Reeve Sebenza, bad news flicking ?

jarlaxle, what is pointless here is your comparing of the grip to the Sebenza. :jerkit:

You are basically saying the because of the cost of the Sebbie, it should take ANY abuse that it is subjected to. Know this, the word 'Sebenza' means to work....this knife is no pushover with whatever you want to throw at it. However, it can, as with all things, be ABUSED to the point to where it doesn't perform the way that it was designed to and eventually break. (key word being ABUSED)

If you are happy with the grip, then that's great for you. It is your prerogative alone, in choosing whatever EDC fits your needs.

Unless you have actually owned, carried, and USED a Sebbie....all you can do is think you know, but you would have no idea why the Sebenza has the following that it does.
 
Shadow213 said:
jarlaxle, what is pointless here is your comparing of the grip to the Sebenza. :jerkit:

You are basically saying the because of the cost of the Sebbie, it should take ANY abuse that it is subjected to. Know this, the word 'Sebenza' means to work....this knife is no pushover with whatever you want to throw at it. However, it can, as with all things, be ABUSED to the point to where it doesn't perform the way that it was designed to and eventually break. (key word being ABUSED)

If you are happy with the grip, then that's great for you. It is your prerogative alone, in choosing whatever EDC fits your needs.

Unless you have actually owned, carried, and USED a Sebbie....all you can do is think you know, but you would have no idea why the Sebenza has the following that it does.
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No actually you are assuming i have never used one. I had one a small Seb at the beggining of the summer but sold it because i thought it was over rated and over priced. And no i'm not saying that it should withstand treatment because of the price, I'm saying it should withstand treatment because of the hype.
 
If Jarlaxle actually owned a Sebenza, he obviously wasn't ready for it. Anybody who has been through the process of owning many knives of different levels of quality and style will immediately notice many details about the Sebenza that set the knife apart from regular production knives. Now, these details may not actually make the Sebenza function any better than a well thought-out, well executed lower cost production piece will, but pure functionality is not the only a person considers when handling a product.
 
J85909266 said:
If Jarlaxle actually owned a Sebenza, he obviously wasn't ready for it. Anybody who has been through the process of owning many knives of different levels of quality and style will immediately notice many details about the Sebenza that set the knife apart from regular production knives. Now, these details may not actually make the Sebenza function any better than a well thought-out, well executed lower cost production piece will, but pure functionality is not the only a person considers when handling a product.
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Dont get me wrong, i liked the knife, the action was smooth, the blade design was great i just wasnt ready to drop that much money on something that could very easily become misplaced when camping for 3 months.

I dont want to anger the "Seb Heads" here. I have got a lot of great advice from a lot of you and do not want to be on your bad side. I just thought i would comment that driving a vehicle off a cliff is a terrible comparison to flipping a folder open.
 
what is it about AO, autos and flipper knives that make them more durable to the stresses of hard flicks to open, than standard knives like the Sebenza? just curious here....

I'm beginning to worry about my flipper mechanism knives that open with a loud whack each time (proof of their efficient opening mechanism, actually).
 
The problem is the phenomenon of diminishing returns. The more you spend on a knife, the less additional value you get out of it. The difference between a $2 thrift store knife and a $200 Emerson is great. However, the difference between that $200 Emerson and a $400 Sebenza (again a $200 difference) is not so great. Is anyone really going to come out and say that the Sebenza is double the performance of the Emerson?

Essentially, the Sebenza is a status symbol. It shows that the owner loves knives, and has the money to spend $400 on one. It is a fine piece of work, sure, but it is first a status symbol, second a tool. How many of you Seb owners were influenced by the fact that it's the "best" production folder out there when you made the purchase?

The Sebenza can be flicked, yes. But it's main purpose was to look cool, not for heavy everyday use. Sure, it can cut well, but why risk scratching your $400 piece of art when a $50 CRKT would do just as well?
 
Intjmastermind said: "The Sebenza can be flicked, yes. But it's main purpose was to look cool, not for heavy everyday use. Sure, it can cut well, but why risk scratching your $400 piece of art when a $50 CRKT would do just as well?"

How wrong can you get? The beauty of the Sebenza is in it's functionality. Hate to sound elitist but, IMNSHO, if one cannot afford to buy and use a Sebenza then one can't afford a Sebenza.
 
phenomenon of diminishing returns.
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Agree.

