Sebenza - I just couldn't do it...

In my comparisons with other knives I honestly believe that the Sebs really are one of the, if not the, best folding knives. Are there things I would change about it? Of course. But it's still as close to ideal as I have found. The price? I can't find its equal for less.

As far as the steel/HT. One can find better edge retention(wear resistance), sharpen-ability, toughness, stainless, but what is gained on one of these aspects is lost on others. S30V/S35VN and CRKs target HT are perfect for this knife. It is a very well made jack of all trades knife.

Otherwise, thank god they're not everyone's cup of tea! I'd hate to see them completely backlogged and "plains" selling on the exchange for $5-800!!
 
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to Gynstrom....nothing wrong with that. I carry a Sebbie, mostly large. I have a Three Sisters Forge Beast...nice folder. I prefer my Grayman DUA, perhaps because it's a bit larger knife. My hands are large, and I carry a large Sebbie much easier than a small Seb.
SAKs are nice; they're not for everyone.
I would have fixed that hammer strut with my box-elder inlaid small Sebbie. I only live once...and I'm determined to enjoy it. If I break the tip, I'll have CRK put on another one. I've never lost a knife with a pocket-clip and don't figure I will now. And I like the high quality and tight tolerances, as well as a swing-free blade...from Chris. He's the man. Just my opinion...from a crusty opinionated older fella.
Sonny
 
At the risk of repeating myself, here's the problem. Whenever anyone wants to compare a folder to the industry-standard, they invariably find themselves confronting the Sebenza. There's really no way around it. They simply won't know how good their folder is until they've got a Sebenza to compare it to. Believe me, I resisted this reality for years until I finally gave in and bought one. Now I get it.
 
bld522 said:
At the risk of repeating myself, here's the problem. Whenever anyone wants to compare a folder to the industry-standard, they invariably find themselves confronting the Sebenza. There's really no way around it. They simply won't know how good their folder is until they've got a Sebenza to compare it to. Believe me, I resisted this reality for years until I finally gave in and bought one. Now I get it.
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bld--WELL SAID and I wholeheartedly agree.

bld--will you change your avatar pic?--I cringe each time I see your posts :disturbed:
 
What? You don't like Mr. Forehead? It took me years to find him.

OK. I'm getting a little tired of him too. ll see what I can do . . .
 
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I too am wrestling with this. My problem is that once I had the large, I'd have to have the small. For the price of the small new, I could have an almost like new S&W Model 39. I may spend my money on neither but sometimes perspective. Having just found out the 39 is aluminum rather than steel, I'm less enthused...steel...it's all about the steel.

Nothing, I repeat, nothing looks better with a little honest wear than Titanium. I will probably own a large sebenza someday.
 
In my quest for a folder that really scratches my itch I had several qualifications that needed to be met. Among those was ZERO BLADEPLAY IN ANY DIRECTION and still a smooth and glassy deployment. I tried several knives and was always a tad disappointed by the slop. There were some that if the pivot were tweaked just right I could eliminate play and still have a nice deployment, but eventually the play crept back in and I had to readjust--it drove me kind of nuts. I felt like I was having to tweak the old "rabbit ears" on my TV to get a quality picture. Now, granted I haven't tried ALL folders, but enough to know that I was going to have a hard time escaping the "pivot tweaking" on a lower budget folder. So, as like many of you I came to the conclusion that I needed to try a Seb. I saved my pennies. I saved my lunch money. I ate Top Ramen. I worked the counter at McChickie Wings, I sold plasma. And then I bought a Sebenza. The heavens opened and I had a vision from the pivot bushing gods and heavenly machinists that said "look no further my son and let not your heart be troubled--you will never need to tweak a pivot again." And thus, my addiction to CRK perfection began.

Small Reg w L Jimping (11).jpg
 
I am kind of on the opposite end of most who have posted so far. I have owned 3 sebenzas (2 Large, 1 small) and they just were not for me. I feel my Spyderco Military is a better designed and practical knife then the Sebenza. Yes it does not have the fit and finish of a Sebenza but it should not at the price difference. I understand the pride of ownership that comes with having a Sebenza but I feel many other knives are better designed, just not as well executed. This may change when I one day get a 25 though.
 
