Damascus Sebenzas

T

The Savage Rabbit

Joined
Nov 30, 2006
Messages
351
Do you carry your Damascus Sebenza?
How does the finish hold up? Has it scratched, faded, or corroded?

How is the edge retention compared to S30V? I know the Devin Thomas Damascus cuts well but I don't know how it, or other types, holds up under use.

Thanks.
 
They are beautiful, they don't leave the safe =) But the steel is supposed to be Great also. You shouldn't have a problem if you can carry and use them.
 
I carry and use mine very regularly...it is devon thomas ladder damascus. I've scratched it a few times, but re-etched it at some point with ferric chloride and polished it, looks like new. Cuts great, sharpened on my edge pro. I don't know about how it compares to S30V but for my purposes I don't really care...I always have a sharpener nearby. That said, I've only had to sharpen it twice so far. I haven't banged it against concrete or cut lead pipes with it, so can't comment on heavy use.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm considering switching my edc from a small classic to a small 21 with Damascus and some embellishment on the handle.
 
Damascus will hold up real well with use and as mentioned if the etch does fade you can have it redone.......I'm surprised the best of Caerbannog needs a Sebenza though. :D:thumbup:
 
Haze said:
Damascus will hold up real well with use and as mentioned if the etch does fade you can have it redone.......I'm surprised the best of Caerbannog needs a Sebenza though. :D:thumbup:
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Ha! Great reference. I had to google Caerbannog. I think the small Sebenza is the best edc knife ever made for my purposes.
 
dinokay said:
I think you'll find this interesting.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/899274-Damascus-as-a-EDC-Who-knew
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Thanks Dinokay. I missed that thread. I did find one video on Youtube of a guy cutting cardboard with his damascus sebenza and arguing that it was a great user.

I have two custom folders from Al Warren (3" blades with ivory and mammoth) which both use Devin Thomas double stainless ladder pattern damsacus. He speaks highly of the steel and told me that he knows some fishermen in Alaska that demand it for their knives. The ABE-L and 304 does wear differently which results in a micro-serration-like edge that cuts wonderfully. At least that was my experience.

My only remaining anxiety is scratching the blade while sharpening. My fancy folders live in the safe. The damascus sebenza would replace my plain jane small classic as my EDC knife so it will have to be sharpened. I can get sloppy and scratch a blade on the Sharpmaker. I have proven that system to be almost fool-proof.

I'm going to do it. Now I just need to pitch my wife on the idea of a $615 pocket knife. Will probably go like this: "Yes, the one in my pocket is made by Chris Reeve ... Ya, same guy ... Yes, it is also a Sebenza ... Ya, Zulu ... Yes, the 21 is very similar to the Classic that I have ... I don't know. Some small changes ... Yes, they are the same size ... No, the S30V I have is not defective ... Yes, the knife still works ... Yes, I still like it ... No Mr. Reeve will not take the knife back ... Because, damascus is prettier than stone washed S30V and it cuts differntly ... Well, it matters to me ... Were you listening when I told you about the differential wear in AEB-L and 304? ... Whoa, sorry, you were taking care of the baby and and the house. Agreed ... Yes, I did say S30V was the first steel developed just for knives and I had to have it. See you do listen! Sorry ... Yes, by Chris Reeve, well also with Crucible ... it's like a particle metulurgy ... I do understand what that means. It's got carbides 'n stuff. No I'm not just parroting what the 'girls on the forums' say ... Yes, this was the King of Pocket Knives but things have changed ... Well maybe I've changed ... Am I not allowed to grow as a person? ... Uh huh, this one will have wood on the handle ... No, it's not 'just glued there.'... No I can't 'just glue' wood to my Classic ... No, I don't want to save money and get one with just a fancy blade and regular handle ... Because it makes the handle prettier just like the blade. Because it has to be pretty on both ends. It's a balance thing. No, I'm not saying it's feng shui ... but it is a similar, well-established concept taught in design schools. It also makes the knife feel better in the hand ... Because one of the, uh, guys on the forums, said so. ... Well, he posts a lot in the Chris Reeve forum. ... Ok, so I'm not hearing 'No.' Let's take this up again tomorrow and in the mean time, let's think about whether we can put a price tag on happieness."
 
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I need to re-etch some damasscus. Where can I obtain some ferric chloride? Just a small quantity? I have small sebbie with a Devin Thomas damascus and hardly use it so can not comment on wear but it is beautitful !Thanks.
 
