CRK Sebenza 21 v. CRK Umnumzaan v. George VECP

ridnovir

ridnovir

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So I finally talked myself into buying a high end folder. I pretty much narrowed it down to those three:

CRK Sebenza 21 (still debating Large v Small)
CRK Umnumzaan
George VECP

Please share your opinions on those knives. How does Sebenza compare to Umnumzaan and CRK to George? I know the standard answer is to buy all three but at the moment I can only buy one so which one would you go for?

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Out of those... I would easily pick the VECP..smooth as any CRK with better steel.

The only CRK that gives the VECP a run for its Money is the Large Regular.

The Zaan is nice... The 21 blade shape is not for me..

I have them all and my favorite to use is the VECP. It's truly an amazing knife..

I do think the CRK's carry more comfortably But once deployed the game swings quickly in favor of the VECP.
 
The VECP puts the CRK's to shame IMO. While I didn't buy it, the one I held was superb. I have played with several CRKs and like them, but the VECP feels like an improvement.
 
+1 on the VECP being the victor. It is so smooth and designed to
fit the contours of your hand brilliantly. Umnu is second in my opinion
and since I own both I can say that with some weight behind it. I own
VECP version 2.0 and I can honestly day I've never owned such a tank
of a knife that handles and glides like silk.
 
Pyaoliang did a youtube video comparison of the 3. Go check it out.

I have all 3 and if you ask me, I'll go with the VECP as well. The ergos on the VECP is just awesome!
 
I don't think the VECP puts CRK's "to shame". Just my opinion, but I don't think any knife puts CRK's quality to shame. That's why CRK pretty much always wins the overall craftsmanship award (whatever it's called) at Blade. Anyone who has owned a CRK folder (and plenty of other good quality knives to compare to) knows CRK fit, finish, attention to details, tolerances, and overall designs is almost impossible to beat. The VECP is an outstanding folder though. It might be AS good as CRK in terms of build quality, at least in most areas. Although, if a Sebenza is a 10, then I'd call most VECP's about a 9.5+. Just my opinion.

The VECP is one of my favorite designs and I'm glad to have another option that's approximately on par with CRK. Especially one that's in similar styling and isn't more expensive (at least new). I like the VECP a lot. Hard to compare to a Sebenza for more me, because the Sebenza is more along the lines of the perfect EDC and cutter, while the VECP is more comparable to the Umnum and nudges a little more towards hard use and slightly tactical (although I wouldn't call it a tactical knife). Don't get me wrong, they're all great EDC's, but I'd probably choose a Micarta Sebenza over it if I had to choose one of the 3 for EDC for the rest of my life. I do think the VECP is perfectly comparable to the Umnum but it's hard for me to decide. Since you can't really get a VECP new, and they normally cost around $600, I'd go for the Umnum. But at the same price, I might go for the VECP. It's still hard though, because with the Umnum, you KNOW you have a perfectly made knife that will be backed by CRK forever. The same might be true for the VECP but they don't all seem quite as perfect from one to the next. Maybe it's just hard for me to believe something is as good as the Seb and Umnum, especially in the same price category. I love them all.

Luckily, you don't have to choose just one and you will not go wrong with any of them. If you haven't owned a CRK, and especially if you've never owned I knife this nice or expensive, I'd say get a Seb or Umnum (there are plenty of other threads and video's to help you decide which is better for you) and save a bit of cash because you just NEED to own a CRK to see what the benchmark is and even just to understand and appreciate other knives like the VECP. The VECP isn't necessarily overpriced at $600ish, but I think the Seb and Umnum are definitely better buys at their price. For sure, IMO. All of this to say, they're all outstanding and very close and you're going to love whichever one you get AND you're going to want the other two still anyway. That's why so many people own and have owned all 3, because you'll always want them all.

