Getting It

Bugs3x

Bugs3x

Joined
Feb 21, 2001
Messages
1,981
Kinda feel like Tom Hanks in the movie, "Big", when the new super duper toy his company was pushing -- I don't get it.

Have owned a Sebenza now for 8 days, and just don't "get" what all the excitement is about. ArtSig1 has already owned more knives, particularly customs than I ever will, and usually is cool as a cucumber about them, and he may have set a new record for posts on one topic the last week.

Don't get me wrong. I like my Sebenza. I like it more than some of my other knives. But, I simply don't understand what is so special about it. The more I hold it, the more used my hand gets to the handle that doesn't fit, so it bothers me less. But, I can still see that straight back, and see that it doesn't curve to fit my hand, like almost every other knife I own does. I love the feel of the handles. Don't know how metal got to feel so velvety. But, they're still that gray "you know what" color.

As I've posted before, probably the biggest turn-on of the Seb is the rounded blade spine. I do like that a lot. It just isn't there on the vast majority of knives out there.

The action is very smooth, but no smoother, perhaps less, than the actions of my CRKT M16 and KFF.

If after that I'm not on everybody's s&%t list, I do have a couple questions/requests. How different is the blade shape between the standard and the classic? Could anyone post a pic of both together?

The handle on my large seems too short for me, compared to several other knives I own. Why is it that so many people love the size of the small? Are they 3-finger knives?

Isn't every Sebenza supposed to come with a wrench of some sort? My used one didn't.
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I can't tell, but do the standards come with a leather pouch, or is that only the inlaid ones. Can anyone tell me the prices of the wrench and/or pouches?

I'm trying, and don't think at this point am going to sell mine, but I just can't "grok" the enthusiasm all you seem to possess. Maybe I'm just numb.

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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Oh Bugs, Bugs, Bugs. Somewhere the magic passed you by. What you need to do is click your heels three times and repeat the following; " I wished I loved my Sebbie, I wished I loved my Sebbie, I wish I loved my Sebbie" If this doesn't do it, then put that sucker up for sale! LOL!

Yeah I flipped somewhere along the way over the Sebenza. I have owned a lot of customs from some of the top tactical makers out there. I loved most of those knives, and the makers ALL put a little of themselves into each knife they made. That is what differentiates customs from production.

Don't get me wrong as I enjoyed each custom I had. After looking at the Sebenza closer I begin to see the absolute precision that the knife is constructed with. This is what really turned me on to the Sebenza. There are a lot of little things about the Sebenza that you don't find with most production knives. Then you look at the CG models and the wood inlay models and see that there is a little custom mixed in. The second I saw the ironwood inlaid large Sebenza at the Blade Show I knew that it was the one knife I was going to leave with. I haven't given it a second thought since. I am still tickled to death with the knife!

I know that what I am going to say next might get me flamed and I certaintly mean NO direspect to the custom makers. The Sebenza has the closest tolerances of any knife I have ever owned, including customs. This is a subjective statement as I haven't miked the peices of each knife I have owned! I base that on the feel of the knife to me, how it opens, locks up, and disengages. I have never had a folder that had the absolute lockup that the Sebenza has. Of course it should do to the construction methods employed.

Keep in mind this is how I feel, no one else may agree. I am talking about precision of construction here as the main factor in me going bonkers over the Sebenza.

This is my opinion. Yours may vary.

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Art Sigmon
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
Php. 4:13

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword"
Heb. 4:12
 
The pouch is $15 and the wrench ships with all new Sebs from CRK. I would check with the persona you bought it from to see if they have the wrench. Did you get the box/papers/birth certificate and so forth? Call CRK @ 208-375-0367 and they can fix you up with the pouch and the wrench. The pouch comse with all the decorated models only.

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Knives & Things
Mike Payne
 
Some people get it and some don't. It's kind of like the old Harley Davidson comment: "If, after all this time, you still have to ask, you won't understand the answer."

Nothing personal but, if it doesn't flip your burger, just sell it (or not) and move on to something that does. There are lots of knives and not all of them are for every one. There really are folks out there who don't care for the Sebenza.

Like Mike said, the wrench comes with the knife and the leather slip pouches only come with the decorated models. If you are referring to the heavy duty leather belt pouch, none of the knives come with those. They cost $36.00 (Black or Natural color).


