Chris Reeve Sebenza 21. A knife for the perfectionist.

Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
3,530
Howdy folks!
I'm reviewing the Small flavor of the Sebenza 21.
I've carried this knife for about a year, with 3 months or so without it. Call it 8 months just to be safe. :)

I'll include some of the pictures that I have, but I'm basically stuck to only my phone, so I have limited ability to capture better pictures.

The knife that I'm reviewing here is the Small Sebenza 21.
It was created in "celebration" of 21 years of Sebenzas.
I chose it over the 25 purely because of aesthetics.

The blade is 2.94 inches long.
Just over 3mm wide, hollow ground.
CPM S35VN 58-59HRC

Uses a pivot bushing. Tighten the screw down all the way and its perfect. Even with the screw OUT, there is no bladeplay at all.

Handle is solid Titanium.
6.9 inches long overall.

Backspacer is Titanium.
Thumb stud is press-fit and also Titanium. After alot of use the blue color starts to wear off.

The washers are bronze and are made specifically for each knife. Not interchangeable between ANY CRK because the thicknesses are slightly different.

Comes with the tool necessary for a complete disassembly.
Disassembly is wicked easy and takes only about 10 minutes for a complete cleaning. It can only be reassembled one way. Mistakes are virtually impossible to make.

All of the screws are polished and sit at the same depth. Even the pivot screws.

The back of the handle jsnt actually flat. It has a subtle curve. Just enough to help keep your grip. :thumbup:


Lockup is right dead center at 50%. And when using it hard and pushing as hard as you can, it moves to almost 75%. Closing and re-opening brings it back to 50% again.
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The bevels around the edges of the handle are cut very cleanly and are the same exact width all the way around.

The words cut into the handles "Idaho Made" and the CRK logo are the same width throughout the letters and are also cut extremely cleanly.
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NO sharp edges. Anywhere.
No sanding lines or marrs from deburring.

The back of the blade is cut roundly and is very very smooth throughout.

Bevels are even down the length of the blade.

Detent is nice and crisp. Makes an audible "click" upon closing.

The pocket clip is perfection in itself. The second bump is like a "fail safe" and also clips to the pocket. If ever it starts to fall out, that second bump snags on the rim of your pocket. In a $350 knife its fantastic.
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There's a video on YouTube where Chris is being interviewed with a tour of his factory. He says that the space within the handles is within one-tenth of a thousandth down the length of the handle. That is so small, and the fact that they can use such tolerances blows my mind. I used a dial-caliper to check the centering, and that's also within a thousandth.

I had alot of problems trying to sharpen it, but I realized that my stones were just loaded up. After cleaning the stones, it was back to normal in terms of sharpening.
I've used it to cut tires, sandpaper, cans, wood, scraped off gaskets, etc.
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I use it just like any other knife. I actually use it harder because I know it can handle it. It's in the same condition as the day I got it, except for a few scratches.
The scratches on the Titanium look fantastic IMO.

It took some breaking in. At first when I got it, it was kinda tight.
Use it, disassemble. Clean. Over and over again. Probably 4 or 5 times, and not that it's broke in, its super smooth.

You need to hold it to start to understand. Better yet, buy one and start reading up on it after you've handled it to learn more. If you can find that video it would help even more.
It's by far my favorite knife that I own now, or have ever owned,. Ever.
It was worth every penny of the $350 that it costs.
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And a testament to why, regardless of where my aesthetics meter happens to be pegged at the time, my Sebenza never loses it's enviable position as my reference folder . . . the folder I use to judge the materials, fit and finish of every other folder in my collection. It's just that good! If you're considering a knife and a little voice doesn't go off in your head asking, "I wonder if this is as well-made as a Sebenza?", you probably don't own a Sebenza. ;)
 
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Great review of a Great Knife! One of my favorites as well!
Great review! 👍🏻
Thanks!
And a testament to why, regardless of where my aesthetics meter happens to be pegged at the time, my Sebenza never loses it's enviable position as my reference folder . . . the folder I use to judge the materials, fit and finish of every other folder in my collection. It's just that good! If you're considering a knife and a little voice doesn't go off in your head asking, "I wonder if this is as well-made as a Sebenza?", you probably don't own a Sebenza. ;)
Sounds about right. Like I said, it ruined me, because not many other knives are as well made.
 
Thanks for the review.
I have a shelf near my desk where I keep most of my folder knives. About 6 weeks ago I put my CRK knives in the drawer to make room for some other knives. Yesterday, I took out my Sebenzer and Umnam to look at as I had not seen them for a while and was able to appreciate all over again just how good the CRK knives are.
 
Good to see and hear folks! Keep the pictures coming!
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I agree with everything said, and I would like to point out that, all of it also applies to the regular size Sebenza. I have had pocket knives since I was a little kid, I grew up in a world that knew slip joints only though; it was only about three years ago that I started seriously collecting knives; first just for how much better they are now in construction and materials. I got heavily into Spyderco knives because they were reachable for my budget, in the process I always heard good things about Sebenzas but thought they were outrageously expensive, so I kept on ignoring them.

Then at the beginning of this year, I bought a Sebenza 25 with a carbon fiber scale, the quality just blew my mind, that it weights only 4 ounces made it even better; then I started researching the brand and studying everything I could read about them; the next acquisition was a Startac from Wilson Combat, and that again made me a fan. It was only until a couple of weeks ago that I decided to buy a used 21 just to check it out; and I remained impressed; but it was not until I disassembled the knife that I realized the amount of thought and design that went into making it.

I have two regular 21s and a 21 Insingo, and the manufacturing consistency is amazing; I measured the three just to see how much they differed, and found variances of only one to three ten thousands of an inch! I measured one of the hairs on my head and found it to be about one and a half ten thousand of an inch. That is impressive (the tolerances of the manufacturing, not my hair).

One thing I had never seen before is the bushing that fits in the hole in the blade and that holds the pivot pin/screw, it is a perfect fit; in fact the stop pin also has a bushing which in my mind serves in extending the endurance of such part since it can be rotated on its axis.
I can keep on writing about it but I would only be redundant at this point; as someone else has already mentioned, this knife, the 21, has also become the standard to measure the quality in any other knife I own.

Good post, thank you. I'll post some pictures soon; and I hope one of our members, LoneWolfe, comes and participates in this thread, Wolfe has an amazing collection of all kinds of CRKs, some of them breath taking; plus also possesses a vast knowledge of all things Sebenza :)
 
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Thanks for the review and nice pictures. :thumbup:

The Sebenza (and CRKs in general) never impressed me due to the price point; at that price, it damn well better be perfect. Good to see that it can stand up to rough use, though. Before your review, I had considered it the kind of knife a stuffy snob would carry for the sole purpose of impressing others. I've got a much more favorable opinion of the Sebenza now.
 
Thanks for the review and nice pictures. :thumbup:

The Sebenza (and CRKs in general) never impressed me due to the price point; at that price, it damn well better be perfect. Good to see that it can stand up to rough use, though. Before your review, I had considered it the kind of knife a stuffy snob would carry for the sole purpose of impressing others. I've got a much more favorable opinion of the Sebenza now.
As you should!
There isn't much to the knife, really.
Thick (ish) blade and thick handle scales made from Titanium and fairly thick bronze washers. It can take pretty much whatever you throw at it.
 
Thanks for the great review. Is the blade on the Insingo as robust as the standard blade, or is it ground more thinly for slicing?
 
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