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- Jul 20, 2006
- Messages
- 3,808
I got my Large Sebenza 21 a few weeks ago and I thought I would write a review about it. I am sure many reviews have been done but I think it is always good to hear others perspectives when considering a knife. Anyways I will start with a few pictures taken around where I live:
My first impressions of the knife were very good. The fit and finish of the knife was beautiful as may be expected from a knife that costs close to $400.
I have never had a chance to handle a sebenza before making the purchase. This was one of the major reasons I had not got one earlier. I found difficult to spend so much on something without actually handling and seeing if it fits but it was worth the risk. I have fairly large hands and often knives are too small. On the other hand I sometimes find handles to be a little too large and bulky in the pocket. One example is the spyderco military. The lg seb 21 fit my hands perfectly and was very comfortable and fits very well in the pocket. I find it compares very well with the benchmade 710. If you love the feel of this knife I think you will also really enjoy the seb.
Here is some pics of my sebenza with a few of my other knives for comparison:
A close up:
The lock up on the knife was perfect and felt very strong. The blade is perfectly centered (a huge annoyance when they are off center imo). The blade also has 0 blade play thanks to the chris reeve bushing system. This feature was one of the major reasons that attracted me to the sebenza in the first place.
As seen in my pics, i removed the stock lanyard. Although it looked kinda cool, I found it annoying how it stuck out of my pocket. Not very functional imo. I through on a piece of para cord to act as slight protection to the exposed part of the handle but also to act as a grabbing point. I also am not a huge fan of the new lanyard pin. I didnt like how the lanyard just swung around. Lots of people like it but it doesn't float my boat.
The coating on the titanium handle slabs not only looks attractive but it also adds some grip. It is much darker than the bm mini-skirmish as seen above but is much more grippy. The one thing that I do notice s that it also grabs dirt pretty easy--much more than the skirmish. Ive heard that the earlier sebenza models (classics and regulars) had a more smooth finish that some people prefer. For use though the sebenza 21 has a finish meant for working. As a collectors piece you may prefer one of the earlier models. As i havent had a chance to handle these models I can only speculate and is something worth considering
Another great feature about the sebenza is the ability of it to be taken apart without voiding the warrenty. In the summer months I work as a gardener. Those that work in garden maintainance will know that everything gets dirt on it and this includes the pocket. My knives get filled up with dust, grass etc. So its really nice to be able to clean out the entire knife occasionally. One thing I will say is that make sure you follow the instructions for taking it apart and putting it together. Although it seems straightforward, it is important to follow the right steps inorder to have it fit perfectly. I took it apart and put it together on my own and found it difficult to get it to fit together perfectly. After following the correct steps it was easy
Opening and closing the knife is very smooth and is also very unique compared to other knives ive handled. I don't find the sebenza a real flick style knife like some of my benchmades such as my 710 but it can be done. Personally I am not much of a knife flicker and if this is your thing I don't think the sebenza is the best choice. Flicking the knife also apparently voids the warranty. All i can say is that the sebenza opens smoothy but not super easily. However, I don't consider this a negative feature and it feels really nice to open.
Now the blade . It came very sharp and it holds an edge well. Personally I find it to be very useful for cutting. Its not super thick as that it hinders slicing, yet not so thin that you feel its durability is in question. A real perfect mix for strength and cutting ability. I also really like the blade shape. It has a nice belly for cutting and a nice point for working with. I havent had a chance to sharpen it yet as it still is razor sharp and I dont feel it needs to be touched up yet. It has seen a fair amount of work. I have used it to cut a bunch of plants, cut rope, weed eater cord, and in food prep. It is still razor sharp. I have some strops on order so I will give it a touch up when I receive those. The one gripe i have is that like all knives with studs, it can get in the way with cutting, but this is just the nature of the beast but worth mentioning. One last feature I really like about the blade is the rounded top edge. Not really functional but very appealing imo. Very attactive and feels nice when fondling your favorite edc
The pocket clip is amazing on the seb. Attaractive and very functional. It is by far the best i have owned. It is very secure but doesnt rip up your pants. It also rides low enough so you don't have a huge chunk of knife showing. It also acts to help support the lock bar which is a nice added benefit.
So the $400 dollar question...
Is the Sebenza worth the money? For me it was well worth it. I plan on using my sebenza as my main edc for casual use and at work. It really is a working knife. I am completely confident that it will work well as a great cutting tool. Keep in mind that I don't use knives for things other than cutting and I don't cut other metal objects such as wire. If you want to really pry hard or cut really hard objects I think you should invest in a prybar and some wire cutters as they are much cheaper and effective
. 400 bucks is a lot of money for a knife but it is worth the investment if you feel you will use a knife for years and you get a lot of enjoyment out of it. If you think you would have a hard time using such an expensive knife then I think the sebenza is probably not for you. But if you like to just fondle a 400 dollar piece of steel and titanium thats cool too. I personally find that to be a waste of money but your mileage may vary. If it makes you happy it worth the money imo. Can another knife be a better buy? I think that is very possible. For me the seb is the nicest folding knife i have ever owned or handled and I am a proud owner of my lg 21 sebenza.
