Get a Sebenza?

My Domino is about as nice a modern folder as I could ever want. Bearings, titanium lockbar with steel insert, 4 way clip placement, flipper and Spyderhole openings, fairly light at just over 4 oz, full flat grind CTS-XHP steel blade, cool looking carbon fiber over g10 scale, great ergos with or without using the choil....and it cuts things very nicely....all for less than half what a Sebenza costs.
 
When you see that the sky is dark with smoke...don't you think "fire?"
When choosing a folder, why do you hear "Sebenza, Sebenza, Sebenza...ALL OF THE TIME?
'Cause it's a great knife.
 
I don't see a Sebenza outlasting a Domino. Sorry, but the steel is harder, so the actual life of the blade will be longer because the XHP will lose less steel upon sharpening and need less sharpening, according to limited findings on edge retention between the two. Also, the Domino has a SS insert on the lockbar which will last longer than a Ti to steel interface. The Domino has fantastic fit and finish, and is no $20 slouch. If you still say the difference between .0005" and .001" (just a guess, and I know different parts will differing tolerances some tighter perhaps, some not as tight) is enough to get you more time out of a knife, I say there is no way a Sebenza will outlast a Domino taken to retirement, then a 560 in as a reliever. In the end the longevity of a knife is a moot point when considering the three knives you are considering. All three should outlast you and be able to be passed on to the next generation. If you want the ultimate in execution, and you want to be in total awe, get the Sebenza. If you can live with being very impressed with two fantastic knives (cannot actually speak to the 560, but from most accounts it is highly regarded), get the pair.
 
Ken44 said:
I have to watch my money, and the longevity of a Sebenza saves me money in the long run.
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Come on, Ken. Its great to love a Sebenza, and as I said above, I'm sorta jealous of you guys in that regard. But buying a $450 knife to save money? Your Sebenza will outlast 8 Enduras or 14 Buck 110s? Lets keep it real here. When you Sebenza guys say goofy stuff like this (i.e., they last longer or somehow perform better, whatever that means), I just can't help but throw a cold bucket of reality on it. I keep repeating myself, because you Sebenza guys keep saying stuff like this. Love your Sebenza. Just don't tell me please that it is in any way an objectively better performer - especially when cost is factored in - and that I just don't get it. Rock on.
 
powernoodle said:
Come on, Ken. Its great to love a Sebenza, and as I said above, I'm sorta jealous of you guys in that regard. But buying a $450 knife to save money? Your Sebenza will outlast 8 Enduras or 14 Buck 110s? Lets keep it real here. When you Sebenza guys say goofy stuff like this (i.e., they last longer or somehow perform better, whatever that means), I just can't help but throw a cold bucket of reality on it. I keep repeating myself, because you Sebenza guys keep saying stuff like this. Love your Sebenza. Just don't tell me please that it is in any way an objectively better performer - especially when cost is factored in - and that I just don't get it. Rock on.
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It makes no sense. The titanium lockbar and blade will wear out eventually. Replacing a Sebenza blade would almost buy a Domino.

In the end we all should buy what we want and can afford.
 
People often want something more, that goes for a lot of things. OP you're going to want to check out the sebenza eventually it's already in your mind and won't go away i doubt it, so just check out a sebenza and see what you think. Get one used and carry it for like a month then see how you like it, sell it if you don't, keep it and buy more if you do like it :D.
 
powernoodle said:
Come on, Ken. Its great to love a Sebenza, and as I said above, I'm sorta jealous of you guys in that regard. But buying a $450 knife to save money? Your Sebenza will outlast 8 Enduras or 14 Buck 110s? Lets keep it real here. When you Sebenza guys say goofy stuff like this (i.e., they last longer or somehow perform better, whatever that means), I just can't help but throw a cold bucket of reality on it. I keep repeating myself, because you Sebenza guys keep saying stuff like this. Love your Sebenza. Just don't tell me please that it is in any way an objectively better performer - especially when cost is factored in - and that I just don't get it. Rock on.
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The Noodle saying we say goofy stuff....classic :D

And yes, I am saving money by buying quality. I also don't mind paying more for a design I like.
I also buy all types of folders, and have more Spyderco than anything. Great knives, but will not last as long as a Sebenza if used often for a very long period of time.
My hard used 1997 Sebenza has held up better than any knife I've ever had. It is just as the day I bought it, other than looks, and I could sell for much more than I gave for it. Not that I would, but I have to watch how I spend my money.

That 1997 did develope a slightly sticky lock a few years ago. CRK made it as new again, and refinished my knife for no charge other than shipping. That didn't work out to well with another knife company that I own the most of....just got a note back saying "it still meets spec".

I feel they save me money in the long run, and no way would I spend that much on a knife if I didn't feel that way.

I don't care that some don't understand how a knife made with tighter tolerances will last longer. I know, and thats all that really matters to me:p
 
Fanglekai said:
It makes no sense. The titanium lockbar and blade will wear out eventually. Replacing a Sebenza blade would almost buy a Domino.
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Any locking mechanism will wear out eventually, not just frame locks. Sebenzas come with a warranty, so should anything malfunction or if there is any bladeplay all you have to do is send it in and they will make it right. I have regular Sebenza from 2002 that has seen quite a bit of use and it still locks up tight. I sent it in about 4 or 5 years ago for a "spa treatment" and it came back looking new. What other knife company will refurbish a knife for you if you ask for it?
 
