Chris Reeve Knives

Chris Reeve Knives
Type	Corporation
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	Boise, ID (1993; 30 years ago (1993))
Founder	Chris Reeve
Headquarters	Boise, ID, United States
Key people	Chris Reeve, Anne Reeve, Timothy Reeve
Products	Knives
Number of employees	43
Website	www.chrisreeve.com

Chris Reeve Knives is an American knife manufacturing corporation with international sales and distribution headquartered in Boise, Idaho, that designs, develops, and sells folding pocket knives and fixed-blade knives. Its products include the Sebenza, Inkosi, Umnumzaan, TiLock, Mnandi folding knives, Impinda slip joint, and the Green Beret, Pacific, Professional Soldier, Nyala, and Sikayo fixed blade knives. Chris Reeve Knives' industry contributions include the Integral Lock, contributions to the blade steels CPM-S30V and CPM-S35VN, and has won Blade Magazine's Blade Show Manufacturing Quality Award 15 times.^[1] Their motto is Think Twice, Cut Once.

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History

Chris Reeve Knives was founded as a sole proprietorship in January 1984, with Chris Reeve making custom knives in the single garage attached to the house in which Reeve was living in Durban, South Africa.^[2] In March 1989, Reeve and his wife Anne Reeve immigrated to the United States, and CRK commenced manufacturing in Boise, ID.^[3] In July 1993, Chris Reeve Knives, sole proprietorship, became Reeve Incorporated, doing business as Chris Reeve Knives.^[4] Reeve collaborated with Dick Barber of Crucible Materials Corporation to develop CPM S30V steel as a knifemaking steel in 2003.^[5]^[6] Chris Reeve Knives has collaborated with William Harsey Jr. on several fixed blade knife projects, and serves as the manufacturer of these knives.^[7]^[8]

Products

Three Sebenzas: Large Regular with ATS-34 Steel blade and a Large and Small Regulars featuring Damascus steel blades with manually engraved and anodized handles^[9]

One Piece Range:^[10] production 1983–2009. Fixed blade family of knives, featuring a hollow handle and blade manufactured from one continuous piece of A2 tool steel. Model families include the Sable (sabre style blade), Shadow (spear point blade), Mountaineer (single guard clip point blade), Ubejane (Skinner), and Mark (double guard clip point blade). Models possess blade lengths ranging from 10.2 to 22.9 cm (4" to 9"). After nearly three decades of production, the One Piece Range was retired due to both the expense of manufacture, and to make room in the CRK portfolio for new designs.
Sebenza:^[11] production 1991–present. Folding knife, introducing a stronger variation of the Walker linerlock called the Sebenza Integral Lock, also commonly known as the framelock.^[12] The Sebenza is a utility knife with titanium handles and was originally introduced with an ATS-34 stainless steel blade, followed by BG-42 and CPM S30V, and as of this writing, CPM S35VN steel and CPM S45VN steel.^[6] The Sebenza comes in two sizes, Large (blade length 3.625"/92mm) and Small (blade length of 2.94" or 75mm). There have been multiple iterations of the Sebenza over the years. H (for Handmade) was the first, followed by P (for Production), followed by Original (P plus pocket clip). After the Original the Regular was introduced with scalloping on the handle and a different blade profile. The Classic/MM (engraved Classic MM on the reverse) was introduced in 2000 to run in parallel with the Regular. In 2008 the Classic and Regular models were discontinued to make way for the Sebenza 21. This had the Classic's blade shape with some minor handle changes.
Sebenza 25: Released in 2012, the Sebenza 25. The Sebenza 25 is named for the 25th year of the Sebenza and has technological improvements of a ceramic ball lockbar interface, larger pivot and what they call the 'large hollow grind'. Additionally the Sebenza 25 has a thicker blade stock of 0.14" compared to 0.125" of the Large Sebenza 21.^[13]
Umfaan: production 1997–2002. Folding knife similar in design to that of the Sebenza, but with a blade length of 58.42 mm (2.3").
Mnandi:^[14] production 2001 – present. Folding knife utilizing an Integral Lock, partially covered by a cosmetic inlay, focused at the businessperson. The Mnandi blade length is 69.5 mm (2.75") and like the Sebenza can also be had in Damascus Steel.^[15]

