Knife Newbie... Question re: Sebenzas

You can get just as much knife for less money.
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Really? Brownshoe, I'm curious about what you consider "just as much knife". If you find something that's as good as a Sebenza and costs less, well, I sure want to know about it. I currently own 6 Sebbies, and have yet to find a production knife that comes close in terms of quality, simplicity and efficiency. Sebbies are fragile to open? I don't think you'll find any producer who advocates flicking their knives. Excessive flicking will damage a folder's stop pin, and that will void just about any warranty. If you do choose to flick, however, I think you'll find that the Sebenza holds up with the best of them. I consider the Sebbie to be the ultimate hard use folder.

I have to say, too, that I like the way the Sebenza looks. Of course, that's a personal thing. If grey doesn't do it for you, you can always get a wood inlay model or order a special design.

I will grant you, however, that the Sebenza's tip up carry style is not my favorite. The thumbstud can catch and possibly cause the knife to open prematurely. I'd love to have a tip down Sebenza!
 
They are too fragile to flick open. If you flick open your sebenza, it will void the warranty.
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In no way are they too fragile to be flicked open. CRK suggests that you don't flick them as it causes increased wear. I would be confident to say that if you really wanted to you could flick it at least ten thousand times and not cause any damage to it. However it was not designed for that so my gut feeling is that most Sebenza owners don't do it anyway.
 
Depending on your experience using other folders, you appreciation of the Sebenza's characteristics will vary.

You will appreciate it if you like:

Framelocks (integral locks)
Durable washers
Immaculate fit and finish with hand-applied quality
Serrated, small profile thumbstuds
Clipped, drop point blade designs
Unparalleled customer service
Holds resale value slightly better than most

I have owned (even if some rather briefly) about 16 Chris Reeve Knives products. All of exceptional quality. Are they "better" than other folders produced in mass or one by one? There is no real answer to that question.

I can tell you that having owned all those CRK products, my day to day carry knives are either made by individual knifemakers ("customs") or knives made by Spyderco. Just depends on your priorities.
 
Brownshoe is a troll. We had a few problems before with him/her and if I'm correct he/she was banned and somehow got back on.
 
The Sebenza is cream of the crop. Mine is my primary EDC and always will be. I just ordered a custom designed Lrg. that the CRK was great in working with me to get this baby made. That being said. I think the Brend folders that are coming out are going to give Sebbies a run for there money. Allot of different features you can choose from including a Brend Hand rubbed satin finish for only $12 extra:eek: There base models can be had for about $50 less than a Lrg Sebbie. I hope the competition drives prices down on both great knives. :)
 
The Sebenza represents a giant leap in quality only in fit & finish and materials-- NOT in function.

Knives are designed for cutting, for separating things. Does the Sebenza out-cut the Police by a $200 margin? I would have my doubts that it out-cuts the Police by any margin.

But I would love to own a Seb one day, and I probably will. Not because it can out-cut, or out-function, another well-regarded, less expensive knife-- because it won't-- but because it is a well-made tool that demands appreciation for its workmanship and engineering. It is a tool that should last more than a lifetime with daily use.
 
Going back to the flicking of Sebenzas, I believe that it is recommended by CRK that you do flick your Sebenza once you reassemble it to properly seat everything. I know this isn't like constant flicking or anything, but I'm sure the knife can take it.
 
Ahhhhhhhhhhh yes! Here we go again.:rolleyes:
If you have never handled a Sebenza you can't make an informed decision. What makes it "worth" more than other knives? Attnention to detail. CRK's consistancy is nothing short of remarkable. Top materials and top flight workmanship are what make the difference.
Is the Sebenza for everyone? No. Neither is any other knife.