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Dennis Wright
Wright Knife & Sporting Goods
La Mesa, CA
1-800-400-1980
wrightknife@ixpres.com
("Have a knife day!")
www.wrightknife.com
 
I could give a point by point run down about why I like Sebenzas. I've done it in the past and I just don't feel like getting all that into it right now. Heres a brief run down

1. Incredible lock, impossible to open under white knuckle grip (not true of most linerlocks).

2. Blade play? We don't need no stinkin' blade play!

3. Cuts great and easy to service.

I'll say this about the straight "unergonomic" handle. Hold it blade up like you were going to open up a deer, or cut a line from the underside. It's just as comfortable as it was in the other position (for me). Ergo handles usually feel really good in one position and really awkward in any other position. When a knife is being used it is often held in more than one position. The straighter handle gives more versatility. It's for this one reason that I almost despise pronounced finger grooves.

It's not everybody's cup of tea Bugs, so you may never get all gushy like so many people do on this forum. There's several knives that people wax poetic about on BFC that I wouldn't give you a dime for. Different strokes for different folks as the cliche goes.

Paul
 
It seems to me that its the differences in tastes that make knife collecting interesting. I have a couple of friends with varied interests in bladeware and I enjoy listening to them wax lyrical about their favourites. While I may not share their enthusiasm, I can understand it and occasionally learn something as well. I would never got into Microtechs if I hadn't examined a friend's SOCOM.

As they say, one man's meat is another man's poison...
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Andrew L



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"Praise not the day until evening has come;a sword until it is tried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk" - Viking proverb
 
Bugs, If the knife is not smooth then it more than likely needs a good clean and lube job... do a search and you will find- when clean and lubed, which is another good point that the sebenza is made to be disassembled and reassembled without voiding the warranty
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it is a great feature especially after gutting and cleaning some animal, you CAN get all the goop off and out of the knife!

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If You Abide in Him then,"All His Promises are YES and AMEN"
 
Bugs,

The Sebenza is a unique knife in the respect that one only understands the many benefits once it has been owned, used and appreciated for a while. A great deal of thought has gone into the materials used and the design. If you don't care for the handle, look into the Classic. I have both and the Classic has a bit more of a tapered handle.

With regard to the small, the small enjoys the same benefits as the large, but one usually does not have to worry about the blade length being illegal.

By the way, if you decide to sell yours, let me know.

Thanks.
 
?????...Either you get it or you don't. I'm sure someone would be willng to give it a good home.

Paul
 
Hey Bugs, You are not alone
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I have handled a Sebenza both large and small, classic and new style and can not get used to the way the handle fits my hand. The quality of the various knives has always been first rate, but the handle just don't cut it for me.

People will say, "well, you'll get used to it". That doesn't wash as far as I'm concerned. If I am not comfortable with the grip upon first picking it up, I will look elsewhere.

To those who think the Sebenza is the "cat's meow", that is fine, more power to you. For myself and others, it just doesn't work, period.

Now, if you want to talk about the Reeves one piece line, we can definitely talk
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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
I’ve had my large wood Sebenza for 2 weeks and am still amazed. I don’t consider myself a knife person and the Sebenza is the only nice knife I own (purchased out of intense curiosity more than anything else) so I can’t compare it to customs.

I think we can agree that Mr. Reeve designed his knives as tools and they clearly have a ruggedness of purpose. It’s not a perfectly ergonomic handle but I suspect that wasn’t the objective. What surprises me is both the attention to quality and the elegance in the design. The Sebenza is simple, rugged, and with both close tolerances and wear–ability. In my humble opinion his design crosses that line from very good engineering to great industrial design and dare I say borderline art. It does so because it combines these three elements (ruggedness, quality, and elegant design) in a single item. How rare is that to find these days? Could it hold it’s own under glass in the Museum of Modern Art? Likely.

So now I’ve done it… it’s not really a knife but a piece of art.

Ian
 
Thanks for your posts, one and all. I appreciate them.

As I said, each day, my disagreements with the design wither a bit more. I guess I do take exception to IDC's tributes to design. I simply can't see that the design incorporates the shape of the human hand, with which it needs to interface.

