Another thing to keep in mind is price fixing. Benchmades and Spydercos have a street price far below the MSRP. They are sold to wholesalers who sell to distributers who sell to dealers. High-end production brands like CRK and Strider sell only to licensed dealers, and those dealers must sell at the suggested price or they don't get any more knives.
I am not saying this price fixing is a bad thing, but it is the reason a Sebenza is $385 instead of $200. If you had to pay full price on every knife, the Sebenza wouldn't really be that much more expensive.
Forgetting about that, you must also keep in mind that CRK is a small company. They do not deal in volume as much as, say, Benchmade. Benchmade can afford to make a smaller profit per knife.
Lastly, CRK puts a lot of human eyes and hands on the knives. This is why they have custom-like fit and finish on every knife that leaves the shop. Having real people do the work and assure fit and finish requires more money. The fit and finish of CRK is noticably better than brands like BM, Buck, Kershaw, Spyderco, etc... this is a very real improvement, and for some people, a very important one.
Some people say for the price of a Sebenza, you can get a custom. And you can (though usually for a little more than a plain Sebbie). But getting a custom almost always requires a longer wait. And I don't think similarly priced customs are actually any better than a Sebenza. The Sebenza is such a great deal because it gives you a custom-level fit and finish, and far better availability. Yes, the price is the same, but so is the quality, IMO.
Is a Sebbie worth it? You have to answer that for yourself. I can tell you this, though:
I have a Skirmish, Rukus, 710, AFCK, and Griptilian. All together, they cost more than the $385 I spent on my Sebenza. My Sebenza has brought me more joy than all of my Benchmades put together. For me, buying a high-end knife like a Sebenza brings me more joy than spending the same amount of money on several knives from lesser brands. And that is saying a lot, because I adore all of my BMs, Spydies, Kershaws, Bucks etc.... So the question becomes: Are you going to spend more than $385 (or $330 for a small) on knives anyways? If so, maybe you should buy a Sebbie. If you don't plan on spending that much on less expensive knives (i.e., maybe you just want to spend around $100 on knives and then stop buying them), then the Sebbie might not be the best choice.
Also, you have to ask yourself if you will use a Sebenza or not. I paid the money because the Sebenza is such a great user, so I use it. But if you are scared to use a $300+ knife, then it would be a waste.
