Not impressed with...

E__WOK

E__WOK

Joined
Aug 8, 1999
Messages
406
the sharpness of my large Sebenza. My Microtechs are probably twice as sharp. However, it is well made and feels good in my hand. The liner lock seems pretty strong. My thumb is sore from playing with it. It has the polished screws which I reversed and the clip cut out.
 
Same Here, I just received my small decorated sebenza (born 01-05-00) and compared to my Microtechs, not even close
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, I used crock sticks and a strop, NOW it's scary sharp
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E-WOK,
You know sharpness is subjective but I also want a razor-sharp knife from a manufacturer everytime.
I own knives from all the top manufacturers and most of the top makers and concerning sharpness I have found a wide descrepency.
Some forumites will tell you that it makes no difference because when they buy a knife, they immediately put their own edge on it.
Reeve knives are as quality as you'll ever receive, but my experience in purchasing the "Trinity", (Umfaan, small and large Sebenza's), have been that they are all sharp but not all "hair popping" as they should be. This in no way condemns CRK but shows that sharpening takes extra time and sometimes this is a step that may be shortened due to production schedules.
Maybe the discussions I've had with fellow forumites is valid and you should just accept it and put "your own" edge on a $325.00 knife, (after all, you WILL have to sharpen it sooner or later if you use it).
I contend though that you should have a "scalpel" right from box. When it DOES dull you can put your "own edge" on it whatever that might be.
 
Good point, Gene. One example is that I've never bought a Randall that had what I consider an acceptable edge from the factory. I just apply my own edge to it. If, during the time you own a knife, you don't use it enough to require a resharpening, then it doesn't matter anyway, does it?
 
It was interesting to read the posts regarding the sharpness of my knives. For the past eleven years, my knives have been the sharpest tools out of the box anywhere in the world. This also includes other specialized cutting tools such as microtome knives, scalpels, etc. This is a pretty bold statement, but one that I can back up with 25 years of making knives combined with sharpening anything and everything that has passed though the doors of my shop.
Eleven years ago I spent about six months of extensive trial and error research looking into what exactly is sharp. I discovered that the variables attached with this are enormous. Please allow me to make reference to just a few. First, the type of steel and its hardness. Second, the angle at which sharpening has been done. Third, whether the final finish of the edge is polished or comes from a stone (ceramic or natural). An issue also taken into consideration is the intended usage of the knife. If it is a culinary knife to be used for slicing soft materials such as meat and vegetables, then an aggressive edge is used. If the knife is to be a general-purpose pocketknife or field/survival knife, then a highly polished, less aggressive edge is used. The first will cut more efficiently on softer, slippery substances. The second will cut slightly less efficiently but much longer.
The ideal edge for a pocketknife or general purpose field/survival knife is the polished, convex edge.
The difference between the two types of edges is this; an aggressive edge has, as seen under magnification, a microscopic saw edge. These give aggressiveness in the cut but will break off in harder materials like wood, cardboard, etc. The polished edge is smooth and consistent and will cut much longer.
Both ways are what is termed sharp. I have had people pick up my knives at shows, run the edge over their fingernail and say that the knife is not sharp. The first thing I do is take the same knife, shave the hair off my arm and immediately they become confused. Testing a knife on a fingernail only tests for an aggressive edge.
Let me end this post by saying that this in no way is a put down to anyone, but an explanation of what is determined as sharp in the industry of cutting tools. We at Chris Reeve Knives value each and every SEBENZINISTA and their input. All posts are read everyday and your input is noted. This type of discourse is what this forum is all about. However, if anyone receives a knife that they are not happy with, please don’t hesitate to call us. I want to know about it and I will be more than happy to speak with anyone who has concerns about our products. Give us the chance to rectify the problem before going to the Forum.
Thanks,
Chris
 
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Quote:
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"However, if anyone receives a knife that they are not happy with, please don’t hesitate to call us. I want to know about it and I will be more than happy to speak with anyone who has concerns about our products. Give us the chance to rectify the problem before going to the Forum."
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Chris,

You're absolutely correct! Got a problem with a purchase....contact the maker! That just doesn't pertain to this "Forum" either! What is so cool about these "Forums"..... the makers are "extremely" concerned about their products after they are sold! And are willing to help - if given the opportunity! I've seen too many cases where the buyer knows that there is something wrong, flaunts it all over the "forums" and then goes back to the maker for help....

I own several MT's and one large Sebenza and the Sebenza is definitely sharper that any of the MT's! Sebenza's are by far one of the top 2% of knives that are wicked sharp out of the box!!

I possess one blade that is sharper than the Sebenza and I purchased it for one specific purpose. That blade is "so sharp" that I hate drawing it out of it's sheath!

........ 1 pennies worth .........

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GigOne
"Livin' Life - Full Throttle"

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"We always train hard - but it seemed that every time we begin to form up into teams we reorganized. We learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing, and what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while actually producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization."

[This message has been edited by GigOne (edited 02-02-2000).]
 
I have owned 6 Sebenzas and 3 one pieces over the last couple of years. I have never had one that wasn't as sharp as or sharper than any knife out there. This includes many customs from makers who are famous for their "scary" sharp edges.

Don't even get me started on MTs...

pojim
 
I had the opportunity of meeting Mr. Reeve at a knife show 3 years ago, where I bought a small Sebenza from him. It was very sharp.

Chris' reply above reinforces the impression I got from meeting Chris in person; He is a gentleman of the first magnitude, and he KNOWS HIS STUFF.

--Mike L.

 
Funny when I read the title I felt something was up. Of all the many many many knives I've ever owned the Sebenza has been Consistently the sharpest knife going, the edge geometery is by far the easiest cutting knife out there. I've only one other knife that surpasses that and thats my David Boye/Loveless Persona, but! that knife has a wafer thin edge and I would never think to putting it to hard use as I would the Sebenzas. The Boye knife is great for those tricky slicing type cuts off leather or worrying tidbits out of corners that it does so well.

So, E__WOK, don't give up on her, just take it to the Sharpmaker for a little while, or better yet, take up Mr. Reeve on his request and contact him and find out what service really means.

G2

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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...


G2 LeatherWorks
 
I decided to buy the Sebenza because many people said it was the sharpest knife they have ever owned on one of the threads--I don't remember which. So naturally, I will compare it to the other knives I have owned. My Microtechs are the sharpest knives that I own currently, even compared to the Sebenza, in my opinion. However, it is probably the second sharpest knife I own. I am satisfied with the knife but it was not as sharp as I thought it would be. I would probably buy another one in the future.
How much would it cost to get the ambi thumb stud?
 
E_WOK, et al., this is an interesting thread that I would like to take in a slightly different direction. I think Chris's post brings up the concept that sharp is not sharp is not always sharp! How do we determine "sharp?" Some people use the fingernail test, some the thumb drag (you know, scraping your fleshy thumb laterally over the edge and upon feeling some drag, exclaiming "man, that's sharp!") while others use an actual cutting test. And it makes a difference what you cut in the test.

With the thumb drag test, both knives that are dull and knives that are really sharp but with a polished edge often fail. This is because the polished edge does not catch the texture of your skin but allows it to slide along the edge. A knife sharpened on a fine India stone has microserrations that causes you to feel the drag, thereby causing you to declare the knife sharp.

A knife sharpened on a fine India stone and steeled on a chrome steel feels sharp, does a great job on meat (most of my cutting experience), but needs to be steeled often to keep the microserrations aligned. This type of edge does less well on paper or cardboard.

Chris's knives don't especially feel sharp using the thumbdrag test, but when you go to cut something, look out!

I guess my bottom line is that we don't have an established, repeatable method for determining sharpness, and most of the methods we employ don't take into account the type of edge or media it was designed for.

