Is Sebenza the Best?

[Jos]

Also, at a knife fair I could examine the esoteric Rockstead knives closely. I think that, if possible, they may be even on a higher plane of fit and finish and general precision than CRK and Klotzli. Granted, this is only an impression from playing a bit with them but any knife nut would start drooling when (s)he holds one.

The Rocksteads are also considerably more expensive...

Kind regards,

Jos

 

[MikeC]

Would you mind telling me what those things you did in the field are? I'm just curious.

Most of the tips I have broken have been while prying, things such as ropes tied for loc on deer stands. The knots at the end of the season are real tight as after having hunted in the stands all year the ropes have had tension on them. So sometimes I use the tip of the knife to help loosen the knots its the only thing I can get down in there and get it loose. I have snapped many a tip like this, however I did this for three (3) seasons with the Mission and no problems. Tip looked as just as the day I bought it when I sold the knife this year.

Other prying or digging situations with feeder set up/take down, repairs and deer stand take down/set up repairs. All have snapped tips or blades, Mission no problem.

The last thing is my location, south louisiana lots of days with very high humidity (over 90) plus lots of salt water and brackish water marsh where everything gets sweaty and wet with water. Everything rust and in fairly short order. The mission is NO CLEANING, everything is titanium. Bloody, muddy, salt water, sweat, moisture, does't matter. Drop it in your pocket and go.

I had to sell my old one to help pay for some guns I had ordered as my gun money got dipped into because of my wife running over her cat that hit me with an unexpected vet bill that was HUGE. Went to replace my Missions later and discovered that quality control issues had surfaced since my last purchase and sent the ones I ordered back.

So I bought a small regular sebenza and a buck mayo tnt to use this year and see what holds up best. I'm afraid both will broken by this time next year. The blade hardness and hollow grinds I just don't think are going to hold up, neither will the non titanium parts as they are going to rust out. I have too much other gear to take care of and too much land to manage to worry about cleaning my edc every evening.

Same with guns as all of our guns have been parkerized and black ceramic coated or Duracoated or Moly coated, and they don't get cleaned but once every year by a gunsmith who takes them down and cleans them. Guns that aren't treated are rusting severly by the end of one season. Same usually goes with knives, hell I've got knifes rusting that have never been used that are sitting in a coffe cup on my desk in my office and are rusting just sitting inside and there only about two years old. The humidity down here is sickening.

Its just too much to worry with when your cleaning deer till bedtime every night, filling up feeders, moving stands, repairing stands, and the like. Thats life when your managing 7,500 to 8,000 acres of bottomland hardwood and the hunting that takes place thereon, the 4 wheelers, tractors, stands, food plots, entertaining, etc take up the time, not the knives and guns. That is just the reality of the situation. your time is spent in the field either hunting or tending to other matters.

The reason I don't carry all kinds of tools with me in the field is because its bottomland hardwood which gets very muddy and very wet during the winter, many a day we deer hunt in hip boots or chest waders. Everything on the 4 wheeler is covered with mud and water after your 100 yards in the woods and if we hunt in the middle its a 3.5 mile 4 wheeler ride one way. Its a rough place that eats gear and equipment. When the mud gets deep late in the season its no uncommon to have to winch going in and coming out and this is with big 4 wheel drive 4 wheelers. yamaha grizzly 700's with 589 mud tires and warn 3,000 winches up front.

STR, here on the forums bought my mpf from me and has gone on to comment about how used it looked when he got it. That's coming from a man who has handle more than a few knives in his day. Whats funny about that is he says after handling it and using it he thinks it could take a lot more.

Didn't mean to go on but you asked for clarification so I tried to provide it for you. I just don't think in my personal opinion, keeping in mind I haven't gone through this hunting season with them yet. That either of the other two knives are going to hold up as well. Just a hunch so far but time will tell, as I see breakage, snapage, chipage or serious rust problems in the near term future.

 

[misterjuiceman]

For one, CPM S30V and S30V are the same steel, former being the full or the official name of that steel.

