How are Chris R. Sebenza's as EDCs

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deerhunterp

Joined
Dec 27, 2008
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125
How do these knives look over time, do they start to look crapy over time :thumbdn:, or do they tend to hold a good finish :thumbup:? Also, is the steel as hard to maintain as people say? I have plenty of experience with 154cm and VG10. How much harder will S30V be to sharpen? thanks for your help! :cool:
 
The finish on the titanium really depends on what you carry in your pocket. If you throw the knife in along with keys, coins, or some other hard object the titanium will almost certainly develop scratches. Even if you carry just the knife in the pocket it's hard to imagine that it would look mint after a couple of months of being EDC'd. Personally, I think that scratches give the knife character. And if you want to get rid of them later on down the road, you can give the scales a Scotch-Brite finish. You will not be disappointed with a CRK knife for an EDC.
 
The Seb's Ti scales will hold up fine. Yes, it'll develop scratches, but it's not going to wear too badly. I had a Seb that I EDCed for a couple yrs & now have another. It looked fine & the person I traded it to was very happy with it. He didn't think looked bad at all.

As far as CRK's S30V, they tend to run it a little softer than others do. I believe the Sebs are at 57-59 RC. Most other production knife companies usually run theirs at 58-60 & some (Including customs) might have it up at 62 RC or so. The Sebs in particular aren't terribly difficult or hard to sharpen. I think some of my knives in D2 have been harder to sharpen (Not really hard, just take a little longer).

I don't think you'd be disappointed in the Seb as an EDC. Which model are you thinking of getting? The micart inlay ones have stonewashed blades & they don't show scratches as easily as the polished blade ones. Just a thought.
 
CL01: thanks for the reply man! I want to get the large twenty-one. I think the simplicity makes it look really cool!
 
deerhunterp said:
Thanks Saftyman, how hard is it to maintain the steel?
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I've only sharpened my Sebs a handful of times and find that they're not really that difficult to sharpen. It all depends on what degree of sharpness you let the blade get to before you give it touch up. If you let the edge get dull, you'll spend a longer time refinishing the edge. If you touch it up every now and then so the edge doesn't get really dull, it's a lot easier to bring the it back to it's original sharpness.
 
I agree with all the above posts. The sebenza makes a great EDC. I have carried my large regular all year ( not as long as others ) and mine only has some light scuffs. If you carry it with change and keys in your pocket, you can expect many scratches. I carry mine alone clipped to my pocket. The scuffs it gets is from use. Mine is a large plain regular and it was custom engraved by CRK. If you get say, a large 21 micarta, you have alot less titanium to scuff up, so you ay wanna go that route. With any choice, your sebbie will last many many years.

As far as sharpening goes. I sharpen mine on a "sharpmaker" I highly recommend it for CRK knives. I ONLY use the 40 Degree setting and I find it works excellent. If you let a knife get completely dull like a butter knife, expect to spend some time sharpening. When I feel mine starting to dull, I touch it up ( about 10 swipes per side on the "fine" white sticks ). Its much easier to touch it up more often than to let it get really dull before you sharpen it. I use mine to cut alot of cardboard and I sharpen mine about once a month. I have found the S30V to be a great steel. I have NO Complaints. Get a CRK Sebbie and Enjoy It !!!
 
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nyefmaker: thanks man! I really want to get one now! I was woried about the steel, but not any more. Thanks guys!
 
Sebenzas make great EDC knives. The handles and clip will show scuffs after some time in a pocket. As mentioned before if you get the Micarta inserts you will have less Ti exposed to show scuffing. As to the business end of the knife, I find the stonewash of the S30V blade to be very good at hiding scratches.

I do not find S30V hard to maintain. I do however use more "modern" sharpening systems. Again as stated earlier the Spyderco Sharpmaker is an excellent system for maintaining an edge on S30V. If you can maintain an edge on VG-10 I am going to say that S30V is not a big leap in difficulty.
 
