Picking out a Sebenza 21 LARGE

DrtyHarry

DrtyHarry

Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
367
I decided that as soon as I can sell my Makora II I am going to try and get a LARGE 21 Sebenza. I have just one question. I am really not a fan of stonewash, is stonewash the only finish available in the LARGE 21 Sebenza? I was on the fence between a polished one and a satin one...but am unsure what is available. I could have sworn I saw one on eBay that said "polished" on the box...but can't recall if that was for a smaller one or for a larger one. Was hoping to find one with micarta or ebony inlays.

This is going to be an EDC knife and I am not sure if I should go with satin that is easier to clean up, or go with polished. I don't think I can fix or remove marks/scratches on a polished blade, right? I usually get my knives from Blade HQ or KnifeCenter, would it better to purchase direct from Reeve? Can you? I'm spending a lot of money here, so could someone help me out with the question in regard to satin or polished? I am hoping to keep the price around $400+. I see them pop up on eBay from time to time...but if I am going to spend this much on a knife, I want it to be done the way I want it to be done. I just need to have that satin/polished question figured out. I know with my other satin blades, I can take out little marks and scratches. Never carried or used a polished blade or tried to get marks or scratches out of them. I'm sure it can be done....but not at the expense of having to do the whole blade over. Thanks fellas.


Harry
 
You can get a polished blade with plain TI slabs. If you look around there are some at the usual sellers from time to time, thought they are a little more rare. The wood inlayed and most graphic 21s are also polished. CRK can re-polish a blade to factory spec if it gets badly scratched. I own a few polished blade Sebenzas and can assure you the polished finish is very durable, and doesn't scratch as easily as you might think. I EDC'd a small wood inlayed 21 with polished blade for many months and the blade still looked new. Personally, I really like the polished blades as it represents an additional step of hand-finishing, and the polished blades are also supposed to be slightly thinner behind the edge, which makes them great slicers.
 
Oh nice....so polished it is. Tell me, are the polished ones often a bit more expensive than the other variants? How come a lot of the distributors don't tell you what kind of finish the blade has on it? Blade HQ, KnifeCenter, etc...or is stonewash just the norm?
 
Worth noting as well, the 'polished' CRK blades have fine vertical lines on them from the polishing wheel. These are quite beautiful, but the blade is not a mirror polish. The only other option is stone-washed. Some stone washed blades, especially older ones are very dark and sparkly, many of the newer ones look more "satin", but there us some variance, probably due to how old or new the ceramic media is in the stone-washing tanks.
 
When buying a stock model it does not matter if you get it from an authorized dealer or CRK the price will be the same, but you normally get free shipping from a dealer. You can call CRK to see if they will do a polished one for you. They tend to not want to do anything special though, like combine an Insingo blade with wood inlays for example. It does not hurt to ask.

I can understand what you mean. I would rather have a polished or stone washed then the bead blaster version. I did end up buying an Inkosi and it only comes bead blasted and its is nicer then it looks in pictures. Models with graphics come with more of a satin/polished finish as well as models that have WOOD inlays. Another option is the carbon fiber ones from KnifeArt.

You should really see one in person and then decide.
 
DrtyHarry said:
Oh nice....so polished it is. Tell me, are the polished ones often a bit more expensive than the other variants? How come a lot of the distributors don't tell you what kind of finish the blade has on it? Blade HQ, KnifeCenter, etc...or is stonewash just the norm?
Click to expand...

This is the normal offering:

Wood inlays or graphics: polished blade
Micarta inlays or Plain Ti: Stone washed blade.

The plain Ti with polished blade comes up quite often and I'm sure you'll find one in short order if you search the list of author used sellers. The knife will be the same price everywhere, and there is even a couple EBay knife sellers/stores that are certified CRK dealers (with all the proper assurances in place). I don't know if they charge more for a plain Ti with polished blade. That would be the hardest to find, but a very cool knife and worth the search.

If you YouTube "Chris Reeve Shot Show 2015", you will see Anne Reeve show off a plain polished blade Large 21.
 
Driften said:
When buying a stock model it does not matter if you get it from an authorized dealer or CRK the price will be the same, but you normally get free shipping from a dealer. You can call CRK to see if they will do a polished one for you. They tend to not want to do anything special though, like combine an Insingo blade with wood inlays for example. It does not hurt to ask.

