Sebenza 21 vs Sebenza 31 ???

Sebenza 21 vs Sebenza 31

  • Sebenza 21

    Votes: 31 48.4%

  • Sebenza 31

    Votes: 33 51.6%
  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .
So does this mean the 31 will not develop the drop free action 21’s get with time?
 
21 is icon, legend and everything Chris Reeve wanted in a perfect folder.31 is new and not out yet to make comparisons.I like simplicity and perfection of 21 so for me I will stick with 21 no matter how 31 performs.Like someone here mentioned,21 looks and feels closest to original Sebenza knife.Cheers.
 
I feel the 21 has a more solid lock up and a little less likely to fail when in hard use, just my own thought though!
 
353 said:
Nope, why should it not?
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Because the 31 will use a larger diameter detent ball that is also the lock interface. I believe the reason the Inkosi and Umnumzaan don't develop the drop free action the 21 developes is because the lager detent ball rides along the blade even with the lock disengaged. Where as with the 21 when you disengage the lock the detent ball does not contact the blade. I could be wrong though, it could have something to do the the different pivots. Anyone else here know the answer to this?
 
knoagreen said:
Because the 31 will use a larger diameter detent ball that is also the lock interface. I believe the reason the Inkosi and Umnumzaan don't develop the drop free action the 21 developes is because the lager detent ball rides along the blade even with the lock disengaged. Where as with the 21 when you disengage the lock the detent ball does not contact the blade. I could be wrong though, it could have something to do the the different pivots. Anyone else here know the answer to this?
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The drop free action is when the lock bar is disengaged. So the type of lock interface doesn't matter.

The reason for the Inkosi and Umnumzaan not develop the drop as easy is because they don't have the pivot bushing.
 
brock stewart said:
Started with a 31 and I’m buying as many 21s as I can get my hands on
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genuinely interested in your reasoning. Has the 31 been subpar?

I own both but haven’t used the 31 long enough to make a definitive comparison
 
For the me for 31 was not worth waiting for. I have factory order in on a 31, however I recently came across and purchased a new in box 21 on eBay. To my eye the 21 is a better looking piece as the angled pocket clip ruins the lines a classic design and the differences in S35VN and S45VN are not significant enough to influence my choice. Also the changes to the locking interface and the stop pin design do not excite. And finally the 21 is a true Chris Reeves design, almost like owning one of the last Ferraris built while Enzo was still at the helm.
 
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The large 31s are marvelous. On the whole, I consider the changes to be true enhancements, albeit with some unintended consequences on the small 31s. I'm happy to have acquired a wood inlaid 21 before they went extinct, but I use it gingerly knowing that factory support will wane as time passes. When I compare my large 31s to my large 21, I don't find any loss of precision, smoothness, or sturdiness, even on the lock bar. For me, the knowing that the lifespan of the lock interface has been extended by the ceramic ball increases my pleasure in using the knife.
 
I have almost all the models of Sebenzas, except the "H" (someone want to get off one??!!) and I think my Large 31 is every bit the same quality as any. I do prefer the "P" , but just for the configuration, not performance.. personal preference. The drop free is not a thing to me.
 
I just sold my Thuya insert Small 21 and bought a PJ Small 31. The clip laying on the lock bar requires contorting of your hand to open the 21. The 31 eliminates that issue. Plus the click on opening is more positive in the 31.
 
I've tried three sebenza 31s and all have extremely tight tensions in the lockbar, like overly so, and they never broke in like the 21s I have, even after 2 months and lots of days of intentionally opening and closing. Like if I take the blade out, the lockbar tension is so strong that it'll immediately touch the show side scale whereas most 21s will be barely shy of it but that difference is huge. And the 31s if I unscrew the body screws while the blade is still in, it'll want pop out by itself instead of just staying seated together by itself like the 21s. I guess that was the intention, but I don't particularly like the feel of it, none of them have feel "hydraulic" and glassy feel to me as the 21s do. At least that's my experience. One of the amazing things about the 21 is that you can get the exact same lockup of the blade with the front pivot screw not even inserted compared to if it was screwed in, as shown in this video:


I got a Mnandi for the first time, made in November and it feels exactly like the 21s do, I guess cause they use the traditional lock interface. I regret not getting a small 21 insingo when they were available, and now they're harder to find than PS5s were at launch 😄
 
es335 said:
I've tried three sebenza 31s and all have extremely tight tensions in the lockbar, like overly so, and they never broke in like the 21s I have, even after 2 months and lots of days of intentionally opening and closing. Like if I take the blade out, the lockbar tension is so strong that it'll immediately touch the show side scale whereas most 21s will be barely shy of it but that difference is huge. And the 31s if I unscrew the body screws while the blade is still in, it'll want pop out by itself instead of just staying seated together by itself like the 21s. I guess that was the intention, but I don't particularly like the feel of it, none of them have feel "hydraulic" and glassy feel to me as the 21s do. At least that's my experience. One of the amazing things about the 21 is that you can get the exact same lockup of the blade with the front pivot screw not even inserted compared to if it was screwed in, as shown in this video:


I got a Mnandi for the first time, made in November and it feels exactly like the 21s do, I guess cause they use the traditional lock interface. I regret not getting a small 21 insingo when they were available, and now they're harder to find than PS5s were at launch 😄
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It’s a sad thing they disc. the 21… I’m so happy I still have mine.
 
Is there a good thread that charts the exact differences in the 31? I scrolled and scrolled and didn’t see one like that.
 
I got a few 31's only
So I'm interested in reading opinions by users of both ?
 
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