A few dumb questions...

BMCGear

BMCGear

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Jan 4, 2014
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Hello all,

The first time I saw a Sebenza (shortly after joining BF) I thought to myself that is the knife for me until I looked them up and saw the price. At that point I had never spent over $100.00 on a knife. I still haven't spent as much as a Sebenza cost but what I like about them is how functional they seem. Simple knife that doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. It's designed well. You all know this.

Here are my questions though: How durable are they? If I'm dropping this kind of money I want the knife to last a lifetime (maybe not a lifetime but a long time).
Does anyone really use their Sebenza? If so, how does it hold up?
Do I have to worry about the framelock wearing out?
I see a lot of posts about sending the knife in for the spa treatment? Why is that? What does that cost?
Does Chris offer blade replacement like Benchmade and other companies?

What do you get out of owning/using your Sebenza you didn't get from other blades?

Thanks guys!
 
I am a relatively new Sebenza owner but I don't think I will be buying another knife for quite some time. Aside from the obvious hit to the disposable income, I just don't need to. I have a Large Plain 21 and it has been nothing but an absolute joy to carry, and I don't baby it at all. (aside from typical regular maintenance) The blade doesn't have any play at all even when not fully engaged and yet it is as smooth as butter after breaking it in. No locktite or pivot adjustments necessary with the excellent pivot bushing system. I have tons of Spydercos, Benchmades, Kershaws, etc. in the price tier that you mentioned and the knife is in a different class all together, and really it should be for the price.

I use my Sebenza just like I would use a $20 kershaw and it has held up perfectly. The edge is amazing. The titanium does scratch but that is more aesthetically pleasing to me anyway. I can't imagine doing anything to this knife that would cause it to fail its primary function.

The spa is basically a refinishing to the entire knife to make it look like new. A lot of people do this before making a sale or if they are picky about how their EDC looks. I can't see myself ever doing this unless selling, as I can sharpen my knives better than factory and I love the worn look. My understanding is that it is a free service besides shipping though, but I could be wrong. I'm not sure about blade replacement. Another thing. If you don't like it, you can sell it almost for what you bought it, if not the same if you got a good price.

I have opened/closed this knife compulsively for months and the lock hasn't worn at all. I don't flick it however. (no reason to) The lock is going to perform like any framelock (RIL) knife aspires to. I mean it is the pioneer in this lock, after all. If taken care of and not abused, it should last you forever. If something were to go wrong, I'm sure CRK would make it right. I personally carry a multitool as well so I don't have to abuse it. Always use the right tool for the job!

What I get out of this knife mostly is peace of mind. I know that it isn't going to fail me given what I use it for. (medium to heavy duty use) Its a knife that has almost perfected the manufacturing process, and it shows as soon as you start using it. Also, I just enjoy having it. It is a work of art and enjoyable just to handle. There is a certain amount of pride that comes with owning such a fine piece of engineering.

You can get a lot of different knives given the price range this knife puts you in, so this is a totally worthwhile question, but I can't imagine being happier with a different knife.

If you are a spec junkie. Things like deployment speed, super steels, weight, go with a high end spyderco or something (They are a great company). Maybe the Sage II as a cheaper alternative to a small Sebenza, but if you want a totally practical knife with solid specs that will retain its value over the years, and you have the cash, pull the trigger on a Sebenza.
You won't regret it!!

Regards and Good Luck on your decision,

Dan
 
There is no such thing as a dumb question, especially here....!!!

I am sure many here are like you and have the very same questions. They might not now but did so in the beginning. I know I was like this. I had only spent more than $30 bucks on a knife once and that was the famed Buck 110. I then went up to $60 and bought a Kershaw 1050 which I feel is like a Buck 110 on steroids. Then I went WAY overboard and bought the Buckmaster for $200. I thought that was outrageous, but it was discontinued, so paid it.

Fast forward several years and I was very eager to try more Hollow Handle survival knives. I started looking for something even better than the Buckmaster. I then stumbled upon the company of Chris Reeve Knives. I looked and saw the prices ( this was when the One Piece Knives were still being made ) and was like WOW.....$300+ for some of them. I liked the spearpoint models and thought I would try one of them. I settled on the small Shadow III. I figured it was the cheapest at $175 and if I did not like it, I could resell it.......Well, I did not only LIKE it, I LOVED it and within a few days ordered the Tanto I for $350. I remember not even making it home when I got the Tanto I and pulled off the side of the road to open it. You might say after that my friend, I was hooked....lol.

Well, after acquiring several of the OPK, I thought, heck, if the OPK are this nice, I wonder how the folders are. So, around Christmas, I stumbled upon a Large Regular Sebenza for $280. Little did I know at the time, it had the famed BG-42 blade steel....Well then, I was hooked on the sebenza.

