Benchmade Skirmish or CR Sebenza?

KLJTech

KLJTech

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
1,180
Has anyone here own or had the opportunity to handle the Benchmade Skirmish? I’ve recently been in the market for a Chris Reeve Sebenza (large) based mainly on its reputation and the fact that I’ve had a chance to handle one. I consider nearly four hundred dollars a lot of money for a folder (albeit a very nice folder) but a price I’m willing to pay. This past week I received a Benchmade catalog that I had requested and I was very much intrigued by the Skirmish. The blade of both knives is S30V, The handles are both made of titanium and both feature the same type of locking mechanism. The Skirmish is a little over an inch longer at 9.70” and around 2 ounces heavier than the Sebenza. It’s possible that the Sebenza has a much better fit and finish as I’ve never seen the Skirmish in person. I am a huge fan of Chris Reeves knives but I can purchase the Benchmade for a little more than $200 less than the Sebenza.
Any input would be appreciated.

Kevin
 
Well i have a 630 and love it . Its not a Sebenza but the 630 is very well made knife . I think it will last you a life time. Plus for EDC I would rather beat up a 200.00 knife than a 400.00 knife. Good luck :)
 
Yes CR knives are nice, but they are also overpriced. I have a 630 skirmish. It's solid and the fit and finish is great. I cant find a flaw on it anywhere, and at least it comes with a little color. The 630 is made of the same materials as the sebenza, but for less than half the $$$. For the price of a sebenza you could buy a skirmish, a 710HS, and a 42 balisong :eek:
 
I don't have a Sebenza so won't comment there.

The 630 has served me very well thus far. However, it's BIG. If I had it to do over again I think I would buy the smaller version. Scares the hell out of the sheeple when I pull the 630 out so I often don't and end up digging for me SAK instead.
 
Well, I've owned three sebenzas, and a BM 630. I don't own any Sebenzas now, but that's not because they're not good knives, just because I had the opportunity to get a dream custom for it. As far as the 630 is concerned, you may want to look at the 635 which is the smaller of the two skirmishes, and is about the same size as a large sebenza. If you like the full size scales, you can get a limited edition 635 that has the same scales as the larger size. If you're limiting your search for a knife to these two, I'd still go for a Skirmish over the sebenza. The sebenza is a good knife, but as you've already set yourself up to think a $400 knife is expensive for a folder, you may already have set yourself up to be underwhelmed with the purchase. The differences between the skirmish and the sebenza are not worth the extra money to me. I know you can take apart the sebbie w/o voiding the warrantee, but I think Benchmade almost has to have that policy to deal with the moron who would screw with his knife, break it, then send a bunch of parts in a box to be fixed. At the $350-400 level, CRK doesn't really have that problem. I just can't see where you're getting $200 more knife with the Sebenza.

NOW, you MAY/WILL have to thin out the edge to get it to be a pure slicer, but that's just a bit of your time. In the end, get what you want, but having owned both, I say the skirmish is worth the savings.

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
The fact that the Skirmish is larger is a plus for me as I have relatively big hands. The larger size along with similar parts quality is the reason that I’m considering it as an alternative to the Sebenza. I have no problem with spending the money on the Sebenza but it twice the price of the Skirmish from what I see from checking out prices online. The Sebenza has a great reputation for quality and has been around for years. The CR Sebenza is the OLNY folder that I’ve been interested in for the past month or so until I saw the Skirmish in the BM catalog. I’ve only heard good things about Benchmade but it’s my understanding that the Skirmish is a new knife design (I could be wrong). Of course just because it’s a new design doesn’t mean that it isn't a great design.

Kevin
 
Well, the Skirmish IS a new design for the production market, but its actually a SCALED DOWN (if you can believe that) version of Blackwood's custom Skirmish. It has been executed VERY well, and is well worth the money.

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
I currently own both a large classic Sebenza and a BM 630. Thet are both great knives, but for the value for the money it's BM 630 all the way. The BM 630 is well made and uses very good steel. As mentioned above, if you prefer something a little smaller go for the BM 635 as the 630 is very large. The BM 630/635 both make great EDC's and if you were to lose it, you could buy two more for the price of the Sebenza. I can't speak for the warranty on the BM 630, but it is built very well, with a solid lockup, and I don't plan on taking it apart. Also did I mention the BM 630 was very large?

Cheers

Andy

Andy
 
Owned both, Several styles of Sebenzas as well as both the 630 and 635 Skirmish. Agree on the above posts, the 630 is a LARGE knife, mainly in terms of width, it really fills up a pocket, the blade cuts well but I had to move on because of it's size. Tried the 635 and liked it as well, a bit easier to pocket carry.

I own none of the above now, but that's just a matter of choice, I try many
knives out, always searching for the one, like a lot of us here. Lately I found the new Benchmade 525 Mini Presidio and that is in the realm of the size of a small Sebenza but has a lower point, flat ground blade and a sharp convexed edge, really a nice knife at just over a $100 delivered, hard to beat, if you need something larger, I'd recommend the big brother of that, the 520, just a pumped up version with same blade style and exception cutting ability.

