Ralph Vs. Sebenza.

DDR's knives are awesome!! (Not that CRK's aren't.) But DDR's designs are innovative!! If I had to choose 1, I would go with the DDR AXD-NG. ( I love tritium & titanium.)
 
I would have to go with the DDR, but if a Sebenza was forced upon me, I wouldnt be crying, thats for sure.
 
I had a DDR/ Wilson (Combat Elite) framelock when they were first released - I have no idea if the design has been modified in any way, BUT the DDR was way too skinny and angular to properly fit into a human hand, was unfinished in my book in terms of having all sorts of sharp edges all over it and the knife just did not feel right. I sold it within a week of receiving it and was never happy with it.

I've tried several Cudas and was never happy with any of them and find the entire flipper/ trigger/ hammer idea to be pretty gimmicky - YMMV of course. The Cuda Max which while a neat idea, has never really worked for me. Neither did the custom version, again sold off pretty fast. Again, same problems, a large, flat, angular handle just is not how the human hand is shaped, no matter how much the marketing guys say so. Mr. Ralph has a large fan club, and I want to like the knives, but they just don't fit.

Sebenzas are pretty good to go right out of the box, have a beefier construction in a smaller package and fit most hands better. They have excellent ergonomics and are just wonderful to use in my experience.

If you want something with a guard to act as a "fighter" then get a fixed blade. I find the entire stilleto/ auto-knife looking guard design to be facetious on a folding knife. It's already broken and we are stabilizing it in place by locking the blade open at the pivot point, why try convincing yourself this is a broadsword? The guard is going to hook up on a pocket, whereas no guard will not.

As a reference point, I've got a Sebenza in my pocket currently and three more around the house.

You may wish to look at a Strider SNG as well - any Striders I have ever handled have always required the use of some emory cloth or other sanding device to remove a lot of unfinished edges on the handle, but I spent 45 minutes with one and a 3M sanding padwatching TV, and neing careful not to make a complete balls of the finish, what a difference that made. The knife is now very useable and handy, as well as being a really neat framelock concept. Light, too.

And, uh, Chris Reeve was a pioneer with the frame lock - I'd say that qualifies as innovative :D Price on a new one, between $325 and $380 for a standard basic model, you can find them used between $250 and $300. SNG's can be had for about $325-400 new or secondary market.
 
DDR or Sebenza? Been there, done that, got the Apogee back in October 2000 (also a Madd Maxx II 3", but that's another story). The Sebenza is a fine knife, but somehow one's never made it into my collection and, I'm guessing, probably never will.

Oh, and my SnG arrived without a single rough spot or sharp edge on the handle. You must just have bad luck, Parker.
 
Thanks for the kind words.
It is a special event to see people talk great about your work.
It is an honor also.

Parker,
In your case sir I suggest a Madd Maxx III 4 inch. This knife is very ergo and good to go.
Also the new Gunhammer will change your mind!

Thanks once again for the all of the good words.
 
I have a couple of Darrel's knives and fine ones they are. The thing is I would die if I lost one. I have a couple of Apogees that just can't be replaced. I know that if I lost one of my Sebbies yeah I would be angry but as a left handed person I could pick up a southpaw Sebbie in a couple days max. With no slight to Mr. Ralph, I do tend to prefer Mr. Reeve's products in general. Both no doubt great knives but I lean to the Seb.:eek: :cool: :p
 
Scott,
Thanks for the honesty.
One day I hope you get to handle the newer knives for evaluation.
They are very different from the old styles.
Enjoy
 
i dont own any sebbie or ralph but i really like some of ralphs designs especially the EDC, im getting one of those soon hopefully
 
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