BTW, I've heard people say that getting a Sebenza as your first CRK is best and I agree. I highly recommend the Umnum, but I just think you need a Sebenza first. I think it's the first mid-tech anyone should buy. And I recommend one in micarta for sure :)
 
I know that if I need a new blade for my Umnumzaan or Sebenza in 10 years, or want my knife refinished in 2 years CRK will be around to handle it. When I'm spending $400+ for an EDC those things are important to me. So with the CRK warranty and service being so good, and all three knives being quite similar, I find it hard to spend an additional $150-$200 for a VECP which is a decent knife but not really significantly different than any of the others being discussed here.

Between the CRK options I like the Umnumzaan by a hair because it offers the most innovation and uniqueness when compared with other folders. I like the ceramic lock interface and ergos better than the Sebenza, and its more "tactical" design premise. I will say that the Umnumzaan is a bit more noticeable when carried. If you decide to go Sebenza then I recommend the carbon fiber variant. It's very light and is my favorite sebenza, for me the pinnacle of the sebenza design so far.
 
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I own all three and love em all. But i'll echo the above, the vecp 2.0 is my pick. I think the crk's can certainly hold their own and its easy to see why some prefer the crk, but the vecp has all the qualities that make the crk's so good, build quality, high tolerances, etc, but imho has an edge in robustness and ergonomics. Cant go wrong with any of them though.
 
I have the Umnumzaan and love it. I've often considered the Sebenza, but the Umnum is a bit "stronger" in the blade and pivot, IMO. The Umnum blade-stock and 0.140" compared to the traditional 0.125" of the Large and Small Sebenza. It's interesting to note that the Newly-introduced Sebenza"25" also has a blade-stock thickness(0.140") that is the same as its brother the Umnumzaan. Now, that's really interesting.
The Les George VECP has a thicker blade at 0.150" and may be the stronger blade for prying, although not as good a slicer as the other two. The Umnum is notably strong, however, in that the blade tip has a swedge on the top and retains an approximate 3mm thickness up to ~one inch from the tip.
I'll stick with my Umnumzaan.
Sonny
 
I have all three and I really have to say that the Umnuumzaan is my favorite. I can't say enough good things about except this.. If i had to sell all my knives but one, it would be the umnuum
 
It's still hard though, because with the Umnum, you KNOW you have a perfectly made knife that will be backed by CRK forever.
Click to expand...

There are some that would disagree (IE: don't flip your $400 knife open ever). It is a bigger producer so I do agree that they'll weather poor buisness climates better.

That said, all three are at the top of their games quality wise, you really can't lose.
 
I sold off an Unumzaan to help fund a VECP purchase. Biggest mistake of my life. The VECP is definitly a really nice folder that is smoother than most CRKs but it doesnt lockup as solid as a Sebenza or Unumzaan. I mean there is zero play but I can feel something if I crank on the tip side to side and there is definitly vertical play as well if I tug on it with a little effort. This is with the pivot adjusted and tweaked for over 2 hours. None of my CRKs fail my extensive and psychopathic examinations. If it were me I would get a Seb/Zaan first then the VECP when supply catches up with demand so you dont have to pay the current secondary market prices for a VECP. There is absolutely no way its worth $50-100 more than a CRK folder in my opinion.
 
I vote umnumzaan. I haven't taken an interest in the vecp, but I have been curious on the aciesI and II. At a year now with my sebs and umnum and couldn't be happier.

While it seems the vecp has a nice steel, like another has said CRK has fantastic customer sevice as well as maintenance/refurb options. I can't speak for the vecp but its something that gives me peace of mind.
 
Thank you for the replies so far. It looks like I will end up with at least two knives from my list. Damn it archeiblue now you got me thinking about Shirogorov as well.
 
I can not say anything informed about the VECP or any Les George knife for that matter. As to which between the 21 or Umnumzaan, I personally say Umnum, but it depends.

The Umnum, IMHO, is CRK's answer to a harder use folder. And contrary to the flicking comment, the Umnum flicks open easily & quickly with a thumb flick of the thumb stud.

As to whether you want a small or a large Sebenza, that would also change whether you should get the Umnum or Seb, since there's no small Umnum. Personally, my small/lg folder needs have been covered (For sometime now) by a small 21 Insingo & an Umnum.

Good luck with your choice.
 
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