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Very true.

Cosmic Superchunk said:
Any locking mechanism will wear out eventually, not just frame locks. Sebenzas come with a warranty, so should anything malfunction or if there is any bladeplay all you have to do is send it in and they will make it right. I have regular Sebenza from 2002 that has seen quite a bit of use and it still locks up tight.
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Franz_N said:
People often want something more, that goes for a lot of things. OP you're going to want to check out the sebenza eventually it's already in your mind and won't go away i doubt it, so just check out a sebenza and see what you think. Get one used and carry it for like a month then see how you like it, sell it if you don't, keep it and buy more if you do like it :D.
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+1 :thumbup:

I can't tell anyone why they should buy a Sebenza. If you really want one, you'll probably get one eventually. When you have your heart set on a particular knife, whatever it happens to be, there really is no substitute--you'll just keep feeling that itch until you scratch it.

-Brett
 
I had a Sebenza, and there's no doubt it is a fine knife, but for me, it wasn't perfect. I preferred a faster opening, deeper carry clip, and less belly, so for me, the sebenza wasn't worth it, in terms of opportunity cost. Sure, the $385 or so I paid for it was a fair price, given the precision, tolerances, etc, but that's not what sells a knife for me. I pay much closer attention to the steel, ease of carry, how much fun it is to play with, and a few other factors, and though the Sebenza is a great knife, it came up short on my checklist and I sold it. As for longevity, come on, just about every modern knife with quality materials will last longer than most people will. Look at how many slipjoints and Buck 110s have seen decades of use and are still functional. I don't think longevity is enough of a selling point.

If you want a flipper, get a flipper, because as good as the Sebenza is, it isn't a flipper. It isn't anything other than what it is (:D), an all-Ti framelock with a thumbstud. If you really want a Sebenza, then get it, it really is great, but it won't cure your addiction and satisfy your wants just because it is a Sebenza. I ended up getting a Sage 1 and about $200 for mine, so that was a fair trade in my book.
 
Get the sebenza. You won't regret that decision. You'll fondle it, see what the knife is all about, wonder what the hell it all was about, sell it, then get the ones you really want and use.
 
Less people should buy sebenzas so that there are more for me...

everytime I eyeball one, wait a week, and someone buys it. (Example; honduran inlay or mammoth)
 
powernoodle said:
Mr. Hazy was employing the literary technique of hyperbole, which is exaggeration to emphasize an underlying truth. Whenever there is a "should I buy a Sebenza" thread, inevitably its advocates contend that only those with a fine appreciation for detail and a discerning eye will understand the Sebenza, the implication being that if you aren't on board you must be a toothless, inbred hillbilly (< that's hyperbole too, btw). That mild but pervasive snootiness causes a backlash, which I think precipitated Mr. Hazy's responsive usage of hyperbole. Its also why I heard angel singing (< a metaphor) when Mr. Moxy acknowledged that Sebenzas don't actually cut things any better than other knives.
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powernoodle gets it :thumbup:
 
I went back and forth looking at $400~ knives, decided on a strider for my first one. Just now came back to looking at the small sebenzas, but after thinking long and hard about it (we men use what we were given) I decided to go the custom route. I wanted to like the sebenza (or the umnum) but I just didn't. So I bought a Brian Tighe mini tighe-rod instead.
 
powernoodle said:
....the implication being that if you aren't on board you must be a toothless, inbred hillbilly....
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Imply it as you will, but no one has ever made that statement directly. Just because I like and appreciate a Sebenza doesn't mean I also drink expensive fine whine with dinner, enjoy caviar with creme fraiche on toast points, and exclusively drive Mercedes Benz automobiles as I sneer at all you peasants with your Kerhsaw Cryos and Chinese made steels. Ha!
You are all beneath me!
 
powernoodle said:
I hear angels singing. Thank you.

I own 3 CRKs, and they have smooth pivots and plenty of machining. But for $450, I'd rather have 5 entry level Kershaws at $20 each, a Para 2 (black on black) and a Benchmade 710. With $50 left over for a rainy day. I just have a real hard time cutting up a piece of sod or a shingle with a blingy $450 knife. I'm sorta jealous of you guys who love your Sebenzas so much that you carry nothing else. I just can't do it. I'll take seven from Spyderco, Benchmade and Kershaw for the same money.
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Yeah, I think you have made that "point" 20 or 30 times before.

Why not sell the CRKs, get 15 or 20 Kershaws or Spydercos, and move on?
 
Just get the sebenza sooner or later you will own 1 theres no denying it as a knife junky that you will own a sebenza at some point
 
I only sort of wanted a Sebenza when I could only afford a Skyline, then I could afford a Sebenza and I bought the one I liked because of my holy trinity of materials: Damascus (blade), Titanium (scales), and Carbon Fiber (scale inserts). The quality is very nice, I carry it every day. But I could have bought 3 ZT 0550's and a Skyline instead. After buying and selling many knives for 5 years it was worth it to me to get the Sebenza, to be honest, because of the name, the materials I like, and the feel and look of the knife when I hold it in my hand.
 
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