First of all, I never expressed an opinion about the quality of the Sebenza except to say that I would not appreciate the level of craftsmanship and the difference in fit and tolerances. ....BIG SNIP.... I think it's hard to argue that there's a lot of people over-rating the Sebenza. I mean, it's as if a Sebenza was gold and all other knives are lead, instead of other knives just being slightly lesser grades of gold.
I quoted Kenny, because he said everything I could/would say about the topic in a very well written, logical, albeit very long post. Only difference between him and me is I've actually owned a Sebenza, and I feel that everything he said is 100% dead on. I won a small regular sebenza several years ago in a passaround raffle on this forum. When I got the knife, I remember thinking meh, it's just a knife, what's all the hubbub about? Sure, it had tight tolerances and a pleasing appearance, but it was also pretty bland. I guess it's like looking at a Picasso painting. To me, it's just some boxy looking face with the features in the wrong place, while an art aficionado looks at it and seems to think he can feel what Picasso was feeling when he painted it. Whatever. To each their own. I've owned and currently own more Benchmades than any other knife brand, and more Osborne designed BM's than any other BM. When I tell someone who's not into knives that I paid over $150 for a knife, they look at me like I'm crazy when their $30 Buck or Gerber cuts things just as well. I guess me trying to tell them how a Benchmade is worth it because of tight tolerances, better material, blah blah, they look at me like I look at some of the Sebenza fanboys when they try to convince others how a Sebenza is worth it. I can say that that the Benchmades I own, mainly the Osbornes (Switchback, 941, 943, Rift and Kulgera) are all made with superb materials and to extremely tight tolerances. I can say that every Osborne I own is 10x smoother and easier to open than the Sebenza I owned. Yes, the Sebenza is smooth, but it's not fast. It takes some real pressure on the pointy thumbstud to get the blade moving. The BM Osbornes flick open at the slightest pressure on the thumb stud. If you ride the stud with your thumb, the blade feels like it's riding on bearings. Does that mean that my Benchmade is better than a Sebenza? I'm not saying that, but I am saying that for the money, I did not see $150 in improvement/value for the Sebenza over my Benchmade. After carrying and using the Sebenza for a few weeks, I tried to love it. I tried to drink the Kool Aid, but in the end, what I saw was $300 in my hand that, to me, was no better than the BM I owned at the time, so I sold it. Now, do I feel that the Sebenza is overpriced? Nope. It's obviously not overpriced, because so many folks are willing to pay what CR is asking. That's proof positive that a product isn't overpriced. If they were overpriced, CR would have to lower the price to sell them, or go out of business. Do I think the Sebenzas are over-hyped or maybe overrated? Yes, almost annoyingly so. What it seems is, the more someone pays for a knife, the more they feel they have to vehemently defend that purchase. You don't see that anywhere in the knife community as much as you do with the Sebenza. Well, maybe the Busse's, but that's a different post, LOL. Maybe that's why I'm able to be less biased and more objective about the Sebenza. I didn't pay for mine. Well, I paid the $30 price to get into the passaround/raffle, but still, that's only 1/10'th the price it would have cost. Anyway, what I don't understand is, if a knife is so perfect, and so flawless, why you see so many folks complaining about things like the S30V steel, the edge retention, the often painful pointy thumb stud, stiff (but smooth) blade action, etc. Another thing that baffled me is how many times I read someone suggest a Sebenza owner rub, the washers with sandpaper to make things smooth. WTF? How can a knife as perfect, or with as tight tolerances as a Sebenza need to have a washer sanded on a NIB model? I've NEVER had to sand any of my BM washers to make them smooth. I also don't understand how a knife that's as tough as a Sebenza, can be damaged by flicking the blade open, or constantly opening and closing the knife, but after reading the "a few words from Chris Reeve" thread, apparently things like flicking the blade, or treating the knife like stress beads (repeatedly opening and closing) can be detrimental to the longevity of the knife. How is that? I've never seen any such warnings from Benchmade. The only way I open my Benchmade is by flicking the thumbstud, and I often sit at my desk and open/close my BM almost subconsciously while reading something on the net. I've done this for over 10 years, and I've never seen any obvious detrimental effects from doing it. My Axis lock Osborne 940 is as smooth and tight today as it was when I bought it 10 years ago. So, the real question is not whether the Sebenza is overpriced or not, but rather whether or not the value is equal to the price. That's one of those things that only the owner can decide. There are many folks here that swear the value is in line with the product. There are many that say it's not. There is no right or wrong answer to that one. It's all subjective. To me, a plain Sebenza will never be worth more than $150 more than my Osborne Rift, Kulgera, or 940. Now when you step up to the nice inlays and damascus blades, then the story changes a bit. Those are some really nice knives IMHO. Another thing that I find interesting about CRK is the fact that he doesn't show much innovation in comparison to other companies. I mean, he's basically sticking with the same basic design he came up with 21 years ago, with very few cosmetic changes. Sure, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but eventually, folks are going to look at all the new, unique designes other makers come up with, and wonder why after 21 years, CR is still pretty much doing the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I know he's made the Umnum and now the Ti-Lock, that pales in comparison to the different number of knives other makers design. I guess it's kinda like eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for 21 years. Sure, one year you can add some honey in the mix, or change from grape to strawberry, crunchy to smooth, but you're still eating peanut butter and jelly every day. It gets old after a while. Heck, even his website still looks the same as it did 10 years ago. Where's the innovation? Where's the 'keeping it fresh' mentality? It's almost like CR is stuck in a rut, and depending on a model he developed over 21 years ago to carry him for the next 21 years. Good luck with that plan. Anyway, here's the funny part. Despite everything I've just said, I kinda want to buy another Sebenza. I really like the Insingo blade shape, and I really like the Micarta inlays. Unfortunately, my hopes of getting a Micarta inlay Insingo seems to be fading fast with my recent inquiry to CRK. Honestly, I don't know why I'm wanting to buy another one, because I feel that ultimately, I'm going to be let down again, and turn back to my trusty Benchmades, but for some reason, I want to try the Sebenza again. At least I know I can sell it if I don't like it.
Thanks for the input though.
At this point, if I owned something 'high-end' like a Sebenza, it would be just another 'nice' knife that is rotated through my EDC.