Is the Umnumzaan actually better than the Sebenza (trying to decide).

Macchina

Macchina

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Apr 7, 2006
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I am going to buy a Sebenza 21 or Umnumzaan soon, but can't decide between the two. I have a Regular Large Sebenza currently, and like everything about it except for the "scallops" in the finger groove and on the lock bar. I know I will like a 21 even more, but I don't about the Umnumzaan. Chris Reeve says it's better but I don't see what aspects make it any better. I like the looks of the Umnumzaan, but the thumbstuds rest on the handle, while the Sebenza has a blade stop, is there any noticeable difference there in durability etc.? How does the Umnumzaan feel in the hand? The blade grind lines don't look any different until you get to the spine of the blade. Just looking for comments from people who own both.


Also I am thinking about getting a Strider SMF CC instead. If this is a big mistake please let me know.
 
All are very different knives...


Really different :cool:

I have heard that some like the Umnum better and some sell the Umnum after the honeymoon phase is over and return to the Sebbie. I played with one at blade and really liked it.. A LOT!

Not much help, but the Sebbie is the great at everything. Hard use, church, camping, looking at, ect... The Umnum seems more of a Strider type knife, and that's awesome too... But not the same type of knife. The thicker blade should mean the Sebbie would out slice the Umnum, the Sebbie can also look A LOT better depending on the options you get.


I would really try to get your hands on a Strider before you jump, they are not for everybody. I really like them, but can see how someone else may not :)
 
My edc is a small sebbie 21 with polished hardware (washers ect ect), the action is very smooth. Even with that though my recently traded zaan was smoother, too bad CRK doesn't have a smaller zaan in the works... that would have been one of my must have purchases. Tell me.....is there something wrong with me if I carry 2 knives ...ALL THE TIME! Yeah maybe thats why CRK doesn't make a small zaan.
 
The Umnum is a beefier, heavier knife than either the Large Regular or the 21.

Best advise I can suggest is either find a retailer that has these models you can actually hold in your hand and operate. Or maybe there's an upcoming gun/knife show coming to your area.

Any of the opinions you get here are just that. You mileage may vary;)

Try 'em all out before you buy.:)
 
This has been debated to death already.
The Umnum has a beefer construction and incorporates new innovations that make it theoretically stronger and smoother, but come on. Either knife is pretty much the same on terms of material quality and F&F, and they have the same basic construction - they're both framelock folders consisting of an S30V blade sandwiched between two slabs of titanium. The warranty and customer service is the same on both knives.
I'm not about to choose between the two, but if you're compelled, I would choose based on how the knife feels in the hand - strength and reliability are too close to be compared beyond the purely semantic.
 
Both are great knives.

The Sebenza is simply a classic. It is the "one" knife, you will never or want to own another. I see it has timeless. The Umnumzaan brings great features to the table. The biggest features would include the ceramic ball and tang lockup, the improved grip on the thumb ramp, the perforated washers and the blade shape (more belly, minus the swedge).

Everything else the Umnumzaan has is just additional goodies that is not needed in a knife but is nice to have. For example, the extra thickness of the blade, the swedge, the lack of stop pin (with O-rings on thumbstuds), the pivot and additional texture on the handle. I feel the bushing worked just fine and it made cleaning and reassembling easy.


Overall, I feel the Umnumzaan is an improvement over the Sebenza. It would be nice if you could get the timeless design of the Sebenza with the key features of the Umnumzaan.
 
After using the occasional Sebenza over the years, and not buying one, then trying an Umnumzann, I decided I liked the zann better enough to buy one.

There are several additions/changes that CRK added to the Zann that I believe are real improvements over the Seb. These additions/changes may or may not matter to you.

This a copy of a thread that I just wrote about the Zann vs. Seb yesterday:

“I do think there are several refinements made to the zann.

The ceramic ball in the lock area is a major step forward. The lock NEVER sticks.
For this reason alone I believe the zann to be the best framelock made today, regardless of manufacturer.

The nail nick on the framelock bar is another great idea. It works so much better than the ridged jimping found on virtually all other framelock bars. Why didn’t someone think of this before? Thanks Chris.

The handle is more ergonomic on the zann than a seb and has better grip due to the cross-hatching.

The blade has a swedge. I don’t have to dull my edge scraping fire sticks, or anything else. No wonder CRK got special order requests for this feature on sebs.

The blades two ramp detents are a very nice addition. I’d rather have them than not.”
 