Second, Chris Reeve was one of the many knfiemakers approached by Crucible during the research and development phase of that steel, and that list includes very well known makers: Phil Wilson, Sal Glesser, Ernest Emerson, Tony Marfione, William Harsey Jr., Tom Mayo, Jerry Hossom, and Paul Bos...
I don't know why it gets attributed solely to Reeve so often. I don't think he claims that?

As far as S30V goes it is pretty good, but it is no wonder steel. Eventually it came out quite far from what the original goals were. At least it is nowhere near in terms of toughness compared to A2 and CPM 3V.

I don't think 58-59HRC is optimal for light use folder as Sebenza. 1-2 pt in hardness would make a significant difference. They(CRK) have their reasons for keeping it softer, but that doesn't change the result.

off-topic but, does anyone know why the Emerson production knives don't use S30V?

 

[coolhand68]

MikeC,

Why not carry a small screwdriver or even a multi-tool attached the belt for the frequent prying tasks, that way you can have more options available to you for EDC knives? I understand you want to travel light and not get weighed down with tools on the field, but there must be something you can use that won't compromise your convenience. That way you can fully enjoy your Sebenza or any other knife without worrying when the tip is going to snap off. I'm sure you've thought this all through before, just curious as to why you haven't exercised that option.

Best

 

[Esav Benyamin]

MikeC: CRK's Professional Soldier is half the price of a Sebenza, about the same size, and is a Gun-Koted fixed blade.

 

[Ramm9]

Most of the tips I have broken have been while prying, things such as ropes tied for loc on deer stands. The knots at the end of the season are real tight as after having hunted in the stands all year the ropes have had tension on them.

Save yourself a few bucks in the long run and buy a Myerchin Stainless Steel Marlinspike...rather than doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

 

[SteelSnob]

@ MikeC.

Thanks for your response. I now see what you mean that sounds like it would be tough on a knife. The XM18 with a Spanto tip might do better for you in terms or prying but the blade would have to watched and cared for often in that enviroment. Also Duratech 20cv steel might be a little tougher too.

 

[Dagon]

The Rocksteads are also considerably more expensive...

Definitely. I only wanted to bring this up as a counterexample to general blanket statements like "the Sebenza has the best finish ever" etc...

 

[MikeC]

Never thought about the marlin spike, good idea. Do have and carry a leatherman charge with titanium handles. Problem is handle thickness which precludes it from dangled into narrow slots to fish stuff out of. Do use the leatherman when and where we can, plus their a bitch to keep clean. At the end of the season I take um and scrub em real good then polish with triple 000 steel wool and buff with never dull, there still rusting, and we've broke a few of those too. There not cheap either at about 90.00 bucks a pop. Bottom line is you use stuff in this place on a regular basis and things get broken and deteriorate. Deer stands only last a few years before they rust to the point where you don't feel safe climbing in them, not rusted out but you know the metal is weak and at some point its going to fall. I've been in a couple of tripods that have come over and its not picnic. Even at just sixteen feet its a bear and leaves you a little rattled.

When the water gets up this year I'll take some pictures of where we hunt and post em here somewhere I don't know what section but I'll figure it out. I'll take some of the road going in, the water in the woods and the sloughs. I'll take some with the bikes and people so yall can get a reference as to what I'm talking about.

 

[carrot]

The Sebenza is really the finest production knife out there. Best is hard to define as we rate knives in many categories but I find the Sebenza offers the best of compromises, in carryability, in durability, in toughness, in comfort and in performance. There are many good knives out there. Some perform better. Some are tougher. But the Sebenza is consistently excellent at every way we can measure a knife by, and so for many of us who have given the Sebenza a chance at pocket duty, the Sebenza has become the ultimate EDC.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

When the water gets up this year I'll take some pictures of where we hunt and post em here somewhere I don't know what section but I'll figure it out. I'll take some of the road going in, the water in the woods and the sloughs. I'll take some with the bikes and people so yall can get a reference as to what I'm talking about.

We would be very happy to see that in the Wilderness & Survival Skills forum.

