Sebenza 21 vs Sebenza 31 ???

[Eric556]

Is the sebenza 31 worth waiting for? or would you rather just get the 21

 

[loon#r]

Both

Buy the 21 now. There are plenty of good deals on 21s to be had and you have the 31 to look forward to for years to come.

 

[Ernie1980]

I don’t have a 31 in hand to directly compare, there are not many out there! This poll might be better in a few months...

 

[Ajack60]

Get the 21, you won't regret it. It's going to be a while before the 31 is readily available. Typically, the first couple of batches sell quickly.

 

[JJ_Colt45]

Same answer to the same question in your other thread ...

The logical anwer:

The 21 is the iconic CRK ... and if you find you prefer the 31 later you can sell or trade the 21 ... but they are being discontinued so won't be here later if you wish you had gotten one.

My personal thoughts ... I would still buy the 21 over the 31 ... it is just a simple design that it time tested and beautifully simple and reliable ...

 

[jumpstat]

I would get either model if it is available.

 

[willard0341]

It is subjective but I think they keep getting better

 

[pease]

I’m going to wait for a 31 it is an improved version. I’ve been cutting back on knife purchases and by waiting I’ll spend less money overall. That’s my plan.

 

[Wowbagger]

I don’t have a 31 in hand to directly compare, there are not many out there! This poll might be better in a few months...

Good point !
I don't have a 31
but
(pause to scream like a little girl and shake my arms above my head)
I do have a 21 ! Juuuuuust got it today a few hours ago; maccasar.
The 21 disappearing is what got me to finally get one; I wanted the grove between the strips as an imagined finger grip groove. It's not as pronounced as I imagined but I still think I prefer the two strip to the one slab. That's how I voted.

 

[Lapedog]

Is the sebenza 31 worth waiting for? or would you rather just get the 21

I would 100% get a 21 while you still can.

 

[bart1]

Couldn't vote, never held a 31.... Can say Inkosi/Seb 25.... dead even for me.. carried each a while....Hard to imagine being better served by a 31 than a 21....

 

[416isToronto]

If it was wood inlays, i’d get the 21 now...just a preference thing...will take some time getting used to the new one piece inlay.

 

[mongomondo]

I imagine the 31 will feel identical to the Inkosi. Are people expecting it to be much different?

 

[@KennyLiu@]

From personal experience (very limited with the 31) I prefer the aesthetics of the 21 over the 31. Everything seems more uniform e.g. the distance between pivot-to-stop pin matches the machining hole-to-handle screw, and the clip aligning with the lockbar cutout. Ergonomically, apart from the clip the difference between the two is negligible, with the 21 having slightly better traction on the inlayed models due to the gap between the inlays. I didn't find the clip to be a hot spot on the 21, but apparently some do that's why they changed it.

The 31 feels slightly different when opening...like the detent ball is being sucked out rather than the crisp pop on the 21. Maybe that's due to the larger diameter of the ceramic ball. Disengaging the lock feels much smoother on the 31 though; similar to the Inkosi, it doesn't have to overcome the detent ball and because of that the action is very fluid.

For me, the perfect combination would be a large 21 paired with a small 31. Hopefully someone with more experience carrying the 31 can chime in~

 

[Rykjeklut]

I actually much prefer the 31,visually.

Never been a fan of the 21, but there's something about the 31..might be the inlays

 

[brownshoe]

I like knives that come from specific designers, e.g. one person's vision. As I understand it the Sebenza was a Chris Reeve design, the 31 is a Reeve corporate design, so I'd go 21. One man's vision in your hand.

 

[kidcongo]

I imagine the 31 will feel identical to the Inkosi. Are people expecting it to be much different?

The Inkosi has the finger grooves / choils, more aggressive jimping, a mostly flat-ground blade (“high hollow grind”) and thicker blade stock.

They are similar looking, but have significant differences (at least to knife people)

 

[Sciaenops]

Handled the 31 at blade show. The one piece inlay just doesn’t feel the same. The small 31 seemed a little smaller than a small 21. I EDC my 21 and for me it is perfect. Be interesting to see how it plays out - but for my collector dollar, the earlier models are for me.

 

[mongomondo]

The Inkosi has the finger grooves / choils, more aggressive jimping, a mostly flat-ground blade (“high hollow grind”) and thicker blade stock.

They are similar looking, but have significant differences (at least to knife people)

I have the Inkosi, umnum, and 21 large and they cut almost identically despite the slightly different grinds. The main difference for me is how the ceramic ball feels when opening compared to the 21. I guess that's what I meant.

 

[nyefmaker]

Buy the 21. It’s the closest you will ever get to the original design. I have had failures with the umnumzaans with the ceramic ball lockup, so not a fan of it.