Green Beret:^[8] production 2002 – present. Fixed blade knife designed in collaboration with William Harsey Jr., featuring single row serrations and a CPM S30V stainless steel spear point blade, offered in 139 mm and 177 mm (5.5" and 7") blade lengths. A version of this knife with special engraving and serialization on the blade, known as the Yarborough (named for Lieutenant General William P. Yarborough), is presented to select graduates of the United States Army Special Forces Q Course.^[4]
Neil Roberts Warrior: production 2004 – 2010. Fixed blade knife designed in collaboration with William Harsey, with 152.4 mm (6"), CPM S30V stainless steel recurve spearpoint blade. This knife is dedicated to Mr. Roberts, the first U.S. Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan.^[16]
Inyoni: production 2005 – 2015. Fixed blade bird and fish knife with 88.9 mm (3.5"), CPM S30V stainless steel double row (Kubuli) serrated blade.
Pacific : production 2007 – present. Fixed blade knife designed in collaboration with William Harsey, with double row (Kubuli) serrations and 152.4 mm (6") CPM S30V stainless steel clip point blade. The Pacific is the civilian version of the "1st Group Knife", denoted by special engraving on the knife blade. The 1st Group Knife was designed and is manufactured at the request of the U.S. Army Special Forces 1st Group to commemorate their 50th anniversary of operations. The 1st Group Knife may only be purchased by active or retired 1st Group soldiers.^[7]
Professional Soldier: production 2008 – 2017. Fixed blade knife designed in collaboration with William Harsey, with 86 mm (3.375") CPM S30V stainless steel with choice of drop point, insingo, or tanto blade, and cut-out in handle for use as a shackle wrench.
Umnumzaan: production 2008 – present. Folding knife, with 2nd generation Integral Lock. The Umnumzaan is a utility knife with titanium handle slabs and 93.4 mm (3.675") CPM S30V stainless steel blade."^[17] It also features a glass breaker that is exposed when the knife is closed.
Sikayo Range: production 2009 - 2019. A range of chef's knives, the Sikayo is available in both 6.5" and 9.0" blade lengths. Sikayo blades are made with CPM S35V stainless steel, and are ground on one side only. The name Sikayo is the Zulu word for "sharp".
Nyala: Production 2010–2020. The Nyala is a modern version of the classic skinning knife. The integral handle and blade of CPM S35VN is possesses spiral and lineal grooves in the micarta handle providing incremental positive grip, and serrations on the spine are provided for enhanced control. The Nyala blade length is 3.75".
Ti-Lock: Production 2010–2017. The Ti-Lock is a folding knife featuring a new locking mechanism by the same name. The Ti-Lock mechanism was conceived as a means to isolate the lock from the body of the knife, in order to allow more design freedom for handle and frame. It is completely ambidextrous, allowing equal left and right hand use. The Ti-Lock was a collaborative development by Grant and Gavin Hawk, and Chris Reeve.^[18]^[19]
Inkosi: Production 2015–present. Known as the "Chief" in Zulu, the Inkosi features a large hollow grind, twin oversized washers, a strengthened pivot and sturdy lock up. While challenging the standards of the Integral Lock®, the Inkosi uses a ceramic ball as an interface for the lock bar to the blade tang for a consistent lock-up. The washer diameter is wider than the blade securing zero sideways play. With larger lubrication holes there is even less surface area of friction. Finally, the large hollow grind provides a shallow radius, for improved strength, making it halfway between a flat grind and our standard hollow grind.^[20]
Impinda: Production 2018–present. Known as “Fold, Repeat” in Zulu, the Impinda is a non-locking slipjoint style knife designed by William Harsey Jr. and manufactured by Chris Reeve Knives. There is a unique cam-action to the backspring which means the knife is harder to close than it is to open, making it fundamentally more safe than traditional slipjoints. It has titanium handles and CPM S35VN blade and backspring. This is the first time S35VN has been used for a spring. This model was announced at BLADE Show 2018.

Industry awards

1987 Knifemaker's Guild of Southern Africa "Best Folding Knife" (Sebenza predecessor)
1993 Knife-Aholics Unanomous "Most Innovative Folder", Lock 45
2000,^[21] 2001,^[22] 2003,^[23] 2004, 2005, 2006,^[24] 2007,^[7] 2008,^[17] 2009, 2010,^[18] 2011, 2012,^[25] 2013,^[26] 2015,^[27] 2016,^[1] 2019^[28] "Manufacturing Quality Award®"
2003 "Collaboration Knife of the Year®"^[23] ("The Green Beret Knife", a collaboration between CRK and William Harsey Jr.)
2005 "Collector Knife of the Year®" ("21st Anniversary Sebenza")
2006 Grays Sporting Journal "Gray's Best" Award
2007 "American Made Knife of the Year®"^[7] ("The Pacific Knife", a collaboration between CRK and William Harsey Jr.)
2008 "Overall Knife of the Year®"^[17] ("Umnumzaan")
2008 "Field and Stream "Best of the Best"^[29] ("The Pacific Knife")
2009 "Kitchen Knife of the Year®"^[30] ("Sikayo")
2010 "Overall Knife of the Year®"^[18] ("Ti-Lock", a collaboration between CRK and Grant & Gavin Hawk)
2018 "American Made Knife of the Year®" ^[31] ("Impinda", a collaboration between CRK and William Harsey Jr.)