Large Sebenza25 vs Umnumzaan

Wolverine666

Wolverine666

Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Messages
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I'm on the verge of purchasing my first new Chris Reeve knife. As I'm sure I will be thrilled with either , I'm currently split between the large Sebenza25 and the Umnumzaan. I prefer the more robust blade thickness they both have which is .140". I'm leaning a bit toward the Umnumzaan. I like the pattern on the titanium handle and the blade shape is calling my name.

Are there any clear advantages/disadvantages to either that I don't see ?
 
To me I like both almost equally, but if I had to choose, it would be the 25. To me, it is more of a comfortable knife to hold, open and close. These three things are very important to the the user if you enjoy opening and closing like I do. I don't obsessively do this, but when I perform the action(s) it is very satisfying. IMO, Mr. Chris hit it out of the park with the 25, and most people are just now starting to realize it.:thumbup:
 
I wonder if the 25 will eventually get wooden inlays like the 21 (?) Also , the Umnumzaan has that small glass breaker on the back side of the blade. Not sure how I feel about that.
 
25 all the way! From ergonomics to strength, it's simply a step above. Both are obviously great, though.
 
Topcatpt said:
I personally think that the 25 feel better in hand.
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Same here. Though the Umnumzaan is not far behind. Just pick the one you like better, and you will be happy with whatever you end up with. I give the slight edge to the 25 though in overall feel and ergonomics.
 
Actually just went through this :) I had a 25 and sold it to fund a old pivot/no lbs Zaan. Got the Zaan in hand and immediately missed the 25. The Zaan, at least the '09 model I had didn't fit my hand as well and the lock bar was harder to disengage. I may try another Zaan, but it would have a lbs with the newer cutout. Currently have a new 25 and 21 Insingo on the way :) The 25 is seriously the closest thing to perfection in a knife I've ever experienced...
 
Another question about the Umnumzaan : Why do they include a tube of Loctite in the box ? Do you have to undo all the screws and Loctite them as soon as you receive the knife ? Is it the same for the Seb25 ? What happens if you don't Loctite them ?
 
Wolverine666 said:
Another question about the Umnumzaan : Why do they include a tube of Loctite in the box ? Do you have to undo all the screws and Loctite them as soon as you receive the knife ? Is it the same for the Seb25 ? What happens if you don't Loctite them ?
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It's for setting the pivot tension. Once you dial it in the loctite prevents the pivot from loosening.
 
To add on the locktite issue:

I took my 25 down about a month ago and decided to reassemble it without the locktite. So far so good..haven't had the pivot loosen or any side to side etc...still as rock solid as the day I put it back together...smoothest CRK behind an annual I once had.

** I use/carry my 25 everyday too.
 
lemmuhj said:
To add on the locktite issue:

I took my 25 down about a month ago and decided to reassemble it without the locktite. So far so good..haven't had the pivot loosen or any side to side etc...still as rock solid as the day I put it back together...smoothest CRK behind an annual I once had.

** I use/carry my 25 everyday too.
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I don't use it either :)
 
I like both, but lean towards the 25. I like how the Unnum feels slim in my hand compared to the 21 (my favorite knife by the way). IMO the 25 feels in a way almost like the Unnum in my hand but in a Sebenza package because of the choil and concave design of the handles on the 25 so in other words I really like the way they both feel in hand. I like the grind better on the 25 because it's different and I prefer the rounded spine of the Sebenza to the spine and harpoon of the Unnum. The Unnum blade IMO is a little bit flashy for in public for my taste and personal preference leads me to the Sebenza blade. The lockbar of the Unnum is a little painful on the thumb, and breaking in an Unnum can be hell week for your thumb. I do like the feel of the checkered milling on the Unnum. Just my opinion, your hands may think differently than mine. That's a lot of Umnums.
 
I've owned a Zann and a few Sebenzas (never a 25). I sold my Zaan and still have the sebenza. The action is smoother, lockbar dis-engages more easily, and it pretty much has all of the qualities that you expect to have when paying a premium for a folder--Sebenza is, and likely always has been, a hit right out of the ballpark. The Umnumzaan is a great knife, but compared to a Sebenza, I'd take the latter..
 
To be honest I don't consider either my 25 or Zaan (old pivot with LBS) to be very ergonomic, the fit/finish is what sells me on them but if I pick them up and handle them with my eyes closed and really concentrate on the feel and especially over extended use (with my eyes open!) if I'm honest with myself, I have a few knives that for me are much more comfortable (560, VCEP, Manix 2, PM2, Socom). Less "hot" spots and especially more comfortable in different grips.

On the 25 I don't like the small first bump created by the first and second radius across from the end of the lock bar, my index finger always seems to search for and never find a comfortable position, especially if I choke up on it to use the thumb ramp. It also seems to be made worse with the large handle/lockbar gap on the other side due to how far the lock bar drops inside the handle line when open.

On the Zaan the extra fin on the lockbar makes for a similar difficulty for finding a comfortable index finger position and I also feel the clip bite into my hand a lot more in extended use than I do on the 25.

I'm not getting rid of them anytime soon, but they certainly don't melt into my hand like my 560/VCEP do.
 
After holding both in hand, I chose the 25. I also like the new blade grind better on the 25.
 
I edc my small wilson starbenza but I love my old pivot no lbs zaan. It looks tough and it is tough. It's my favorite folder. The benza blade shape is more suitable for everyday use compared to the zaan. If you can't decide, get both!
 
duecedad said:
I edc my small wilson starbenza but I love my old pivot no lbs zaan. It looks tough and it is tough. It's my favorite folder. The benza blade shape is more suitable for everyday use compared to the zaan. If you can't decide, get both!
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I'd love to get both but my cap is $500 for this go around. The more aggressive looking Umnumzaam is winning out at the moment. I think I'm just going to pull the trigger.
 
I had a 25 and sold it to get a second Umnumzaan. I MUCH prefer the Zaan to the 25. In fact, I much prefer the 21 to the 25. I frankly HATE the finger grooves which dictate my hand position, and I think they are ugly. Overall, the Umnumzaan is my favorite ever CRK design, especially in old lug configuration.









 
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