- Joined
- Apr 24, 2009
- Messages
- 662
Warning - a long and possibly boring post 
The relevant part starts 1/2 page down at "The knives" - feel free to skip.
Please do not that all the below is just my inexperienced option and some impressions. Do not hesitate to disagree on any or all accounts and add imaginative "IMO" wherever necessary.
I have ranted on this topic in 2 different threads, but I though that maybe it could be interesting for other in similar situation (and with comparable lack of experience with these knives as me) to share a few impressions .
Intro:
My path to pocket knives started when I needed a small blade to mostly open packages and carry it to work in my shoulder bag. The knife was supposed to be unobtrusive, but still allow to be used effectively. After some research I settled on Spyderco Dragonfly.
Since my "knife background" are kitchen knives (just check out my Flickr stream to get the idea) I was very happy to snatch a Sprint version in super blue steel. I loved the knife and used it nearly daily, but after few months I lost in while on vacation. In parallel I also had a Caly 3.5 in super-blue (did not suit me with its grip and blade shape so I sold it) and also Calypso Jr. burgundy ZDP which while optically lovely does not really suit me either (and will go soon).
The super blue run was sold out and I was about to order one in VG-10 when I learnt that a Sprint run in HAP40 steel with crazy orange handle (I love strong colour handles on these knives) should come out sometimes next year. I decided to wait and so got the time to think. What a lovely mistake
So I decided to have a closer look at pocket knives in general and started to think what knives I could make use of. It seemed like a medium sized EDC and large knife for outdoor just could be the ticket. Soon after I rediscovered CRK knives (I had a brief look few years ago, but probably was not 'ready'). But also other knives caught my attention. Since I was not sure about the size, over few days I ordered the following ones:
The Knives (the relevant part):
- Spyderco Worker
- Small Sebenza 21
- Large Sebenza 21
- LionSteel SR-1 with orange aluminium handle
- Mnandi
The photos can be hard to judge - some knives look larger, some look smaller. For me - I was surprised that both Sebenzas are larger than I expected and the Mnandi even though not much smaller feels quite a bit smaller in hand. The Worker surprised me by its weight distribution and I expected the SR-1 to be (even) larger and heavier.
Large Sebenza and LionSteel SR-1:
First of all - both of these are big knives and I would consider them as EDC knives only if I lived and/or worked in countryside. Definitely too large for my taste for the city where you probably do not need a blade this large anyhow. For me the knife in this size is a replacement for a 4-5" fixed blade for most tasks - the main point being that it is large enough without the necessity to carry it on the belt.
The SR-1 even though heavier feels lighter in hand thanks to its weight distribution (heavier blade and lighter handle) and has its centre of mass where your index finger rests. The dangerous side effect is that it makes the knife feel choppy what is not a task quite suited for a folding knife. The Sebenza has more of its weight in the handle and feels more substantial and more nimble.
In side by side comparison one notices the rather small diameter of the area where the blade has contact with the handle on the SR-1. I have seen the SR-1 being used rather hard on youtube, but still prefer the large pivot mechanism (for the lack of better word) of the Sebenza. When it comes to blade shape the Sebenza is very universal - you can cut that 1" branch, shred a couple of cardboard boxes and in the evening prepare your meal when hiking or camping. And if you need to use the tip is is there. The SR-1 has such a dominant belly at the tip that it makes harder to use the tip if necessary although its flat grind blade will probably resist abuse better.
Both handles feel good and allow for a safe grip - the SR-1 has sort-of finger guard, but the handle is a little slippery and actually needs that finger guard. The finish on the plain Sebenza (both large and small) handles is actually very grippy and the small cut-outs around the lock improve the grip even further.
My personal preference here goes to Sebenza, but if the SR-1 had slightly different blade profile I would have hard time to choose as the SR-1 comes at less than half the price (and I love the looks) and is very well made.
The Worker:
The handle is comparable in size to small Sebenza, but feels very different. It fits my palm very well and the G10 scales not only look nice, but are very grippy. But that grippy-ness together with nice, but very strong stainless clip may take toll on your pocket over time. The blade is relatively short, but has very good size for smaller but tougher tasks - the holow grind is much steeper than the one on small sebenza - I guess the worker will not be a particularly good slicer. The name "worker" is spot on though. The problem with large and rather heavy handle (G10 on stainless frame and back spacer) and small blade is weight balance - when you hold the knife loosely it feels butt heavy. At the same time once you take a proper grip of it the blade will feel very nimble. The shape of the spine allows for really nice position of your thumb or index finger, though the edges on the spine, spydie hole and stainless frame (liners) could be eased a little. It is a great tough knife, but probably not what I can get as much use from as I would like. I will have hard to time to send it back as it really is unique.
