My large Sebenza:
Plain handle, plain blade, no frills.
A little history on this knife:
It is the first Sebenza I ever sold.
It went to a cab driver who came into the store and bought it right after the first shipment came in. He carried it for a few months and then it went missing.
A couple of years later, he got it back. (Long story, no relevance here)
Since he had already replaced it, he brought it into the store and traded it for another knife that he had been admiring.
At first, I was going to send it back to Chris for refurbishing. It had seen some pretty hard use and a lot of abuse. The blade was scratched and dull, the handles were worn and the whole thing was filthy. (I don't even want to know what was on it)
Instead of sending it back, though, I decided to take it apart and clean it myself. I figured that I could always send it in if it was too far gone.
As it turned out, it cleaned up very well with alcohol and a toothbrush. (I literally sterilized and disinfected the thing.)
A little while with a Flitz polishing & sanding kit on the blade and most of the scratches were gone. (I couldn't get them all, they were too deep and I didn't feel like wearing that much blade away.)
The bottom line was that, after all that, the knife didn't look too bad. I had lubed it after cleaning and it was very smooth operating. Lockup was tight. No blade wobble. No nicks in the blade. No dents or deep scratches on the handle and the thing cuts better than any other knife i have ever had, even when "dull".
I decided to keep it for my own carry. Since I knew the history of the knife it was a natural, easy decision to make. I've carried it ever since (almost a year, now.)
It has no clip. I have spares but chose not to put one on. It rides horizontally in a cordura ballistic pouch on my belt, above my right hip. (Someday it will be in a G2) It is always there, even in dress clothes.
Since it was already "broken in", I haven't taken any pains to protect it. It gets hard use and does not get coddled. I don't abuse it. ( I know what knives are for and it asn't prying open paint cans or car doors). I carve wood, trim rope, open packages, strip wire, cut up cardboard boxes, (a LOT of boxes) cut hose, anything you can envision using a daily knife for with no problems. I sharpen it now and then. (Sometimes it even needs it).
The knife has been "flicked" hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It's how I open it every time I use it. (I love that authoritive SNAP when it opens.) Lockup is tight. No blade movement when locked. Lock travel is about 95%. I have noticed no problems, whatsoever with this knife.
(Qualifying statement here: I don't get the blade moving anywhere near Mach 1. I just push with my thumb while moving my wrist with enough speed to keep the blade moving, smartly, into lockup. I'm not, necessarily, brutal in the motion but I'm not particularly gentle, either.)
The point to all of this is some of you folks seem to be having second thoughts about your Sebenzas.
Stop worrying. If you want to keep them as new, put them up in their boxes and forget about them. They won't deteriorate. They won't rust and they won't get dull. the locks won't wear and the blades won't develop a wobble. Maybe, someday, your heirs will find them and than someone might get some use out of them. Of course, they won't be of much use to you, but they sure won't get scratched.
C'mon guys. Lighten up. We're talking about a SEBENZA, here, not some delicate mechanism that will go out of whack at the slightest use.
I'm not saying that you should abuse the thing but, fer cryin' out loud, it's not going to fall apart if you should happen to push the blade a bit too hard or move your wrist a bit too fast when opening and the thing goes SNAP. Nor am I disputing Chris, when he says that you shouldn't make a practice of flicking it open. Just don't be timid about using it.
Unless you get carried away and try to pry open a car door or open a safe with it the Sebenza will outlast you. Just remember, it's a TOOL. It is bound to show some use and will, eventually, need some service, as does any precision instrument. Keep things in perspective.
Don't be afraid to use your knives. That's what they were made for. It won't even hurt them if you occasionally give in to the temptation and flick it now and then, or if you accidentally open it too fast. You aren't going to damage it that way. Just don't get carried away or make it a practice.
I know that what I'm doing with my Sebenza is against the advice and policy of CRK but I also don't plan to send my knife in claiming warranty service if what I'm doing causes the thing to wear out, say around 2030 or thereabouts. I just keep on flickin' and it just keeps on clickin'.
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Dennis Wright
Wright Knife & Sporting Goods
La Mesa, CA
1-800-400-1980
wrightknife@ixpres.com
("Have a knife day!")
