Chris Reeve Fixed Blade for a Sebenza owner?

NjHart

NjHart

Joined
Jan 4, 2013
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First, sorry for this being vaguely similar to my topic in general discussion earlier, but I thought I might gain a little more specific insight here. A month or so ago I bought my first Sebenza, and I love it. Nothing fancy- just a large lefty 21, but its absolutely perfect for my every day use. In fact, it hasn't been more than 5 feet from me since I got it in the mail. I'm so happy with it in fact, that I've decided not to really look at any other folders at the moment (maybe a lefty 25 later this year, but even then I'm pretty happy where I sit for now), so I've decided to venture into the world of fixed blades. My short list of manufacturers are Chris Reeve, Busse, ESEE, and thanks to suggestions SURVIVE!. How to the Chris Reeve fixed blades handle? I'm sure they will be manufactured to perfection, but how visible and satisfying is that compared to my beloved Sebenza? Any thoughts or suggestions from more experienced fixed blade users as this'll be my first? Thanks yall and I appreciate the help!
 
The OPR ( One Piece Range ) are great knives. Since they were discontinued, the prices have doubled and tripled, but they do fluctuate also. I had 15 OPR I believe before I ever ventured into sebenza land. There are pics of my collection in my CRK Timeline in the Stickys. They are great knives. Pretty much comes down to blade profile. They made Spearpoint ( MY Favorites ), clip points, upsweep versions like the Sables. Several to pick from, just figure out which suites your needs the best then the search is on. I personally think the Shadow IV is the best all around, its a 5.5" spearpoint blade. The hollow handle is watertight and can stow different items. They are very grippy as the handles are knurled. If doing chopping, a glove is recommended as it can lead to hot spots as some say. Though that just depends on the person as I once chopped down a 6" diameter ironwood tree with the small 4" blade shadow III. It took about an hour, but I did it and was bare handed. Nearly all of them were made from A2 steel and sharpen and holds a good edge.

The military knives are nice and I have had 3 of them. I sold the Neil Roberts and the 5.5 Green Beret. I kept the Pacific as I feel it suites my outdoor needs best. They are probably more comfortable in hand, but lack the hollow handle. They are made in S30V and I believe new models in S35VN.

Either way, you cant go wrong. And I am a Busse Fan too and they make some out standing models as well. The Busse Team Gemini featured on The Walking Dead is still available. I got one, what can I say. HUGE TWD Fan....lol.
 
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I use and have some experience with fixed blades. I own many and have sold many. To be honest, the Chris Reeve Nyala is one of my favorites. I have used it for hours in the woods and for days on end, and to my surprise, my hands found the knife to be comfortable. It is basically a fixed blade Sebenza, which we know you already like. I really like Busse but only in larger blades as far as edge retention goes. I LOVE their designs in the smaller knives though, but their big boys are stupid strong and will take an immense amount of abuse. As far as ESEE goes, you either love or hate them. I personally LOVE ESEE. Not just the knife, but the community too like the CRK people here. Some people find their blocking handle design to be uncomfortable. They aren't the most comfy but you can't beat their prices and warranty.
Look at Fiddleback Forge too. my favorite. Andy Roy is a stellar guy and his knives are SOOOOO comfortable.
 
The Nyala is an excellent knife. Reminds me of a fixed blade Sebenza and at a great price. For me it works well in both edc and outdoor use. At the same time, I really like Busse knives and its hard to go wrong with any of their models. The SAR 3 and 4 also make great general use knives and can take a beating.
 
I too had one piece fixed blades before I got a CRK folder but as mentioned the prices are now crazy and just not worth it, IMO. The Nyala is a superb little knife and would be great choice for a CR fixed blade in line with hunting, bushcraft or even an EDC. The knives like the Pacific and G.B. are great too but they are larger and I just couldn't make them replace my OPKs and other users.
There are many, many great fixed blades out there and if you choose one on recommendation from someone that has actually carried and used the knife and not the standard hype from knives owned but never used, that you see with some brands, you will be a happy camper. :):thumbup:
 
I'm looking for a compliment to my Sebenza. The Nyala is really nice, but I think my Sebenza can a slightly larger fixed blade would probably make a better pairing for me. I really like the OPR and smaller green beret and pacific from Chris Reeve. The OPR seems so simple and utilitarian and the military knives seem great and really are aesthetically very nice as well. With Busse, if the Pork Shank was more readily available it's unlikely I'd be looking much further, but I'm not really crazy of scouting around and trying to find them second hand, the mean street is a little small for me, and the TGLB might be a little big. ESEE doesn't have the appeal of the other two to me, but great warranty and great price go a long way in helping to add to the appeal. Oh and as a late addition the Microtech ADO is essentially an OPR homage- It's very nice cosmetically, but I'm a little more cautious with them.
 