Mnandi and small Sebenza:
What really surprised me was, how large is difference between small Sebenza and Mnandi when you hold them in your hand. If you compare the photos online they looks similar in length and the beautiful handle of the Mnandi may stray your thoughts from a very important point and that is the handle shape. It makes quite a difference how the knife handles. The Sebenza fills your hand enough to allow you proper secure grip if you have a task that requires more force than just slicing an apple or opening a card box. What ever that size of blade can handle you will be able to have secure grip of the knife to execute it.
Now this sounds like I am about to drop a bomb on the Mnandi, but that is not the case. This knife was made for entirely different situations. Yes - it has the same quality lock, frame and pivot (of course smaller). But there the similarity is over. If you are not convinced, than put first small Sebenza on the pocket of your suit and then the Mnandi and then repeat the same on the pocket of your jeans. On the suit the Mnandi looks like a pen, weights very little so it will not pull down the pocket. That CNC machined (or so I guess) clip has excellent design - no sharp edges to cut the fine cloth of your suit, but still enough pressure to sit tight on that thin cloth. At the same time you will have to force it over the thick rim of the pocket on your jeans - it just was not meant for that. Sebenza is exactly the opposite. It will feel at home on your jeans but out of place on your suite. Once you take the Mnandi out for that office cutting job no one around you will feel uncomfortable and you will open your letters, boxes or cut you apple in peace, as the knife is subtle without sharp edgers or 'tactical' design. But that thin handle will not be your best friend if you will need to cut a thick rope or cut a 1" branch off a tree. Yes - the blade will be able to handle it, but it is not what the knife was designed for.
The tough part:
For me - I have realised that I use my knife in office too little to keep the Mnandi even though it has really excellent design from both practical and aesthetic point of view (those burl scales rock). The large Sebenza is a knife I will probably one day own unless I will came across different knife in comparable size that I would like as much for less money (I do not need outdoor knife every weekend, so the knife would not see as much use as it deserves). The small Sebenza really fits my hand perfectly, it is large enough for all EDC tasks I can think of and it is my choice at the moment. Yes - I am tempted to keep both, but that would simply be too much $$$ at the moment and, contrary to many other high end knives in this price category - I can order it anytime and have it within 3 days. So I will probably concentrate on the small Sebenza and allow myself some more time to check what else is out there in the 3.5" to 4" size - now that I have little more idea what to look for.
Oh, and the photos - I will try to add a few, but frankly there are dozens of them online and if you are considering any of these knives you reall need to check them out in person.
End of a long thread
The relevant part starts 1/2 page down at "The knives" - feel free to skip.
Please do not that all the below is just my inexperienced option and some impressions. Do not hesitate to disagree on any or all accounts and add imaginative "IMO" wherever necessary.
I have ranted on this topic in 2 different threads, but I though that maybe it could be interesting for other in similar situation (and with comparable lack of experience with these knives as me) to share a few impressions .
Intro:
My path to pocket knives started when I needed a small blade to mostly open packages and carry it to work in my shoulder bag. The knife was supposed to be unobtrusive, but still allow to be used effectively. After some research I settled on Spyderco Dragonfly.
Since my "knife background" are kitchen knives (just check out my Flickr stream to get the idea) I was very happy to snatch a Sprint version in super blue steel. I loved the knife and used it nearly daily, but after few months I lost in while on vacation. In parallel I also had a Caly 3.5 in super-blue (did not suit me with its grip and blade shape so I sold it) and also Calypso Jr. burgundy ZDP which while optically lovely does not really suit me either (and will go soon).
The super blue run was sold out and I was about to order one in VG-10 when I learnt that a Sprint run in HAP40 steel with crazy orange handle (I love strong colour handles on these knives) should come out sometimes next year. I decided to wait and so got the time to think. What a lovely mistake
So I decided to have a closer look at pocket knives in general and started to think what knives I could make use of. It seemed like a medium sized EDC and large knife for outdoor just could be the ticket. Soon after I rediscovered CRK knives (I had a brief look few years ago, but probably was not 'ready'). But also other knives caught my attention. Since I was not sure about the size, over few days I ordered the following ones:
The Knives (the relevant part):
- Spyderco Worker
- Small Sebenza 21
- Large Sebenza 21
- LionSteel SR-1 with orange aluminium handle
- Mnandi
The photos can be hard to judge - some knives look larger, some look smaller. For me - I was surprised that both Sebenzas are larger than I expected and the Mnandi even though not much smaller feels quite a bit smaller in hand. The Worker surprised me by its weight distribution and I expected the SR-1 to be (even) larger and heavier.
Large Sebenza and LionSteel SR-1:
First of all - both of these are big knives and I would consider them as EDC knives only if I lived and/or worked in countryside. Definitely too large for my taste for the city where you probably do not need a blade this large anyhow. For me the knife in this size is a replacement for a 4-5" fixed blade for most tasks - the main point being that it is large enough without the necessity to carry it on the belt.