Having owned quite a few Sebenzas over the years I would have said that CRK would be hard pressed to improve upon it.
But they did with the Umnumzaan!

I consider the Umnumzaan to be a high end Sebenza, it's

a bit beefier
has dual studs standard
has swedge standard
grippier surface treatment
Improved lockup and release
Available with tanto blade
Most of all I like the smooth, silent, almost hydraulic feeling opening system.

Over the years the most common complaints about the Sebenza have been;

Plain Jane looks
sticking lockbar
occasional opening, weak detent

All issues addressed & corrected with the Umnumzaan.

dave
 
Is it easier to open with the thumbstud on the Ummm? The Sebenza thumbstud is far from the blade pivot point making it a little awkward for me to open. The Ummm's looks like it is much closer to the pivot point.
Any input appreciated!
 
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I think I'm going to go for an Umnumzaan. I can certainly trade it if I hate it for one reason or another.

Everytime I've heard the ceramic ball thing described, I can't visualize what it is. Could somebody post a pic of this on the Umnumzaan.
 
Okay, I may have just sold all the knives I need to sell to get an Umnumzaan. Now a few questions:

>I haven't been checking lately, but has there been any new announcements about the new mystery steel?

>Where is the best place to buy an Umnumzaan from online?
 
"I haven't been checking lately, but has there been any new announcements about the new mystery steel?"


I asked at blade and they said it will not happen for a while.... Like years! :cool:
 
Try Neil at True North Knives. Plaza cutlery is a good place but they are out on the right hand Umnum. Those are the two main ones that I deal with.
 
I really like both!, My only complaint on the um is the "swedge'. I think it's too sharp, the cutting edge is exposed in the pocket, and wonder if some knife unfriendly cop would consider it double edged. It's illegal in Texas to have a sharpened top edge...... I can carry a Wilson CQB compact .45, but probably not a um! I honed it to dull, and have loved it, but think it is totally different than the sebe. viva both! Bart
 
bart1 said:
I really like both!, My only complaint on the um is the "swedge'. I think it's too sharp, the cutting edge is exposed in the pocket, and wonder if some knife unfriendly cop would consider it double edged. It's illegal in Texas to have a sharpened top edge...... I can carry a Wilson CQB compact .45, but probably not a um! I honed it to dull, and have loved it, but think it is totally different than the sebe. viva both! Bart
Click to expand...

a cop could pull you over for going 1 over if he wanted to do so. sometimes you run into a guy who's had a really bad day and there is nothing you can do about it other than be as compliant as you can while making sure the officer knows you arent going to just roll over.
 
I know you can't beat the ride, but I may beat the time, when cooler heads prevail...... Too bad you can't use 2 knives at once! Bart
 
Along these lines, when the Umnum first came out, people had some different experiences with the "sharpened" back side of the blade...some said it was a false edge, others said that they had to tone it down a little bit with a ceramic rod.

Any continued experiences on this?
 
I just got an Umnum on a trade & posted a thread on what I thought about it. I don't know yet if the trade's a keeper or not, since I haven't heard from the other guy yet (I got it today & tracking shows he got his yesterday), but they are different knives.

I also have a lg. classic CGG Seb to compare it to the Umnum. If you already have a lg. reg., I'd say get the Umnum. You can always trade it for a classic or 21.

I can't comment on the Umnum's "durability" since I haven't used it yet, because I haven't gotten cleared on the trade yet, but I don't see how there'd be a problem. At first, I thought there would be an issue because the thumbstuds rest against the lock-bar & scale, but it's not an issue. What I 1st noticed is how quiet the Umnum is (Silent actually) & the smoothness. It's definitely smoother than the Seb.

I do like the idea of the thumb-studs adding stability by resting on the scales vs a blade-stop. I think the Umnum's more "tactical" looking, for lack of a better word. I don't know about the Umnum being "better", but it's executed in typical CRK fashion & is amazing. The blade grind/shape seems similar, but the Umnum's blade is a tad longer than the lg. classic Sebs', even though they're both listed at 3 5/8". They also seem the same length, even though the Umnum's listed as being slightly longer (4.77" vs 4.75"). The Umnum's slightly heavier (5.0 oz. vs 4.7 oz.) & I notice it, but it's really nothing in that it isn't substancially heavier.

Overall, I'd say the Umnum is different enough to the Sebs that I'd say get the Umnum. Again, you can always trade it for a classic or 21 as they've been around much longer & there're many more of them.

Good luck on what you get & hope my few comments/input are of help.
 
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