Sebenza 1st timer- for anyone else thinking about it here were some surprises

I carry a lot of different knives, but as a "package" the Sebenza is the best. Sebenza is not perfect, but the fit and finish, lockup, and general feel are so great.
I am not fond of the blade grind and edge thickness of the Sebenza. I have a few skills, so I made my own blade in a thin flat grind. I think this may be as close to my ideal knife.
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The Sebenza is not a status symbol for me but was a grail of mine to attain one day and to see what all the fuss was about. It started with a small 21 then a large 21 after. I love the drop point blade with its high hollow grind and crowned spine. The thumbstud is not my favorite design and probably my only real dislike but once accustomed to it its ok. I like the simplicity of the sebenza and the ease of disassembly along with the bank vault lockup and precision tolerances. As far as sizes i feel the small is adequate with plenty of cutting edge and enough handle for a 4 finger grip for my med-lrg hands as well as being rather lightweight. Its my classy carry. The large is my EDC rotation user. Its nearly 5 oz but carries like it weighs less and i generally prefer larger folders anyhow so had to have one also. the pocket clips are fantastic with dual retention points and everything is made in the USA. I like being able to buy the small parts easily with just a few clicks on the CRK website. As far as materials the steel may not be the hottest thing out right now but it was developed by Chris Reeve so its only natural to use it. It works just fine and is premium enough for me. The customer service is fantastic at CRK and im sure the warranty service is as well. Not to many companies that will restore your knife for just shipping costs let alone even offering that at all. CRKs definitely arent for everyone. Can you buy a Ti framelock for less money, sure but will it be iconic? Will it be the Gold standard benchmark in folders? Will it stick around in the collection? Will it satisfy the desire? Will it hold most of its value? Or will it be just another folder that ends up on the exchange.

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CSG said:
Well, I have a couple Buck knives that are pushing 40 years old and another, my Folding Hunter from 1974, which I bought it as a duty knife. They all work as well today as then. One does not need to spend $300-500 for a pocket knife USA made that will hold up for generations. Don't get me wrong, Chris makes great knives but for daily use, they are overkill no matter how one tries to justify it. Just like I said about my own high priced wristwatches. Doesn't bother me that people want to buy them, it's good for his business which is good for my home state of Idaho.
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Rather like you keep attempting to justify your opinion in this thread, right?

We get it, you don't like Sebenzas and are definitely one of those "But why do you need..." folks. Good for you. Go enjoy your Bugout.
 
On topic, I love my Sebenzas. I only have two currently, however. One, a large Insingo Carbon Fiber DLT exclusive model, my wife bought me several years ago as an Anniversary gift, and that knife will go in the box with me at the end of the race. My second, more recent purchase is a small Moon Landing 21, which is simply flawless. I'm glad to own it, and am fortunate that I don't feel a need to justify anything I purchase to folks who see only things in dollars and cents (kind of an odd thing to do in a hobby that's supposed to be about bringing joy, but that's none of my business). Just glad to be able to buy what I want, and not have to worry about the money. If I want it, then that's what it costs.
 
gull wing said:
I carry a lot of different knives, but as a "package" the Sebenza is the best. Sebenza is not perfect, but the fit and finish, lockup, and general feel are so great.
I am not fond of the blade grind and edge thickness of the Sebenza. I have a few skills, so I made my own blade in a thin flat grind. I think this may be as close to my ideal knife.
DsVXoNO.jpg
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How’s it open? Front flipper?
 
Razor said:
I just ordered a large 21 Insingo. I can't wait for it to get here. Do you all like the Insingo blade shape? I think I will like it. I have owned other CR's but none with this kind of blade shape.
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It is one of my favorite blade shapes of any knife I own, and I own....many. The usefulness of the Insingo cannot be overstated, not to mention, the CRK wharnies have a sharp penetrating tip (of a kind) if that's a need you still have. Fantastic blade shape.
 
Quiet said:
Rather like you keep attempting to justify your opinion in this thread, right?

We get it, you don't like Sebenzas and are definitely one of those "But why do you need..." folks. Good for you. Go enjoy your Bugout.
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Jeez, dude, reading comprehension is a fundamental skill. I said nothing that you attributed to me. Piss off and welcome to ignore. :rolleyes::poop:
 
CSG said:
Jeez, dude, reading comprehension is a fundamental skill. I said nothing that you attributed to me. Piss off and welcome to ignore. :rolleyes::poop:
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I am completely unbothered by being put on ignore by someone who feels that multiple posts making the same comments will somehow sway others to his way of thinking. LOL

I'm sorry I ruined your day, Can't Stand disaGreement.
 
