Did you like your Sebenza at first?

G

GA/\/\/\/\A

Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Messages
110
Hi,

I've been reading about sebenza knives for a year or so and finally took the plunge. I got a large micarta insingo in the mail yesterday.

I'm not trying to start a flame war here, but i really don't love it. I had bought a spyderco sage 2 a few years back and had always thought that the sebenza's quality would be far beyond the sage by every possible measure. It is not. Really. The opening action is not as smooth as fabled and the opening lug is actually quite awkward when combined with the very strong detent in my example. It doesn't open easily or with any special finesse or luxury...in fact i would say my sage 2 and microtech socom elite both open smoother. When closing the blade snaps against the stop pin with a "cling" sound that is quite unsettling, too.

Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful knife and tolerances are very good. I'm sure i will find that i grow to like it and hopefully it will get smoother after more open/close cycles. Just a word of caution to those that care, there is a significant amount of hype surrounding this knife (and inflating the price). It is incomprehensible to me how the $145 sage 2 can compare so favorably with this $485 large sebenza.
 
I liked my 1st Sebenza, but not as much as I like them today. I have some very nice customs and they are not better in any way then the Sebenza. I do not think they are over hyped at all (but sometimes people expect too much-they are still just a knife)and are a great quality knife with all around performance. I will let others explain the lug opening-they can do it better than I. That said no knife is perfect for everyone.
 
I had the same experience when I owned a Sebenza (and sold it eventually). That said, so many people love them, especially BF members with excellent taste in knives, that there has to be a good reason. I have been thinking of giving the Sebenza another try, and I suggest you hang onto yours awhile and see if it grows on you. At the worst, you can recoup most of what you spent on it.
 
My first Sebenza was a small 21. Like you I wasn't in love with it at first (perhaps it was a bit of buyers remorse). It was also much smaller than I thought it would be but that's not any fault of the knife. Anyways, I slipped it into my pocket and started to carry it everyday. About a week later I gathered up the nerve to take it apart to get better acquainted. This is the point where things changed. You've probably heard it before, but CRK has some of the best (if not the best) tolerances in the industry. Taking the knife apart gives you the opportunity to see the level of precision firsthand. I'm an engineer and usually geek out over stuff like this so I was in heaven. I can't explain the level of satisfaction I had when I put the knife back together and it tightened down the pivot. Blade was perfectly centered, action was smooth, and lockup was solid. After that I was in love. The knife represents more than just a cutting tool. It's a piece of art made in the USA by a group of folks who take pride in their product.
 
Mr.GA... Yes, I fell in love with my first Sebenza almost immediately. It was a small 21 Insingo and it checked every single box for me. That was a few years ago and I still carry it more often than any other knife I have ever had.

To each their own.
 
I have to say that I too wasn't so flabbergasted when I first got my hands on my 25. I was use to flippers and assisted openers, so when I was first opened my 25 I had a hard time. The closing was always like butter. I adjusted to the sebenza now and love it. I now have a 25 and a small 21 carbon fiber. Haven't carried anything other than a Chris Reeve ever since. This brand is hyped, but for good reason. To me, CRKs are the Rolex of the knife world.
 
I was underwhelmed

Buttttttttttttttttttt

It grows on me everyday , and I will have it to the day I die .


Ken
 
My first sebbie was a large 21 (lefty). I loved the handle but hated the fact that it didnt have dual thumbstuds and really was unhappy with the deep hollow grind. Sold it and went back to my Spyderco PM 2. Enter the 25... Dual studs and an almost unnoticable hollow grind, that really cuts like a flat grind. Now I have sold all my other nice folders and really wont ever buy anything else, except a small 25, if they ever make it. Dont feel bad. Everyone ismdifferent and likes different ergos. If we were all the same there'd only be one design of knife, tool, bicycle and anything else we use.
 
I have liked everyone one I have owned over the years which I have had 3 or 4. I was happy with each of them right off the bat. There is no such thing as one knife that's perfect for everyone. If there was I am just guessing there would only be one knife on the market. =) Anyway I would not beat yourself up over it if you don't click I am sure there is a fellow forum member that would be glad to buy it from you.
 
Just got my first large 21.