The Savage Rabbit said:
I'm going to do it. Now I just need to pitch my wife on the idea of a $615 pocket knife. Will probably go like this: "Yes, the one in my pocket is made by Chris Reeve ... Ya, same guy ... Yes, it is also a Sebenza ... Ya, Zulu ... Yes, the 21 is very similar to the Classic that I have ... I don't know. Some small changes ... Yes, they are the same size ... No, the S30V I have is not defective ... Yes, the knife still works ... Yes, I still like it ... No Mr. Reeve will not take the knife back ... Because, damascus is prettier than stone washed S30V and it cuts differntly ... Well, it matters to me ... Were you listening when I told you about the differential wear in AEB-L and 304? ... Whoa, sorry, you were taking care of the baby and and the house. Agreed ... Yes, I did say S30V was the first steel developed just for knives and I had to have it. See you do listen! Sorry ... Yes, by Chris Reeve, well also with Crucible ... it's like a particle metulurgy ... I do understand what that means. It's got carbides 'n stuff. No I'm not just parroting what the 'girls on the forums' say ... Yes, this was the King of Pocket Knives but things have changed ... Well maybe I've changed ... Am I not allowed to grow as a person? ... Uh huh, this one will have wood on the handle ... No, it's not 'just glued there.'... No I can't 'just glue' wood to my Classic ... No, I don't want to save money and get one with just a fancy blade and regual handle ... Because it makes the handle prettier just like the blade. Because it has to be pretty on both ends. It's a balance thing. No, I'm not saying it's feng shui ... but it is similar. Maybe I just appreicate Asian culture. It also makes the knife feel better in the hand ... Because one of the, uh, guys on the forums, said so. ... Well, he posts a lot. ... Ok, good convo. Let's take this up again tomorrow?"
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This is funny as Hell! Close to home too
 
She calls you guys "the girls on the forums." "Oh, did the girls on the forums tell you that not supposed to be happy with what you have? Are you going to tell the girls on the forums about your new toy or are you going to get the Sharpmaker and some paper and 'play knives' for a while?"
 
My regular carry fixed blade is a damascus hunter style knife I made with YK30 (Japanese 01) and 15n20. The performance of that knife has been very satisfactory and the patern is still bright and well defined. I did give it quite a deep etch and it has been parkerised so the patern will stay clear for quite a long time because of that.

Damascus is most certainly a great steel for using and I have never had any problems with my knives. I think people get tricked into thinking it's delicate or not for hard use etc. because it's also very pretty. I actually really like the look or worn out damascus so would never re-etch a blade personally, I would just enjoy it the way it was meant to be enjoyed. :):thumbup:
 
Yesterday's certainty is fading. Today, I'm carrying one of my Spyderco Bob Lum Chinese Folders in ZDP-189. The ZDP cuts so well. The other two knives that are competing with my current affection for a damscuas small Sebenza are a Wiliam Henry B30 Gentac in ZDP-189 (either coated or not) and the William Henry EDC10 with the coated D2 blade. The B30 Gentac I'd buy is between $525 and $650. The EDC10 is $295. The Sebenza I'd buy is between $595 and $615.

I plan on handling both at the Pasadena Knife Expo at the end of this month and then making a decision (assuming my wife is on board by then). As much as I enjoy mulling over the minutia of pocket knives, the indecision is killing me.
 
I didn't think the Pasadena show is this year, but you're right!!!!! March 23, 24 & 25, 2012 - Woohoo!
 
The Savage Rabbit said:
Does anyone have a photo of well well used Damascus Sebenza?
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This one's got a little use on it.

SmallDamascus-Lanyard.jpg
 
I'm now having trouble deciding between a small Sebenza 21 with Damscus and wood inlays and a William Henry B30 Gentac. The Sebenza would be a dressed up, first class work knife. I know how it rides in the pocket and feels in the hand. It would effectively retire my plain small classic.

The B30, I see as a capable knife. Laminated ZDP-198 can cut and nothing I use any of my knives for is going to break it. It does weigh less than 2 ounces, but again, how strong and thick of a knife do I really need? I'm carrying a Spyderco GB today. 4 of those 5.5 ounces aren't really necessary for how I use pocket knives. The B30 is a sexy looking knife. I probably can't afford the WH laminated damascus, but that's ok since I don't like how it looks anyway. If I get the B30, I can use it as my office and dress knife and still carry my small sebenza for everything else. I like the idea of keeping that Sebenza active. Does anyone know of any on-line reviews of the B30? I haven't been able to find anythign substantive.

BUT, the damascus small 21 with snakewood or ironwood scales is a beautiful knife too and I don't have to speculate about it's durability or explain how I don't really need a super tough knife.

This is a good problem to have. Hopefully, somone at the Pasadena Show will have a selection of both knives.
 
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