Don't bother with the Microtech, the knives I have seen and handled were of poor quality and they are very small. That is about as nice as I can be about them. :)

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Oh wow thanks for that heads up. That is an absolutely worthless size for me. I was expecting much larger.
 
I had a Nyala for a couple years. I reeeaally wanted to like it. I did not really like the rounded handle and I just never warmed up to the "shrunken" handle scales. Otherwise the knife is near perfect for my fixed blade needs. I'm on a FB kick right now actually and two I really like are Striders SA-GG (go anywhere, do anything, small FB) and the Strider EB-S (heavier, stout larger FB). I've owned five or six
Of CRKs OPR & a GB 5.5 and never warmed up to them either. I would've liked to handle a Mountaineer at some point though.
 
archieblue said:
I had a Nyala for a couple years. I reeeaally wanted to like it. I did not really like the rounded handle and I just never warmed up to the "shrunken" handle scales. Otherwise the knife is near perfect for my fixed blade needs. I'm on a FB kick right now actually and two I really like are Striders SA-GG (go anywhere, do anything, small FB) and the Strider EB-S (heavier, stout larger FB). I've owned five or six
Of CRKs OPR & a GB 5.5 and never warmed up to them either. I would've liked to handle a Mountaineer at some point though.
Click to expand...

I took a look at those two striders and actually watched your video review (I'm assuming it was you at least from the name and the suggestions). I'm not sure either of those two would be quite right for my purposes, but it did get to reconsider my size requirement. I should probably have included a little more of my intended use. I carry my Sebenza for my everyday chores and I'm more than happy to put it through pretty much any and all tasks, but it would be nice to have a complimentary blade I could use for some outdoors activities and light to moderate ranch work. If I need to cut a tree down I'll get a chainsaw or an axe but there is more than enough work for a good knife without going overboard. I also would like to have something that I could always toss in my bag for any fishing trips or the like that could serve as good general use whether its fish prep, rope cutting, hacking underbrush, etc. Also I'm an avid BBQ cook and using something other than a kitchen knife always seems so much more appropriate.

I started rethinking the size I was looking for and scaled it back a bit. I really wouldn't want to go less than 4(ish) inches on the blade but also not more than 6. I really like the shape on the Strider SA (the consistent curve makes knives much easier to sharpen for me, though the varied angle could get annoying fast). I have plenty of time before my next trip where whatever I choose would get some more intense use, so I'm in no real rush, but I think I've refined my list a bit:

CRK Nyala- it compliments the Sebenza nicely and everyone seems a fan. I'm not blown away by it from pictures, but neither was I on a Sebenza until I held one

CRK Green Beret 5.5'- Seems great overall, good size, it seems a bit aggressive for my uses, but there are worse things. The serrations are a major downside for me though, and it may be just a bit too much knife for my use.

Busse Pork Shank- Very cool knife, I like almost everything about it except what I'd have to pay to get one, and then having to pay to get a sheath.

Swamp Rat Rodent 4- Good size, good price (though it needs a sheath too). It fits the bill nicely, but I'm not as attracted to it and I'm always a little uncomfortable buying from a budget line from a great manufacturer. I have no real doubts about its quality, but still never feel comfortable compromising.

Strider SA- Love the shape, I really like the size. It's also on the pricier end and may be more than I need in the beefy department without enough cutting utility unless I really went to work making it my own so to speak.

Thanks for all of the input so far yall! I'd really enjoy hearing anything else yall have to add or any thoughts on the more refined list. I'm definitely not ready to order tomorrow or anything, but I like to start getting my mind and wallet around what I want to order next.
 
I have three fixed blades: a CRK green beret 7", a Wilson combat model 2 5", and a burt foster "Personal Carry" 3".

The green beret is great for chopping limbs, battoning firewood, and other camp chores, but wayyyy to big for processing game. The Wilson blade is heavy D2 and a good all rounder, but for game and fine cutting the Foster blade is the bee's knees!

If I had to pick a single survival blade I think a 5.5" green beret, or a pacific would be interesting.
 
Once in a while one will pop up on the exchange so keep your eye out. If not they are on most of the sites that sell CRK for right around $230. Which isnt too bad for a Chris Reeve!!!
 
Gotta put in another plug for the Nyala. I've had mine since last October, used it to dress out and skin a big deer, used it as my only knife on a 10 day camping trip--it's a terrific all rounder and it carries really easily in the sheath. It did take me a little bit of time to warm up to it, though. I guess it was the shortish, wide blade and the unconventional look, but it is very functional and just a pleasure to use.
 
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