Sebenza Overrated?

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I don't think it's the S30V that Ankerson thinks isn't worthy. It's he likes it up around 60-61, instead of the 58-59 CR does it at.
 
I do understand where Ankerson is coming from. If I understand correctly he says that S30V is fine as long as you get to around 59.9 Rc.

If that is the case, then getting S30V at less than that(58 rc) is in effect getting AUS-8A. Maybe for some people paying over $300 for a a knife with AUS-8A edge retention would be paying too much.

It's not so much a question of what I might do with my knife but rather expecting to have the best performance out of what materials I am getting for the money(over $300).

But that's my opinion too, some may value aesthetics and craftsmanship over performance.
 
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I see what you guys are saying,I should have phrased my question differently.

I guess even in the case of the lower RC my question still stands. Surely CRK would have made the decision to keep the hardening a little softer based on sound R&D?
 
I do understand your point too giant1, but isn't S30V at 58 rc like having a fighter with one hand tied behind his back?

Maybe it's just in the HT that CRK chooses to save on production costs.
 
singularity35 said:
I do understand where Ankerson is coming from. If I understand correctly he says that S30V is fine as long as you get to around 59.9 Rc.

If that is the case, then getting S30V at less than that(58 rc) is in effect getting AUS-8A. Maybe for some people paying over $300 for a a knife with AUS-8A edge retention would be paying too much.

It's not so much a question of what I might do with my knife but rather expecting to have the best performance out of what materials I am getting for the money.

But that's my opinion too, some may value aesthetics and craftsmanship over performance.
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At certain price points one expects all of the above IMO. I have knives at all different price points, fairly and rightly so my expectations of each is different. Those price points may vary by person. Some might see a $2500 knife as an EDC where I might see that as a display box knife.
My recent Acies purchase at $375.00 is intended to be and will serve as an EDC and will be used as such. Not an inexpensive knife but IMO designed and built with the intent to be used.
 
I like the philosophy. I am amazed by the amount of ground this thread has covered.

Cutting into an apple with a $400 knife? It wouldn't matter . If I spent more than my wife's car payment on a knife I would never get the chance to eat another apple. I just cant' see the fit and finish of the thing being worth getting filleted by it.
 
singularity35 said:
I do understand your point too giant1, but isn't S30V at 58 rc like having a fighter with one hand tied behind his back?

Maybe it's just in the HT that CRK chooses to save on production costs.
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You are probably right, I guess I just don't use my knives hard enough to ever find out. I am lucky enough to own folders from other good makers and honestly none of them feel as good in my hand as a sebenza.

I do sharpen and strop my user knives regularly to keep a fine cutting edge but that is more due to the fact that I changed the factory grind to a more shallow angle for a thinner edge and not because I cut anything extreme with them.
 
KYenglish said:
I like the philosophy. I am amazed by the amount of ground this thread has covered.

Cutting into an apple with a $400 knife? It wouldn't matter . If I spent more than my wife's car payment on a knife I would never get the chance to eat another apple. I just cant' see the fit and finish of the thing being worth getting filleted by it.[/QUOTE]

One of if not the best line in the whole thread IMO. Spoken by and heard by truly Married Men (possibly even Married with Children.)
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No I don't think the Sebenza is overrated. The materials used (thick titanium,) it's locking mechanism (framelock,) and the way it is put together make for a strong precision folder.

The quality control involved is a whole other added expense. It's design and execution (particularly it's tight tolerances and excellent lock bar alignment) does not lend itself well to fast low priced mass production which I am not saying is always bad but if that is what you want look elsewhere.

For those who like propelling blades out of the handle and letting momentum do the rest the Sebenza will disappoint. It is not designed to be a flick knife and that is fine with me. To make it a flick knife would require that lock bar tension be reduced which I would have to respond by saying no thank you.

I don't like flimsy lock bars the opening and closing of the Sebenza is super smooth but firm requiring control of the blade at all times during opening. This preserves the life of the knife action since flicking depending on how it's done can quickly wear down even the toughest folders. Do not misinterpret this to mean that opening the Sebenza is slow, it is not, this thing opens quite quickly but not by flicking.

