Sebenza Clone

NGK-Webmaster said:
They are nice knives and are typical Benchmade quality, Which is great but not CRK level. My big complaint with them is the thumbstud is slick and hard to use because of this. The same company intends to put out a smaller "Mnandi" type knife also.
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I got my stud blasted and I've no problems. On an objective note, this knife is absolutely great...not quite sebenza quality (in that it doesn't have the heft and tolerances of the sebenza) but it is almost up there. The blade stock feels slightly thinner than a sebbie,but is really well ground. The lock feels less heavy than a sebenza, probably due to the slightly thinner stock.

All in all, at that price...the bradley framelock puts some customs to shame. For $250 for the large, it is definitely worth it. And look what you can do to it if you decide to....(pics are those of my modded bradley)...

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and the lock

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Scott Cook's Lochsa is a very high quality knife that's really appealing to the eye. It comes as no surprise that the knife was influenced by the Sebenza. But when I go to his site I am not bowled over by references to the Sebenza. He doesn't as far as I know market his knife as an alternative to the Sebenza. (Please don't bother me with the fact that he has an 18 month wait period and the knife is 495. This is irrelevant to the point I'm making) His knife stands on its own. As a Sebenza owner I hope to own a Lochsa one day soon even if some would call it a "clone". Having said that, I would never spend the money to buy this Bradley knife. It may be a quality knife. It may not be a "clone" of the Sebenza ( :rolleyes: ). But every knife, good or bad, is to some extent an alternative to the Sebenza. If Sebenzas are not produced fast enough or cheap enough then buyers have these other alternatives to select from. But not every knife maker out there holds themselves out to be a viable alternative to the Sebenza. IMHO the attempt to market this knife specifically as a viable alternative to the Sebenza is over the top. I'd rather get a spyderco, which is a quality knife from a quality company, then this knife whose only claim is that it's an alternative to the Sebenza. (and I'm not impressed that Benchmade makes these knives for Bradley). Let the Bradley knife stand on its own rather than some blatant marketing ploy to ride on CRK's coat tails. To me its not a clone, it's a knock off. Too bad because if the knife is a quality knife it should have been given the opportunity to make its own reputation.
 
Is the reseller marketing it as a sebenza clone or is the manufacturer marketing it as a sebenza clone? If its just the reseller, its a little silly to blame the knife maker and get all worked up over it.

Mark
 
"6al 4V" (AKA "Titanium 6 4") is a 90% Ti alloy containing Al and Vanadium that is commonly called "Titanium" when used as knife handles.
 
Well it appears the Bradley company was started by a knife distributor tired of the backlog of sebenza orders. But in any event you are right there's no need to get worked up. I was just expressing my distaste for cheesy marketing ploys. The knife looks good (but I like Sebenzas) and it may be a quality knife but I am put off by the marketing.
 
metallicat said:
Scott Cook's Lochsa is a very high quality knife that's really appealing to the eye. It comes as no surprise that the knife was influenced by the Sebenza.
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Especially since Scott was the CRK shop foreman for years, through the development of the current Sebenza and wood inlay models.If you have a Sebenza with a BG-42 blade he probably ground it.

What I wonder about is not that the BM made Bradley is $100 less than the CRK, but why it is $100 more than the BM 635?
 
The price is interesting issue. When the buck Mayo first came out it was $195 or $200, now they are what $150 new? It will be interresting to see if the price of these drop to $180 within 6 months. I would think they would since you can get a real sebenza used for $240ish.
 
I love my bm 635. I'd say the bradley is an overpriced 635 colored to look like a sebenza rather than an underpriced sebenza.
 
Also please note this from the review. "Although it may seem we were ganging up on the great Sebenza, it should be noted that until now the Sebenza really had no comparable alternative or equal. Our group all agreed that Chris’ Sebenza is the original king of the heavy-duty folders, however as Bradley Cutlery’s Alias series is almost identical in performance and materials when compared to the Sebenza and possibly even more comfortable in the hand, we feel is would be hard for, even us, to choose the Sebenza at over $100 more.

We believe Bradley Cutlery has brought a new value to the market of high-end, heavy-duty, folding knives."

All they are trying to do is show everyone there is an alternative. They even still call the CRK Sebbie the "King" in its class. My Alias is not as nice as my Sebbie, but I would rather carry and use it for now. My Sebbie is a small wood, with gold wire and it was very expensive. My Alias is plain, but sexy in its own right. Oh and I almost forgot. Extremely usable. It is now my favorite knife.
 
USAFSP said:
My Sebbie is a small wood, with gold wire and it was very expensive.
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I thought you were still waiting on that knife, glad to hear you got it out of the shippers hands.
 
Although some might view it as trying to ride on the coat tails of the Sebenza, let the knife get out there and see what everyone really thinks about it once it's had some pocket time. For a $100.00 less it might be quite the worthy folder for folks that just can't muster enough cash to score a Sebenza. Personally I have a hard time spending much more than I do now for a Benchmade or a Spyderco that I truely work hard on a daily basis. Let some time pass and then let the chips fall where they will.

Peace,

710BMFAN
 
stjames said:
I thought you were still waiting on that knife, glad to hear you got it out of the shippers hands.
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Yippie for me :D Now do I want to use it? Undecided there. I'll save that for another discussion.
 
Just ordered an Alias II from New Graham Knives at $168.75, plus shipping of $5.95, for a total of $174.70.

This will be my most expensive knife to date. Frankly, if the thing is "the poor man's Sebenza," I'll be delighted.

Will report back in a couple of weeks.
 
I think this knife would make a good passaround. Unofotunately I have 4 or 5 I'm trying to finish or get started. If anyone else wants to start one for this knife I'd be ehappy to give advice. :cool:
 
I wish I had the courage to give mine up to pass around, but I can't bare to part with it. I have my Sebenza in my pocket right now, but I can't give up my Alias. Good luck finding one to pass.
 
I guess I was thinking that perhaps 10 or so ;people would be willing to sepnd $20 to try it and have a lotto at the end.
 
I've had a prototype for a month or so, and it's a good piece.

I'm surprised no one has brought-up BM's first framelock, model 750 a.k.a. The Pinnacle.

-dan
 
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