Sebenza "Hard Use"? - World of C.R. Knives Only

fulloflead

fulloflead

Joined
May 3, 2002
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I HOPE I'm a regular enough poster on this forum not to get flamed for this...:D

Does anyone have experience using the Sebenza for what's considered "Hard Use"? (Prying, scraping, digging, etc.)

You know; the kind of thing Striders are made for. I'm not a big fan of Strider, but I'm a big fan of Reeve. I have no doubts about how Reeve fixed blades would compare, but I wonder about my folders.

Anybody tried? Any history of hard use here?

It seems like the Regular Sebenzas would hold up better because the tips might break off the Classic Seb, given that the Classic has a thinner tip.

I just wonder what one will take if I sell/trade my "beater" knives like my Spyderco Manixes and other THICK knives and just want to stick with the Reeves.

My collection is quickly headed to a place that contains only (or at least mostly) Chris Reeves, and I want to know where I'll be if I need to abuse a folder.

Any thoughts?
Can we have a realistic discussion of what a Regular Sebenza will stand up to without the emotions of "I can't imagine doing that to mine." ?

Let's talk function and performance and not asthetics for a thread. What do you say?

.
 
I have used mine in an emergency on the roof top when Ivan came through[very ugly mess!] had to cut some shingle REAL fast,I work in a place that one of its main products is aluminum screen,when theres a bind or jam,my Sebenza does the job a razor knife CAN'T do.I also know what the limits are on ANY type of knife,thats what shovels,screwdrivers,prybars..etc are for. As I write,my small classic is in Boise getting a new edge and having the scratches on the blade removed,its a tool for me..but I know its limits.

Happy Holidays, Dave
 
Decorating a room at home involved cutting up the old carpet to remove it .
Large regular Seb sliced it up a treat , retained good edge and no marking to the blade finish either .
I tried a Mountaineer 1 on the same task , the finish took a bit of a hammering from the grit etc that ends up in the carpet fibres.
I have sold most other folders except for a few slipjoints.

Paul.
 
I too have sold off most of my collection. I have CRK's & Customs if that tells you anything.
 
For instance, I just put together two of those 90cc mini-ATV's for my kids' birthdays last month, and used my edc small Seb to deburr some of the assembly screw holes where either the paint on the frame or the steel of the frame itself would not allow the screws to start. The edge is thick enough to handle it. Even accidentally acid-etched the blade when filling up the little ATV batteries with the acid stuff (heck, I thought it was distilled water!).

The only time I've nicked my edge was once when I used my Seb to pry off something or other relative to this older house we've recently moved into. Learned my lesson, sharpened it out, no biggie. If my Seb has lived through the home improvement projects (which I'll apparently be doing from the grave) I've undertaken, it's lived up to it's name and then some.

I'm no rich man by any means, but after five years of edc, I've ceased babying my Seb. Tackling nasty jobs that some other knives cannot handle is the whole reason I chose the Seb, after all!

Professor.
 
Well I was in a ditch putting in a water pipe for our house, had to reach under
the side of the house and CUT through some heavy plastic pipe in mud and muck
cut it slick and didn't bother the knife a bit, washed off the grit and gunk
and good as new.
That was with one of the original classics, which resides as I last recall with
our StJames's collection, polished blade of ATS-34, no clip...
G2
 
I have been using my Large Classic Sebbie BG42 polished blade for everything the comes my way under the sun for years now, it's hasn't let me down once, hard use, used it to pray with, how that for hard use, it's blade is scratched up, still cuts like a dream and the best lockup you can ask for, been sharpened over a 100 times and then some, best pocket folder i know of. BTW IMO Strider second best at best, i not buying into Strider hype, stronger then the best, not for me! :jerkit:

James
 
Wow. These are heartwarming stores. Keep 'em coming!:thumbup:

I have to get a Large Regular, plain Sebbie for workin' with. Mine are "pimped" and prettied up by Matt Cucchiara, so if I beat those up refurbishing isn't really an option. I need to get a plain one and keep it plain.

.
 
I have used my regular to cut up a ton of boxes for my students to use as "blocks" for thier projects on Egypt. My Sebbie has even been used to dig with, pry some big fat staples, cut up some apples and meat, open the mail, etc. Take a quote from "Green Team" by Dick Marcinko... " I know these things cost more than $600.oo but that doesn't mean it isn't a tool" He was referring to an Emerson though. "It, better than any other folding knife, does the jobs I need it to do". I have a student in my class whose nick name is Sebbie because her first name is Sebastiana.
 
