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A strange knife encounter with the wife this morning

cchu518

cchu518

Joined
Mar 6, 2013
Messages
8,331
So my wife is sometimes hot and sometimes cold about my knife hobby. Lately she has been hearing me yap about wanting a titanium framelock to no end after selling a pair of Benchmade Pinnacle 750 (one was a user and the other was in good condition but still too large of a knife for me to EDC). I had also handled a friends small Sebenza and Wilson Combat version. All in all though, I had been refraining from knife buying the entire winter as we don't hike or do gardening or camping during the winter months and I usually just get by with a traditional peanut slipjoint which I carry on weekends too.

With that said I've been getting antsy and ordered a Spyderco Sage 2 yesterday. I was motivated by a post by another BF member and a youtube video from someone who goes by asilaydying, I couldn't find a Bradley Alias 2 at a price that I wanted to spend and the Protech was just too large for me to EDC. As you can see I was on a Ti framelock kick and settled on the Sage 2 for it's great value and ergos.

This morning I thought body snatchers had taken over my wife though. I made us an omelette and we were having our morning coffee when I caught her looking at Sebenzas online!

She asked me if I wanted a Sebenza and that she would order one for me. I was surfing the internet at the time, and I literally prairie dogged and popped my head up when she said those words. Then she asked me how many knives that I owned which weren't gifts. I gave her a ballpark number and then she said well...if you sell $200 worth of them I'll order the Sebenza for you right now...

I'm not one of those people that has a huge collection of knives I think I might have 5 folders and a couple of slippies and most of them cost between $30 and $80. So besides the Benchmade mini-presidio that she enjoys using while gardening I would have been left with just the Sebenza and the slippies. I passed on her generous offer to "buy" me a Sebenza. Lol. It was quite surreal though seeing my wife who is a non-knife person, try to order me a mid tech knife. I then asked her why would I have to sell $200 worth of knives to get the Sebenza?

So she noted that the Sebenza was very plain looking and shouldn't be worth more than $200 because it's an elastic item. This is what I get for marrying an auditor. But I must be wearing her down though as she was willing to pull the trigger on a Sebbie for me er sort of. I did come out of the experience with a new appreciation for Mr. Reeve's innovation though as he has inspired a whole genre of knives that are similar to his, but I also left thinking about how distinct my small collection of users are. I am trying to pick up a fully serrated modern right now so that I have a plain, combo edge and fully serrated folder. While I still have not had the fortune to own a Sebenza, I do have a Ti Framelock coming into me this week. I also have a new appreciation for variety in knives. I know that there might be a grail knife out there for me someday, but for right now I think I'm still getting a lot of enjoyment from the ride itself and learning about and owning a variety of knives. I'm not quite ready to have that old school mentality like when folks had just one knife and used it until its blade was sharpened down to a toothpick even if it would have been a Sebenza.
 
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Whatever you get, it's always good to think about it first. That way you end up with something you can use, instead of another knife to sit in a drawer. I like to buy knives based on characteristics I don't already have.
 
Yes Sebenzas can be plain looking (though sexy), but they come in many shapes and colors. Have her look at some of the graphic and inlaid Sebenzas and she may change her perspective.

Enjoy the Sage 2!
 
It wasn't that, she didn't think a pocket knife should be worth $400. Lol. Thus she had it in her head that I should sell $200 worth of knife to offset the $200 she guesstimated the Sebenza should sell for. I started on the "precision manufacturing" spiel with the Sebenza but that got tuned out like how when she talks about going for a gel nail polish vs a regular one.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Whatever you get, it's always good to think about it first. That way you end up with something you can use, instead of another knife to sit in a drawer. I like to buy knives based on characteristics I don't already have.
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All of this.

Variety is great, but I don't care to just have a pile of knives. I buy based on a variety of purposes plus a variety of characteristics of each knife that are different than the others: general EDC, formal/dressy, knives suitable for work travel that are durable but easy to replace if lost or left behind, and harder outdoors use. This gives me a few knives in each category to choose from for each occasion, and some of these categories overlap.

I had purchased a new FFG Manix 2 the other week on an impulse because I thought it was cool and it would fit into my rotation, but after handling it for about 5 minutes I knew I'd never carry it or use it so I sold it the next day to a coworker that loves it.

Congrats on the Sage 2. I'll be getting mine in the mail soon also. It fits into my general EDC and dressy carry purposes perfectly and first Ti frame lock.
 
Lol was it the ramzar post? I had always liked the sage after his post and thinking about its ergos I just had to try one out. You just cant beat spydercos ergos!
 
No the Sage 2 was at the top of my list for awhile, but some other amazing deals came up first that I could not pass up, including my Sage 1. I'm patient and the right deal came along on a S2 so voila!
 
Different strokes. I really love my Sage2. I think it's a great knife; I like everything about it.

"I passed on her generous offer to "buy" me a Sebenza." I'm sorry you did that.

I've carried either a large Sebenza or an Umnumzaan for the last two years.
Chris Reeve often wins the Manufacturers Award at the annual Blade Show in Atlanta. He's awarded that honor by a jury of his peers. You would likely benefit by watching one of his YouTube video...where he guides you through his shop. It's quite impressive.

Fortunately, for all of us, there are many fine folders to pick from these days.
Sonnydaze
 
She's messing with you, dude. You're actually being audited (i.e., "examined for flaws"). Whatever you choose, keep your receipt!
 
