- Joined
- Feb 11, 2014
- Messages
- 34
Browsing these forums really made me want to give the Sebenza a try. I watched plenty of reviews on the 21 vs 25 and even considered the Umnumzaan after seeing it favorably compared to the two. I was unsure if I wanted a small or large for EDC. The only way to settle this was to drive ~1 hour to the nearest CRK dealer and check out all 3 in person.
I ruled out the small 21 pretty quickly as I am used to EDC'ing larger knives. The Umnumzaan opening system confused me in person. I understand the easy way to open it now, but when I was at the shop I initially had a hard time which put me off a little bit. That initial confusion and the desire to get a Sebenza in the first place left me between the 21 Large and the 25.
I handled both and liked the extra finger choil on the 25. It felt very comfortable to me. The pivot bushing vs traditional pivot doesn't bother me, I actually think I prefer having it user adjustable. Since I've never had a pivot bushing Sebenza it's not something that I'm going to miss. The pivot action on the 25 was smooth and took some effort to deploy. Same with the 21.
I like the ceramic ball in the lockbar on the 25. It sounds and feels nice when it locks. I can also appreciate that this is a newer innovation that will probably extend the life of the lockbar. Narrowed down to the 25. Next problem. I saw there were two 25 models at the shop, the plain 25 with blue thumbstuds and a micarta inlay 25 with silver thumbstuds. I spent some time gripping both versions to decide which felt better in my hand. Ultimately I walked out of the shop with this:
It's been about 4 days now and I couldn't be happier! First thing I did when I got home was loosen the pivot to the point where the blade drops on it's own when you release the lockbar. Took me a second to figure out how the pivot worked with both sides having adjustable screws, lol. I now have it with the minimum resistance from the detent and no play at all when locked up.
I played with the knife a bit that night and noticed the lanyard standoff screws starting to back out. Uh oh! I was kind of expecting that to be a possibility based on the reviews. I backed out all 4 handle screws, applied the provided Loctite, and made sure they were all finger tight. I also backed out the pivot adjustment and put some Loctite there for good measure. It's been 3 days with no movement on any of the screws, and I've been playing with the knife a fair bit so I don't think it's going to happen again.
Overall, while not overwhelmed at first, I really find the simplicity and solidness of the Sebenza 25 growing on me. I'm glad I listened to all the hype and picked one up. Thanks guys!
I ruled out the small 21 pretty quickly as I am used to EDC'ing larger knives. The Umnumzaan opening system confused me in person. I understand the easy way to open it now, but when I was at the shop I initially had a hard time which put me off a little bit. That initial confusion and the desire to get a Sebenza in the first place left me between the 21 Large and the 25.
I handled both and liked the extra finger choil on the 25. It felt very comfortable to me. The pivot bushing vs traditional pivot doesn't bother me, I actually think I prefer having it user adjustable. Since I've never had a pivot bushing Sebenza it's not something that I'm going to miss. The pivot action on the 25 was smooth and took some effort to deploy. Same with the 21.
I like the ceramic ball in the lockbar on the 25. It sounds and feels nice when it locks. I can also appreciate that this is a newer innovation that will probably extend the life of the lockbar. Narrowed down to the 25. Next problem. I saw there were two 25 models at the shop, the plain 25 with blue thumbstuds and a micarta inlay 25 with silver thumbstuds. I spent some time gripping both versions to decide which felt better in my hand. Ultimately I walked out of the shop with this:
It's been about 4 days now and I couldn't be happier! First thing I did when I got home was loosen the pivot to the point where the blade drops on it's own when you release the lockbar. Took me a second to figure out how the pivot worked with both sides having adjustable screws, lol. I now have it with the minimum resistance from the detent and no play at all when locked up.
I played with the knife a bit that night and noticed the lanyard standoff screws starting to back out. Uh oh! I was kind of expecting that to be a possibility based on the reviews. I backed out all 4 handle screws, applied the provided Loctite, and made sure they were all finger tight. I also backed out the pivot adjustment and put some Loctite there for good measure. It's been 3 days with no movement on any of the screws, and I've been playing with the knife a fair bit so I don't think it's going to happen again.
Overall, while not overwhelmed at first, I really find the simplicity and solidness of the Sebenza 25 growing on me. I'm glad I listened to all the hype and picked one up. Thanks guys!
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