I am much more of a fixed blade fan, but have bought a ZT 0560 first, then a sebenza 21 tanto micarta since I joined the forum. I got the ZT and was pleased. Nice f&f, great action, an all around nice knife. I decided to spring for the expensive sebenza, and while I can see how someone wouldn't be blown away at first, I am very impressed. I machine, and fabricate custom lasers that take a high degree of precision for alignment. After seeing the tolerances, and craftsmanship that goes into a crk, it's impossible for me to not love them. Everything is so completely rock solid, and purpose driven. Simplicity is beautiful. Efficiency is beautiful. The crk knives are a testament to simplicity and efficiency.
I think it depends on how your looking at it, what your expecting, that will determine how you feel about these knives. The action is firm and smooth, not snappy like a nice flipper. The overall appearance is quite plain, and humble, not like a flashy show piece. Your opinion is how you view "quality".
Maybe your style is a faster action flipper. Or a more tactical styled blade. If the super fast smooth action is what you see as the ideal knife, then the crk are just not what your looking for, so you won't see the quality.

Some people can't stand the Mona Lisa ;)
But as long as you can respect the craftsmanship it took to create, there's no harm in preferring something different.

Maybe your more of a hinderer guy?
I personally love both Chris reeves and Rick hinderer knives.

People always ask me what type of music I like. I always answer, I respect talent/skill. It doesn't matter the style. From country, to hip hop, if there is talent/skill I enjoy it. Some are more specific, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
 
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I liked my small insingo from the start. Then I got a large 21 that took me some time to warm up to...now I'm firing on all cylinders and definitely need some micarta inlays.

Without a doubt my small insingo is the most carried knife i own.
 
Not at all, for some like me, it took a while to fully understand what quality really means. Not to mention the many knives I had acquired. I used to think (convince myself) the knives I had were equal in craftsmanship. Then I put the Sebenza side by side and compared unbiased the other knives I have. I put aside eye appeal and WOW factor and went for quality of material, practical design being useful for my needs, life of the knife and the personal touch from the maker. For me, the Sebenza is the knife of choice. It now has more pocket time than any other knife I have. I have to make myself rotate other knives that I still like but don't use. Most of the time I have two knives on me, one being a Sebenza
 
The large insingo is a beast of a knife, and it's not an easy one to fall in love with. The functionality may be it's best offering. I love my large insingo when I close my eyes and use it. It's a totally awesome blade. You will find you learn the correct angle to push on the thumbstud and your thumb will toughen. If you draw an imaginary line between the pivot and the thumbstud, and push perpendicular to that, you will have maximum leverage to break the detent free. Also the knife will become more smooth and silky with time. Some start out better than others, but all have the potential to be very smooth. I started this thread when I got my first CRK and started to fall in love with it: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1124711-Chris-Reeve-A-modern-master-of-industrial-design-some-favourite-details?highlight=chris+reeve+modern+master Maybe it will point out a few things to get you into your new knife, or maybe they just are not for you. I would say the Large Insingo is a tough place to start, simply because it is not graceful, but there is no argument that blade with chop the crap out of just about anything. My large Insingo is my sharpest blade by far.
 
YES.................I had several of the One Piece Knives and figured if the folders were as nice as the OPK, then I should really like them. A few days before Christmas many years ago, I got one off ebay. It ended up being a Large Regular Sebenza with BG-42 blade steel, a plain jane. I did not know the significance of BG-42 at the time as I was a newbie......lol. I carried it for awhile then decided to keep it nice and get another which ended up with the NCIS engraving. But that Large Regular BG-42 Was and IS very special to me. I still have it and its not going anywhere. I fell in love with it immediately and knew then that I HAD to have more......lol.
 
I did extensive research on the 21 (limited funds, can't afford to buy something I don't like) before I got mine last year, slightly underwhelmed when I got it but now all the other knives got chucked somewhere in the house or the car as beaters :p
 
After a bit if carry, mine has a few marks, and is no longer pristine. It will be my most carried knife no doubt.
 
I fell in love immediately with the first Sebenza that I ever saw and held. It was my cousins. That was back in the 90's and it was a "P" Senenza lefty. I swore I would own one someday. Over ten years later I was finally able to buy my own.
 
My first exposure to a Sebenza was at a knife store. I knew I thought they were beautiful, I knew from watching videos and reading reviews and this forum that people thought a great deal of them. I don't have a store near me that has them so while on vacation I stopped at a store to look at CRK as well as some other high end knives. As other people have said, it is still just a knife and that was kind of my first impression. But weeks and months after my vacation I found myself still thinking of the Sebenza, not so much the other, flashier, knives I had held that day. I ended up buying one and will always have it, use it, and pass it on to my son.

The point of this rambling is that you may not be overwhelmed at first because it is not flashy or something that is necessarily exceptional at first glance. But it is exceptional and many love them for a very good reason.
 
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