My first thought was one of two things. First, what has she done, or, what does she want? The second, and hopefully the right one, is that she has seen the light and is coming around to your way of thinking. My advice would be to do something really nice for her or buy her something she has wanted for awhile. Just remember if she is coming around to your knife ways you need to come around to some of her ways. This way you both will feel rewarded and that your feelings matter.
 
Maybe she's going another direction, my Sebenza pretty much halted my knife buying, I won't find a knife to replace it so there's no need to buy more (plus on top of that I actually sold off several of my old ones). In fact I sold my previous favorite and don't miss it in the lease. Not only that but I also cut my wish list down by about 75%.

Maybe that's what she was going for.
 
Cereal_killer said:
Maybe she's going another direction, my Sebenza pretty much halted my knife buying, I won't find a knife to replace it so there's no need to buy more (plus on top of that I actually sold off several of my old ones). In fact I sold my previous favorite and don't miss it in the lease. Not only that but I also cut my wish list down by about 75%.

Maybe that's what she was going for.
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I don't think that would be the case for me. I like knives too much. I.e. when we garden I like having a knife with g10. I even carried a small for a week. I loved it but not enough that for most Mon through Fridays I wouldn't prefer a little peanut traditional. The peanut is almost my favirite knife. I wouldn't carry a sebenza around nyc and especially commuting via nj transit or the nyc subways.

I like titanium, axis locks, spydie holes, neck knives and a lot of in between. A pricey knife no matter what it is has to be a superfluous purchase for me as by and large they really are elastic products.
 
cchu518 said:
I wouldn't carry a sebenza around nyc and especially commuting via nj transit or the nyc subways.
I like titanium, axis locks, spydie holes, neck knives and a lot of in between. A pricey knife no matter what it is has to be a superfluous purchase for me as by and large they really are elastic products.
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I understand your nyc laws and that would strike out Sebenza for me also. CRK is pricey; it is an elastic purchase for me also, in that I buy a Sebbie, sell that Sebbie for funds to buy a different Sebbie or Zaan. Given the CRK spa...it's a lifetime model for me. I've owned folders that cost twice as much...and sold them within two weeks. A CRK at about five ounces is perfect carry weight, perfect design for me. Chris Reeve is a bit of a perfectionist. Me, too. I cannot make a knife...so I'll carry his.
 
If I drove to my job everyday, and I didn't live in the repressive state of NJ things would be on! I'd be interested in picking up a Sebbie and some William Henry's! NY and NYC isn't that bad, its not a police state at all. In fact NYC is so big you can almost get away with doing anything and people often do get away with things. It's just that ever since 9/11 people are subject to being stopped and their bags searched at will.
 
cchu518 said:
I don't think that would be the case for me. I like knives too much. I.e. when we garden I like having a knife with g10. I even carried a small for a week. I loved it but not enough that for most Mon through Fridays I wouldn't prefer a little peanut traditional. The peanut is almost my favirite knife. I wouldn't carry a sebenza around nyc and especially commuting via nj transit or the nyc subways.

I like titanium, axis locks, spydie holes, neck knives and a lot of in between. A pricey knife no matter what it is has to be a superfluous purchase for me as by and large they really are elastic products.
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If you like getting to use several different knives and enjoying the features of each one, there are tons of great quality production folders between say $60-$200 to choose from as you already know. To fill your outdoors G10 knife role, what about trying a Manix 2 or PM2--two high value folders for what they cost. You've scratched your Ti frame lock itch (for now :D) and it's up to you to decide its philosophy of use. You could convince your wife that you saved X amount of dollars buying the Sage 2 instead of the Sebenza, and with that savings you can buy 2-4 more quality knives to scratch other itches.
 
Pretty content for right now. I prefer the plain and cocobolo sebbies usually. It was just fun seeing the wife not only offer to buy me a knife but also encapsulate how many knives that I really own vs her normal proclivities which would be to ignore my knife hobby altogether. The next item I think I would want is a custom slipjoint or a one hander with a new steel to try out. Haven't found anything so far beyond vg10, 154cm or s30 that was that much better than those three steels for me to care about. My wife doesnt necesarily care how much I spend on knives she just bugs out seeing 12 folders in the utility drawer.
 
I think that you will love the sage 2. Mine was purchased as an alternative to the sebbie as well, but I ended up getting two small 21s anyway. Kept the insingo and sold the other (it was good, I just don't need duplicate users)

Sage 2 is an awesome knife. I feel kind of bad for not carrying it, but it was somewhat of a gateway knife on my way to Reeves and my two striders. The mid techs are really not that much better, the sage 2 is a knife that is good enough to teach you the laws of diminishing returns. I think those who own it know what I mean.
 
I bet you were conflicted, but in the end, I think you made the right decision. If you really like what you have, hang onto them, and get the Sebenza later on down the road when you're ready to make the leap.

Cereal_killer said:
Maybe she's going another direction, my Sebenza pretty much halted my knife buying, I won't find a knife to replace it so there's no need to buy more (plus on top of that I actually sold off several of my old ones). In fact I sold my previous favorite and don't miss it in the lease. Not only that but I also cut my wish list down by about 75%.

Maybe that's what she was going for.
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^^ I am in the exact same boat. I bought a Sebenza 25 and fell in love with it. It's always with me. My small collection of just over 20 folders has dropped significantly. I'm down to 2 (Sebenza and Spyderco Southard), and 2 small fixed blades (Izula and BRKT PSK). I will eventually get a small Sebenza, but I am waiting until I've saved for it instead of stretching.
 
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