Are Sebenzas a "hard use" knife ?

T

The_300

Joined
Apr 17, 2006
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I see many pictures here and the Sebenza seems to be a top choice among knife savvy people but I don't recall seeing any that have been used hard.
Does the hollow ground blade hold up well to hard use ?
I am going to buy a Sebenza but I use my knives for camping, hunting, fishing and every day chores and I want to be sure that the Sebenza will hold up to it.
Thanks in advance !
 
I dont think I have ever heard of anyone tearing up a Sebenza! ROCK SOLID! Kevin
 
YES, if a SNG is considered tough. The Sebbie is a very "hard use" knife.

Here is a few pic's. ;)

All are considered "hard use" knives. Notice the lockups, and how much Ti is cutout on the lockbar near the end of the knives.

Left to right

(cut out shot)
Large Micarta Sebbie
Kirby Lambert Fireball
Rick Hinderer XM-18
Strider SNG
Strider SNG

IMG_6214.jpg


(lockup shot)
IMG_6208.jpg



The Sebbie covers more tang than ALL of these "hard use" knives. (about 75%-80%)
The Sebbie has two cuts in the lockbar, leaving it thicker than the Striders.

Now just think, the SNGs do not even have Ti on the non-locking side. Not to mention the QC on the Striders.

Look how off center that blade is. :eek:
IMG_6052.jpg


Look how thin Strider cuts the lockbar. :eek:
IMG_5809.jpg



Get you a Sebbie, and don't look back! ;)
 
I'm going to have to look hard at a Sebbie now. Very convincing post, and I never would have thought that b/c I never thought of them as "hard use" . Great information. Clint
 
What is hard use again? Prying...?:yawn:

Anywho...what is the thickness of the Ti on the cut out? Length of relief, etc. on the large Sebenza, Strider, and Hinderer.
 
clintg said:
I'm going to have to look hard at a Sebbie now. Very convincing post, and I never would have thought that b/c I never thought of them as "hard use" . Great information. Clint
Click to expand...

Thanks,

I have nothing against Strider, their SNG is a great design. Feels like it molds to your hands. Its just that people see the Sebbie as a pretty knife. We all know pretty does not equal "hard use." WRONG, I would put a Sebbie up against a SNG any day off the week. The Strider is a "hard use" knife, but so is a Sebbie. If not tougher than.

I think real world use would see a framelock slip, not break. The Sebbie would be prone to last longer before the slip would happen. As the tang face is about a 85 deg. angle. The Strider is about a 80 deg. angle. Thus being prone to slip a little faster then the lock that is closer to 90 deg.

I hope my thoughts, made their way into this post. :cool: Its kind of hard to type about it. :o


Get a large reg. before they dry up. They have a bullnose shape that will be more suited to "hard use" tasks. IMHO
 
my small reg seb 'IS' pretty!
pretty to look at
pretty to use
pretty comfortable in the hand
pretty comfortable in the pocket
pretty dependable
PRETTY HARD TO BEAT!
 
Thanks for the advice !!
I know that a folder isn't a prybar, chisel or hammer. What I meant by hard use is a jack of all trades knife that wil hold an edge well and stand up to everyday chores and the great outdoors.
What can you tell me about the S30V steel and the hollow grind on the blade ??

So-Lo, when you said "get one before they dry up" what did you mean by that?
Are they discontinuing them ?:confused:
 
The_300 said:
So-Lo, when you said "get one before they dry up" what did you mean by that?
Are they discontinuing them ?:confused:
Click to expand...

Sadly the regulars are being disco'ed. :eek:

They feel better in hand for me. Large or small its hard to go wrong either way. I am a big fan of the regular, so I say regular when I can. :D

S30-V is great.....but IMHO BG-42 is better. There was a large BG-42 reg. in the exchange last I looked. If I didn't alreadyt have one I would be scooping that puppy up.

Hollow grind will last longer as you sharpen the blade away, it will still be thin at the edge. Chris thought or it ALL when he made the Sebbie. :cool:
 
The_300 said:
Thanks for the advice !!
I know that a folder isn't a prybar, chisel or hammer. What I meant by hard use is a jack of all trades knife that wil hold an edge well and stand up to everyday chores and the great outdoors.
What can you tell me about the S30V steel and the hollow grind on the blade ??

