How good are the Chris Reeve Sebenzas?

Quiet said:
OP, let me cut to the chase here for you. You can essentially discount everything Gaston has said.

1. He's an anti-Chris Reeve troll who has beaten this particular drum many times before.
2. Read his post. All of the reasons he hates them stem from things that he saw online or elsewhere, nothing from personal experience.
3. The dude is claiming that a cheap garbage Chinesium Kershaw has better function, fit, and finish than Chris Reeve's Sebenza. Chris Reeve had the Manufacturing Quality Award at BLADE sewn up for like, 12 years. Think you're going to be winning those awards if a $25 cheap knife is better than yours? (Hint: no.)

What you're seeing here is someone who lashes out at something they don't like, and who doesn't want anyone else to like it either. Whelp, too bad. The facts speak for themselves. Chris Reeve's products are of exceptional quality, and sorry, but some companies who produce exceptional quality will charge an exceptional price in return. In my time here, I've seen countless people who can't afford a $425 knife use every excuse under the sun as to why CRK knives are crap and "aren't worth it".

Now then, cue the "I totally COULD AFFORD IT IF I WANTED TO!" braying.

No one who compares a $25 Kershaw to a Sebenza will, or should be, taken seriously. The trolling agenda is both clear, and present.
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Hey!!! Go easy on him!! At least he didn't bash the snot out of that big ole meanie USA this time!!
😡😡😡
Joe
 
kamagong said:
How good are Sebenzas? They are very good. I have a large regular that I value highly.

Are they worth it? That is another question entirely, one that is answerable only by the individual user. In my case, I'd probably say no for the simple fact that my favorite folder is one that I bought for 1/3 the cost of a new Sebenza.

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Buy the knife that appeals to you materially and aesthetically. You're the one who has to shell out the money for it.
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Nice knife, if you don't mind sharing, what do those cost new? Does it have a pocket clip? I may add that to my list. I would also like to thank everyone for the replies so far.
 
TheEdge01 said:
Nice knife, if you don't mind sharing, what do those cost new? Does it have a pocket clip? I may add that to my list. I would also like to thank everyone for the replies so far.
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Also, I would tell you another thing to keep in mind. Though I have multiple CRK knives, there's another view here. Exactly like Kamagong shared with us, remember that there are plenty of knives out there with titanium scales and S35v blades. The Sebenza is an excellent knife, however, you could get arguably the same recipe in the ZT 0450 for half the cost. So, don't feel that you HAVE to have a Seb. I have plenty of knives with ti scales and S35 (or better*) and enjoy them all. So, if you just want to have a Sebenza, get a Sebenza. Get a user from one of our members here on the Exchange and pay less! However, if you just want the recipe, then you'll be well served by any number of knives with that particular combo.

All of which, like the Seb, will be way better than a cheap Kershaw knife that was meant to be sold to people at Wal-Mart or one of the big box sporting goods stores who don't know anything about knives.



*in different ways, which is in itself another discussion (that's been had here many times)
 
In the Sebenza price you also get a great warranty, excellent customer service and free spa treatment. They also can refurbish-there may be costs associated with that.
You are also helping to support a small US business-which may or may not matter to you.
 
The ability to take a Sebenza apart, clean it, and reassemble in ~10mins without voiding a warranty is a great feature in this knife. I carry a large Insingo daily and use/semi-abuse it all the time. For me it is an amazing knife that feels like perfection. As mentioned before the steel is sub-par for a knife of this class but I'm hoping some day that CRK will wake up and realize that even low end knives are beating them in steel choice and heat treating.
 
Quiet said:
Also, I would tell you another thing to keep in mind. Though I have multiple CRK knives, there's another view here. Exactly like Kamagong shared with us, remember that there are plenty of knives out there with titanium scales and S35v blades. The Sebenza is an excellent knife, however, you could get arguably the same recipe in the ZT 0450 for half the cost. So, don't feel that you HAVE to have a Seb. I have plenty of knives with ti scales and S35 (or better*) and enjoy them all. So, if you just want to have a Sebenza, get a Sebenza. Get a user from one of our members here on the Exchange and pay less! However, if you just want the recipe, then you'll be well served by any number of knives with that particular combo.

All of which, like the Seb, will be way better than a cheap Kershaw knife that was meant to be sold to people at Wal-Mart or one of the big box sporting goods stores who don't know anything about knives.



*in different ways, which is in itself another discussion (that's been had here many times)
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If you're like me you can also get plenty of folders with S35VN or better that DON'T have any kind of metal scales and be much happier. ;)
 
tomsch said:
The ability to take a Sebenza apart, clean it, and reassemble in ~10mins without voiding a warranty is a great feature in this knife. I carry a large Insingo daily and use/semi-abuse it all the time. For me it is an amazing knife that feels like perfection. As mentioned before the steel is sub-par for a knife of this class but I'm hoping some day that CRK will wake up and realize that even low end knives are beating them in steel choice and heat treating.
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I guess my favorite all around steel would probably be 154cm. It is fairly easy to sharpen and has decent edge retention. I have never owned anything in S35vn, how does it compare to 154cm?
 
TheEdge01 said:
Nice knife, if you don't mind sharing, what do those cost new? Does it have a pocket clip? I may add that to my list. I would also like to thank everyone for the replies so far.
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That's a Microtech LCC, configured for tip up carry. It's long been discontinued unfortunately.
 
I once bought a Sebenza based on all the positive reviews and I didn't keep it too long. I was one if those who bought new and took the hit upon selling it.

That said, it was a very nice knife, but it didn't work for me. I am not too fond of all metal handles, it just doesn't feel that comfortable to me. Second issue was that opening the knife was a bit if a chore. The thumb stud wasn't great for me and I just could get at it very easily. The detent was stiff too. Lastly, it came with a very wide and thick edge. It was so bad that I sent it to Josh at REK to fix. The worst part was that the factory implied that I must have bought a fake and even said that the dealer that I purchased from wasn't a a factory dealer for them. They later retracted that and admitted their mistake.

All that left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, but I still find myself wanting to try one out again for some reason :)
 
For the price, there are tons of great knives out there! Take a good look around at as many as you can before you go crazy!
 
jstrange said:
I once bought a Sebenza based on all the positive reviews and I didn't keep it too long. I was one if those who bought new and took the hit upon selling it.

That said, it was a very nice knife, but it didn't work for me. I am not too fond of all metal handles, it just doesn't feel that comfortable to me. Second issue was that opening the knife was a bit if a chore. The thumb stud wasn't great for me and I just could get at it very easily. The detent was stiff too. Lastly, it came with a very wide and thick edge. It was so bad that I sent it to Josh at REK to fix. The worst part was that the factory implied that I must have bought a fake and even said that the dealer that I purchased from wasn't a a factory dealer for them. They later retracted that and admitted their mistake.

All that left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, but I still find myself wanting to try one out again for some reason :)
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A question about your comments when you said it felt like a chore to open and close the Sebenza. I have complained about Benchmade folders that felt the same way. It seemed like the thumb studs were positioned too close to the handle. Is this the case with the Sebenza?
 
I feel like I'm stating the obvious here....but how about trying one out?:)

All the opinions in the world won't tell you if YOU like the knife...
 
Hell if I still had one Id ship it to you to let you see if you liked it, then you could ship it back and buy your own if you did. Unfortunately my last one was stolen by a dirty cop. And the two before it were sold because I didn't need three of them and had more use for the cash;)
 
I own a 25 and a Star tac Zaan and there is a reason for the "hype". A lot of people don't notice all of the little touches that set Crk from others. A good example would be the perfect stone washing on the blade or being able to easily disassemble the knife a million times with no issues, try that with a $25 knife. With the current asking price of modern folders, a Sebenza is a deal.

Sebenza's do have a break in period, but after some time, sheer bliss is achieved. My only complaint is that I find opening them quickly cumbersome. My dexterity is not what it once was. I must admit though, I do prefer my Hinderer's.
 
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In the majority of cases you only get what the Sebenza love is all about once you own one, and in the majority of the minority cases where owning one did not live up to the hype a realisation of loss kicks in when the knife is gone (sold/traded) ... and this kick can hurt like hell.

My full appreciation of the merits of a Sebenza really kicked-in when I got involved in knifemaking myself. It's then when one realises just how hard (and expensive) it is to achieve the standards Chris set.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Meh. The main claim to fame the Sebenza offers is the ridiculously tight tolerances it's built with. And therein lies the problem. There's no particular reason to build a folding knife with such exacting tolerances and they simply aren't much of an asset to the end user, but they do dramatically increase the price.

It's a very well made, classic knife with an elegant, minimalist aesthetic but, IMO, not worth the money. Plenty of other knives will perform as well or better for significantly less cash.
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Hard to argue with these observations. Nicely put.
 
Chris Reeve Knives might not need to build knives to thislevel but I am glad they do, it's not lost on me. I don't believe there needs to be a reason why a product pushes the limits, in Crk case, this would be the tolerances of their knives. I think it is great when any company strives for perfection, it's the reason why we have progress. If everyone built things to a "good enough " standard, we might not move forward in an industry. One can easily see that the quality product that Chris Reeve has put into the market (tight tolerances, top tier materials) has greatly influenced other makers to step up their fit and finish, regardless of price.
 
Gaston444 said:
Have you ever handled one?

Because I get accused of having never owned (or even handled) a Sebenza (which is true, because the design is so obviously inferior it is to me not even worth the trouble of examining one: I think this generally applies to most frame locks), yet people will make assumptions about this Kershaw also having never handled one, and this is assumed to be OK...

The Sebenza is said to have a weak detent, and its lock fails at under fifty pounds, which I am sure even the $25 Kershaw can take. To my eyes, this means the Sebenza is not even a proper knife to begin with... I won't even go into the Titanium/steel lock face wear, when for that price you would at least expect a steel insert for a steel to steel wear, as on the $25 knife... The blade to handle and blade to weight ratios are also both inferior on the $400 knife...

The edge holding on the Sebenza has often proved to be poor, sometimes shockingly so (ie the JRDavis882 testing), so even on that front there is probably is no discernible difference, and the Kershaw may even be a good deal better...

As for the surface finish, what I have seen of the Sebenza in no way looks any better than the Kershaw: Even the primary grind line is less crisp on the $400 knife... Again, get the Kershaw and look at it closely: I've seen enough gigantic close-ups of the Sebenza to know the stonewash finish looks like crap in comparison. All a matter of taste of course, but there you go...

Gaston
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Every cheap Chinese Kershaw I've owned has been a waste of money. The last one I tired was barely used when the lockbar just stopped working. Lockup is now non-existing period, the knife is unsafe to use. Bought it to check out what Kershaw could do for 25 dollars. Got my answer, not much at all. The knife is poorly finished and above all does not lock. In my opinion Kershaw is making these Chinese knives for a few dollars each and charging 5 times as much.
 
Are there better value for money options? For sure. One can buy a PM2, Military and Manix2 (i.e. three Spyderco knives) for the price of one Sebenza. These three will function/perform just as well out of the box. No argument. Owning a Sebenza is not about value for money or cutting performance but about perfection. It is about that perfect hydraulic feeling one gets when opening a Sebenza. It is about the perfect weight in hand. It is about all the fine (often hidden) details ... the perfect jimping ... perfect surfaces (geometry and finish) ... everything fitting exactly right. It is about the reliability one gets from this perfection. An old well carried/used Sebenza can be turned into a same-as-new one by CRK because the integrity of all the parts is such that time and appropriate use won't really damage them. A Sebenza can be taken apart and reassembled as many times as a user wants to with zero issues developing. Try that with another factory knife. Taking a Spyderco apart immediately voids the warranty.

Unfortunately the times we live in are such where long lasting quality/reliability is boring and new toys on a regular basis is essential. Most guys don't care for a knife that will remain reliable for 10+ years any more. The thrill lies in a new thrill every few months and CRK does not serve that market.
 
Nellen, I really like the Pm2 (I own three of them) and recently replaced the standard scales with carbon fiber handles. Wow, what an adventure! I was amazed the how tiny some of the screws were and how easy they can strip. There was substantial lock tight holding each one into place. Maintenance on any of my Crk or Hinderer knives are a joy in comparison.
 
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