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OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
How’s it open? Front flipper?
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Yes... inquiring minds wanna know! How does it open? That's a really custom mod btw, love it! Kinda reminds me of an AG Russell Ti flipper that I also tried because it was 70% cheaper than a Sebenza. Basically with any knife we all end up learning that you can't scratch the itch for a knife with a substitute knife. So just get what you want and hope that it's resale value is pretty good if you end up not liking it.
 
Blues Bender said:
I carry a large 21 quite a bit. It cuts stuff, sharpens easily, is easy to maintain, and is made by a respectable American company. The Sebenza isn’t going out of style, and it will be a solid option for years to come. It’s not perfect for everyone, but for me it just works. I try not to overthink it and just cut stuff.

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Cool picture. Well done
 
Straight to the point - Chris Reeve Knives were the pioneer into ultra-high quality production knives when similar choices were few. For me, the Large Sebenza will be like a first love - forever special regardless of changing times. Don’t know that the small version would have made the same impression on me if that had been my first CRK to attain and carry around.
 
I’d love to own one someday, once my university days are behind me and I land a good profession. The Inkosi with the canvas micarta looks really sexy.

For now though, my EDC needs are more than covered my Spydies and Cold Steels. :D
 
My first Sebenza was a drop point, you know it's sooooo beautiful and the original blade shape.

It took me several years to get used to the Insingo bladeshape, I hated the looks of it!

So finally last year I ordered a plain jane Insingo, cause I kinda knew the bladeshape was more usefull to me than the drop point. I was not disappointed.. The Insingo really rocks!! But I'm still gona have to say that the drop point looks better.. :rolleyes:

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These knives have been used, reprofiled and sharpened. They're ~$1100 and ~$750 respectively. There aren't any noticeable marks on them, but the edges have been worn down enough that I wanted to sharpen them. The thing is, that's how I treat my <$100 knives. I just don't have a need to use knives in general in such a way that there will be any clear damage to them. Most of my heavier cutting jobs is breaking down cardboard. Other than that, it'll be relatively minor cutting tasks that show up in city life.

The vast majority of members on here can get away with using <$50 knives and most of us are well aware of that fact. This forum is unsurprisingly filled with knife enthusiasts. Our interest in higher end knives isn't because we're unaware of obvious facts about knives.

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Kaizen1 said:
These knives have been used, reprofiled and sharpened. They're ~$1100 and ~$750 respectively. There aren't any noticeable marks on them, but the edges have been worn down enough that I wanted to sharpen them. The thing is, that's how I treat my <$100 knives. I just don't have a need to use knives in general in such a way that there will be any clear damage to them. Most of my heavier cutting jobs is breaking down cardboard. Other than that, it'll be relatively minor cutting tasks that show up in city life.

The vast majority of members on here can get away with using <$50 knives and most of us are well aware of that fact. This forum is unsurprisingly filled with knife enthusiasts. Our interest in higher end knives isn't because we're unaware of obvious facts about knives.

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Well said. Same reason your girlfriend or wife could get away with a Jansport backpack instead of them Longchamps and LVs hehehe.
 
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Just received my small sebenza 31 today, very happy with it. Bought my first 21 (large and small in 2010 with S30v steal, was hooked and bought a few more along the way in S35vn including a pair of Inkosi's and a mnandi). Will I buy the 31 if it gets an upgraded steal? the short answer is yes.

I fully get the op's comments , raised now when the overall knife industry has come a long way and producing great knives. But when the Sebenza came out, it was a game changer and trend setter. All we need to do is look at the number of manufacturers creating frame lock Ti knives in s30v or s 35vn (all thanks to CR).

That would be similar to the Rolex analogy, yes they are expensive but they did create a trend with their designs and quality that is now the norm in the tool watch sector. Another analogy would be the Porsche 911, overall same look through out the years but consistently improved and modernized. Are they cheap, no. Timeless, in my opinion yes.
 
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I have come to realize that I prefer the large CRKs over the small ones. I own 5 CRKs...a large regular Sebenza, a 2011 Umnumzaan, a small and a large 21 Insingo, and a small Inkosi. I love the Inkosi, but I wish I’d gotten the large one. All are keepers, but IMO, CRK hit the sweet spot with their large models...not too big, not too small. But strangely enough, I find my small Inkosi feels more comfortable in hand during use than my small 21 Insingo, which is slightly larger.

Someday I may get a large Inkosi (drop point), but due to the current situation, if I do get one, it’ll be a ways off.

Jim
 
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