Closing a Sebenza one handed

B

bearcut

Joined
Sep 3, 2006
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I keep looking at Sebenzas with the idea of eventually buying one. Money is no object. {Well, almost no object!} I live in Alaska and there are no dealers for them up here so I can't play with one in person.

To all Sebenza/Mnanadi owners out there. Can you close the knife quickly with one hand? I've dealt with some very nice expensive liner locks and the one thing I don't care for is the slow one handed detent of that particular design. Is the framelock easier to use than a liner lock?

Do the Mnanadi's use the same framelock mechanism as Sebenza's?

I do wish Chris Reeves website was more informative abouth the mechanics/ergonomics of his folders. It took me a lot of searching just to find out that Sebenzas use bushings in the blade pivot. I found this out on another website!

Anyway, I am considering William Henry, {smooth!},or High end Benchmade Axis as I know that they offer quick and easy opening AND closing. There don't seem to be too many other choices in a gentlemans folder with a decent locking mechanism which is why I am considering a Mnandi or small Sebenza.

All my current knives are high quality fixed/folders with S30V, laminated 3G powdersteel, or Talonite blades, so I don't get too excited about the materials used in the knife.It either has the good stuff or it doesn't. I do care about the locking mechanism because that is what makes a folder safe and enjoyable. {or not} And yes, I do like to whip my knife out, open it, cut what ever it is that needs severed, snap the blade shut, and put it back in my pocket before anyone even notices that I just used a knife!

Thanks for your input.

Bearcut
 
i can easily close sebenzas, small and large, reg and classic, one handed. but i have never found liner lock folders difficult to close.

the mnandi is a frame lock. it is small, and i have med sized hands, so found it a bit difficult to open and close. i have only handled one in a store, but im sure with some practice, it would get easy.
 
I have also small folders with both liner and framelock. I think that any small folder with 3 1/2 inch handles or less would be hard to close and even harder to open if you have medium or large hands. Even small spydies with holes are hard to open or close . This is just me.I do not have problems with the small sebenza though. I think it's just because the handles are too short to grip and limited fulcrum to thumb out the blade.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
the mnandi is a liner lock.
Click to expand...

By the definition of a liner lock, the Mnandi is a framelock, just like the Sebenza.

The Mnandi has a titanium frame with inlayed wood, the frame doubles as the lock. A liner lock has a frame and additional liners, one of which serves as the lock.
 
Small Sebenzas are easy to open and close one handed. Closing, at least for me. is a two stage process so that I get my thumb out of the way in time, but it's still quick, easy and one handed.

I would lean toward calling the Mnandi a frame lock. The outside of the lock is partially covered by the inlay but the lock is part of the frame and not a separate liner.

Rich
 
My only nit pick with a few of the Mandis is the cutout in the blade that your thumb pushes on when opening.. sometimes isn's as grippy as I would like. The edge of that cutout needs to sharp enough to easily catch on the skin of your thumb to make opening nice and positive.

Rich
 
As long as I'm nit picking, I wish CR would place the instructions for assembling a Sebanza (in the right order) much easier to find. It's there on their site but I don't find it easy to get to.

Nuts, now I can't find the page. It had a nice series of photos showing a Sebenza as it is being taken apart.

Rich
 
If you go to the Chris Reeve forum page, the one with the list of all these threads,
you will see 4 stickies at the top of that list. You should always check out stickies. :)

Read these two for answers to your questions:

Sticky: How I clean my Sebenza
Ted Voorde

Sticky: Sebenza & Mnandi specs and photos
Roefisher
 
But, the instructions should be easy to find on the Chris Reeve website and they aren't. At least not at this time.

Rich
 
Here are some pics showing the Mnandi's lock. I think my lighting screwed up the color balance. The background is really OD green.

This Mnandi has Desert Ironwood Inlays and a B&W Reptillian Damascus blade.

