This is something that I've been chewing on for a while, but it's been difficult for me to figure out how to address it in a civil way. Tone of voice is impossible to convey across the internet, and tone of voice is 70 or 80% of the way we understand what another person is trying to say.
I don't want to turn this into a rock-throwing contest, because that shuts down all discussion, and ultimately, hurts the entire forum. I'm not sure how polite I'm going to sound, but here goes.
I see all sorts of "recommendation" threads started in General Knife. People want prices, materials, opening methods, clips, and on and on, with every aspect of knife design and materials either included or excluded at some point.
No matter what the OP says they do or don't want, somebody will eventually come along and suggest the Sebenza or some flavor of Paramilitary 2. Or both. Sometimes in the same post.
"$150 is the most I feel comfortable paying for a knife."
"Get a Sebenza, mate. It's everything you want, even if you don't realize that you want it."
I'm going to focus on Chris Reeve's product here, since my reasons for not wanting one are less factually-based. I understand all of the qualitative and quantitative reasons why the Sebenza is a superior product. It's the most value for the money that you can get from a knife, and I understand that part of it's value is in the experience of using it, which is another thing that's impossible to convey across the internet. I even appreciate that it embraces the idea of approaching perfection by removing everything that doesn't have to be there.
It's also three or four times more expensive than my hard ceiling. I would never be able to truly experience a Sebenza, because I would never want to carry and use it the way it's intended. Quite simply, it's too much knife, for me.
The other reasons are even more esoteric: perfection is the end of evolution. I don't see knife enthusiasm as a journey toward an end goal, I see it as an endlessly evolving experience. If I buy "the perfect knife", then there is no longer any need for me to think about knives, or interact with other people, or share their enthusiasm for the search. I can simply tell them that a Sebenza is the perfect knife for everything and everyone, and that they should get one, even if it's the wrong blade shape, or they don't like framelocks, or the price is way too high.
I believe you, guys! it's just not, for me.
I'm just kidding.
