Large Micarta Sebenza 21 or Umnumzaan

B

Bugout Bill

Joined
Jan 2, 2013
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Howdy, folks. I have recently decided that I want to forgo any future knife purchases for the rest of the year in order to buy something from CRK. I have narrowed it down to two knives, but I am having trouble deciding which one. Both of them have their merits, but also their disadvantages.

Large Micarta Sebenza:

+Extremely simple design
+Easy to maintain, no special tools required for maintenance.
+Large enough handle to provide a four fingered grip
-Less aesthetically interesting than the Umnumzaan.
-More expensive

Umnumzaan

+Awesome name. Seriously, how awesome is it that you can say "umnumzaan" when someone asks what the knife is? :D
+More wear resistant due to ceramic lock interface.
+Really sexy blade shape
+Some nifty tacticool features
-Very plain looking
-More difficult to disassemble
-More maintainance intensive due to adjustable pivot and need for locktite. (I'm lazy, adjusting the pivot a lot annoys me)

Anyways, I am eager to here everyone's input. Thanks.
 
I own several Large Sebenzas & an Umnumzaan. They are both great but I will say that everytime I try to give something else the pocket time the Mammoth Ivory & Damascus Sebenza stays with me. There are not really "wrong choices" in what you are asking but 1 thing I have found is see which one you can open with either hand. That is what helps me. Best suggeston.......................Get both ;-) Anthony
 
I prefer the sebenza for its simplicity and classic design, but the zaan is a great knife too. It all comes down to which one you like the looks of better.
 
mkjellgren said:
I prefer the sebenza for its simplicity and classic design, but the zaan is a great knife too. It all comes down to which one you like the looks of better.
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I like both of them, but the inlays on the Sebenza are very nice. I wish there was an Umnumzaan with inlays.
 
My vote is the Umnumzaan. Also in my experience the pivot isn't really that big of an issue, a dab of loctite has lasted about 6 months in mine before I needed to tweak it.
 
Micarta insingo is my favorite knife (that I can buy) ever.
 
sebenza feels better in the hand imo the lock bar on the zaan made that decision for me.
 
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I have owned both, and kept the zaan. Feels more solid, and I preferred the way it looked. You can't go wrong with either one. Also.....if you get a newer one one of your negatives goes away because it comes apart easily with the included hex key. It takes no longer than the Sebenza to take down and put back together. The only negative that remains is adjusting the pivot, and I think that is a positive!
 
RobertK said:
Micarta insingo is my favorite knife (that I can buy) ever.
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I don't really like sheepsfoot blades. Unless it is a rescue blade or a santoku, I can't stand a non-pointy knife.

Ernie1980 said:
I have owned both, and kept the zaan. Feels more solid, and I preferred the way it looked. You can't go wrong with either one. Also.....if you get a newer one one of your negatives goes away because it comes apart easily with the included hex key. It takes no longer than the Sebenza to take down and put back together. The only negative that remains is adjusting the pivot, and I think that is a positive!
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If the pivot bushing is done right (which I really hope it is on a CRK), I would honestly prefer that over an adjustable pivot. I like knowing that I can torque the blade down without having to worry about opening tension or blade centering. The Zaan is a very sexy blade, but it seems to be unavailable from a lot of retailers.
 
You're looking at two great knives, you'll probably enjoy whichever one you decide on. Personally, the Sebenza 21 would be my pick. I just love how simple and minimalistic it is, it has almost the bare minimum amount of parts, all of them adjusted to near perfection.
 
Do your best to get your hands on each of these. I've handled Classics and 21s. Just yesterday was the first time I've ever fondled a 'zaan. I felt two hotspots, one appeared to be the lockbard, and the other was the first 'point' of the left scale. I think my hand might adapt, but it definitely was not the most comfortable in a firm grip. Also, I felt it was more awkward to open then a standard Seb, which I've read here more than once.
 
I have a Zaan (old pivot, no overtravel stop) and a Large Starbenza. It's literally a tie, but I carry the Zaan more often.



 
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Made my choice awhile back. :)

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I've had both. I just bought a Micarta Sebenza and I like the way it feels in the hand. If they made an Umnumzaan with inlays I think it would be perfect. Not really a big fan of two slabs of titanium.
 
Bugout Bill said:
I don't really like sheepsfoot blades. Unless it is a rescue blade or a santoku, I can't stand a non-pointy knife.
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The insingo is quite pointy with the grind on the top, but I get your point, no pun intended. I love the micarta inlays and the pivot on the sebenza.
 
Thanks for all the input, everybody. Although both are excellent knives, I think I am going to get a large Sebenza with micarta inlays. I figure that if I am going to try out CRK, I might as well get their flagship product. It will probably be a week or two until I have the funds, but I am looking forward to pulling the trigger on this purchase.

Who knows, I might get a Umnumzaan later.
 
yeah you really cant go wrong with that choice, I have the small seb with micarta and its super nice. the ease of disassembly and cleaning is an added bonus.
 
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