CRK sebenza, is it really that good?

four_shore said:
and i'm sure you've involved yourself in every single thread related to this subject. why bother participating in beating the horse? (actually that seems to be your thing)..who cares??
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Now that made me laugh! I thought he just did it to get a high post score. :D

I have carried mine daily for a few years and I think it was a good buy, it has
Held up great, and seems as solid as new.
 
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So, you may not have used search, but this is the 1,347th time this exact question has been asked...since January of this year... :D

YMMV, but my answer is definitely. I avoided the Sebenza for years...figured I was too much of a Yankee to spend that much on a knife. I was given one. I currently own seven. The Sebenza would clearly be in my Top Five list. It would probably be in my Top Two list. It might make Sole Surivivor.
 
Bottom line is that if you buy a Sebenza expecting it to be THE best knife in the world, you'll be disappointed. However the Sebenza is a very well designed and well made knife. It was never intended to be a flashy (well, some unique graphics are kinda flashy) nor was it designed to be "tacticool". The Sebbie really shines in the finer details; namely fit and finish is superb, the buttery smooth action is to die for and ease of maintenance owing to its simple yet effective design is something that I appreciate very much.

Is it the end all, be all of knives? No.
Is it a well designed and well made tool? Yes.
Do I, as a knife enthusiast, have a take pride of ownership and enjoy carrying, using and playing with it? Absolutely!
Is it worth the $400? To me, yes. The pride of ownership and enjoyment alone already makes it worth every penny to me. The fact that it's a great knife adds to the value. YMMV.
 
IMO, they are absolutley worth the money and have basically carried a CRK folder for the past 5+ years. They might not be the strongest or most attractive knives on the market, but I compare them to a champion decathlete in that they are at or near the top in many categories across the board. To me, they just define "EDC" better than anything else I've owned(including Hinderers, Striders and full customs). It's all about personal taste, though, so you'll have to figure out what floats your boat.
Good luck.
 
Totally not worth it.

I just can't stop buying them though..
[My Current Trio]
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nathan, your pics are unreal!!! who wouldn't want a crk after seeing those beauties. haha
 
I liked it fine when I got it and then switched to back and forth between a strider, some benchmades and some others. Now all I carry is the small insingo. It grew on me where the others lost their glow after a while. Now, months and months of just carrying an insingo, I have to say that this is just what a knife feels like to me. When I try others (even customs), I just compare them to the insingo.

All in all, I agree with the others that it is personal and well worth trying. Try one, hang on to it for a while without using it much but just getting the feel for it and, if you don't like it, resell it losing a few dollars at most. No harm in doing that and then you will know and won't need to be subjected to all these different opinions.
 
DEFINATELY WORTH IT. Its all about the tolerances not to mention materials and customer service etc...
 
They're nice, but nothing special IMO. I don' get the craze, but to each their own.

-sh00ter
 
Ever hear the expression, "Better than it has to be." In my mind that sums up a Sebenza pretty well. It's like having a digital speedometer in your car that will tell you your current speed is "55.37189 miles per hour." or the fuel guage telling you you have sixteeen gallons, two quarts, and six and a half tablespoons of gas left. Some people like the precision a Sebenza affords. Some people don't. In real world applications it cuts just as well as the next S30V bladed knife. Just the same as a BMW or a old ford truck will carry you to work. It's just a matter of choice. It's a great knife, from a great company. For many it's worth it. Not everybody can afford a BMW, and not everyone that can afford one wants one. Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart drove an old ford truck even though he was a billionaire. Chris Reeve isn't fleecing the knife community with outrageous profit margins. He makes a fine product.

Grizz
 
I wouldn't presume to tell you that you will like - or love - the knife. I can just tell you what I think of it.

It's a great knife. The design is simplistic to the extreme, yet that simplicity belies the amount of thought, engineering, and time that went into the knife. A lot of people will say that you need to carry the knife for a while to really "get it", and I'd have to agree. When I first got mine I was extremely excited, but after a week or so I felt a little underwhelmed. After managing to drop my Sebenza on a tile floor and marring up the perfect cosmetics, I started just putting it in my pocket. Pretty quickly I started to understand why a lot of people, including myself, rave about them.
 
To me the Sebenza is the best all around folder. It is strong, tough, reliable, durable, smooth, absolute rock solid lockup, simple construction, slim carry profile, effortless disassembly/assembly, high performance cutting, and manufactered to the tightest tolerances available. No its not as strong as my Strider SNG, its not as ergonomic as my Spydercos, and its not as slick as a Hinderer but the Sebenza shines in all categories. If I had to get rid of my small collection of knives and keep just one, it would be a Large Sebenza.

If you decide to get one make sure you carry it and use it or you will never fully appreciate it and you might be underwhelmed like I was. It wasnt until I carried it for a week and took it apart that I realized the Sebenza oozed quality. Its also the only folder I've owned that I literally could not detect blade play in any direction and I check for it real hard.
 
I had the same question, afraid to put down big bucks, but at the end curiosity got the best of me. I put down $330 for my small sebenza and I never regretted it. I use it everyday and I also own a mnandi, which I use every other week. I'm sure you will like the craftsmanship and quality service Chris Reeve knives provide. I just bought another high end folder, and hopefully thats it for me. If you plan to use it, you'll get your money's worth in no time.
 
If you can get one on the secondary market, i.e. here, then you can get it and try it out and if you don't like it, you can most likely make most of what you put into it back because they hold their value fairly well in the secondary market. If you get one brand new, you'll take a larger hit if you don't like it.

Personally speaking, the first time I opened a CRK at a local shop, I was amazed by how solid it felt. But I thought to myself, no way is that worth $400. So I thought I'd never go crazy and buy one. But after perusing the secondary market, I finally pulled the trigger and got one and after constantly handling it, i loved it more and more. Eventually I sold it and recovered the full cost and more, and got a micarta large seb. That one's a keeper. Since then, it's been trade after trade, and secondary purchases, so now I have a large and small micarta 21, a Umnumzaan, and a ti-lock. I love them all and if I feel I'm not using any of them, I know I'll be able to recover most of what I put into them. I don't think I can say the same about my Spydercos and Benchmades, no matter how much I like them.

The short answer... is it worth it? Yes because it's a low risk investment. Like it? Great. Keep it. Don't like it? No problem, either sell it or trade it for something else... like a Strider and get addicted to those. :P
 
sog****h, you should check out the 2011 Limited Edition Sebenzas. Its just insanely a beautiful knife.
 
four_shore said:
and i'm sure you've involved yourself in every single thread related to this subject. why bother participating in beating the horse? (actually that seems to be your thing)..who cares??
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If you have an issue with me, take it to PM. Get whatever ya need to off your chest. Mmmkay? ;)
 
takes time to get one, takes time to get to the point where you have enough knowledge and a good eye to understand
we first start with chinese knives, go to spydercos, benchmades, and so on

this means that materials, finish, ergos and such are something we learn, the sebenza is one of the last steps in knife knowledge, from black blades and serrations, strange ergos and designs, many pieces, you end up where "simplicity" is the key and that's what the sebbie (small 21) I have is, a simple and effective knife, made with top quality and good materials

takes time to get acquainted to it
personal suggestion is, to understand, get one and you'll eventually see it (if it's good/worth..)

Maxx
 
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