Batoning a Sebenza

[Serpico]

Has anyone had the guts to baton their sebby? For those who haven't heard of this, I mean whacking the spine of the blade with a piece of wood to split a piece of wood.

 

[corwise]

Why? Seriously, it's a folder. While it might do it, why would you want to? If you're ever caught in the woods with only your sebbie and no fixed blade, you definitely don't want to baton with it on the off chance it breaks, then you'd really be screwed.

 

[marthinus]

There was one member that had to do it because they needed the wood and it was freezing! Nothing wrong with the Seb afterwords but it is only a last resort. I cant remember if I saved the photos or the thread. I will have to browse a bit unless someone else finds it before I do.

 

[Robert.B]

thats why you go into the woods with either a hatchet or a decent sized camp knife (aka a busse, becker, etc)...i personally wouldnt be doing that with a sebbie unless it was life or death.

 

[Bucky]

Whenever I read a post like this with a question about using the Sebenza for a pretty hardcore application normally reserved for fixed blades, I am always reminded of the article from Doug Ritter's Equipped to Survive site entitled: "Respect the Compromise."

http://www.equipped.org/devices10.htm#RespectTheCompromise

As folders go, the Sebenza is just about the toughest out there, but using a folder of any kind for batoning is not a particularly good idea unless you have to because of the inherent lack of strength at the pivot.

 

[zyhano]

I didn't do it.

but it's composed of certain metal parts of which you approximately know or can guess what they can take.

the blade will handle it. The handles can handle it. Can the pivot mechanism handle it? Yeah, probably, but it depends on a lot of factors that are not worth trying out.
The technique (holding the blade correctly when going through the wood), the force, the impact point of the baton, the force your hand applies on the handle, some inherent differences per knife (they are of course a little, just a little bit different per product), the impact angle, the size and weight and therefore force of batonning etc etc.

Still, the pivot is not weak. It'll probably handle it. Try it and post a review

Realize (and I mean no disrespect) that it is in the same category as asking "Did anyone punch their girlfriend in the jaw and could she handle it?" Yeah, she probably could, but is it smart? Is it worth finding out? Does she deserve it ?

 

[Nathan Gould]

i have done so in the past, it is netter to do it with the blade in the unlocked position, this way you don't risk damaging the locking mechanism and less force is transferred into the pivot.

 

[ExMachina]

There was one member that had to do it because they needed the wood and it was freezing! Nothing wrong with the Seb afterwords but it is only a last resort. I cant remember if I saved the photos or the thread. I will have to browse a bit unless someone else finds it before I do.

not to laugh at anyone else's misery......but if you can afford a Sebenza in the first place, who the heck then ends up in a situation where he has nothing between himself and hypothermia other than a 3.5" folding knife?

ok, maybe i'm being unfair and Murphy's Law being what it is, maybe i'll be in that exact situation next week...but still, as a general rule, seems like if you have good reason to believe that your life is going to depend on a pocket folder, then you're doing something wrong

 

[marthinus]

not to laugh at anyone else's misery......but if you can afford a Sebenza in the first place, who the heck then ends up in a situation where he has nothing between himself and hypothermia other than a 3.5" folding knife?

ok, maybe i'm being unfair and Murphy's Law being what it is, maybe i'll be in that exact situation next week...but still, as a general rule, seems like if you have good reason to believe that your life is going to depend on a pocket folder, then you're doing something wrong

I cant find the thread. Tried to search but no positive hits. I agree that depending on a pocket knife is not the best but if I remember correctly this was very unexpected and the knife held up. It was not 15 cm radius logs or batoning through a tree. Smaller pieces to get the fire going.

Murphy has a strange way of testing out tools these days!

 

[65535]

I wouldn't say it's a good choice to baton at all, the blade is thin and short. You wouldn't be able to reliably split wood with a diameter larger than about 2". It doesn't make a good wedge being so thin, so rather than split you pretty much have to cut the wood.