This.
I find it hilarious when people say "I want a sebenza, but like.....with a flipper, ya know?" Oh so you want an entirely different knife? Ok.
They fail to realize that the sebenza is built how it's built for a reason and everything on it, incuding the thumb stud opening, must be present or the knife and it's purpose change to something else entirely from what it was originally designed to be. It's like asking for a waved Opinel or an RJ Martin with a nail nick.
Hey Krissig,
Apologies. I'm still new to the forum and getting used to posting. I didn't mean to post a dumb topic, I think I'm still learning what constitutes a good point for discussion, so I'm sorry
I did want to clarify some things about my post, though. First, I was worried that I would get some negative reactions to my affection for flippers. I just happen to prefer that method of deployment. Ever since my first ZT four years ago this has been the case. I've never felt that any of my zero tolerance flippers were toys, and I've enjoyed using them very much.
Secondly, I'm interested in your confusion about people looking for similar knives with different features. I wasn't trying to imply that I want a Sebenza with a flipper because I know that they don't have flippers. Instead, I was trying to express my interest in a knife with similar aesthetics, materials and build quality but that fit who I am as a knife enthusiast. A zero tolerance 0560 has a flipper and the 0550 does not, though I would have a hard time suggesting that they are
entirely different knives as they share many similarities as well. Since I started getting into knives, this has been how I've grown and how my tastes have changed: I get a knife, I use it and think about what I like and what I would change, and then my next knife has the elements that I enjoyed about the last one, but also has different elements than those that I didn't like. It's kind of an evolution of tastes. I've appreciated many of the recommendations that people have made, and can certainly see the similarities between them and a Sebenza. No one, of course, recommended me a chef's knife or an opinel because those knives
aren't similar to a Sebenza.
If someone posted that they would like something like a Spyderco Dragonfly but a little bigger, I would hope that members of this forum would suggest a Delica or Endura rather than suggesting that Dragonflies are just as long as they are, and that the person's search was hopeless. I very much enjoy the experience of searching for knives that are a good fit for me, and a large part of that search consists of trying to combine different elements into one knife, and trying to find that knife.
Also, I can't help thinking about the Lion Steel TRE in response to your comment about the thumb stud on the Sebenza needing to be present "or the knife and its purpose change". Surely some knives, like the TRE, are offered with or without certain features. I'm not sure that I understand how a flipper vs thumbstud change the purpose of a knife. Of course the knife itself changes, because now it has a flipper. Ultimately, I still plan to use my knives for cutting
I've also noticed that Sebenzas are offered in different styles (the 21 vs the 25) and in different sizes. For sure, a 21 vs a 25 or a small vs a large Sebenza are different knives, though they are of course all similar to one another.
Anyway, just wanted to clarify my reasons for my original post. I didn't mean to suggest anything noob-ish or dumb, I was just hoping for some help in finding a nice knife down the road that will be a good fit for me. Thanks, everyone, for your great suggestions! I'm excited to start doing all my research now :thumbup:
