I am a noob, and am willing to show it. Sebenza.. Holy crap!

I have handled quite a few knives and one thing is for sure, few if any can match the overall quality unless you spend $300+. And I will call BS to anyone saying you can. Watch the video The Exquisite Blade and you will see why they cost what they do. Checked over and over and over to make sure the knives are at tolerances!

MPE
 
plowboy said:
We do usually think of purchases within a market system as being voluntary. If they are voluntary, consumer preferences are such that the product is viewed as being worth the price to those engaging in the transaction. :)
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Milton Friedman couldn't have said it better!;)
 
Reasoning the cost of a Sebenza takes ownership of a lot of other knives...no one can just go out and buy a $400-$1000 blade, when you can get one for 96 cents. On the contrary, once you taste that high end quality, you settle for nothing less. It is like Double Tap ammo...pricey, but nothing else even compares.
 
Thanks everyone. Can someone tell me how thick the knife handle is on the small sebenza.. the width of the spine. Trying to see how thick it is in pocket. Thanks!
 
allenC said:
It's a very well built knife to be sure.
But, in my opinion, the price is so high because (1) CR engages in a legal form of "price fixing", and (2) it is a symbol of wealth and elitism just like expensive watches and expensive pens, and (3) there are few competitors in its particular style.

Is it worth the asking price?

Only you can decide.

I bought one (and paid full retail) because, like yourself, I was curious about the Sebenza mystique.
I later sold it because, again, in my opinion, it is simply is not worth the asking price.

Good luck,
Allen
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"Price Fixing" Jesus, guess you've never been in manufacturing or marketing or sales.

"Symbol of Wealth, Elitism"....what a kooky point of view IMHO
 
hardheart said:
Demand cap?
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Demand cap in the sense that maybe there would not be a sufficient increase in sales to justify a reduction in prices. Perhaps the Sebenza is enough of a specialty item, at it's general price point, that a 20-30% price reduction wouldn't generate enough demand to justify lower prices, meaning Reeve would suffer a loss in profits. I'm not suggesting that more people wouldn't want one at a lower price, just that there is probably that golden balance between demand, price, production costs, profit and the size of his operation, etc. that makes the most business sense to Reeve.
 
I just watched the CRK DVD again. I'd suggest if anyone is thinking about a sebenza but isn't sure about the price, get the DVD and watch it. I think you'll be amazed at the work involved in producing one.

The other thing to remember is that with any item the final retailer takes a big cut of the price. I'll guess that the markup at the final level on a plain regular sebenza is at least $100 or nearly 30% of the total.

What amazes me at this point is that there are many "production" knives now that are at or near the price of a sebenza, yet nobody complains about them. Why not?

After all CRK wins quality awards year after year do you see any of the other Ti framed knives when quality awards? No. Perhaps they never have.

What you should be asking is why are people letting companies charge near sebenza prices for inferior goods. That's where the real market irrationality occurs. That's what all the "sebenzas cost too much" complainers should be really pitching a fit about.
 
Buzzbait said:
Chris Reeve has chosen that his knives be sold for that price. It's a simple as that.
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If folks weren't willing to pay that price, his knives wouldn't sell at that price.

You're paying for the materials and the workmanship that he puts into his knives.

Also, you're paying for the reputation that he's earned over the years. A reputation that says each knife will be of the consistently high quality as the last.
 
I have a 1997 model Sebenza (BG42). I carried it for the last two years of my military service before I retired. I've owned about ten other one hand openers and carried most, at least for a while. Several of these were Benchmades, Spydercos, and I still have a CRKT Model #21.

My son will graduate from college and be commissioned an Army Second Lieutenant in a couple of years. I would be remiss if I didn't give him my Sebenza for his active duty. I would not trust my son's life to any other folder I've carried. I've not owned other custom folders, partly because I've found what I need in a Sebenza. Mine is not an inlayed model, and has no other fancy features. It is a simple tool. Some say it didn't "wow" them when they opened the box. I'm rarely "wowed" by a set of Craftsman sockets either. I just know they are guaranteed to work for life!

I cannot denigrate an custom folders, I'm sure they are good. In the same light, if you've never handled or used a Sebanza, your opinion of them is certainly suspect! ...but the quality of my Sebenza prevents me from looking elsewhere.
 
bruce said:
I have a 1997 model Sebenza (BG42). I carried it for the last two years of my military service before I retired. I've owned about ten other one hand openers and carried most, at least for a while. Several of these were Benchmades, Spydercos, and I still have a CRKT Model #21.

My son will graduate from college and be commissioned an Army Second Lieutenant in a couple of years. I would be remiss if I didn't give him my Sebenza for his active duty. I would not trust my son's life to any other folder I've carried. I've not owned other custom folders, partly because I've found what I need in a Sebenza. Mine is not an inlayed model, and has no other fancy features. It is a simple tool. Some say it didn't "wow" them when they opened the box. I'm rarely "wowed" by a set of Craftsman sockets either. I just know they are guaranteed to work for life!

I cannot denigrate an custom folders, I'm sure they are good. In the same light, if you've never handled or used a Sebanza, your opinion of them is certainly suspect! ...but the quality of my Sebenza prevents me from looking elsewhere.
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Good post. Thanks. I can appreciate that someone has that much confidence in a product. I think my decision has been made.. in fact, I know it has. Now I just need to find a good deal on one.
 
What about the quality of the blade steel?

From my experience sharpening production knives, and S30V steel in particular, the Sebenza blade will get sharper and hold an edge better than anything else. To top it off, I sharpen my sebenza at the factory angle of 40 degrees inclusive while I sharpen my other production S30V blades at 30 degrees.

There's just a better heat treat of the CRK S30V steel that other production S30V blades. It's so different, it's like another steel altogether.
 
keep an eye on the forums, there are excellents deal for used knives if you are patient.
 
Slatts said:
What about the quality of the blade steel?

From my experience sharpening production knives, and S30V steel in particular, the Sebenza blade will get sharper and hold an edge better than anything else. To top it off, I sharpen my sebenza at the factory angle of 40 degrees inclusive while I sharpen my other production S30V blades at 30 degrees.

There's just a better heat treat of the CRK S30V steel that other production S30V blades. It's so different, it's like another steel altogether.
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I'm a little confused. You say the Seb holds a better edge, yet you sharpen it more obtusely. If the CRK HT was better, then you should be able to sharpen at a lower angle.
 
Let me start by saying I do't know what I'm talking about so don't flame me please. But I thought CRK heat treats his s30v to lower hardness? Spyderco's s30v is harder, right? So what hardheart said, CRK s30v should not be able to hold an edge at say spyderco's s30v? Like I said please don't flame me I'm just want to understand CRK s30v. I have about 200 bucks saved, and I'm going to save another 200 then pick Custom, semi custom (sebbie), or... shudder..shudder...dun..ta..........DUN!!!! A STRIDER
 
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