So-Lo, when you said "get one before they dry up" what did you mean by that?
Are they discontinuing them ?:confused:
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, the Sebbie is the jack of all trades. Or should I say Master. It slices, dices and makes stir fry. The quality is great, easy to clean, use, sharpen, etc. The hollow grind will help when you continue to use and sharpen. Basically, the blade will last longer....wait, this is Bladeforums...I'm sure you will buy another knife before you have to replace a blade.
 
Yes in my not so humble opinion the Sebenza is a very hard use knife. Chris doesn't beat his chest and proclaim to the world that is knife is the greatest thing since swiss cheese. Just like in life, the loud mouth tough guy is usually the one least likely to back up his boasts. I've seen more than one tough guy melt when someone talks back and stands their ground. Chris doesn't need to advertise his knives as "the world's #1 hard use knife in the world!". He's the quiet guy that sits in the backround and lets his product do the talking. I'd like to see Noss do a test to see which folder is toughest. I think CRK puts out the best stuff and I vote with my wallet. I could probably pay for a year of college tuition for my daughter with amount I've spent on Sebbies. Well maybe that's going a little overboard but I've probably spent about $10K over the last 10 years or so on Sebbies. I don't regret it even a little bit. If my kid wants to go to school, she can do it the way I did. I worked hard and put myself through college.:p:thumbup::cool:
 
One more thing to add.

If Noss did do a test on various folders such as the Sebenza, Strider SNG, Hinderer XM-18, Benchmade 520/710/720, ZT 200/300, Spyderco Para/Military/Manix, etc. I have a feeling that the knives with the thickest blades and pivots would win out. It is a simple matter of size. Say you have the same blade, handle, hardware steel which would mean it would come down to the design of the knife. The design includes thickness of blade, handle/liners and what style of hardware is used. I feel that the more steel in the blade and handle and the bigger the pivot/hardware the strong or more hard use it would be.

There are variables such as type of steel and heat treatment which would change the outcome of the tests. Knowing this I still feel that more steel and bigger pivots/hardware/screws/bolts would win. But this is coming from someone that doesn't have a Strider, ZT or Hinderer (mainly because they don't have a lefty variant) if I had these models to compare to the Sebenza my thoughts maybe different.

Bottom line is a folder test, scientific or not, would be extremely interesting. And it needs to be done. Of course, the more scientific the better, nothing against Noss's tests I just would like to see the numbers behind the tests.

Okay, that is all for now. Carry on.
 
Xcel as a lefty I fell into the CRK camp by default. The only other way to get a dedicated left hand framelock is to go custom (and wait) and that's a hit or miss proposition at best. CRKs left hand availabilty is a huge reason I patronize CRK. I can't work my right thumb to open a knife because it's messed up. I tried real hard to adapt to right hand models but only ended up discouraged and cut up. Regardless of the tougness of a folder, if I can't easily open and close a folder with my left hand, it just won't work for me. The axis from Benchmade will do the trick but I'm just not a big fan of the axis lock.:eek::cool:;)
 
Scott Dog: I agree on the lefty viewpoint. Using a knife that is designed and built for a lefty is great. It just works.

Maybe my previous post came across wrong but I don't mean to give off the impression that the Sebenza is not hard use. It is. I just feel that when people talk about testing a folder they mean to test it in the same way one would a fixed blade. Which means prying, baton work, etc. all the stuff that a folder should not go through or I should say, it was not designed for in the first place. I have the idea that one carries a folder because is more handy then a fixed blade. It comes second in line in the use line. Generally, a fixed blade is the primary tool for cutting which includes adding in a baton tool or prying. A folder is an improvised knife, so to speak.
 
Sebenza = hard use. I have used and abused my Sebbies and they have always come through with flying colors.
 
I am a big fan of Sebenzas, (strider folders, too). I consider the Sebenza to be a tough, hard use Sebenza. If I need to pry something, then I'll reach for a pry bar. I've known some people use a knife to pry. Not a good result:jerkit: Use the right tool for the right job.;)
 
My large regular sebenza goes with me to do everyday work on the farm and it wont even flinch..
 
Use it.
For example last w/e I used mine to cut insulation, vapour barrier, house wrap and ceiling tiles.
(Tougher tasks require a fixed blade)
 
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