G2
 
The Skirmish is in my opinion the best Benchmade knife made yet! Strong, sturdy, sharp and the design is comfy and very um,,,"tactical". However, the best folder I've ever seen is still the Sebenza! Great knife and the attention to detail is superb! It all depends on preference. Do you want something larger with more of a guard on it for say self defense? that is cheaper but with the same materials? That would be a Skirmish. If you want something with the strongest lock I've seen and is more utility but certainly could be tactical although has less of a guard. Is the sharpest folder I've seen then the Sebenza is for you. Plus the Sebenza is of legal length in most states where the Skirmish isn't. It's a monster! Good luck....R
 
I owned a 630 for a couple of weeks, but ended up selling it. It was a nice knife and I kind of regret letting it go. It was well built, very cool looking, and definitely worth the money. Unfortunately, it did not compare favorably to my large, regular Sebenza.

The blade on my Skirmish was slightly off center in the handle. That led to a subtle “pinched” feeling when opening the knife. Also, if the pivot screw was too loose, the blade would scrape against one of the handle slabs when it was opened (the pivot screw would back out easily if it wasn’t loc-tighted into place). Those types of problems are unheard of with the Sebenza.

The 630 I had was very difficult to unlock. It took a lot of force to move the lock bar over and the edge of the release is not rounded off, so it really digs into your thumb. The Sebenza isn’t exactly easy to unlock, but I don’t find it to be uncomfortable.

Design wise, the Skirmish was just too big to be a useful EDC for me. If you want a dedicated self-defense folder, it would probably work really well in that role. In terms of everyday chores though, I personally need a shorter blade that I can have more control over. If the 630 had a 50/50 choil, it would let you choke up on the handle and make the knife much more versatile, IMO.

So, I do like the Skirmish and think it’s a great value. The fit and finish of Benchmade knives in general seems to have gotten really good over the last few years. I’m thinking about buying the smaller 635 as one of my next purchases. I did not, however, find the Skirmish to be on the same level as the Sebenza.
 
Get Sebenza if you can. Simple as that, you will not regret it. I own both 635 and large plain Sebbie. I didn’t get the 630 simply because it was too large. The Benchmade is great and just a tad smaller but I’d pick sebbie over it any day of the week. It is worth the money. And by the way, if you’re not planning on using it, get whatever the cheapest knife you can get that will please you. Unless its for collection of course.
 
Sorry if I'm out of turn here, but I really like my dominator. I'd like to recommend it to you.
 
I have a BM 635 and a large classic and a small regular Sebenza. All are great folders and just right for edc. The BM 635 will do anything the Sebenzas will do. Having said that, however, I suggest you get the Sebenza. For me at least, the fit, finish, and feel of the Sebenza sets it apart from the BM 635.
 
Does the fit & finish on the Sebenza really stand apart from the BM Skirmish? My EDC for nearly two years now has been a CRKT M16-14SF (over 9” long and 2 1/4” at the hilt) so I’m used to carrying a larger folder. I want this next purchase to be my EDC for many years. You guys know how it is, I’ll probably end up buying both over the next year (it’s a sickness).
I really appreciate all the feedback.

Kevin
 
It does not depend so much on the fit and finish, it's much more important to know whether you want a utilitarian or self-defense knife here. If it's the former, go with the Sebenza. But the Skirmish is a much better tactical folder design. Don't get caught up in minor details.
 
KLJTech said:
Does the fit & finish on the Sebenza really stand apart from the BM Skirmish?

Kevin
Click to expand...

Yes, Kevin, if you include the mini-Skirmish. Being an owner of both (large Sebbie & BM 635 -first prodo #726/1000), I can say that I have watched the lock (frame-lock, or, as BM says, "Mono-lock") on my 635 wear its way across the blade tang at a very fast rate. I have not found this to be the case on my Sebbie. Something that CRK does that BM doesn't is to heat treat the lock-face of the Ti lock-bar, to deter premature wearing of the lock. Another reason to closely examine "fit & finish". The devil is in the details.

Best wishes,
3Guardsmen

Edited to add: The BM 630 looks to have more Ti making contact with the blade tang, so that may compensate slightly for the quick wear associated with my 635 (I don't have the 630), but I'd advise you, if you're going to get a Ti frame-lock, to get one with a heat treated lock-face. Other than the quick wear, I haven't noticed any other problems.
 
Gary W. Graley said:
Lately I found the new Benchmade 525 Mini Presidio and that is in the realm of the size of a small Sebenza but has a lower point, flat ground blade and a sharp convexed edge, really a nice knife at just over a $100 delivered, hard to beat, if you need something larger, I'd recommend the big brother of that, the 520, just a pumped up version with same blade style and exception cutting ability.

G2
Click to expand...

Gary,
I read your review on that knife and appreciate it very much. You've caused me to take a serious look at that knife. Thanks!

Best wishes,
3Guardsmen
 
dannyv said:
Presidio has a 154cm blade , not S30V?
Click to expand...
Yep, both the larger 520 and the smaller 525 model have 154CM blades.
At least the ones I've owned, perhaps there have been some limited runs
with different steel?

And you're most welcome 3Guardsmen, as I say, give it a try without the clip
as I find they fit the hand so much better, plus they won't chew up your pocket edge that way either. :)
G2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top