, and remove both screws from the stop pin, so that only the backspacer is holding it all together. the tolerances are so good that this works perfectly fine opening and closing repeatedly with no lockup issues or wobble. anyone thats made framelocks can appreciate how good this really is.
what i learned from doing this is that tightening down the stop pin does cause issues, but it doesn't need to be tight. its kind of like the inkosi pin that is just press fit on one side and floating. this backspacer can be treated the same. if you dont put those screws in, nothings going to happen as its a captured pin on the shoulders, so just screwing them down loosely to the point of contact is how they need to go, and the loc-tite is just an unneeded extra safety IMO.. they'd only come loose from a lot of vibration like a motorbike.
with the stop pin, not over tight, i can tighten down the pivot bushing and it wont jam up if tested by keeping the lock face off the blade. it is firm but smooth. literally a perfect fit, but it works better if you just ease off a 1/2 turn on the screw. if i do that, there is still no blade play, and using singer sewing machine oil the blade will move like a flipper and cut your finger if you keep the lock bar from contacting the blade.
so all of that is pretty awesome.
the problem of why its stiff is the lock bar itself on the small. seems like the cutout and tension is the same on a small as it is on the large, but with a shorter arm, making a much tighter spring. all the stiffness in the blade is coming from the ceramic ball friction on the blade.
i wouldn't recommend anyone tries to lighten the spring tension on the lockface to relieve this tension though. if you do it wrong, the spring will be irrevocably ruined and have no lockup at all, or too light tension, and then if you try to tighten it again you'd just fatigue the metal.
the only real hope is just finding the right type of grease or dry graphite or something to reduce the friction between the 2 parts.
All in all. i think if CRK just did a better job of explaining all this kind of stuff to the consumers it would make more sense. but i suspect most buyers just wont care except for the nerdy nerds like us
Please don’t apologize for having hands that work! 2nd ? Do you have a sebenza that you’d sell?
I like your paper trick to lube and clean your knife.
its a hard use sebenzzza but no scratches and it is a super steel that dont need sharpening.
The holes in the washers are purposely built to hold grease and increase the longevity of the lubrication.
Thanks 🙏
This one was basically for you! 🙌
Still missing small sebenza content
I watched your video last night drove from Nashville to a authorized dealer in Louisville Kentucky he had a double stud normal. Because of this video I spent six hours in the car and spent $400. You’re an awesome asshole.
What were you were saying about it being tight I felt another one and it was like half as tight this one is really tight 👌
😬😁😆🤣. That’s fucking great man!!
I had a Civivi Elementum in S35vn steel and I was not impressed. So I guess it all depends on the individual company.
Funny you mention your buddy’s Shiro, mine absolutely would NOT hold its tightness unless I used a bit of locktite… even then, the pivot would walk loose on me every now and then 🤦🏻♂️ traded it for a Koenig Arius and never looked back ❤️🗡
Shiros have absolutely horrendous threads, in my experience.
I've watched this video probably 6 times already. It's been a while this time. It's like my opium. My other opium. Do another one.
Thanks Archie for this video. I too dig my small Sebenza 31. It’s one of my favorites! Hey, I’m ready for my U1000’s! 😂 Blessings, tim_s_911
Haha, “rocket surgeon.” I’ve been meaning to strop my washers but I keep forgetting.
Why??? Just use the knife and it will naturally smooth out.
Oh man November 11th only if it were the 9th I would try and buy it off you lol
So Arch, when is NGMCo. gonna start selling aftermarket washers for CRK?
I was just looking into replacing them myself. According to CRK the washers are fitted to each knife, so it may not be as simple as just selling washers.
@@JAREDGRAF8181 Right, but a person could do the fitting at home with sandpaper or a stone. Someone just needs to make solid a washer with the right specs. Looking at you Archman!
no doubt thats a good idea! The knives would have to be sent to me though. I am 100% going to do some customizing Inkosi handles though... sexy up the shape! I'm hoping to set up that fixture after the CAD/CAM of the prybars.
@@iAMboognish Just wondering: what changes specifically would you make to the Inkosi handle? (Not saying it's a bad idea.) I feel like the large is actually pretty sexy. The small is a little odd with that finger groove.
anyone out there with a used pj small inkosi insigne?
👍
All the posts in the CRK Facebook group about so called “Sebenza thumb” crack me up. I’ve owned maybe 20 Sebenzas over the years and none of them have been hard to open or in any way damaging to the skin on my thumb. I don’t get it.
No doubt! It has to be because they press on the lockbar when opening. 🤦🏼♂️
Man nice video just wish the language was not so harsh. But not really a big deal.
How old are you 5?
@@hyssean12 No 29 but my age has nothing to do with my comment.
Ok the washer holes description was funny af but I think you know why CRK put them there.
Go Cubbies!
So, as a gay man, you're saying I will love the washers?
brutally honest ! I feel the same way about these new washers, wish they would go back to using solid coper and skip the BS, but I have much love for CRKs.
Why?
Tiny
I always thought the holes were to trap the grease they use as lubricant
They also trap any moisture in your environment as well as any particles that get on the blade tang… of which there are a lot. It also adds dozens of ridges to what should be a smooth surface… of course that’s not the ideal outcome… but CRK produces too many knives these days to be overly concerned with ideal.
@@iAMboognish I'd say lock rock would not be ideal. But you see a few brand new 31s with lock rock out of the box. Doing the damned job right the first time used to be a catch phrase over at CRK.
@@-trmxzer0-235
Not rock, flex.
The movement isnt caused by a gap between the blade and lockbar, it's because the lockup interface is a tiny point on a ceramic ball which creates enough leverage to flex the lockbar.
My Schenk Wind River has the same lock style and it flexes like 3mm. It's really annoying, but not a functionality issue.
Clearly not a Christian 😂. Appreciate the break down of the knife though.
Stonewash? It's a bead blast.
Sand blast
@@markpuestohl they use aluminum oxide. So no not sand sorry.
@@markpuestohl sand blast bead blast all done the same way just different blasting media. Do you call a stonewash something different if they use ceramic instead of stones lol no.
And so you know more than Chris Reeves the man who designed the knife the man who designed the washers???? He would not have used them if he didn't think that they were better in some way.
I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that you cannot pick up a knife open and close it and tell me that it has a smooth washer or a perforated washer in it in a blind text.
" Negative comments are from assholes" Sooooooo........you don't value opinions????
No man, I think it's your smart-ass way of framing your content. Since you have absolutely no way of knowing why Chris Reeve put those washers in, your comment seems kinda stupid. He could have put them in simply because he likes what the look like, and came up with grease holding pockets as a way to justify it. No one knows, not even you.
NSFW and language
Who gives a shit.
@@jarrettvoyzey9893 content providers and advertisers. Channels not labeled as adult content get demonetized for language content
@@MyKnifeJourney ahh, I forgot about all the stipulations these days.