 

[lambertiana]

Sebenzas are the top of the heap when it comes to fit and finish, I have seen nothing else that comes close.

Their heat treat is a different story. My Sebenza does not hold an edge as well as my other S30V blades.

 

[OD-SnG]

A sebenza is a nice knife no doubt, ive had a few over the years, then i was on to striders....now im on to the xm-18. talk about fit and finish....silky smooooth, and tough as nails. For me its xm-18 all the way.

 

[hardheart]

The Sebenza is the best made folder I will never own. Nothing about the design does a thing for me. The steel, the lock, the shapes, the grind. I'm sure the bushing is very nice, everything surrounding it is a no-go.

 

[babakanoosh45]

I've seen this quote before. It seems like Glesser is saying that unless you're a manufacturer very knowledgeable about knives you won't be able to notice a difference.

I feel a little hesitant to say anything negative about the Sebenza now, since I have been labeled a troll for it and people are trying to intimidate me into silence, but from other things I've seen and read I get the impression that the s30v on the Sebenzas does not have quite the cutting ability or edge retention of most other s30v used in normal production knives.

I have to tell ya "jimmie" If you haven't owned one ~CRK Sebenza~ and used it for any length of time you have NO right commenting beyond "it's too expensive for a paperboy salary". You do seem to be a troll and say a boatload of stupid if not outright moronic crap. Just sayin....

 

[LX_Emergency]

Sebenzas are the top of the heap when it comes to fit and finish, I have seen nothing else that comes close.

Their heat treat is a different story. My Sebenza does not hold an edge as well as my other S30V blades.

Ah, and you have examined every other knife in the world yes? Because since you've seen nothing better they MUST be the best. There can't possibly be something that you haven't seen that's better.

 

[marthinus]

im not sure i understand what you are saying here. crucible was the original manufacturer of cpm s30v.

cpm=crucible particle metallurgy.

For one, CPM S30V and S30V are the same steel, former being the full or the official name of that steel.

Second, Chris Reeve was one of the many knfiemakers approached by Crucible during the research and development phase of that steel, and that list includes very well known makers: Phil Wilson, Sal Glesser, Ernest Emerson, Tony Marfione, William Harsey Jr., Tom Mayo, Jerry Hossom, and Paul Bos...
I don't know why it gets attributed solely to Reeve so often. I don't think he claims that?

As far as S30V goes it is pretty good, but it is no wonder steel. Eventually it came out quite far from what the original goals were. At least it is nowhere near in terms of toughness compared to A2 and CPM 3V.

I don't think 58-59HRC is optimal for light use folder as Sebenza. 1-2 pt in hardness would make a significant difference. They(CRK) have their reasons for keeping it softer, but that doesn't change the result.

Sorry I was corrected. I though CPM was a different way of making S30V then normal process and so was an improvement. That was how I understood the PDF of the steel from Crucible.

 

[Steven Andrews]

My Sebenza does not hold an edge as well as my other S30V blades.

Same here. The steel is too soft.

 

[l2lku2]

As for the scores of CRK owners, I think they're a little bit biased. The argument has been made before, but I believe it's valid - when you spend that much on a knife you look for reasons to justify it, ways in which the knife is "superior", you have lost your objectivity at that point.

This argument is not very well considered. Logic would dictate that if those same owners have other knives that are more expensive than the Sebenza, they would rationalize their purchase by rating those knives better than the Sebenza. How many here have more expensive knives but still rate the Sebenza higher? I can't speak for others but I am one of those. I own a Strider SMF CC, Strider SNG CC, 3 Hinderers costing between $475 & $600+, andn 4 Benchmade 806BK-801 & 701s that cost between $700 - $800 - none of them are better than the Sebenza even though they all cost more, even at twice the cost I don't try to justify my purchase of them by rating them higher than the Sebenza. I prefer the Sebenza over any of those even though it is the least expensive of those.

 

[udtjim]

No. They are good knives but to be the best, you have to be the best at everything and they are not worth the price. There are many tougher than hell folders out there and most of them offer a better bang for the buck.