Buck Waimea and Small Sebenza

somniloquist

somniloquist

Joined
Aug 9, 2007
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So I finally (finally!) pulled the trigger and got myself a small computer graphic Sebenza. It's awesome and I carry it every day now. Before buying it, I contemplated the Waimea a great deal but figured I'd be better buying the Sebenza. Everyone knows you can try to substitute for a Sebenza, but you'll still be drawn to the original and you'll probably end up owning both.

Acting on that logic, I bought the Sebenza first, thinking I`d get past lusting over the Waimea. Alas, it did not happen. There`s just something about it, maybe the Mayo design, clip point blade, Bos heat treat...I don`t know.

What I would like to know is how the two seem compare to one another. Maybe someone who has experience with both would be kind enough to chime in. Also, I would be very grateful if someone could post a comparison pic of the two. If not, a pic of a Waimea with a common knife like a Delica, Mini Grip, Vic Soldier or the like would be tremendously helpful. Thanks in advance!
 
I don't have any experience with the waimea. But if you want to try a knife that is much cheaper but essentially has the same Bos heat treated S30V blade check out the Buck Vantage Pro.

I know that's not what you are looking for but for $45 you can probably get 90% of the performance of the waimea. I think the Vantage might be a little bigger but not by much.
 
I have Sebs & have had the Buck/Mayo TNT & Waimea. I think the Waimea's very nice & it is light, but I'm not sure it's a good comparison to the Seb.

The Waimea's blade is a bit shorter (2 5/8", IIRC) & it's 3 5/8" closed. It's size is closer to a Minandi & PT. Now, the TNT's a good comparison to the Seb. It's not a Seb, but it is nice & the blade shape is neat. Also, it's a little larger than a small Seb, so that could be a plus if you have lg. hands. Even so, the TNT's only 1/8" longer than the small Seb (& the blade's about 1/8" longer, too).

Personally, I like the Buck/Mayo Waimea/TNTs better than the Bradley Alias II, although that's a nice knife, too.

Decisions, decisions, huh?
 
I have had many different Sebs, and have small and large micarta classic Sebs. I also have a Buck TNT, and would like to get a Waimea, along with desert ironwood Sebs. The TNT is a great knife, the Sebs I've had have been great knives. Which would I want, a seb or a TNT Buck? Seb. Seb or custom TNT, TNT!
 
I had a Waimea and it was the sharpest knife I had out of the box. The knife has a good feel and lighter than the Seb. It's a pretty good second choice, but it's not quite a sebbie.
 
Here are some pics of the Small Sebenza, Buck Waimea and Buck TNT. Sorry for them being a bit screwed up:

IMG_0629.jpg

IMG_0640.jpg

IMG_0637.jpg

IMG_0635.jpg
 
The Sebenza outclasses the Waimea for build quality, no one will dispute that. Otherwise, here are my observations:
The small Sebenza has a little better ergonomics for me.
The Waimea is lighter, and opens easier and more smoothly (I like the hole better than the thumbstud).
The Waimea will hold an edge better (CR does S30V to 58-59 Rc, while Buck does it to 59.5, and I have observed much better edgeholding with my Buck S30V).
My small Sebenza has a significantly thicker edge bevel than my Waimea.
Here is a straight on comparison picture:
Knives12-8-07021.jpg
 
Waimea feels even smaller in comparison to the small sebbie than pics convey, IMHO. Also it has very flat + thin handle slabs which I found to be uncomfortable, while the sebbie offers significantly more grippability.
 
The Buck 347 Vantage Pro has the same ~3.1" S30V blade as the Buck 172 Mayo TNT. I A-B-ed them and the BM 630/635 Skirmish/mini Skirmish and went for the BMs. They are healthy Ti framelocks with S30V blades. My 347 Vantage Pro is a keeper, too.

Stainz
 
A tremendous thanks to both Sticf and Lambertiana for the pictures. They are incredibly helpful to me and I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, living where I do, I'll never get to handle any decent knife before I buy it, so I'm forced to rely upon internet photos and opinions. Everyone's input so far has been great and I appreciate it. CL01 and I discussed this topic before and I should probably just shut up and pull the trigger already.

I have to say, the Waimea's diminutive size is a big plus for me. I work in an office and wear a suit all day and I've had some funny looks over my knife sometimes. I once pulled out a handsome stag-scaled stockman to open a water cooler jug for our admin assistant and she looked me like I was a murderer or something. I'm hoping the Waimea's smaller blade might go over a bit better. Even if it doesn't, it seems like a half plausible story to justify a new blade purchase. Hey, I'm an addict! At least I can admit it... :o

As for the Buck Vantage, the recommendations I've received here inspired me to take a closer look at it. It seems like a very nice knife for the price and I'd wager a solid performer with that steel and heat treat. I also really like flippers and this knife has a nice one. However, there's just something about the Waimea that gets me. I really like Mayo's minimal aesthetic and it's about as close as I'll get to owning a Mayo since his pieces command such high prices. Soon it will be mine...soon...
 
I love my Waimea, really a nice little EDC blade and one of my sharpest knives.
The lock is really solid and I do not see the added value for the small sebbie because it's double the price.
 
Am I correct in thinking the Waimea is a hollow ground blade? The TNT looks vaguely flat ground from the pictures.
 
The TNT, Waimea, and Sebenza are all hollow ground. The TNT has a really deep hollow grind, and is still fairly thin right up to the opening hole.
 
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