Are "High End" production knives worth it? The video

So-Lo

So-Lo

Joined
Jun 12, 2006
Messages
5,364
We all hear this question a lot, so I thought I'd try to tackle it in video form. :)

[YouTube]BHozhKvx4Kg[/YouTube]



Please let us know your opinions :thumbup:



.
 
I completely agree. You've got to really, really love wine to tell the difference between a $200 bottle of wine and $1000 bottle. Same with knives I guess.
 
appreciate: to be grateful or thankful for; to view as valuable; to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect; to increase in value.

Good vid, you are helping out those who are thinking about an upgrade, and not necessarily to a Sebenza I take it. Just being aware of levels of appreciation is a course of study in itself. Thanks.
 
Sounds about right.

I liked that damascus Sebenza. To finance the purchase of one, I wonder how much I could get for selling a Mora.
 
Erasmus said:
Sounds about right.

I liked that damascus Sebenza. To finance the purchase of one, I wonder how much I could get for selling a Mora.
Click to expand...

I'd give you $8, now do you have another 99 moras to sell LOL? :D

Seriously, great video for those that may be looking at getting a high end production knife.

As for me, I could not justify buying a CRK sebbie. I am happy with my Alias I and II. They do not have the tolerance as the sebbie, but for my use the Alias II do just fine. I can not justify the extra money for closer tolerance but many other knife guys out there love theirs and think it is the cream of the crop.

I agree with you So-Lo and do not think people should sell off their collection for a sebbie, but with that said I think everyone should at least own one in their life to see what all the fuss is about. And as you mentioned, they retain their value very well.

I like the looks of the Alias blades a little better than the sebbie and the feel of the Alias is better in my hand. Just my 2 cents


Thank,
John
 
Last edited:
If there was no internet, no forums and no hype ( whether justified or not ) these knives that are all the rage these last few years would not be anywhere near as popular as they are now.

Popularity used to take time, it used to take years to get your name established , for folks to clamour for your voice , wares or whatever else it is one has to peddle.

Personally I'm thinking more and more to the minimilist approach but it wont be so I can have they same knives etc everyone else does in a vain attempt to keep up with the jonses or fit into some mythical club.

I like what I like and dont really carewhat anyone else thinks about what I like. :)

Tostig
 
I can appreciate the materials, skill, etc which goes into a sebenza, or any such blade. However, for me right now, my Lawman, my Griptilian will do anything I need them to do. If I'm going to jump up to a more expensive blade, it's going to be a custom fixed blade tactical bowie or something to that effect. At some point, I might want a CR. I just see no reason for it now. The money I spend on a Sebenza could also be spent on things like another Glock or perhaps a 1911 or something like that.
 
The thing about Sebenzas and high-end knives is that I always feel as if someone is suggesting to me that I don't care about quality if I'm not willing to pay a certain price at the same time they're openly admitting that the actual difference in quality between the high-end knives and the not-so-high-end knives are for the most part disproportionate. I mean, it just at times seems like a very mixed message of, "Well, they're not that much better, but they're worth it!" It's just very vague.

I like the wine analogy, so I'll liken it to bourbon... If Benchmade is your standard top-shelf super-premium blended aged for 12 years, then what makes a Sebenza the 18 year old barrel-batch?

Or in other words, what specifically makes a Sebenza higher quality than an already very high quality knife? I mean, I chose Benchmade because their Kulgera is the best made knife I own, and it's kind of hard for me to see anywhere that they could have made it better. Even with the demonstration of the gap between the liner and the blade on the video, it only made me measure the gap on mine and realize how well fitted it was. So far the only thing that really seems more desirable to me about the Sebenza is the handle material, and if I wanted to do a lot of heavy cutting it looks like a sturdier frame. However, that seems to reflect design choices more than it reflects actual craftsmanship.

To get right down to the specifics about the specifics, what are the differences in tolerances for Sebenza's? Are they fitted tighter together than most knives, what are the specific dimensions? For example, the gap between the liner and the blade on my Kulgera is .010" per side, and I believe I remember reading somewhere on Benchmade's website that their tolerances are +/- half a ten thousanth using CNC mills. How does that compare with a Sebenza or other high-end knives?

I guess what I'm asking is, what specifically is different about the level of craftsmanship that is so much better. I'm not really concerned with whether the difference in quality is worth the difference in price, I'm just curious about what specifically the difference in quality is.
 
Tostig said:
If there was no internet, no forums and no hype ( whether justified or not ) these knives that are all the rage these last few years would not be anywhere near as popular as they are now.

Popularity used to take time, it used to take years to get your name established , for folks to clamour for your voice , wares or whatever else it is one has to peddle.

Personally I'm thinking more and more to the minimilist approach but it wont be so I can have they same knives etc everyone else does in a vain attempt to keep up with the jonses or fit into some mythical club.

I like what I like and dont really carewhat anyone else thinks about what I like. :)

Tostig
Click to expand...