Fast Fast Forward several years and I have owned 101 Chris Reeve Knives. And NO, I do not currently have 101, I have owned that many over the years. Some were sold and traded for others, some were just sold. I still have a nice few though.

So since your mainly questioning the Sebenza and its toughness, I will stick with that.

Are they worth it.....YES. I have tried pretty much every comparable brand out there and I have ALWAYS come back to CRK. I like them, they are simple...!!! Quality is unmatched. Customer Service is unmatched. The Fan Base is unmatched.

I have carried sebenzas for years now and I have never even come close to wearing one out. and I KNOW I could go a lifetime and never do so under normal use, even some extreme use. I use them for what they were designed for....That is To CUT. They are not pry bars, axes, etc. I have cut the backs of shingles with them, I have cut tar paper, I have whittled, food prep, cut loads of cardboard and they have always come through with flying colors. There are blade steels that I like over others, styles I like over others, but all in all, its still a sebenza. The framelock will not wear out under normal use and the above I have stated.

As for the Spa, I think many people buy a used one and want it minty perfect, so they send it in. There is a difference with having a lock issue and the spa. In my experience, most lock issues are because a previous owner though they were "Chris Reeve" and tried to fix it, when they could not, they sold it off to someone else. I have had that happen to me with me being the "someone else". If you plan to use it though, really no need for the spa. Used to cost $35 for a full spa, which included reblasting scales and the works. Not sure now as it may have went up a few bucks. I did send One in once and the service is top notch, looked like new when it came back.

Chris does offer blade replacement, but at the cost of a new blade. They used to cost $120, but I don't know what its up to now as I have never needed one.

As for a replacement blade, I cant ever see this being needed under normal use and if you know how to sharpen a knife. Honestly, I dont even know if I have sharpened my sebenza 25 this year yet and I use it all the time. I ONLY use the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I also carry a CGG Classic and just broke down to sharpening it which I have not in months as well and after about a dozen passes on the sharpmaker, it was hair shaving sharp again. What I am trying to get at is you dont need to sit here with the sharpmaker for hours trying to sharpen something that is already sharp.

What do I get out of a CRK.....??? The joy of owning one is easily the first thing. Its like the Rolls Royce of the knife industry. Yes there are other makers out there that are even more $$$, but none of them and I repeat NONE of them come close to CRK in quality, reliability, performance, and just the damn joy of ownership. The ONLY company that I would put WITH CRK would be Hinderer. Rick & Rob are great guys to deal with as well. Strider.....I am just not going there.

Does anyone use their sebenzas....??? I sure do. I even started the famed thread " What did you use your sebenza for today "....??? I have some that I have never carried, I have some that I have carried and used ALOT. I have even LOST a sebenza. I have run the gammot of CRK use.

And YES, I love "snail trails" on my sebenza. Every scratch and scuff on my sebenza is an adventure I was on with my sebenza.....!!!

I hope I answered your questions. If I missed something, ask away. There are TONS of other friendly CRK fans here on this page that can attest to what I have stated above.

Enjoy...!!!
 
One of my bosses has had a small Sebenza for at least 15 years.

He's not a knife knut and only owns a couple of folders, but he does lots of rough camping and only buys quality gear.

The Sebenza was recommended to him for its durability and low carry weight.
As far a I know it's the only folder he carries while out on one of his excursions.

His knife gets well used for a few years and then returned back to CRK for a spa treatment. I know , because I sent it in for its first refurb and it came back like new.
In fact I thought it was a new knife when I opened the box from CRK.

So even though it is an expensive purchase, it really is designed for a lifetime of service.

Plus you deserve it:)
 
They last a long time if you don't abuse them. I had a micarta large get up and down lock play. I used it to cut through grape vines off-roading and did not chop but put all my strength down on it. I used it for everything. I have a few. Others never had an issue. Anything mechanical where's out and has limits. Never sent it in. Probably should.
 
Been carry'n my original BG-42 blade large Sebby for over 14 years.
Been used hard, and NEVER had any issue.
Guns, knives and tools I never go the 'cheap', because you don't save a dang thing.:D
LG
 
Buy a ti-lock, it's better. The biggest problem is loosing the knife, the ti-lock has a better clip. Sebenzas require routine cleanind and lubrication, but the ti-lock has sealed ball bearings...you can flick it :). Ti-lock finish is more durable as well.
 
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I have been carrying a small regular Sebenza every day for around 7 years. It get used for everything but not abused.
 
A good way to learn about these knives is to flip back through the pages and look for titles that are of interest. There is a lot to be learned from the archives .
 
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The Sebenza is a folding knife with a strong locking mechanism.
While it is a working knife it can be obtained embelished.
Mine get used pretty often.
If used properly and cared for, it should last a livetime.
The beauty of it may not be obvious at first sight - if found, there will hardly be another knife.
The integrity of CRK is what makes you feel good, owning it.
red mag
 
How durable are they? You've got two chunks of titanium and one of heat treated steel . . . how much more durable can you get?

