Gifted a fake Sebenza... Should I make the best of it?

inkynate

inkynate

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So I recently received a fake Sebenza as a gift from a well meaning family member (non-knife person). I didn't want to be rude so I haven't told him about it or asked what he paid for the knife, but he's not the type to have spent anywhere near the price of a real one. He was a bit vague about where it came from, I'm thinking probably the local flea market. I am not sure what I should do with it now. Since it was a gift I don't think I can just chuck it, but I can't really see myself using it as is.

At first glance, it looks like a really nice ti framelock, but there are definitely some issues with it. As others have noted about the fakes, the jimping on the spine is worthless. More importantly, it is very difficult to open one handed, I would say dangerously so. I have nearly cut my thumb a couple of times because it tends to slip off the thumbstud and then bump against the cutting edge after the blade comes free. I think the ball detent is too deep. Another issue is that once open, it is hard to disengage the lock. I am not sure exactly what is causing this, it locks up at about 50%, but once engaged the blade and the lock are seated very tightly and it is very tough to disengage one-handed.

Perhaps the biggest issue is that I have not been able to take it apart to see if I can do anything to improve the action. The screws only have torx heads on one side and they are completely frozen. One is already almost completely stripped even though I was trying to be careful with it. So it looks like to do any work on it I would have to destroy the existing screws (probably drill them out) and find replacements.

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do with this thing. Should I put it up and forget about it, pulling it out once in a while when my family member is around? Or is it worth it to try to turn this Chi-benza into a decent user? (Someday I hope to have the funds to drop on the real deal, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.)

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/opinions.
 
Well it sounds quite fake. I have a crap bin for knives like that. It's like two steps below EDC and Three above collection quality. :)
 
Hahahaha "Chi-Benza" instant classic.... If it's safe to use, why not use it. Emphasis on "If it's safe" As long as the lock holds and doesn't prematurely disengage, i say have at it. If anything it will seriously wet your appetite for the real thing....

Best of luck
 
Apophis said:
Anyway, I'm not sure what to do with this thing. Should I put it up and forget about it, pulling it out once in a while when my family member is around?
Click to expand...

Kind of puts you in an awkward situation doesn't it? Someone bought me one of those 440A faux-Beckers Boker Magnum produce a couple of years back. It's been in the back of a cupboard ever since, and the person who gifted it me seems to have forgotten about it thankfully.
 
Use it. Put in your car for "just in case". Take time teaching your relatives about knives and ones you like.
 
Im not a big fan of knock off knives but hey it was a gift you might as well use it for what it is. Throw in your glove box or a camping kit you never know when you will need an extra knife. Make it a knife you use yard work or guarding. No matter if its a 5 dollar knock off or a 400+ CRK its still a tool for cutting.
 
Sorry, double-tap. Using a dongle at the minute, and I think it may have been made in the same factory as that Chi-benza :(
 
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Good suggestions. I like the idea of making it my glove box knife. That would allow me to avoid the work needed to make it useable for edc, and it beats having it go completely unused.

Thanks!
 
Here's the way I look at it, a family member bought you a gift based on an interest that they know you have, that means that they put some thought into the purchase and probably expect that it's something you will both like and appreciate.

If you "discard" the knife by putting it somewhere like the back of a junk drawer, or an old tool box in the garage, or the glove compartment of your car, etc, what does that say about the gift and the thought behind it. Just because a gift may in fact be junk doesn't mean you have to treat it like junk. If you don't value it as a knife, value it as a thoughtful gift.

Imagine if one day your family member is visiting and they ask you "Hey, where's that knife I gave you?", how do you think they will feel if you have to dig it out of the bottom of a junk drawer or out of your cars glove compartment? I think their feelings might be hurt to see a gift that they put thought into being treated like an unvalued piece of junk.

I'm not saying that you should carry it everywhere you go. What I'm saying is, treat it as the thoughtful gift that it was. Keep it with the rest of your knives. Heck, put it on display like a prized possession.

If you think that it could stand up to being used, and if it could be fixed up, then maybe use it. But if you think that it might be dangerous to use or that it might break, then I wouldn't suggest such a thing. And remember, non-knife people might not understand using a knife to the point that it breaks. If you use the knife and it breaks, and your family member finds out that you broke it, they might feel that you were using the knife in an inappropriate manner and they might interpret that as "He didn't appreciate my gift. If he had, he would have treated it better".

Personally, I'd keep the knife safe. I'd keep it with the rest of my valuable knives. And if my family member ever asked about it I would say that I use it all the time.
 
@kilgar - Thanks for the toughtful reply. I didn't consider that carrying it in my glove box would be disrespectful. I think it actually would see some use that way and it wouldn't get beat up in my car. Heck, the knife even came with the leather pocket sheath. (And the clip screw is the one screw I got to come loose.) I agree that it was a VERY thoughtful gift from someone who doesn't share the hobby, so I would like to legitimately use it from time to time.

Also, to clarify, I'm not worried about anything breaking on it. The knife locks up very solid, and whatever steel was used it came razor sharp. The action though is not suitable for one hand opening or closing, so it has no chance of displacing my Vantage Avid in it's current state. My big debate is whether to put time , effort, & maybe some $$$ into trying to fix the action on it.

@pitbull shogun -I will think about posting some pics, but there are some other recent threads on the board that I referenced earlier after receiving the knife.
 
Another concern I would have in regards to carrying the knife would be losing it.

Of course, a lot depends on the person who gave the gift. Some people will buy a gift and put no real thought into it. They have no feelings invested into it whatsoever and once they wrap it or give it to you they never give it another thought and couldn't care less what happens to it.

But some people are just the opposite. They put their heart and soul into the gift they give and their feelings will forever be attached to that gift. For some people, the gift they give you is no less than a symbol of their love for you. I would hate to have to tell such a person that I LOST the symbol of their love. They might think that I was being irresponsible with it, like it was something I didn't care enough about to hold onto.

I don't know the person who gave you the gift so I don't know the specifics of your situation. But if they are more like the second person I described rather than the first, then I would keep the knife safe. Since it might not be your best choice as a user knife, and since it might come with the givers emotional attachments, I would keep it as a sentimental treasue, a symbol of the givers love. Just because a gift comes in the form of a knife doesn't mean that it must be used as a knife. Of course, like I said before, I would still tell the giver that I used it all the time. Those are the kinds of little white lies we tell out of respect for ones feelings.

This is all stuff I've learned from experience.
 
Use it for opening mail. It can live safely in a desk drawer, and you can honestly tell your friend that you use it all the time. It won't matter if you need two hands to open it.
 
Fix the hardware on it and clean it. it's still a Ti frame lock and could probably be a good knife.

if it's really Ti he probably spent about $100 for it or maybe more. can you take a picture of it?
 
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