seb or zaan ?

C

clockman

Joined
Jan 14, 2009
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Im in the market for my 1st. crk. Im going back and forth between a large seb
and a zaan. I know most of you prefer the seb.Theyre a classic. To those of
you who prefer the zaan ....why?
If i do decide on a seb would I be better with a plain lg. ti ....it can be sent to
the crk spa and cleaned up ? Do the more expensive models scratch as
easily as ti ?

thanks for any advice!!
 
I'd go with the sebb,but they are both good,you will own them both itz a matter of time...........good luck.:)
 
I like the Umnumzaan over the Large 21. The #1 thing I like about the Umnumzaan over the Sebenza is the ceramic ball on the lock. The Large 21 is fantastic but IMO the ball lock interface/detent just better. I think that the ball adds to the the longevity of the lock (less metal on metal contact should mean less wear and tear). I will admit that there is no proof to back up that assumption. It could be that in 5, 10, or 20 years that the lock does not hold up as well as I hope.

I know that some of the detractors of the Umnumzaan will point to the "standard" pivot system. I do not think of that as a problem as the pivot system is still the one of the smoothest I own. I have yet to find a weak point in the knife w/out really nitpicking.

With all that said, I still have a love for the Regular Sebenza. I really like the look of the Regular's blade profile. Which ever knife you choose you should not be disappointed. Choosing between a great knife and a great knife is a good problem to have :).
 
One thing I did not like about the Umnumzaan was how thin the tip is.

The knife has a thicker blade, beefier pivot, and then tapers to a thinner tip than the Sebbie. In my opinion, if I am going to abuse my knife most likely the tip is where the damage will occur, and the upgrades elsewhere are meaningless when the Sebbie carries more beef to the tip. When I bought my Umnumzaan I was expecting a Strider or XM type of beefy knife with the CRK quality. But that fragile looking blade tip left me gun shy and I flipped it in a few days...
 
Biginboca said:
One thing I did not like about the Umnumzaan was how thin the tip is.

The knife has a thicker blade, beefier pivot, and then tapers to a thinner tip than the Sebbie. In my opinion, if I am going to abuse my knife most likely the tip is where the damage will occur, and the upgrades elsewhere are meaningless when the Sebbie carries more beef to the tip. When I bought my Umnumzaan I was expecting a Strider or XM type of beefy knife with the CRK quality. But that fragile looking blade tip left me gun shy and I flipped it in a few days...
Click to expand...

does the tanto Umnumzaan fix this issue?
 
Biginboca said:
One thing I did not like about the Umnumzaan was how thin the tip is.

The knife has a thicker blade, beefier pivot, and then tapers to a thinner tip than the Sebbie. In my opinion, if I am going to abuse my knife most likely the tip is where the damage will occur, and the upgrades elsewhere are meaningless when the Sebbie carries more beef to the tip. When I bought my Umnumzaan I was expecting a Strider or XM type of beefy knife with the CRK quality. But that fragile looking blade tip left me gun shy and I flipped it in a few days...
Click to expand...

I am not quite sure what you mean, I have owned my Umnumzaan and the tip might appear to look thinner because of the swedge, but theres no dramatic decrease in blade thickness. :confused:
 
BlazenGem said:
I am not quite sure what you mean, I have owned my Umnumzaan and the tip might appear to look thinner because of the swedge, but theres no dramatic decrease in blade thickness. :confused:
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I mean. The last 3/4" of blade which tapers to the very tip is too thin for my tastes.
 
My vote goes to the Umnumzaan. Since getting mine, I honestly have no interest in a Sebbie; it is just that good. Of course, YMMV. For me, the clincher on the Um is that it is built to take abuse. Despite a thicker blade than the Sebbie, I can sharpen it to cut extremely well. If I need to split hairs, I can always go with something like a Spyderco Caly III. So for me, I usually carry at least two folders--one to cut like a laser (Spydie, Fallkniven, etc.) and one for much more robust work (Um, XM-18, SRKW Rat Trap). While one knife may do it all, I don't think it will do everything as well as two more specialized cutting tools.
 
how does the Umnumzaan compare to the Sebenza in terms of deployment speed and thumb studs (is it easy for your thumb to slip off of them?),
 
Buy them both, or one at a time, In my opinion they're a toss up. can't go wrong either way. Bart1
 
they're both amazing knives. if you have a chance, handle both. that should help you decide, but you'll probably want to own at least one of each when you can afford it.
 
I'd probably say get the Umnumzaan as it's the latest and perhaps greatest. The large Sebenza is also a great
choice though, you really can't go wrong with either............ and you will probably end up with both :p:thumbup:
 
I havent owned the Um but I can say a few reasons why I dont:

1) I don't like the rubber on the studs--yes it can be taken off but its not something i like to do to a 400 dollar knife

2) lack of pivot bushing. This was the big deal breaker to me. I hate blade play and I hate to have to play with pivot tightness--things I don't have to do with my seby. Im sure it is not bad on the Um, but it is something that gets worse over time and I find it a huge downgrade from the sebenza

3) The grooves. Sure they might add grip but I find they look kind of silly or childish. Remind me of the grooves on the bm mini skirmish. I just don't find them very classy looking.

Things I like about the Um

1) blade shape and handle shape. Looks like it would be comfortable and I like the blade.
2) looks pretty cool

Overall, you can see I am not a huge fan of the Um. I was so excited when CR released a new knife and it was a big dissapointment to me. Im glad lots of people like it, but it isnt for me.

Ill suggest going with the Seb. Its a classic and stood the test of time. IMO you can't go wrong with it.


Oh and to answer your other question about scratching. The regular seb does scratch pretty easily but it looks cool. The more expensive ones will scratch as well. They all have titanium slabs as their base, the difference is in how they are finished. The standard sebs are bead blasted while the more expensive ones with inlays (except the micata which is the same as the standard) or graphics are polished--they are still titanium. You can always get a spa treatment but I think that destroys the story of your knife which I think is a total waste. Love your knife, use your knife and respect your knife. Don't worry about little scratches, they add character. Let your knife age with you:)

Good luck!
 
I own the um, but have never have seen a sebbie. With that said, I love the um, and I see no reason why i need the sebbie. I don' think Chris Reeve would put out a new knife for the hell of it. I think it has improvements over the sebbie, and while it would be nice to have the bushing on the um, I don't think its that big of a deal at all. If I were you, because I was in the same spot you were last year, I'd buy the one you like the looks of better because they will both perform great. Or buy both if you can, and sell the one you dislike the most.
 
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