How good are Sebenzas as EDC's? As good as it gets, IMHO. You're not going to find a better knife, ever. I've been carrying my small 21 for 10 months solid now, the longest I've carried the same knife for many, many years. It is as close to perfect as anything made by the hands of man can be. The titanium slabs will wear, but nowhere near as much as, say, a Spyderco steel handled knife. The bead blast finish on the corners will wear smooth, and look "brighter" than the rest of the knife. The center of the slabs will grow a bit darker. The most noticeable wear will be on the clip, as it is outside of your pocket and rubs on stuff as you move around. Titanium is highly abrasion resistant, so what you'll get is an accumulation of tiny, shallow scratches, that is just on the surface. I think my Seb looks better now than it did when I got it. It looks "broken in". At this rate of wear, it should last a good 50-100 years, maybe longer. I will certainly wear out before the knife will.

I've found the steel to be excellent. I have had to "sharpen" the knife exactly once in the past 10 months. That was because I cut through some ties holding a toy for my son in the package, and there was steel inside of the ties- which rolled the edge a tiny bit in a couple places. I steeled and sharpened it up, and it has been good to go. Every couple weeks I'll give the blade a couple of swipes on a strop loaded with medium, and then fine compound- and it stays nice and razor sharp. It's been exceptionally easy to maintain. At this rate of wear, the blade should last a good deal longer than I will. Some day, my son may be carrying this knife as he plays with his grandchildren, long after I am gone. This thing is built to last. :thumbup:
 
The sebenzas are awesome knives to EDC. You have to find out which size is better for you. Both fit and hide well for EDC. Once you EDC the Sebenza, it will be hard to go to another different knife.
 
If you have the means to get one, you can't go wrong with these knives. Even if you carry them alot, you always have the option of cleaning them up or sending them back to CRK for a refurbishment at a very reasonable charge.

Here's one I just got, thanks to Ron B (440Hard). Before and after a little touchup with 600-1200 grit.

Before
LargePlainClassicSebenza_Before_sm.jpg


After
LargePlainClassicSebenza112209_01sm.jpg


The steel will stay sharp just fine, but you probably don't want to let it go too long between sharpenings. When the edge gets too dull, it can be a bear to re-establish the bevel. CRK will do that for free if you pay for shipping.

So don't worry, be happy :D:D
 
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.....or :
If you have a sandblaster, use Aluminum Oxide(Harbor Freight) to blast the outside of the slabs. They will look like just out of the factory. (take apart, painters tape over contact areas and ball)

15 min's
 
The Sebenza is the ideal size for EDC, at least for me. I don't consider it perfect though. I carry my large regular in my front pocket, with my keys. Because of its open construction, an occassional key will hit the blade's edge causing it to roll.
 
kamagong said:
The Sebenza is the ideal size for EDC, at least for me. I don't consider it perfect though. I carry my large regular in my front pocket, with my keys. Because of its open construction, an occassional key will hit the blade's edge causing it to roll.
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I get that and change stuck inside wedged between the blade and handle scale. Other than that it is a great EDC and I love carrying mine.
 
Perfect? No, but for me, the Sebenza is one of the best. Every knife is a compromise between toughness, slicing ability, grip size, looks, smoothness, and many other things. The Sebenza fits my use patterns as well as anything else I own.
 
deerhunterp said:
nyefmaker: thanks man! I really want to get one now! I was woried about the steel, but not any more. Thanks guys!
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Your Welcome, Anytime. Cardboard is supposed to dull a knife quickly. I have found mine to hold a great edge while cutting it, so I have always been impressed by CRK S30V edge holding ability.........As far a scuffs on the Titanium slab ?. I feel every scuff is an adventure you had with your sebenza and every scuff just makes it that much more Yours. When I look at mine and see the scuffs, I just smile :D
 
I have been carrying a small for many years.. I keep it in the leather pocket sheath. I carry in RF pocket. My change always goes in my left. Mine has small handling marks from use. I carried a Paramilitary previous to this.. The Para fits perfectly in the large seb leather pouch when it goes with me. If you can afford a sebbie, you will be hard pressed to carry anything else IMHO.
 
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