I've used my small Sebbie to cut a pile of sheetrock a little while back with no problems. I drew it across the concrete floor a few times while making the cuts with nothing to show for it. I just got a Strider PT and really do think it's a great knife, but I'm in no way convinced it's any stronger or more capable that my sm. Sebbie. I thought the tip might be more stout on the PT, but it's not as thick at the tip from the spine as the Sebbie is, eventhough it drops more.It think the pivot is a bit larger, but I bet the pivot bushing on the Senenza adds strength as well. Truth be told, I wish Strider knives weren't marketed the way they are as I like them for their features and design. I would think a NICA tanto would be very capable of hard use. The Strider does "appear" to be better matched for hard use, but that comes back to marketing in many ways, IMO, as I probably wouldn't use either $300 knife for tasks my multitool or $7 small prybar could better do.
 
I regularly use and abuse my Sebenzas. I've used a large Sebbie to split kindling by batoning down on the blade with a chunk of wood. In other knives, this can wreck the locking mechanism and/or cause significant blade play. The Sebenza puts up with this, and more, with nary a problem.
 
About the hardest use I put my sebenza through (or any knife, for that matter) is cutting up thick cardboard boxes and prying out the thick staples that can hold them together. This morning, I'm constructing new cardboard boxes from old ones to get some large, awkwardly shaped ebay shipments packaged. I've done this enough with followup sharpening that my blade tip is ~ 3/16" shorter that new.

With all this blade wear, I'm thankful for the high hollow grind.
 
I used one of mine to cut off some chunky zip ties on a chain link fence. Actually it was partly cut, partly pry. When they parted I ended up whacking the concrete about 6 times (oops). yes it had some nicks in the blaade. Nothing too major.
 
I was really debating the same question for some time. I decided on the Micarta inlays for my Large Sebenza but wasn't sure about the edge.

What pushed me over the edge (no pun intended) was deciding what I really wanted to do with the knife. I intend to use this as a utility/outdoors knife as well as being an EDC, and the serrated blade provides this versatility to me. Sure I may not need to cut rope everyday, but if I carry an all-around blade I feel that it shouldn't be squeamish about a little rope or the odd branch.

What really made me decide for the serrated edge was hearing that the double-edged serrations were designed for paratrooper use by Chris Reeve.

I am a skydiver/parachutist and the fact the serrated blades were designed to cut paracord sold me. I can't think of a better knife to carry everywhere (even at 14,000 ft plummeting at 120-180 mph towards earth) for my survival than a reliable Sebenza.

I got double thumb lugs with the Micarta inlay (incredible feel and grip) and attach to to my skydiving harness with a pouch on my leg strap. I know that within seconds, and with either hand, I can deploy my blade and cut myself free of parachute cord.

In case your wondering a knife is essential safety gear while skydiving (along with a parachute and altimeter, of course). If I am involved in a mid-air collision while under canopy I may only have seconds to cut myself free from being entangled in either my own, or someone else's lines, and deploy my reserve. Also, after landing sudden wind gusts can literally drag you along the ground by your parachute and cutting yourself free can save you from being dragged into danger (like a landing airplane or powerlines).

With the Serrations, double thumb lugs, and Micarta inlay I am confident I can call on my Sebenza in any situation to perform reliably, especially when my life is on the line.

I know I certainly have enjoyed every day with my Sebenza (especially those days I am in free-fall). It never has failed me so far, although I haven't done construction tasks like some of those who have posted on this thread.
 
DrDrifter,

Obviously you've chosen a great knife, and with my limited experience skydiving (once in tandem on a bachelor party weekend), but why wouldn't a fixed blade work better in this application? Wouldn't there be more of a chance of mishandling a folder while trying to open it vs pulling out a fixed blade?
 
I'm guessing that he feels comforted knowing that if he lands on a folder he will be less likely to regret it. That said, a fixed blade would be simpler - esp. a blunted line-cutter. - My .02
 
I have used mine to do up about 5 rabbits and 3 squirrels the other day. I just had my classic on me so thats what I used(now there were my cousins and grandfather too) but they didnt have much of anything in the way of knives. I have cut a mess of cardboard, pryed with it, used it to open a can of beans once just to see how it would go(it went well). All in all it has held up great. I have my user sebbie's and my sittin sebbies....they know thier place.
 
Not to hi-jack, but can a regular Sebenza(small or large) come with serrations? I don't typically like them, but the CRK version is one exception.
 
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