Paul
 
apparently MoD also considers knife flicking to void the warranty

but what i'm particularly concerned about is the knife opening in the pocket
is brownshoe correct here, or simply blowing smoke?

i went to the crk website to look at the sebenza
i like :D
might be getting one soon

btw, fyi, chris reeves is a nice man
my local knife shop went over for the SHOT show and met him
thumbs up all the way
 
oh dear.
i usually carry my folders in a BHI folder pouch, but there are times when i simply clip them to the back of my trousers
sounds like there could be a problem

did your modification involve drilling new holes in the sebenza?
 
I think it would be useful to define what "warranty voiding flicking" is.

I asked this myself when it came up on the CRK forum a while back. Obviously one can't exactly define it, but rather define it in terms of generalities.

Not A Problem - using the thumb stud to thumb open the blade.

Is A problem - Starting the blade with your thumb then using a quick wrist snap to fling the blade open with a loud THOCK!. This works best on the large as it's blade is heavier.

Having said that I used to THOCK a large sebenza all the time, even sent it in for a refurb and there where no problems. I don't do that anymore, not because I'm worried about hurting anything, but because I don't feel the need to do it.

I imagine that sebbia bashers like to blow up this issue into a big deal when it really isn't treat the knife half way or maybe even .25 resonably and there won't be a problem.

As to opening in the pocket, yep it's happened to me on a few occasions, I've adapted by eaither carrying it in a front pocket, blade against seem, or in a pouch.

I happened upon my first sebenza at a gunshow long before I really got into knives. It immediately "spoke" to me, it eaither spekas to you or it doesn't.

As far as cost, people screw around spending money on all sorts of crap that doesn't make any sense at all. So if you can afford $60 - $100 knives, use some willpower and come up with a little over $200 for a used one.
 
Just wanted to thank you all for the thoughtful replies. I've already designated my next knife purchase to be a Swamp Rat Bandicoot, but after that I'll take a long look at a Sebenza if I can find one to handle for a while first.
 
You should buy one just to see why some people hate it so much!
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LOL - St. James, that's one of the more creative uses of reverse pyschology that I've seen for a while. ;)
 
Some answers:

I am not a troll...someone got annoyed at me and trolled for one day under the name brownshoes, they were banned.

My information comes from about 4 years of reading this and other forums. It comes from first hand knowledge of the sebenza. Most of what I said has been backed up by other posters.

You will void your warranty if you flick your sebenza. There was a thread on this forum where someone who never flicked their sebenza had to pay for repairs because CRK claimed the knife was flicked. CRK will not give a straight answer as to why hundreds of other knives can be flicked but their's cannot. Again, go to the CRK forum, in a recent post they neatly sidestepped why their knives can't be flicked.

Per the comment "I don't think you'll find any producer who advocates flicking their knives." You're wrong. The Spyderco drop is authorized by Spyderco...it's a flick open. The Terzula was made to be opended that way. The Cuda Max is made to be flicked. At the NRA convention, the boys from Benchmade flick knives open all day long as did the MOD group. Stop pins can be problems on cheap knives if you flick. That's why Spyderco has stated that stop pin information is proprietary.

Hey sebenzas are like any other knife, they have good and bad points. Problem is around here, you often get a lot of positive hype but no counterpoint. But this thread is giving both sides.
 
brownshoe
you are incorrect about Spyderco "authorizing" the use of the Spyderdrop technique. The only written reference (which AFAIK only appears the "The Spyderco Story"" stresses that the Syderdrop is an emergency technique and they clearly state that this technique will eventually damage the stop pin. If you do some research here on BF and read through a number of old posts, you will note that Sal mentions regularly that this quick opening method is not something he would ever "need" to use. The Spyderdrop is a big attention getter for sure - so I can't imagine using around other folks except in a real emergency or SD/combat situation.

The "authorized" technique can be found here:

http://www.spyderco.com/education/r...1+AM&mscssid=WVXRB9V3JEWA8M8BJU82L39EAFDN7JWD


BTW, the "self-opening" tip-up Sebenza is indeed a reality. It happened to me twice. If it hasn't happened to you, consider yourself forunate. I know it hasn't happened to James, since he doesn't use no stinking clips. :p
 
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