Does Anyone NOT Love The Sebenza ?

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I don't mind spending that sort of money on a knife if I plan to use it. I like to use the best I can afford.

But with the Sebenza, I couldn't bring myself to really use it to see if I would like it, because I was concerned with resale. Never a problem with other knives of mine because a lot of them held their resale value really well even if they were heavily used. The Sebenza, however, seemed like it didn't sell well if it was used. Everyone who was in the market for one wanted a new or like-new knife.

I ended up selling it and moving on. I liked the knife, but didn't really fall in love with it.
 
I dont like the price....so ill never know how great it is or isnt.
 
I really like CRK's offerings but the way the competition has stepped up with sleek new designs and better steels it is hard to justify the price sometimes. A few years ago you didn't have the options you do today, I think a lot of production companies have followed suit with CRK in the quality department, they understand now that FnF is a major factor on the knives we purchase and the latest super steel is going to move their product of the shelves. In the end love is a pretty big word but I am really drawn to the Sebenza.
 
I'm not. I've owned a seb and a zaan and sold them both.

I find the design very meh and uninspired, it lacks some soul and personality. The ergos are solid but not great. The steel is a bit too soft and the opening action is sub par.

Obviously the quality is there but I find it to be very overpriced. Yeah I get the tolerances and everything but its a solid steel, nothing fantastic and some blasted ti slabs with minimal finishing, contouring etc.

Consider that a comparable knife in the lionsteel sr-1 has a 3d machined mono block ti frame with far more finishing, an equally good if not better steel and costs less than a large seb.

Also the the fact that there are a ton of customs that come within $50 of a large micarta, the price justification goes out the window.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
Teenagers are generally disappointed in the Sebenza because it doesn't have the newest, toughest steel (as determined by the internet metallurgists) and the scariest profile. No,the kids who fantasize about fights between Superman and Batman aren't going to appreciate the nuances in fit and finish offered by the Sebenza. There are exceptions. But generally, appreciation of Sebenzas come with experience.
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+1...and it's not such a great knife until they pull some McD's overtime and save for one.
 
I think the Sebenza looks boring to me it dosen't look like there's $400 worth of material there, with that said I have never held one most knife shops around here don't carry customs and I don't want to spend the cash to see if I will like it I know if I don't like someone will want it.
 
There's a lot to love about this knife (extreme tolerances, high quality materials, no nonsense design...) and yet it may not work for anybody. Doesn't work for me, by the way. My taste goes on simpler, less pretending blades (but, geez, how the accepted buying price has gone up over these years leaves me just speechless... I must be a fool.)
 
The general notion here is one I share: They are very nice knives, but the price doesn't seem justified.

Of course, the price is only so high because of the name and the comparatively limited quantities they are made in. If you watch some videos about their production, you'll see that they use top of the line machinery, too, which can't be cheap to buy or maintain.

That said, I still wouldn't pay over 200 for a s35vn framelock. I got my 0550blk for 150, and it's a super smooth titanium framelock with s35vn and a great warranty. It's not as slim, but I wouldn't hesitate to chop into a branch with it.
 
I think they're a bit overrated. However, I do like the upgrades of the 25. I may have to get one as soon as they offer one with an insingo blade.
 
I don't find the cost to value ratio to be acceptable, but I'm not going to criticize those who do. Here's my math:

For the cost of a new Sebenza I could have bought four of these: (Benchmade Pinnacle 750)



Or I could have worked with a well-known custom maker to have him create a knife to match my individual wants. In fact, I did: (titanium framelock by Chuck Gedraitis)



I can tell you that I enjoy my Gedraitis custom more than I would enjoy a production Sebenza, and I have every confidence it will perform any task I ask it to do.
 
Choke said:
Love it or hate it, there is a good reason that CRK repeatedly wins awards for knife making and that the knives sell at a very fast rate from retailers and on the secondary market. I personally love Sebenzas - not sure if it's the ultimate EDC but I seem to end up with one in my pocket quite often. :) Cheers.
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Marketing
 
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I've owned 3 plus an Umnumzaan. Sold or traded them all. They're okay.
I've been carrying a used D2 Paramilitary 1 the past year. Got it on the trades forum. Uncentered blade, D2 stains and Patina. Not a pretty CRK. Best work knife ever.
 
