Do you baby your Sebenza or is it just a tool?

Hawk45

Hawk45

Joined
Jan 28, 2005
Messages
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Have my first on it's way and about made me throw-up a little in my mouth when I hit the "Buy" button. Though full of excitement, it will be my most expensive knife purchased (and I've had a lot of knives and still a decent colletion). Mostly I run Spyderco Military, ZT 561, Para2, 940 or mini-grip/707. I used to think a $130 Military would ever be my most expensive knife and took me a long time to use it for everything. One thing I'm known to do in a pinch is open bottles with the handle or blade spine (when closed). Would I be crazy to do this with a Sebenza? Just wondering how you guys treat your knives as I'm walking into new territory here. I know they are built like tanks.. but beautiful tanks. I'm not one to abuse my things, but abuse and use are two different things.
 
The way I look at it, if I don't use it then it's not really worth anything. I use my Sebenza, Southard, and Hinderer for food prep, whittling, whatever cutting task that I need. I can't justify spending money on a knife and not use it. It's like buying a Maserati and you're letting it sit in your garage and look at it once in a while. Enjoy what you buy! And the best way to enjoy and appreciate it is to use it!
 
I carry my Sebenza when I get off work. At work I've been carrying my mini grip. But I'm up and down ladders, in manlifts, crawling through stuff, laying on my sides moving around on concrete. Which is all hell on a knife so... That's just what I do. Also taking safety harness on and off which is also conducive to latching/snagging it out of my pocket. May I also add squeezing thru conveyors so I tend to snag and bend my clip, scratch, catch and fling up 30 feet off the ground on to concrete. All which I'm sure CRK would consider abuse
 
I carry a small leather man micra with an openner just in case. The Sebenza probably could handle it but how would you feel if you marred up the spine? its not cheap to replace a blade. I would suggest you only use it for cutting and carry and inexpensive bottle opener if you find you may need it. I don't baby my sebenzas but i don't open bottles with them either.
 
I use my small sebenza all day every day. The other CRK's I have usually only go out for a nice dinner. My small has taken some abuse and it still holds up very good.
 
I use mine. I don't abuse it, but use it. I have a swamp rat rodent solution to use when something needs abuse....
 
I use all of my Blades-----including my CRK's and striders. Life is too short :D

That being said, i always have some type of multi tool and usually some type of fixed blade even if its just a Esee candiru, izula, or bk11/14 for heavier use
 
Ignore this post if you don't feel like reading a rant of sorts.

It is a tool. Made of titanium and steel. Yes I have opened beer bottles with the scales, yes I USE the damn KNIFE. For whatever I please, as it is made of STEEL and TITANIUM. If It breaks I buy another one. Its disposable used for getting the job done. Am I the only one getting tired of seeing threads of people asking how they should use their Sebenza/if what they are doing is right? People daintily gingerly handling them as if they were gems? Makes me wonder how they carry themselves in life. Nothing negative towards the OP, as I understand, but its an inanimate object. Chris Reeve designed the knife to do work, hence the name Sebenza. Don't buy it if a $400 knife isn't a potentially disposable tool for you. I'm waiting for the day my knife gets marred up.(A testament to the quality and durability.) Unique Graphics and Inlays I can see not being users however. Bottom line, it is your knife, treat it however you will, you don't need approval from other Sebenza owners, who cares? Stick the knife in your pocket and live life.
 
It's a tool and is treated as such but I take very good care of my tools, there's a difference between use and abuse.
 
I'm gonna agree with the majority here. My Sebenza is a tool and I will use it as such. However folding pocket knives are not necessarily made to abuse. You can do whatever you want with your Sebenza when it arrives and that is your own business. However is it too hard to throw a bottle opener on you keychain or carry a multitool? Congratulations on the Sebenza, It will not let you down!
 
I use mine, that Being said, I won't use it like I use my ZT at work, but I work in a machine shop so it is mostly metal and I have no interested in destroying my edge
 
I probably abuse my recently rediscovered (still excited!) Sebenza. If I ever hesitate to cut something because its nice or expensive, I'll sell it the next day. I really enjoy my knives, but I carry them as tools. I try to respect them and use them properly, but it is the most basic tool that is always on me so that isn't always the case. A good buddy of mine also cares a large sebenza, he cringed the other day when I cut a beer can in half with mine to make a makeshift cup. If I couldn't have brought myself to use it, why would I carry it?
 
I cut a bumper cover off a car two days ago with my Star Tac. Push cut right through about two feet of 1/4" thick plastic.

Still shaves hair!

A knife isn't worth having if you fon't use it!
 
Well done. You will ask yourself, why it took you so long.
The Sebenza is a cutting-tool. There are knives that have a bottle opener incorporated.
It's the same as with cars, some are designed to carry people others to carry loads, some for the street others for rough terrain.
That said, I used a cabrio a lot to move things.
Enjoy,
red mag
 
I never looked at it this way, but the jimping on my closed small Insingo would probably work very well as a bottle opener!
My go-to is Yuengling Black & Tan, though. Twist off...
 
Nice responses everyone. Glad to see so many use theirs. I love the look of used/worn-in things. My Les Baer is missing most of the finish and looks beautiful.. maybe what got me to this state of appreciation is looking at my grandpa's (rest his peace) old Case knife. That thin has been used so much and resharpened so much that probably less than half of every blade is left. But he never lost it and always had it. I'm hoping my Sebenza looks the same over time.
 
I have a large starbenza and an umnumzaan that I pretty much baby, and a sebenza 25 and a Nyala that I use. I use the Nyala in the woods while hunting and fishing, I use it for food prep while camping as well. My sebenza 25 is my EDC and I use it everyday. I have to admit I dont pry, open bottles, or beat on it though. I use it for everyday cutting tasks but if I am doing something that I know could damage it I grab one of my beater ZTs.
 
Maybe someone has covered this already. I use mine as it was designed to be used. AS A KNIFE. Not as a bottle opener, not as a prybar, not as a hammer, etc. It is a knife that is to be used for slicing things that need to be sliced. This doesn't go for just the Sebenza either. I wouldn't open a bottle with any other one hand openers either, I have a SAK for that, or the bottle opener on my key chain.
 
I use mine for any task that any of my knives might see. That's one of the reasons I like 'em plain. A few scratches on the Ti don't bother me but a gouge down the side of some fancy tooki-tooki wood might make me frown.
 
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