Great post :thumbup:
 
A good summary might be to say, the jump in "wow factor" between a 5 dollar gas station knife to a 50 dollar spyderco/benchmade/kershaw/whatever is big. The difference in "wow" between that 50 dollar knife (that has similarly fantastic blade materials) to the 500 dollar knife is going to be subtle by compare.
 
KennyB said:
I like the wine analogy, so I'll liken it to bourbon... If Benchmade is your standard top-shelf super-premium blended aged for 12 years, then what makes a Sebenza the 18 year old barrel-batch?
Click to expand...


KennyB said:
To get right down to the specifics about the specifics, what are the differences in tolerances for Sebenza's? Are they fitted tighter together than most knives, what are the specific dimensions? For example, the gap between the liner and the blade on my Kulgera is .010" per side, and I believe I remember reading somewhere on Benchmade's website that their tolerances are +/- half a ten thousanth using CNC mills. How does that compare with a Sebenza or other high-end knives?

I guess what I'm asking is, what specifically is different about the level of craftsmanship that is so much better. I'm not really concerned with whether the difference in quality is worth the difference in price, I'm just curious about what specifically the difference in quality is.
Click to expand...

So-Lo,

Great video, you addressed some important points that most don't, namely that the expensive knives are worth the money, but without an appreciation and understanding of what they represent vs. others you won't truly appreciate the difference.

Kenny,

Great analogy with Bourbon and Benchmade. I don't think the CRK is neccessarily more precisely machined than the Benchmades--they're both CNC machined, and at a certain point tolerances/acceptable levels of precision are in place becauce nothing made on multiple machines, running multiple programs, programmed by multiple people, made from multiple materials can ever be made so precisely that everything lines up with absolute perfection during assembly.

The differences are the small, sublte details--the rounding of the blade spine (although BM does the same thing on the 710s, however that's where the comparisons between these two end)--the very fine jimping on the blade, the finely detailed jimping on the liner lock, the absolute perfection of the finish and operation, all these extra small details and finishing go above and beyond where Benchmade leaves off, and in my opinion these are what set the knife apart.

Well, that and the absolutely wonderfully understated, elegant design of the knife itself.

Best,

Heekma
 
unit said:
A good summary might be to say, the jump in "wow factor" between a 5 dollar gas station knife to a 50 dollar spyderco/benchmade/kershaw/whatever is big. The difference in "wow" between that 50 dollar knife (that has similarly fantastic blade materials) to the 500 dollar knife is going to be subtle by compare.
Click to expand...

That's it!

I do like "high end" production knives, but I also LOVE my "high value" Spydercos! :D
 
Last edited:
The part of this discussion I find interesting is that every few weeks or so someone always wants to know what others think of the relative value of certain knives versus their price. I've only been around (Bladeforums) for a little over a year and I've already seen it dozens of times.

The bottom line is always the same - nothing is ever really priced on "hype" for any length of time. Premium priced items are that way for a reason, but that doesn't mean "value" can't be had at almost any price range. All you can do is look for the best "value" you can afford and enjoy. For disclosure - I do have Benchmades, Spydercos, Kershaws, AGRussells, some slippies, etc,and a few Sebenza's. CR knives appeal to me personally, and their quality and service is consistently impeccable. YMMV
 
Great vid So-Lo and I agree with you. When I first saw the sebbie I was just getting into knives. I held it and was like "Why is THIS $400?" it didnt have stag scales or was an auto or anything really special about it and I just couldnt appreciate it. After I bought up in levels I finally purchased one and when I did I had the knowledge and the experience to fully appreciate it for what it was. The little details made it special.

I went through the same thing with 1911's I couldnt see spending more than $600 on a military grade 1911. Then I bought a Kimber Custom II and was like whoa this is nicer. Finally ended up with a Grand Raptor with modifications and I could really understand all the little differences which made it awesome.
 
So-Lo said:
That's it!

I do like "high end" production knives, but I also LOVE my "high value" Spydercos! :D
Click to expand...

Spoken like a true bladeaholic. The overall concept you are promoting is spot on. I felt the same way when I bought my XM18. I agree with your above statment :thumbup:

This message is RevDevil approved! :D
 
i had a sebenza ,sold it,bought another. still have it,its cool,i know its well made,but it still doesnt blow me away,& i dont think its worth close to 500.00 new(with the inlays)but i hate to be without it.....
 
Great video....

I saw a Sebenza for the 1st time about 10 years ago. One of my bosses is located out of the US and asked me to forward a package that was being sent to my office. He told me to open it up, check the contents and send it out to him.

Inside was a Sebenza with an invoice from CRK. I fondled the knife for a few minutes and knew immediately it was a high quality knife, I said to myself....not bad for $90.00... I didn't read the invoice carefully, it was his knife that had been refurbished by CRK.
 
BladeForums didn't get top billing from you in this video? F U :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top