I do agree with whomever pointed out that it fits the hand well upside down. Yes, it does, and I keep wavering over whether or not to go with the style taught by Michael deBethencourt at Sig Sauer's academy that one should always hold the knife that way should combat become necessary. My CRKT M16 is also very good upside down. I don't think there is as much lock worry with the Sebenza as there might be with the M16, but nevertheless, and stresses work to keep the knife blade open, not close it.

I bought it because I like it. Thus far, have only parted with one of the knives I have purchased. Am beginning to think that I can solve a couple of my problems by carrying the Sebenza in a sheath, rather than in my pocket. That then leaves open the pocket for my other knives that I believe to be much better designed for self-defense should that ever prove to be necessary. Of course, I'll be carrying/wearing so much steel, that I'll sink like a rock should I ever get dumped in the brink. Also, HORRORS, have discovered that my seat belt has bestowed a few scratches on the clip. Just can't keep it there. Oddly, have never scratched any other knife with that belt, but can't go on like this!

I'm gonna take it slow and easy. I think it is likely that I'll get to the point where I'm a bigger fan than am now. But, am fairly sure that I'll not ever take up cheerleading for it either. Then again, I may have to see about swapping for a classic, and see if that fits my hand better. I believe I saw a picture somewhere last evening of the blade shape of the classic. If so, I liked it better than the standard. I'll try to keep a lower profile, and not talk about the Sebenza much.

Finally went to the web site and found the pouches, etc. Sorry to discover that they don't offer the wrench or whatever there.

Oh almost forgot. Somebody asked re smoothness of the action. I mentioned that in the original post. Yes, it is very smooth. But no more so than my M16 and especially my CRKT KFF.

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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Dear fellow:
I think that a new pocket knife is like a new car - it takes time to be the extension of our hands or of our bodies. Get your time and certainly you will be aware that you have in your hands the BEST pocket knife - the Sebenza. I have many custom made pocket knifes. But I DO prefer the Sebenza Keep trying and you wont repent. Sorry by my poor English.
 
Takes time to get it? Heh!

I handled one for the first time at a gunshow and it took me approximately 15 seconds to determine I HAD to have it.

So I traded my small AFCK ($60) gave'em $100 cash, and charged $100. I left completly broke but happy.

DaveH
 
HEY, my USED Ford truck was supposed to have a jack and lug wrench with it. IT did not???????????????????
Reckon if I call the Ford factory they will send them right out to me?
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***
teacher
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Sorry, I just could not resist.......
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[This message has been edited by teacher (edited 06-22-2001).]
 
Bugs3x,

I feel the SAME way that you do.
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.

...Hang on a few minutes......THERE, now I have my Nomex flame-proof suit on.
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.

I received a plain (classic) Large Sebenza, (along with a FREE "suprise" Camillus Cuda CQB-1 knife!), in a trade not too long ago. In the same time-frame, I owed a fellow Forumite $150 for an EXCELLENT Luminox 3105 watch that he sent to me. I have decided to send him this Sebenza as payment for the watch, as I like the Luminox watch better than the Sebenza!...
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.

BTW, my REKAT Carnivour fits MY hand, and feels 100% better in MY hand (after rounding the sharp bevels on the G-10 scales) than the Sebenza does! (But I DID really like the rounded spine on the Sebenza...That DOES show "class".).

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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
<A HREF="mailto:glockman99@hotmail.com
glockman99@yahoo.com">glockman99@hotmail.com
glockman99@yahoo.com</A>
ICQ# 53675663
 
I agree with MANOEL Veiga de CARVALHO. At first, I didn't understand all the hype about the Sebenza. I thought that it looked classy and such, but not something that I would spend 300 dollars on. But after a year of serious collecting, I began to see what else the market has to offer. Only then did I understand and appreciate the design. I got my first Sebenza on Friday and I am in awe.
Matt

[This message has been edited by Jazzman (edited 06-24-2001).]
 
I agree with Ian.How many knives or any other products being manufactured can match the combination of award winning "manufacturing excellence" & great industrial design?
After reading Art's post on his Sebbie from the Blade show,i found the same ironwood model at the M&M Tactical site.Mike had 1 left.Thanks Art for the review,it is a fantastic knife.
Sky
 
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