Is anyone really going to come out and say that the Sebenza is double the performance of the Emerson?
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As far as I know no sebenza owner has said that and they agree with the diminishing return argument. Do you have a link for some proof somewhere where sebenzas owners have said that? Many sebenzas complainers say that kid of thing though.

influenced by the fact that it's the "best" production folder out
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I actually discovered in in the mid 90's before I was very active in knives and rediscovered it later after I had gotten more into knives, so I didn't need someone to tell me they were the best. I'm sure many people are influenced to buy it because they have heard it's the best.

In fact many people have said that once they had a sebenza they finally "got" what we were talking about.

I think the status symbol think always comes up from those that don't have a sebenza, but want one. If you think someone owning a sebenza is just a status symbol then I think you have issues.

$50 CRKT
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Indeed, why waste $50 on a crkt when an opinel costs $6?
 
spyken said:
what is it about AO, autos and flipper knives that make them more durable to the stresses of hard flicks to open, than standard knives like the Sebenza?
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Nothing. Materials and mechanics rule results. If you overstress metal it will fatigue.

That said, if you make your flicking knives of mostly lighter materials, the stress may not be as great as it seems. It also depends on how hard you work them and how long. Perhaps the knife will wear out from ordinary use before the flicking has a chance to have much effect.
 
I don't flick my sebbies but I think if you want o flick your sebbie, you paid for it ! To each his own !
 
I don't buy the status symbol argument. I think most people buying a Sebenza don't even know anyone who would know what a Chris Reeve knife is. The few rare times I have told anyone how much my sebenzas cost, they have looked at me more like I'm an idiot than a player in the status world. I don't even tell people what they cost anymore. I think people buy sebenzas for pride in ownership of a high quality product.

The diminishing return agrument is absolutely true. It is true for most if not all products; stereos, cars, guns, bikes, houses, tools, you name it. I would be curious to see if someone could come up with a product where it wasn't true. Anyone?
 
FoldersForever said:
The diminishing return agrument is absolutely true. It is true for most if not all products; stereos, cars, guns, bikes, houses, tools, you name it. I would be curious to see if someone could come up with a product where it wasn't true. Anyone?
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I would take houses off this list.

They are an Investment and not in the same class as something that is just an expense.

And then there is timing that can make something gain value at the right moment in time, more rare for some things and others can be from shortages to popular demand.
 
I own three Sebenzas and a Mnandi. I purchased my first Sebenza only after spending almost a year trying to find (diminishing returns here) "the knife" I could carry and use day in and day out. Now, I'm in my 50s and can afford to purchase a high-end knife like the CRKs. Unlike some here, that is probably all I'll ever buy 'cause I've got more knives now than I have hands to use them with and I'm not a collector; every knife I own, I use.

My plain small Sebenza has been my EDC for almost a year now. It is gathering scratches from other stuff in my pocket and the clip is getting almost polished at the high points.

Yes, I could carry my BM Vex or one of my Emersons but the small Sebenza has turned out to be the perfect size for my smaller hands and, if I lose it well, I can afford to replace it without going hungry.

Frankly, I have found the Sebenza to be the best engineered design of any folder out there. To return to the initial direction of this thread, I find the small Sebenza blade has so little mass you really have to work to flick it open (i.e., a Brownie Pop). That said, I expect I'll flick it open thousands of times before basic wear and tear require it go back to CRK for rework.

Face it, you have metal to metal rubbing surfaces that will wear over time. Like the car analogy . . . even a Mercedes or Lamborghini needs the engine replaced occasionally.

CRK never said not to flick their knives, they just warned users that flicking it open slams parts together and they will wear faster than if you simply use the thumb stud to fully open the knife.
 
Houses are a good investment but that's not the issue. The diminishing return theory is about the performance of a product increasing in smaller increments as price begins to increase in larger increments. A lot of very high end products hold their value or even increase in value as time go on.
 
A cheap house will keep the rain off, and the heat in, just as well as an expensive one--just like a cheap Opinel will often cut as well as a Sebenza. It's just the expensive ones are more fun to live in, or cut with.
YMMV
Greg
 
Flicking a knife, any knife, will over time compress and or wear the metal on the areas of the knife that form the lock. simple physics and metallurgy at work my friends !!!
 
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