MostMenAreRuthless said:
The heavens opened and I had a vision from the pivot bushing gods and heavenly machinists that said "look no further my son and let not your heart be troubled--you will never need to tweak a pivot again." And thus, my addiction to CRK perfection began.
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LOL! Good one. :)

Until nanotechnology finds its way into knife production, I don't think anyone is going to achieve tighter tolerances than Chris does.
 
HALO V said:
What you're paying for is EXTREMELY good warranty, quality, work put into it, etc.
The Senenza is a VERY GOOD knife and not overpriced at all.
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Good warrant that is voided by flicking, or user errors?
Sorry but extremely good warranty is more like EESE's, you break it we replace it warranty.

It's a good knife, it is overbuilt and taken to extremes but after all of that it is just a good knife. Not a great knife, not a perfect knife, not a awesome knife. It is no better as a knife than a $40 Kershaw Blur. It's quite uncomfortable, and the steel being ran to low hardness doesn't help.

That's why I stopped buying Sebbies, and only kept one.
 
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This argument continues: you either appreciate aesthetics, fit and finish, high tolerances, and other intangible qualities, or you don't. This applies to cars, guns, knives, watches, etc. There is room in the world for both types.

bld522: Your forehead reminds me of the episode of the original 1960's Outer Limits wherein David McCallum (now Ducky on NCIS) was a coal miner who a scientist, using some equipment, evolved him into the future man, who naturally had a large forehead to hold his high IQ. Unfortunately, McCallum wanted to evolve even further and it did not end well.
 
They don't do anything for me either. I'll take textured G10 over metal slabs. I'll take a better blade profile like the Military. I've actually thought all of Reeves knives were ugly as well. Whatever they do for people in the looks department I just don't get. Some people love them though and that's cool. Just not for me either.
 
MostMenAreRuthless said:
Silly.
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Nah, pretty much spot on, as long as we correct the 'has' for 'as' so no one tries to conflate the message. It's a blade that folds into a handle. The blade cuts, the handle provides comfort while doing so. The tolerances affect neither. The fact that knives with far looser tolerances have been in use for twice as long as the Sebenza has existed speaks to just how critical (not very) that level is for a knife. As a knife, a knife does just fine without Ti or ano or much of anything the enthusiast demands while barely doing any cutting on a daily basis. Victorinox, Buck, Kershaw, Spyderco, Benchmade, and dozens of others would be out of business if their products didn't get the job done.
 
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Luis G. said:
Good warrant that is voided by flicking, or user errors?
Sorry but extremely good warranty is more like EESE's, you break it we replace it warranty.

It's a good knife, it is overbuilt and taken to extremes but after all of that it is just a good knife. Not a great knife, not a perfect knife, not a awesome knife. It is no better has a knife than a $40 Kershaw Blur. It's quite uncomfortable, and the steel being ran to low hardness doesn't help.

That's why I stopped buying Sebbies, and only kept one.
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MostMenAreRuthless said:
Silly.
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Looking at it as a tool that cuts things he's right. What's more, many times a $0.40 razor blade is the best thing you can get, at any price.

Not that I don't want a Sebenza. I have a great appreciation for high end machining, and after hearing about the specifics of the lockup on newer examples (late lockup and sticky) I really want to try one, and the Insingo blade shape looks great. The problem is sometimes I just prefer to avoid expensive things, with regard to a (relatively) cheap hobby like this I may as well have all the money in the world, but using such a fine piece of craftsmanship makes you hyper aware of wear and tear on the knife, and the possibility of losing it.
Sometimes you just get tired of babying your stuff and want something to get the job done.
 
dkb45 said:
So nice to see people not drooling uncontrollably over a Sebenza. Don't get me wrong, they are nice. At $200 they would be killer, $250 not too bad. Once you hit $300, though, they lack that certain "oomph". I know the tolerances are high, but that doesn't warrant a price tag of double what a production version would cost. My big turn off is the blade steel using something a little more premium would NOT kill them. I'm not saying use S110V, but some Elmax or something else wouldn't be a bad idea.

Put it this way if your options for a car are a standard Corvette, or something identical to a Corvette that is made a little better at twice the cost (with 0 style or performance increases), which would you choose? I would opt for the cheaper one, and if I was going to spend the money anyways get a second Corvette (in this hypothetical I am filthy rich) or a suped up version of the standard.

I will reiterate- the Sebenza is not a bad knife. It is just a bit overpriced.
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Wrong. Even Sal Glesser, the owner of Spyderco said that if he made his knives to the same tolerances, then his knives would be very expensive.
 
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