I can understand what you mean. I would rather have a polished or stone washed then the bead blaster version. I did end up buying an Inkosi and it only comes bead blasted and its is nicer then it looks in pictures. Models with graphics come with more of a satin/polished finish as well as models that have WOOD inlays. Another option is the carbon fiber ones from KnifeArt.

You should really see one in person and then decide.
Click to expand...

Technically the Inkosi blade is Stone washed, but I know what you mean, it's a subtle stone-wash, that can appear satin.
 
Thanks fellas. I think I found one with Ti scales and a polished blade for what I think is a fair price. The pic looks like it is polished...I can see a bit of a reflection. I contacted the seller to see if the blade IS in fact polished. If it is, I'll grab it. I would have liked to have picked one up with carbon fiber or ebony inserts, but they are not that easy to find. I suppose I could have CRK have one made for me....but, I don' think I'll mind the standard Ti scales. I just hope they are not slippery. The micarta version looked nice, but again...a bit harder to find and I don't think I'll get as good of a deal as what I'm looking at now. Well...not sure if I can throw prices out here, if I can't....sorry, mods...please delete. I'm looking at $410 for a large 21 with ti scales and polished blade. I was going to go with the 25, but I heard sooooo many people saying how they like the 21 better. I'm I doing good for $410 shipped?
 
I kinda like the all titanium scales....I'm torn between the titanium scales and scales with the ebony inserts. I take it the scales with the ebony inserts are stainless? Does one have an advantage over the other aside from just looks? Will one hold it's value better later on down the line? Because I think for another $50, I can find one with the ebony inserts....UGH! I dono...
 
DrtyHarry said:
I kinda like the all titanium scales....I'm torn between the titanium scales and scales with the ebony inserts. I take it the scales with the ebony inserts are stainless? Does one have an advantage over the other aside from just looks? Will one hold it's value better later on down the line? Because I think for another $50, I can find one with the ebony inserts....UGH! I dono...
Click to expand...

The wood inlays slabs/scales are polished Ti, not stainless. The wood inlays do hold a better resale value depending on the condition of the knife at that time. It's better to keep the box and all the paperwork when you get the knife. It will make a difference in value if you re sell it.
CRK will reblast the Ti scales, they won't reblast a wood inlay scale. Surprisingly, the Ti slabs are not slippery at all.
You may want to go with the plain Ti slabs on your first one to see if a CRK is for you.
 
Oh I like the Sebenza 21....no doubt. Just trying to decide if I should just get the regular Ti scales, or the scales with the wood inlays. I won't be reselling it...I was just curious about that. And I always keep the box and papers. I did the math again, I'll have to pay about $65 for the wood inlays. Is it worth it??
 
Yes, it's worth it.
The inlays are stunning pieces, a little wider which provides for better grip.
 
Looks like you found the BladeForums Market Place. Its a great way to find good buys on all varieties of CRKs. Just be a little patience and you'll find what you're looking for. Then, if you find you don't like it you can resell on the forum and only lose a few dollars! Heck . . . to me checking the marketplace each morning is actually a lot of fun.
 
If you sign up for Tapatalk on your phone you can subscribe to get alerts from the CRK sales forum. Good deals go fast so it pays to watch the forum closely. Most sellers are knowledgable and reputable. I wouldn't think of buying from eBay with all the clones out there unless you really know what to look for.
 
Cool....so a large 21 with ebony inlays is on it's way. Description said "polished"...hope it's not stonewashed!

Yep...called and confirmed, both blade and handle is polished. Can't wait!!! I could have waited around and checked the classifieds, but I was keeping my eye on this one at KnifeCenter and they are now sold out. Blade HQ still had one so I snagged it. I just hope I like the inlays better than the Ti scales. I never thought I would have purchased a new blade for this much money with "wood" in it. I would rather of had Carbon Fiber....but that sold out and I think it was exclusive to Blade HQ. Hope the grip to grab the knife isn't all that "polished" and slippery. I know I read above that the Ti scales have some grip to it...not so sure about the ebony inlays. I'll soon find out....last time I spent this much on a knife was about 10 years ago for a Brend polished Microtech D/A SOCOM....a run of 10. Now, that blade sells for over $2K. My sill a$$ got rid of it though...

When I hear the "knife guys" talk knives, everyone always compares everything to a Sabenza for some reason. So they must be great knifes. Was hoping for CF inlays, but ebony will do...I just wanted something in black. Hope the ebony gives me as decent of a grip as the CF or maybe the Micarta...
 
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