I do a fair job with a fine India stone, followed by a ceramic rod, and a chrome butchers steel. I have not tried to polish the edge using a strop or fabric wheel loaded with polishing compound yet, but I'm gonna'.

Anyway, let's be careful with subjective measurements of sharpness.

Bruce Woodbury
 
Bruce, you made a very good point.

Sharpness is as sharpness does, for its intended purpose. Different uses dictate different edge geometries and shapening procedures to achieve maximum efficiency in cutting effort. I tend to use a slightly blunter edge due to the normal usage that my Sebenza sees, but it keeps that relative sharpness for a long time. I've tried finer edges, but they don't seem to last as long before requiring touching up.

Each person's use dictates the edge they require, that's why Lansky's come with so many angle options,
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and why we discuss different sharpening methods here on the forums. Ain't this place great?!

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Don LeHue

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
 
Just curious, EWOK, how did you determine how sharp your sebenza is? Have you tried shaving your arm hairs yet?

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Johnny
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I MEAN YOU COULD ALWAYS SHARPEN IT YOURSELF??

or just send it back in for some work or to be sharpened??

Anyway I dont own a sebenza bbut have heard MANY MKANY great things about them..
 
JoHnYKwSt, I test the sharpness by dragging it against my palm. If I had hair on my arm, I would shave it off.
 
I don't think sharpness should be mixed up with cutting ability. I have blades that even when worn will cut well because they are thin. If you let the overall cutting ability determine sharpness then you also need to include the grip and balance as factors and I don't think that makes much sense.

As for the microserrations, all edges have them. They are basically the size of the grit spacing. The more you cut by slicing the larger you want them and the more you cut by pushing the smaller you want them. In regards to durability, more polished is higher.

-Cliff
 
"There can be only one". I also say, "Use it". Then if you are still not satisfied, contact the maker. My two Sebenzas are still the sharpest knives I own. And, Chris Reeve is the most stand-up guy out there. My personal experience is proof. Bought em elsewhere, wasn't happy, sent em to CRK, returned em to new; Free of Charge. No better service out there IMHO.

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"When we sacrifice liberty for security, we get neither" Ben Franklin. Protect your Second Amendment Rights
 
If I remember correctly, during a conversation I had with Tony Marfione (Microtech)a year or so back he told me that Chris Reeve had sharpened some of the Microtechs a while back, and that he (Tony) had learned sharpening from Chris. (I don't recall which particular models or what the dates were.)

In any case, both make excellent products with great edges. I enjoy and appreciate my Microtech knives and I'd have to say my large Sebenza is truly a pillar of my collection. (I can think of no folding knife I own (custom or production)that is better made or more reliable for hard use.)

Blues

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Live Free or Die

Some Knife Pix
 
This message is for Chris Reeves ( in regard to your post further up the page)
I purchased my first Reeves knife, a large Sebenza, a few weeks ago. The paper work that came with it said November 26, 1997. The action was a little stiff, but considering it was sitting in a display for a couple of years, that didn't bother me. A couple of cleanings with lube fixed that. My blade is BG-42 and it came out of the box scalpel sharp. And it remained that way for quite a while. I have been using a Sharpmaker 203 but just last week I purchased a 204. I think that the 204 is a better tool. But I can not get that scalpel-like edge when the blade was new. I was curious if a non-professional such as myself can attain your level of sharpness with using a 204 alone! My intuition tells me that there ought to be additional steps with finer graduations of stones. I think that there must be several of your customers that would be interested in this! Would you ever consider printing a guide to sharpening? Or have you ever considered doing an instructional video?
Thanks for the help and thanks for the great tools that you craft!
Barry H.


 
I have the small, Sebenza and the Mountaineer 1 and I would have to say that each one came out of the box sharper than ANY knife I have ever purchased....and the majority of my knife purchases are from custom makers.
Don't know why anyone would want to have someone else sharpen their knife, as I believe that practically anyone can sharpen a knife blade to razor sharpness with a little PRACTICE! It is that easy IMHO!!
 
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