Personally, CRK's don' t really do it for me. I'm more of a Hinderer or Strider guy. I tried a Sebenza for a while just to see what the fuss was about but eventually sold it.
Different strokes for different folks. . .
I'm in this camp.
I'm not going to argue with anyone's preferences, and I can't argue that they're not "worth it".. if a thing is worth what it will bring, Sebenzas have been selling well for a very long time, it's "worth it" to a lot of people.
I've been watching Chris Reeve since the entire line was a couple of hollow-handle survival knives machined from one piece. Interesting, but a friend bought one, and it just felt all wrong in my hands. The knurling was sharp and unfriendly, the handle shape uncomfortable and did not index well. I had no doubt it would look untouched after days or weeks of hard work with it, but my feeling was that my hands wouldn't last hours.
When Reeve came out with his first folder (at a pretty outrageous price for the time), it was a dream even to someday handle one... and then one day I did, and I was pretty underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, it's a very fine knife, but it just didn't feel like a tool in my hand. Seemed a little small, not as easy to grip as I'd imagined, sort of... unfriendly... fit and finish were superb, but obviously a lot of effort also went into cosmetics/aesthetics, which I don't much care about.
Over the decades I've convinced myself to buy one at least three times, gone into the store at least half-intending to buy one, then when it's in my hand I just can't bring myself to do it. More than a little ironically, I did the exact same thing with the Umnumzaan a couple of months ago, researched it on-line, convinced myself I had to have one, and went into the store with every intention of coming out with it. Once it was in my hand, though... it seemed amazingly hard to open, I wasn't thrilled with the little urethane o-rings, and it seemed skinnier, lighter, and more delicate than I'd thought it would be. I just couldn't pull the trigger... as with the Sebenza before, I recognize the quality, I just couldn't LIKE it, no matter how hard I tried.
IMHO, Chris Reeve really raised the bar for all folders when he started making them, and that's a large part of the rep, I think... but you have to remember that it was a long time ago, and there was NOTHING that came remotely close to them in the market. At the time it was possibly the strongest folder made, at least for its size, and it was made so well that it had an unreal, jewel-like quality.
Things have moved on, though. On the jewel-like quality end you've got William Henry and some others, for sturdiness you've got Strider, Hinderer, now ZT, and some others. Some people want a Maserati, some want a HUM-V. CRK is no longer alone at that end of the quality spectrum, no matter which way your preferences go... and personally, I don't think the Umnumzaan moved their chess pieces on the board at all. Just struck me as a lot like the Sebbie, but harder to open, awkward to handle, and even less friendly. It even "bit"me a little, and I haven't cut myself with a knife in many, many years.
Me, I ended up with a couple of ZTs, now I EDC my 0551, suits me much better, it's tank-like and confidence-inspiring, but also a lot more comfortable, and I'm very glad I didn't go for the CRKs, I'm much happier with what I have.
Bottom line, if you LIKE the Sebbie, I think it's certainly worth it. I just couldn't. Or maybe they don't like me.
