Not quite a Sebenza

The Maxpedition Excelsa has potential. D2 steel, titanium framelock, $120 - $140 depending on size.
 
I highly recommend a Sebenza. I think a small is the "safest" and cheapest starting point(of CRK's). The large can be a tad too big for EDC for some users. Don't be afraid to take it apart and admire the amazing tolerances. You will not regret your purchase. It may not stop your quest for new knives, but it will set the bar amazingly high for others.
 
if you settle for something else you will still be waiting sebenza. i would save up. i remember buying a taurus since it was cheaper then the beretta i wanted. now i have both.
 
Pro Tech Integrity aka the TR-3 manual. I own three and like them better than my Sebenzas. I was able to pick them all up at release price, but I like all my Galyean Pro Series knives better than my Sebenzas. I like my Ti Military and Ti Sage better as well. Throw the Les George VECP in there as well. I regret selling it, but I also liked the AG Russell Acies more than the Sebenza.

The Sebenza would get more carry time if the steel wasn't treated so soft.
 
Get the Bradley Alias but just know that it's a very very good knife but it's not a sebenza. I carried my Alias and loved it for over 3 years. Once I got my sebenza, I hardly ever see my Alias in my pocket.
 
This whole "steel being treated soft" is a dangerous myth that is gaining traction among the uninformed. Chris HTs his steel at just the right hardness to balance tensile strength with edge retention. Any harder and the average purchaser would be complaining about chipping and rolling, or the knives are too difficult to sharpen. The steel snobs on this forum are not his only customers. Frankly, if he didn't state the HRC on the birth certificates, the great majority of owners would never know.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
This whole "steel being treated soft" is a dangerous myth that is gaining traction among the uninformed. Chris HTs his steel at just the right hardness to balance tensile strength with edge retention. Any harder and the average purchaser would be complaining about chipping and rolling, or the knives are too difficult to sharpen. The steel snobs on this forum are not his only customers. Frankly, if he didn't state the HRC on the birth certificates, the great majority of owners would never know.
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My Strider in s30v holds an edge much longer than sebenza.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
This whole "steel being treated soft" is a dangerous myth that is gaining traction among the uninformed. Chris HTs his steel at just the right hardness to balance tensile strength with edge retention. Any harder and the average purchaser would be complaining about chipping and rolling, or the knives are too difficult to sharpen. The steel snobs on this forum are not his only customers. Frankly, if he didn't state the HRC on the birth certificates, the great majority of owners would never know.
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What he said!!
 
"Not quite a Sebenza" DOES NOT COMPUTE...DOES NOT COMPUTE...DOES NOT.......

That's a bit like "Not quite pregnant" and that's ridiculous also.
I've had many nice folders...Sebenzas, Striders, Hinderers, and I prefer the Sebenza.. IF you think you'd like the 'tactical blade' look, then try an Umnumzaan. About the same price here used on the Exchange. It'll last you forever. Of course, any of those three brands will outlast you, given reasonable care and treatment.
If you can afford it, then go for it. If not, fine. There's lots of nice knives out there.
Spyderco Gayle Bradley, Paramilitary 2, Techno, Sage series, Chaparral, Caly series would all be next on my list if I
needed to pay less. You won't lose much if you buy "used" on the Exchange, and sell on the Exchange. Maybe $25 max.
Good luck
 
