Mission MPF vs. Sebenza

H

hybr1d

Joined
Oct 27, 2000
Messages
270
They both are titanium handled, both use an integral lock, and are about the same price, so I was wondering which one is better in terms of cutting, lockup, fit and finish, etc. Is the titanium blade on the MPF any good? Anyone have any experiences?

Feel free to correct if I am mistaken about anything.

Happy Holidays to all!
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The Sebenza is renowned as a great cutting tool. I am totally impressed with mine. (fondle, fondle!)

Titanium is not a marvelous cutting element or alloy. It is favored for its non-magnetic properties, appropriate for demolition work. It is also effectively corrosion resistant, good for water, especially salt water applications.

The Mission folder is an Elishewitz design. I think it's beautiful. I wouln't mind having one with a good steel blade.
 
The Mission is much larger than the Sebenza. Blade is 4" instead of 3.5" long. Blade and liners are all 5/32" thick, compared to the Sebenza's 1/8" blade and liner.

This makes the Mission a very bulky tool, not somthing I would carry on a daily basis. Furthermore, the opening pin is designed to be operated by gloved hands and don't quite feel right with out gloves.
 
The key advantages on the mission knives are corrosion resistance and weight reduction. This makes the MPK an excellent field knife for anyone who wants a fixed bladed knife for backpacking. The same cannot be said of the MPF folder. The weight advantage is offset by the excessive bulk, and there are plenty of excellent stainless steels that work well at the level of stress we can expect to load on a folder. Go with the Sebenza, or Pinnacle, or one of the Elishewitz integral folder models.
 
I have had way too many problems with mission knives quality control and customer service to list here... If you really like the MPF I would contact Allen Elishewitz at www.elishewitzknives.com His line of knives is not much more than the MPF and if you ever need customer service, in my own experiences he is a million times better than mission. On another note the sebenza is a real nice knife too!!!!
 
Quick FYI:: the MPF is available in A2, instead of a beta-Ti blade...

--dan

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Co-Moderator of the General Flashlight, Lantern, & Headlamp Discussion Board at www.candlepowerforums.com
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I'll say this, you get the BG-42 with the Sebenza and a good overall work design. I like the MPF but I'd rather fight with it.
 
I must say that my Sebenza is great. I love the overall feel of the knife. For everyday carry I would choose this one.

I also have an Elisewitz Cortex with the Bolster lock and wood inlay. Great knife. A lot nicer than the Sebenza. If price is not a factor go for the Custom.

A2 is a carbon Steel right?? You will have to take care of that more than with a stain resistant steel.

Liong

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Follow The Path of Fantasies.
 
I really appreciate all the input, but i was also wondering about if anyone has any experiences with the Ti blade on the Mission... Does it cut well? Easy to sharpen?

Happy Holidays to all!!!
 
Einlazer, the man I talked who owns both tells me it takes awhile to sharpen his Ti MPF with a diamond rod whereas the Sebenza basically holds its' factory edge a bit longer and sharpens easier.
 
.....Titanium can only be hardened to about 49RC, which makes its edge holding kind of poor against A2 or BG42 at 60-61RC.....Ironhorse....
 
This sounds like a no-brainer. The MPF has got to be very mission specific. If you are taking the knife into highly corrosive environments, or expect to require non-magnetic properties in your primary application, then by all means get the MPF. Otherwise, the Seb will get sharper and stay that way, cut better in 99% of applications people typically need a knife for, be stronger, etc.
 
I get the feeling that Einlanzer is being blinded by science. I, too, was hell bent on getting a particular knife because it advertised that it had titanium liners.

"Titanium". The word just conjures up images of indestructibility, of space-age material. Infomercials are even abusing it by trying to sell Titanium-coated (is that like titanium plated?) ginsus, and drill-bits.

A few people at this forum managed to convince me that titanium in itself is not a panacea for knives. As with any high-tech material (carbon fiber, optic fiber,...), it is good for some applications, and bad for others.

In my case, forumites convinced me that in some applications, stainless steel was superior to titanium for liner material.

More importantly, is that you consider the overall knife. Consequently, I ended up getting a BM 710 Axis over the CQC-7, and have not regretted it.

In Einlanzer's case, he should ask himself what the knife is being used for: daily cutting VS. explosives ordinance detail.
 
Well, I've owned both for about 3 years now, and was able to take both down to Ecuador/Peru a couple of years ago. The MPF has a much rougher finish...both lock up well, and both blade designs are very useful. I do like the ergonomics of the MPF, it offers great handling in several positions. I haven't had any problems sharpening the Ti-Beta blade...I've used a Sharpmaker which has worked well. It does dull much quicker than my Sebenza BG42 though; also, after sharpening, I still get a "cleaner" cut with the Sebenza than the MPF...that might just be my sharpening abilities, but I've noticed a much keener edge on the Sebenza regardless. Even in a jungle environment, the conditions didn't affect the Sebenza at all when compared to the MPF...long term may show signs, but the few months I was there didn't have any affect. The best benefit I think the MPF would have is if used in a marine environment and on a daily basis.

