My First Sebenza (Small 21)

[knappster007]

Yesterday I went to a gun and knife show with the specific purpose of holding and buying a Sebenza if I liked what I saw. There was only 1 Chris Reeve dealer at the show and he had four small Sebenza 21s, two plain and two with unique graphics.

I have been reading about the quality of the Sebenza and Reeve knives for a while on these forums, and the overall quality is as outstanding as I had anticipated. It is solid, light, and feels perfect in my hand. Opening is smooth as silk, and the blade is perfectly centered with no play whatsoever when open. I absolutely love the blade shape. As good as the hype is my first impression.

My only question (which I should have asked the dealer), is on the lockup. The lock bar is about 80% across the bottom of the knife towards the opposite handle. What is within 'spec' for a new knife?

Looks like this small Sebenza has just bumped my Emerson mini-15 out of my pocket.



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By knappster00 at 2010-06-06

 

[Ellis Wyatt]

The lockup is fine. This comes up a lot with new Chris Reeve owners who are used to lock ups of less than 50%. My small Seb has a lockup almost identical to yours and it is fine. Unlocks easily and lock up is solid as ever.

Congrats on your first Sebenza. Which one are you gonna get next?

 

[Josh K]

80% is a little above average (50-70% is "normal" IIRC) but you shouldn't have any issues with it for a long time.

Looks great! Hope it serves you well.

 

[krazichinaman]

50-75% is suppose to be within specs. From your picture it looks to be a bit above 75% however, as you mentioned there is no play therefore, it should not be an issue.

Use the knife in good health and you will appreciate it even more after a few weeks of use. BTW, how is your thumb holding up?

 

[knappster007]

Thanks for the quick replies. Glad to know that my lockup isn't too far out of spec to present a problem.

Lol, yes, my thumb is a bit sore from the opening and closing. practice right? Why does it make me smile while opening?

In answer to the other question, I'm torn between getting an Umnumzaan and a Large Sebenza 21 or Large Sebenza Insingo. Kind of leaning towards the Umnumzaan ... maybe. Going to wait to see how the small 21 works out over the next few weeks.

 

[Josh K]

Thanks for the quick replies. Glad to know that my lockup isn't too far out of spec to present a problem.

Lol, yes, my thumb is a bit sore from the opening and closing. practice right? Why does it make me smile while opening?

In answer to the other question, I'm torn between getting an Umnumzaan and a Large Sebenza 21 or Large Sebenza Insingo. Kind of leaning towards the Umnumzaan ... maybe. Going to wait to see how the small 21 works out over the next few weeks.

I like my Umnumzaan a lot. If I had to choose between my Large Regular and my Umnumzaan, the Umnumzaan would be it.