710, Military and Sebenza Comparison

This pic shows the knives in their open positions, providing a good comparison of overall sizes. I couldn't get the shot straight overhead though, so things shrink a bit as they get further to the rear.

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Last, but not least, is a comparison of grips afforded by the three knives. The Military has both grips shown.

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I'll also add my thanks for the review. It made me think a lot about knives in general, not just these three. I agree that the review was very thoughtful and informative.

Nice work!
 
Thanks for posting the pics Buzz!
It helps a lot to see the knives side by side like that.
 
You know, I never realized until now how big the Military is. That's a whole handful of knife.
 
Thanks a million Buzz.

You should have your own website for your reviews :)

Great stuff.
 
Interesting review.

I would have to disagree with calling the Sebi a Rolls R of knives though. I dislike those cars!;)

I also am very surprised that the BG42 does not hold up well for you, nothing but great performance for me.
 
If I had to summarize things simply, I’d compare these knives to various uses of internal combustion. The Sebenza is a Rolls Royce. The Military is a Mack Truck. The 710 is a Stealth Fighter. Pick the style that best suits your personality and wallet.
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You mean I can only have one of them. :eek:

Thanks for the write up. As I have the 710 and am expecting the sebbie any day I really appreicate the effort of the review you put forth. Sounds like I want the Military also.

Thanks :D :D :D
 
Great review. I've heard alot of negative things about M2 and sharpening but it doens't sound like you had any problems. Any secrets?
Thanks,
Matt
 
Nope. No secrets at all. M2 is not that hard to sharpen. It's not as easy as something like AUS-6, in my experience, but nothing nasty like 440V.
 
Great review and pics Buzz.

I also have all three, have used all three a good bit, and think your review is spot on.

A couple add-on thoughts:

1. agree with Eric Draven that with the simple (but very sharp) out of the box edge, a 440V Military is prone to edge roll. The Sebbie's I own (4) are not (3 BG-42, 1 older ATS-34). 440V does very well on things abrasive like cardboard and rope, metal film backed wall sheathing, insulation, etc.

1a. Putting a convex edge on the Military is a great idea however, and I will absolutely try this on mine.

2. I think my Military is in the Rc57-58 range... one of the slightly older Military's before Spydie dropped to Rc55-56 or 56-57 or whatever they are targeting now (softer to improve toughness/resist chipping better). I have never had any trouble sharpening 440V but have always used diamond stones. Hard 420V is a good bit harder to sharpen than 440V, but again diamond stones make task tractable.

3. The handle size makes the Military just past the comfortable range for me to carry in my front jeans pocket when I sit down, and I'm 5'-11". It's big. Period. It is also tall (spydie hump), and so indeed it fills the front pocket and makes reaching for, say, pocket change, a bummer.

4. The handle to blade ratio of the Military is too large. The pivot pin is a bit far back into the handle, and so there is opportunity there. Also, the handle is just really bigger than it needs to be for 98% of the hands out there... excessively so, considering the knife is meant for pocket carry. A handle that large on say a fixed blade is one thing, but on a folder intended for pocket carry... well... let's just say that with a few efficiency improvements in handle-blade ratio, and with S30V run around Rc60, I'd like a 3.5" to 3.75" bladed Military a lot better (especially with a modified grind that made the tip stouter).
 
In response to Buzzbait's original comment that opening the Spyderco Military is ambidextrous, but closing it is not.... I have found that, while holding the Military in a forward-grip with my left hand, I can easily release the lock with my index finger while holding the blade in place with my thumb. It's a quicker and safer maneuver than any release technique I've tried with my right hand. Makes me wish I was a southpaw!
 
Buzz,

Thank you for your hard work on this very good review. I found it very informative indeed.

vanadium,

Thanks for your tip about left handed closing of the Millie. As a part-time lefty (I write left but seem to do pretty much everything else w/ my right, by habit I suppose) I have thought for a long time that I'd like to carry the Millie on the left side but thought I'd not be able to easily close it one-handed. This technique of yours works great for me! As far as right landed closing of the Military goes, I've personally never found the maneuver to be dangerous, as I always seem to use the tip of my thumb to push the lock over and the blades non-sharpened fingergroove lands squarely on my thumbnail, safely stopping the blades motion.

Jeff/1911.
 
Buzz...did you ever carve a fuzz stick with the Seb? Does the framelock "shift" if you engage in hard cutting? I have had framelocks, including first gen Sebbies where the lock would sorta groan under use...ie you are slicing down, say, a walking stick, hit a knot and then when you free the knife, the lock has shifted. Then, if you start cutting again, there is play.

Also, I just don't remember, how is the Seb for the "cradle" grip....ie where you have the blade facing toward you while you push your workpiece into it with your thumb for super controlled cuts?
 
Originally posted by Geoff in Philly
Buzz...did you ever carve a fuzz stick with the Seb? Does the framelock "shift" if you engage in hard cutting? I have had framelocks, including first gen Sebbies where the lock would sorta groan under use...ie you are slicing down, say, a walking stick, hit a knot and then when you free the knife, the lock has shifted. Then, if you start cutting again, there is play.
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I've cut fuzz sticks and just about everything else with my Sebbies. I've split kindling on more than one occasion with a Sebbie, using a baton to hammer the blade throught the wood. The lock never moved and no blade play was observed during cutting or afterwards.
 
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