Wear out the framelock? I suppose that you could wear it out if you a) coated the lock with aluminum oxide and b) flipped it open 1,000 times a day for months. With regular cleaning/lubrication I expect it will last a lifetime (and it is warrantied)

Spa Treatment? Not sure about current costs but they blast the blades and slabs back to original finish, sharpen and generally replace/resolve any problems.

Blade replacement? I imagine they would replace a blade but you would have to send them the knife as they're hand fitted to very tight tolerances.

I initially went with the Sebbie because of the pivot bushing - I was tired of constantly adjusting blade tension on other folders. Now, I consider the Sebenza to be the ideal evolved minimalist design. Over time just about every little detail has been worked out (little things like polishing the back of the pocket clip to reduce wear on the fabric).

Do I really need a Sebenza? No, but I can afford it and do enjoy carrying a fine tool with me.
 
Scott Dog said:
I think the spa treatment is over rated. It's just cosmetic
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As Scott Dog said-spa treatment is cosmetic(re blasting scales, sharpening) not warranty problems. They do however fully inspect the knife and if there are any problems will notify you and fix them.
 
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I have a small BG-42 Regular from the mid 1990s that needed to have the lockup fixed a couple of years ago. It has never been flipped or abused, but it eventually developed some vertical play. It was not a big deal. CRK fixed it quickly and for free. Fifteen years from now it may need another trip to CRK and I'm confident that if it does it will be fixed fast and free again.
 
brownshoe said:
Buy a ti-lock, it's better. The biggest problem is loosing the knife, the ti-lock has a better clip. Sebenzas require routine cleanind and lubrication, but the ti-lock has sealed ball bearings...you can flick it :). Ti-lock finish is more durable as well.
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^^^This^^^. In addition, it will make a much more conversational piece and works fabulous for out on the town and dress up, plus has a thicker tip than even the newer Sebenza 25. :thumbup:
 
Thanks for all the comments guys. The only real negative thing that I am finding online is that people say the steel is soft. Anyone care to chime in with their experience?
 
bluemetalchurch said:
1. How durable are they? If I'm dropping this kind of money I want the knife to last a lifetime (maybe not a lifetime but a long time).

2. Does anyone really use their Sebenza? If so, how does it hold up?

3. Do I have to worry about the framelock wearing out?

4. I see a lot of posts about sending the knife in for the spa treatment? Why is that? What does that cost?

5. Does Chris offer blade replacement like Benchmade and other companies?

6. What do you get out of owning/using your Sebenza you didn't get from other blades?

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

1. The CF Sebenza 21 I received about two years ago has proven incredibly durable. I have carried it almost every day and used it on a variety of material, including carpet, wood, zip-ties, meat/bone, card-board, etc. It has held up extremely well. It arrived with about 70% lockup and has not moved an inch. It has zero blade play and perfect centering, even after being disassembled and re-assembled for cleaning about once a month.

2. See above. The only obvious signs of wear on the Sebenza are a few minor scratches on the blade and snail trails on titanium slab/pocket clip.

3. It would be difficult to wear out the frame lock absent abuse. Moreover, CRK supposedly puts in a stop-pin to correct lock up issues with minimal impact to the knife.

4. Spa treatment info is available on the website. It's mostly performed to remove snail trails from the titanium slabs. The trails are signs of ordinary use. Many users think it gives a the knife character.

5. Yes.

6. The Sebenza is the most balanced, versatile knife I own. It has curbed my desire to purchase other knives and actually saved me money. It fits my hand better than any other knife I own. I also really appreciate how simple it is to take apart, clean, and understand how it functions.

7. The "soft steel" is not noticeable. People place too much emphasis on edge retention; for most modern stainless steels (i.e. - CM154, S30V, S35VN, etc), the differences in edge retention are marginal. The S35VN does not hold up as well as S90V or S110V, but the differences are not extremely noticeable if the knife is put to regular use. What is noticeable is that S35VN sharpens up extreme well and takes a really nice, polished edge with minimal effort.
 
bluemetalchurch said:
Thanks for all the comments guys. The only real negative thing that I am finding online is that people say the steel is soft. Anyone care to chime in with their experience?
Click to expand...

I find edge retention on my Sebenzas to be very good for my use. I also don't let them get real dull so sharpening is not too bad. CRK strives for a balance between edge retention, ease of sharpening and to avoid chipping. I think they hit the mark.
 
Ok, I was going to go with the small 21 to save on weight for EDC. I now see there is a CF option and the large would way an ounce less. How durable is CF as a handle material and can it receive the spa treatment like titanium? If so I may go with one of those.

Thanks again for all of your responses. You guys are so helpful.
 
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