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Knife nuts usually spend $400 plus on a blade. A knife user just wants a blade to cut whatever they need to cut ... IMHO (I'm a knife nut/normal knife user). My fisherman buddies use their $4 small fixed blades more in a day than I use my blade in a 2 month period. If they needed to borrow a knife from me on land and I told them how much I paid (to avoid to much abuse) they would call me a Nut.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
This whole "steel being treated soft" is a dangerous myth that is gaining traction among the uninformed. Chris HTs his steel at just the right hardness to balance tensile strength with edge retention. Any harder and the average purchaser would be complaining about chipping and rolling, or the knives are too difficult to sharpen. The steel snobs on this forum are not his only customers. Frankly, if he didn't state the HRC on the birth certificates, the great majority of owners would never know.
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Nonsense. The steel is treated too soft. It's not a dangerous myth because it's true. The first time I brought my large Classic 2000 to work I was all happy and proud until I stripped some wire with it and almost the entire edge rolled to the side because it was ridiculously soft. I never carried another Sebenza to work after that. The Sebenza is not made for or purchased by your "average purchaser". The average purchaser of the Sebenza are knife nuts like you and I. I guarantee you that Spyderco, Kershaw, and Bechmade all sell more knives to the average purchaser than CRK and their S30V examples have always pleased me more than CRK's. I can also sharpen all the S30V of these outperformers just as easily as the CRK on a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Hell, the average purchaser usually won't even drop the coin on a Spyderco, Kershaw, or Benchmade. The average purchaser usually ends up with a gas station special. I get funny looks at work when someone sees me using an eighty dollar Spyderco. You've got a huge forum filled with knife nuts here and I would say the majority would not and will not drop the coin on a Sebenza, and we're talking about people who collect knives! They may not purchase because they just don't want to or can't spend that type of money or they may not purchase because they haven't been sucked into the thought that the Sebenza holds some type of mythical status. These people see that the Sebenza, while a nice knife, really isn't all that special. No, I'm afraid that the Sebenza is made for the knife enthusiasts and knife enthusiasts should know or be learning how to sharpen their knives whether they are made from 440A or S110V.
 
Tony8179 said:
Nonsense. The steel is treated too soft. It's not a dangerous myth because it's true. The first time I brought my large Classic 2000 to work I was all happy and proud until I stripped some wire with it and almost the entire edge rolled to the side because it was ridiculously soft. I never carried another Sebenza to work after that. The Sebenza is not made for or purchased by your "average purchaser". The average purchaser of the Sebenza are knife nuts like you and I. I guarantee you that Spyderco, Kershaw, and Bechmade all sell more knives to the average purchaser than CRK and their S30V examples have always pleased me more than CRK's. I can also sharpen all the S30V of these outperformers just as easily as the CRK on a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Hell, the average purchaser usually won't even drop the coin on a Spyderco, Kershaw, or Benchmade. The average purchaser usually ends up with a gas station special. I get funny looks at work when someone sees me using an eighty dollar Spyderco. You've got a huge forum filled with knife nuts here and I would say the majority would not and will not drop the coin on a Sebenza, and we're talking about people who collect knives! They may not purchase because they just don't want to or can't spend that type of money or they may not purchase because they haven't been sucked into the thought that the Sebenza holds some type of mythical status. These people see that the Sebenza, while a nice knife, really isn't all that special. No, I'm afraid that the Sebenza is made for the knife enthusiasts and knife enthusiasts should know or be learning how to sharpen their knives whether they are made from 440A or S110V.
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But, just wanted to make one point. I believe that there are a lot of CRK owners that have never heard of bladeforums or any other knife forum...probably more than have.
 
severedthumbs said:
My Strider in s30v holds an edge much longer than sebenza.
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My S30V SnG chipped the first time it was used on a very light piece of wire, while the same task performed numerous times before with my Small Sebenza never caused any damage(figured if the Seb could do it, there would be no reason to expect anything different from my SnG).Based on my experience, I'll take softer when it means the steel remains intact as opposed to chipping even if that means a bit less retention.
 
MRaymond said:
But, just wanted to make one point. I believe that there are a lot of CRK owners that have never heard of bladeforums or any other knife forum...probably more than have.
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While this may be true (definitely not a fact), it has nothing to do with the average purchaser. The chances of a non knife person going out to buy a pocket knife and ultimately deciding on and purchasing a Sebenza is far fetched to me.
 
flipe8 said:
My S30V SnG chipped the first time it was used on a very light piece of wire, while the same task performed numerous times before with my Small Sebenza never caused any damage(figured if the Seb could do it, there would be no reason to expect anything different from my SnG).Based on my experience, I'll take softer when it means the steel remains intact as opposed to chipping even if that means a bit less retention.
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Well if that is true you could just send it back and they would fix it for you no questions asked. CRK on the other hand would accuse you of abuse.
 
Ichop said:
After only a few months into the knife hobby, I've realized that if you want something, save up and get it. Haha, I "settled" for lower alternatives a few times instead of getting the knife I really wanted... All it led to was a bunch of time wasted trading upwards until I finally got it...

So get one! :)
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A lesson I've had to learn more than once. I've carried a small line drive Sebenza as part of my EDC since 1999. At the time, it was the most expensive knife I had ever purchased. After a couple of months as my EDC, it became the best knife purchase I'd ever made.
 
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