In the top pic, you can see from the side that the locking bar is exposed. The inlay only partially covers it.
This is a beefy frame lock on a small folder.
knivesmnandidetails013rzv5.jpg


knivesmnandidetails016roa1.jpg


knivesmnandidetails014rpf3.jpg


IMHO, the Mnandi feels great in the hand. You can get a very solid grip on it for thrusting. It is also easy to hold for very fine work. It's a great design.

Hope this helps.

All the best,
Rich
 
Rich357 said:
But, the instructions should be easy to find on the Chris Reeve website and they aren't. At least not at this time.

Rich
Click to expand...

I don't know how easy to find you want them, but ... go to the website at http://www.chrisreeve.com/ and go down the Folding Knives menu to Sebenza. Click on that for the main Sebenza page. At the bottom of the page you will find a link for Comments from Chris, which will lead you to this paragraph:
Each knife is supplied with an Allen wrench which can be used to dismantle the knife. This allows easy cleaning -- a drop of silicone or teflon oil needs to be put on the hinge after cleaning - try our Fluorinated Grease!​
The link for cleaning will take you through the disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly, with pictures at each step.

No, it's not a headline page on the website, but the Sebenza is an expensive item, and will repay reading around the site to understand and appreciate the intricacies of this deceptively simple design.
 
I just noticed that under the first menu item, Izindaba, you can access the FAQ, which has this link to the same instructions: How should I clean my Sebenza?
 
The word "quickly" can be dangerous ! The proper way to close the Sebenza is to push the lock sideways with your thumb and just start the blade past the lock with forefinger at the rear of the spine [not out further on the blade].Then make sure your fingers are clear of the blade and continue to close the blade with forefinger on the rear of the spine until closed.
 
Django606 said:
By the definition of a liner lock, the Mnandi is a framelock, just like the Sebenza.

The Mnandi has a titanium frame with inlayed wood, the frame doubles as the lock. A liner lock has a frame and additional liners, one of which serves as the lock.
Click to expand...

yes, of course, frame lock. got a little mixed up. :foot::D


and would anyone else like to see a micarta mnandi?? would bring down the price a bit, i would think.
 
mete said:
The word "quickly" can be dangerous ! The proper way to close the Sebenza is to push the lock sideways with your thumb and just start the blade past the lock with forefinger at the rear of the spine [not out further on the blade].Then make sure your fingers are clear of the blade and continue to close the blade with forefinger on the rear of the spine until closed.
Click to expand...

Thank you for posting. I have tried closing both Sebenza's and my Mnandi one handed and all I could hear was ' be careful ' in my head. You do need to pay attention when trying this move. I do not really understand the circumstances people have to tempt fate and use one hand with a really shart tool.
 
1. The blade doesn't move so easily that it will just flip over on your thumb.
2. You just need a little control moving your index finger. Pause long enough to move your thumb out of the way.
3. If the blade does touch your thumb it will be touching your thumbnail.

Rich
 
Many William Henrys use a button lock (not sure what model you are looking at), which should make it easier to close safely. However, I can't say whether the button lock is as secure, but I imagine that a framelock is more secure in use.

I would say a framelock is very similar in use to a liner lock, but others may disagree. I find the sebenza a two stage process to close (close part way, ensure no digits are in the path of the blade and then close completely), but not difficult. If you have two hands free it is easier to use two hands, but one handed closing is easily achieved if you pay attention to taking your thumb and fingers out of the way.

I just purchased a Box Elder Mnandi myself after looking at William Henrys. I really like the fact that you can disassemble the Mnandi so easily for maintenance. Hopefully it will arrive soon.

Good luck with your decision - I know how hard it is to make a choice when purchasing an expensive item.

Regards,

Romanx
 
The two locks are similar. They both have a piece metal that springs behind a flat spot on the rear of the blade to keep the blade locked open.

One difference between a liner lock folder and a frame lock folder, like the Sebenza, your grip is putting pressure the lock bar.. toward the locked position.

Rich
 
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