I was thinking about getting a Sebenza and really was planning on it and had made up my mind. That is because I see so many people rave about it and I know it is a talked up knife, but it jus seemed that everyone used it as a standard, but now I read all the responses on this thread and I am second guessing myself, I am thinking about just buying a custom for the price and for what people say about it on this thread. Seems that customs are worth it to people who own them as long as you get a good maker like a bodega.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
Teenagers are generally disappointed in the Sebenza because it doesn't have the newest, toughest steel (as determined by the internet metallurgists) and the scariest profile. No,the kids who fantasize about fights between Superman and Batman aren't going to appreciate the nuances in fit and finish offered by the Sebenza. There are exceptions. But generally, appreciation of Sebenzas come with experience.
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I quite loathe this attitude. They're nice knives, it's great that you enjoy them, but taking shots at those that don't is significantly more juvenile than professing not to love a certain product.
 
I like the Umnumzaan a lot.
Used it a bunch in the woods yesterday.
Cuts well, and the edge held up just fine. It was maple I was cutting mostly, so it wasn't the world's hardest wood, but it didn't need any sharpening afterward. :)
Plus, it just looks cool.
The Sebenza itself does not interest me, but the Insingo does due to the blade shape.
 
I have trouble sorting out how I feel about the Sebenza.

I don't dislike it: I've heard enough people say the same good things about them that I have to believe their reputation is well deserved.

I like the clean look of the knife. Too many folders these days are overloaded with features that don't need to be there.

I especially like the customer support that comes with CRK. Lots of very large knife companies have a lot to learn from Chris Reeve.

The reason I have no desire to purchase one is that I start to think about a knife differently, right around $160.00. From there, a knife is no longer a tool, it's an investment.

But the idea of buying a knife, never using it, keeping it new and shiny in the box, is not something I want to do.

So the conflict for me is idealogical: I buy a knife to use it, but if the knife is too expensive, I don't want to use it, because I'm afraid to ruin it.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
Teenagers are generally disappointed in the Sebenza because it doesn't have the newest, toughest steel (as determined by the internet metallurgists) and the scariest profile. No,the kids who fantasize about fights between Superman and Batman aren't going to appreciate the nuances in fit and finish offered by the Sebenza.
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Well, with enough preparation, Batman (read The Dark Knight Returns).
Next! :D
 
Big_E said:
This may sting a bit.....BUT,..if your first thought prior to considering a Sebenza is $...move on, you're already going to be disappointed. The reason for this; "Happiness is the distance between expectation and reality". It's not going to glow or sing a song when you open the box. You think because you spent $350 or more it should cut your steak for you. Well, that ain't happening. After owning MANY Spidie's, BM's, and Kershaw's in conjunction with a Sebenza, I soon realized it was the Sebenza that found it's way into my pocket the most, and the yard stick all others were measured against. Shortly after, the bulb switched on, and my thought was, "if I sell all of my other knives, what other CRK's could I buy". And don't even get me started on the Mnandi. they are like Cool Ranch Dorito's....you can't stop.

BTW, I know this for a fact......You know what was in the briefcase in the movie Pulp Fiction? It was the very first Sebenza ever made. True!
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I don't like Cool Ranch Doritos either.

I've been told I'm a filthy heathen.
 
I can easily remember back when the Sebenza was the knife at the top of my wish list. Nobody can honestly say that its not a very well designed and manufactured knife but "for me" once I received mine it didn't inspire the awe that some others have for around the same price or even less. Obviously doesn't mean that you won't find this knife to be your "be all end all" knife and if so, that's fantastic (it's a great knife). I prefer the CRK Umnumzaan over the Sebenza but either is a great knife.

I think that CRK help set the standard for quality at that price point and that's great, its given other companies something to shoot for and probably helped raise the quality standard for their knives. I think that the gap in quality between a CRK and others has really narrowed over the last 5 years or so but CRK deserves credit for setting that mark in the first place.

When one says that that a Sebenza, Strider or whatever isn't worth the money you must remember, if you buy one and decide it's not for you its easy to get your money right back by selling it. A knife is worth the money as long as the market says it is...you can disagree and say that its not worth it "to you" and that can very well be true (who can argue with that?) but as long as many others feel differently the knife will hold its value.
 
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