The size difference is considerable. In fact, when I carried both knives, I always carried the Sebenza "in" the pocket and carried the MPF "on" the belt in a sheath. The opening studs on mine were the smaller designed which I liked and could still manipulate with gloves...being ambi, is also a plus, something I wish the Sebenza was capable of.

Both are great knives, but due to the specifics and special niche the MPF was designed for, I would go with the Sebenza. I always carry my Sebenza on duty and off duty, whereas, I rarely carry my MPF, and even then only on duty/in uniform (mostly because the larger pouch conceals well under a BDU blouse. You'll get more use out of the Sebenza than you will the MPF...that's what I've found out.

dp
 
Full Tang Clan, I am not blinded by science or any of the other *ahem* stuff (got to keep it clean) you talked about. I am merely interested in how the Sebenza performs compared to the Mission MPF. I was interested in the performance of the titanium blade on the MPF compared to regular steels. Not only that, they are rather similar knives, being both titanium handled and integral lock folders, so I wanted to know if there was any differences there. I don't plan on getting any of them soon, since i don't have enough money...
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I don't think titanium is some indestructible super steel, everything has its weaknesses. Titanium is rather malleable and if worked too much will break.
I am not trying to flame you or anything, just clearing my position
 
No flame taken, Einlanzer, although I think you took my comments a bit too personally. I didn't mean for you to take it in a condescending way.

You're relatively new here so I don't know the extent of your knife background. Perhaps, you know more than me. With only 300 posts under my belt, I'm still learning too.

I was just giving you some benefit of my experience on avoiding pitfalls when buying knives.

As I always say, others' opinions should be taken with a grain of salt.


[This message has been edited by Full Tang Clan (edited 12-26-2000).]
 
My views from once owning both the Mission MPF-Ti and the large Sebenza:

I liked the Mission more so mainly because of it's overall larger size. I just prefer larger knives. The Ti blade does need sharpend more often and is a bear to sharpen. But, it is completely corrosion resistance which I like much so.

Now if you really want a knife of this caliper (does cost a little more though -- but is worth it), contact Darrel Ralph and get one of his Apogee knives. Can't go wrong with this knife, from the sizes offered, the Ti handle, and right down to the blade material. His craftsmanship he puts into his knives are fantastic.

But if you simply are concerned with the MPF-Ti or the Sebenza, well, BG-42 works better than Ti for edge holding, but the MPF-Ti is a much stonger (heaftier) built knife.

TitaniumKnutt -- Mark W. Douglas
 
FWIW, the MPF is not very size efficient - it's longer blade has a cutting surface that's about the same as a Sebenza's:
View

On the flipside, it has better ergonomics than a typical Sebbie. Although the Classic 2000 pictured above feel pretty good in my hand.

I've not used my MPF for anything more than light cutting and so I can't comment about the blade's edge-holding. But I do have to say that the thing is built really solid - the blade thickness, the handle slabs - everything.

The downside to this beefiness is what others have pointed out - it's on the bulky side for what most people (including me) would consider a daily carry pocketknife.
 
Concerning the Mission MPF check out:

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000225.html

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000208.html

I owned the MPF unit it met an unfortunate fate (stolen) and liked it. I have played with the Serbenza and did not like the handle as much as the MPF. The MPF in Ti is better suited for my needs.

The Serbenza did not have as secure as a grip as the MPF. The MPF has cut outs that prevent the hand from sliding forward as well as a grooved surface. Also, the top of the edge is serrated and radiuses for an even better grip. I can do hard thrusting with the MPF without fear of my hand slipping onto the blade. I found the Serbenza rather slippery and did not have a sufficient integral guard. What’s the point of having a strong lock if my hand is going to slide on the blade?

The Ti blade is easy to sharpen with the Spyderco sharpmaker. I gave a brand new Greg Lightfoot Sierra II along with some other blades (sharpened by me) and my freshly sharpened MPF to a friend to compare the sharpness. He could not tell a difference between them. Ti blade can be made really sharp. It cuts really well when it is sharp but sometimes does not stay that way for very long.

The Serbenza‘s handle is nicely radiused. There are no sharp edges. The edge is well polished. The MPF is not radiused very well and looks rather ugly beside a Serbenza. The corners are somewhat sharp and while this did not cause me any problems, the Serbenza would be a more comfortable knife to use. The MPF is kind of box like.

The Ti blade can also abuse such as leaving fruit juice or bits of raw meat on the blade for extended periods of time. I have run my MPF through the dishwasher. While it does not come out as slick openings a bit of grease will restore it.

Depending on what is done, edge retention can be pretty poor to acceptable with a Ti blade. It will loose its sharpness quickly with chopping (not something I would do with a folder but I have done it with the MPF). It also, looses it razor sharp edge quite quickly when cutting hard materials such as frozen food. For most slicing chores of relatively soft material such as fruits the MPF does pretty well. BG 42 will perform better with regards to edge retention.

The thumb studs on the MPF has damaged some of my clothing and they prevent a reliable quick draw. Once out the MPF opens easier than the Serbenza. The Serbenza will come out of my pocket faster and more reliably and no ripped clothing. Also, the thumbstuds on the MPF will jab into me if it gets bumped. Carrying inside the pants, clipped to the belt can be downright uncomfortable with the MPF.


Will
 
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