The SR-1 even though heavier feels lighter in hand thanks to its weight distribution (heavier blade and lighter handle) and has its centre of mass where your index finger rests. The dangerous side effect is that it makes the knife feel choppy what is not a task quite suited for a folding knife. The Sebenza has more of its weight in the handle and feels more substantial and more nimble.
In side by side comparison one notices the rather small diameter of the area where the blade has contact with the handle on the SR-1. I have seen the SR-1 being used rather hard on youtube, but still prefer the large pivot mechanism (for the lack of better word) of the Sebenza. When it comes to blade shape the Sebenza is very universal - you can cut that 1" branch, shred a couple of cardboard boxes and in the evening prepare your meal when hiking or camping. And if you need to use the tip is is there. The SR-1 has such a dominant belly at the tip that it makes harder to use the tip if necessary although its flat grind blade will probably resist abuse better.
Both handles feel good and allow for a safe grip - the SR-1 has sort-of finger guard, but the handle is a little slippery and actually needs that finger guard. The finish on the plain Sebenza (both large and small) handles is actually very grippy and the small cut-outs around the lock improve the grip even further.
My personal preference here goes to Sebenza, but if the SR-1 had slightly different blade profile I would have hard time to choose as the SR-1 comes at less than half the price (and I love the looks) and is very well made.
The Worker:
The handle is comparable in size to small Sebenza, but feels very different. It fits my palm very well and the G10 scales not only look nice, but are very grippy. But that grippy-ness together with nice, but very strong stainless clip may take toll on your pocket over time. The blade is relatively short, but has very good size for smaller but tougher tasks - the holow grind is much steeper than the one on small sebenza - I guess the worker will not be a particularly good slicer. The name "worker" is spot on though. The problem with large and rather heavy handle (G10 on stainless frame and back spacer) and small blade is weight balance - when you hold the knife loosely it feels butt heavy. At the same time once you take a proper grip of it the blade will feel very nimble. The shape of the spine allows for really nice position of your thumb or index finger, though the edges on the spine, spydie hole and stainless frame (liners) could be eased a little. It is a great tough knife, but probably not what I can get as much use from as I would like. I will have hard to time to send it back as it really is unique.
Mnandi and small Sebenza:
What really surprised me was, how large is difference between small Sebenza and Mnandi when you hold them in your hand. If you compare the photos online they looks similar in length and the beautiful handle of the Mnandi may stray your thoughts from a very important point and that is the handle shape. It makes quite a difference how the knife handles. The Sebenza fills your hand enough to allow you proper secure grip if you have a task that requires more force than just slicing an apple or opening a card box. What ever that size of blade can handle you will be able to have secure grip of the knife to execute it.
Now this sounds like I am about to drop a bomb on the Mnandi, but that is not the case. This knife was made for entirely different situations. Yes - it has the same quality lock, frame and pivot (of course smaller). But there the similarity is over. If you are not convinced, than put first small Sebenza on the pocket of your suit and then the Mnandi and then repeat the same on the pocket of your jeans. On the suit the Mnandi looks like a pen, weights very little so it will not pull down the pocket. That CNC machined (or so I guess) clip has excellent design - no sharp edges to cut the fine cloth of your suit, but still enough pressure to sit tight on that thin cloth. At the same time you will have to force it over the thick rim of the pocket on your jeans - it just was not meant for that. Sebenza is exactly the opposite. It will feel at home on your jeans but out of place on your suite. Once you take the Mnandi out for that office cutting job no one around you will feel uncomfortable and you will open your letters, boxes or cut you apple in peace, as the knife is subtle without sharp edgers or 'tactical' design. But that thin handle will not be your best friend if you will need to cut a thick rope or cut a 1" branch off a tree. Yes - the blade will be able to handle it, but it is not what the knife was designed for.
The tough part:
For me - I have realised that I use my knife in office too little to keep the Mnandi even though it has really excellent design from both practical and aesthetic point of view (those burl scales rock). The large Sebenza is a knife I will probably one day own unless I will came across different knife in comparable size that I would like as much for less money (I do not need outdoor knife every weekend, so the knife would not see as much use as it deserves). The small Sebenza really fits my hand perfectly, it is large enough for all EDC tasks I can think of and it is my choice at the moment. Yes - I am tempted to keep both, but that would simply be too much $$$ at the moment and, contrary to many other high end knives in this price category - I can order it anytime and have it within 3 days. So I will probably concentrate on the small Sebenza and allow myself some more time to check what else is out there in the 3.5" to 4" size - now that I have little more idea what to look for.
Oh, and the photos - I will try to add a few, but frankly there are dozens of them online and if you are considering any of these knives you reall need to check them out in person.
End of a long thread
I even "spa" my own, now and then, by blasting the scales, and again it looks new.