I hope you find this review helpful and if you have any questions feel free to post or pm me
My first impressions of the knife were very good. The fit and finish of the knife was beautiful as may be expected from a knife that costs close to $400.
I have never had a chance to handle a sebenza before making the purchase. This was one of the major reasons I had not got one earlier. I found difficult to spend so much on something without actually handling and seeing if it fits but it was worth the risk. I have fairly large hands and often knives are too small. On the other hand I sometimes find handles to be a little too large and bulky in the pocket. One example is the spyderco military. The lg seb 21 fit my hands perfectly and was very comfortable and fits very well in the pocket. I find it compares very well with the benchmade 710. If you love the feel of this knife I think you will also really enjoy the seb.
Here is some pics of my sebenza with a few of my other knives for comparison:
A close up:
The lock up on the knife was perfect and felt very strong. The blade is perfectly centered (a huge annoyance when they are off center imo). The blade also has 0 blade play thanks to the chris reeve bushing system. This feature was one of the major reasons that attracted me to the sebenza in the first place.
As seen in my pics, i removed the stock lanyard. Although it looked kinda cool, I found it annoying how it stuck out of my pocket. Not very functional imo. I through on a piece of para cord to act as slight protection to the exposed part of the handle but also to act as a grabbing point. I also am not a huge fan of the new lanyard pin. I didnt like how the lanyard just swung around. Lots of people like it but it doesn't float my boat.
The coating on the titanium handle slabs not only looks attractive but it also adds some grip. It is much darker than the bm mini-skirmish as seen above but is much more grippy. The one thing that I do notice s that it also grabs dirt pretty easy--much more than the skirmish. Ive heard that the earlier sebenza models (classics and regulars) had a more smooth finish that some people prefer. For use though the sebenza 21 has a finish meant for working. As a collectors piece you may prefer one of the earlier models. As i havent had a chance to handle these models I can only speculate and is something worth considering
Another great feature about the sebenza is the ability of it to be taken apart without voiding the warrenty. In the summer months I work as a gardener. Those that work in garden maintainance will know that everything gets dirt on it and this includes the pocket. My knives get filled up with dust, grass etc. So its really nice to be able to clean out the entire knife occasionally. One thing I will say is that make sure you follow the instructions for taking it apart and putting it together. Although it seems straightforward, it is important to follow the right steps inorder to have it fit perfectly. I took it apart and put it together on my own and found it difficult to get it to fit together perfectly. After following the correct steps it was easy
Opening and closing the knife is very smooth and is also very unique compared to other knives ive handled. I don't find the sebenza a real flick style knife like some of my benchmades such as my 710 but it can be done. Personally I am not much of a knife flicker and if this is your thing I don't think the sebenza is the best choice. Flicking the knife also apparently voids the warranty. All i can say is that the sebenza opens smoothy but not super easily. However, I don't consider this a negative feature and it feels really nice to open.
Now the blade . It came very sharp and it holds an edge well. Personally I find it to be very useful for cutting. Its not super thick as that it hinders slicing, yet not so thin that you feel its durability is in question. A real perfect mix for strength and cutting ability. I also really like the blade shape. It has a nice belly for cutting and a nice point for working with. I havent had a chance to sharpen it yet as it still is razor sharp and I dont feel it needs to be touched up yet. It has seen a fair amount of work. I have used it to cut a bunch of plants, cut rope, weed eater cord, and in food prep. It is still razor sharp. I have some strops on order so I will give it a touch up when I receive those. The one gripe i have is that like all knives with studs, it can get in the way with cutting, but this is just the nature of the beast but worth mentioning. One last feature I really like about the blade is the rounded top edge. Not really functional but very appealing imo. Very attactive and feels nice when fondling your favorite edc
The pocket clip is amazing on the seb. Attaractive and very functional. It is by far the best i have owned. It is very secure but doesnt rip up your pants. It also rides low enough so you don't have a huge chunk of knife showing. It also acts to help support the lock bar which is a nice added benefit.
So the $400 dollar question...
Is the Sebenza worth the money? For me it was well worth it. I plan on using my sebenza as my main edc for casual use and at work. It really is a working knife. I am completely confident that it will work well as a great cutting tool. Keep in mind that I don't use knives for things other than cutting and I don't cut other metal objects such as wire. If you want to really pry hard or cut really hard objects I think you should invest in a prybar and some wire cutters as they are much cheaper and effective
. 400 bucks is a lot of money for a knife but it is worth the investment if you feel you will use a knife for years and you get a lot of enjoyment out of it. If you think you would have a hard time using such an expensive knife then I think the sebenza is probably not for you. But if you like to just fondle a 400 dollar piece of steel and titanium thats cool too. I personally find that to be a waste of money but your mileage may vary. If it makes you happy it worth the money imo. Can another knife be a better buy? I think that is very possible. For me the seb is the nicest folding knife i have ever owned or handled and I am a proud owner of my lg 21 sebenza.I hope you find this review helpful and if you have any questions feel free to post or pm me