Accidental disengagement of the lock bar less likely when your lockbar tension is firm rather than easily unlocked with light pressure from the fingernail tip of your pinky finger such as in other folders with lockbars milled paper thin at the flex point.

The name of the knife happens to be Sebenza (worker) not Super Slick or Super Fly.

If the Sebenza is what you like and you can afford it why not buy it. Is it worth the money yes it is. This is not a super massed produced knife with a name sticker and an inflated price tag a lot of what you pay actually goes toward the work and materials put into it. Keep in mind that this is not made in a foreign country where salary wages are dirt cheap compared to ours so part of the cost of Sebenzas go into paying US salaries.

Add up every thing about the Sebenza from the above written and you will quickly get the feeling that anything made along those lines is going to be costly.
 
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giant1 said:
What exactly do you do with your knives?? :confused:

They all need sharpening if used, and as long as you use a knife for it's intended purpose they will all do the job they were designed for which is to cut stuff that is softer than steel.

Judging from some of your posts (in other threads) I know you like fine edges on your knives as do I. Is it that you don't like to continually sharpening a knife?

Please don't take this post as offensive, I am genuinely curious as to why you won't use S30V.

I doubt anyone would even know what steel they are using unless told.
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I use S30V everyday, I carry a Military in S30V and or now a Para 2 and or Strider SmF so yeah I use it a lot, but those are around 60 RC. :thumbup:

I cut a lot of cardboard, and I mean a lot of cardboard and I don't want the knife to dull too fast.

I don't want to pay $300+ for a blade that I would have to sharpen everyday or more I can tell you that.

I like high performace steels and I can tell what is what without knowing just by the way it holds an edge and or sharpening it.

jill jackson said:
I don't think it's the S30V that Ankerson thinks isn't worthy. It's he likes it up around 60-61, instead of the 58-59 CR does it at.
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Jill,

Yes, exactly. :thumbup:

I think the quality and F&F is excellent though on the CRK's for the record.
 
I like the Sebenza, but I do think it is over hyped...to say its over rated would be to insinuate it doesn't perform well which is false, but the hype that is associated with the Sebenza in the knife community is going a little over board. Products will naturally gets fans, thats cool, but I've seen people ridiculed and taunted if they had a negative experience with this knife.

I've been meaning to buy one for a good 6 years, handled them plenty each time I get the chance...but for the price I just cannot justify it when I know what else I can get in the price range that would see more use with me.

All about personal preference which i'm sure has well and truly been established by now.
 
Robert.B said:
I like the Sebenza, but I do think it is over hyped...to say its over rated would be to insinuate it doesn't perform well which is false, but the hype that is associated with the Sebenza in the knife community is going a little over board. Products will naturally gets fans, thats cool, but I've seen people ridiculed and taunted if they had a negative experience with this knife.

I've been meaning to buy one for a good 6 years, handled them plenty each time I get the chance...but for the price I just cannot justify it when I know what else I can get in the price range that would see more use with me.

All about personal preference which i'm sure has well and truly been established by now.
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This is my opinion to. The Sebenza is a very good knife, and I've been looking at them for around 6 years. I've come to the conclusion, I could not justify them. Just my personal opinion.
 
Cynic2701 said:
Not to take this in a wildly different direction, but...

If we are talking about differences in the phenomenal appearance and perception of objects, then it is possible to determine a hierarchy of differentiation by degree: this is intersubjective verifiability--the very foundation of "science".

There is the potentiality for an infinitude of possibilities for anything that is perceived noumenally. Though a set group of Daseins may agree on a singularity of a noumenal appearance, that political agreement in no way excludes the potentiality for all other possible perceptions of that noumenal object.
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Posture much?
 
Ankerson said:
I use S30V everyday, I carry a Military in S30V and or now a Para 2 and or Strider SmF so yeah I use it a lot, but those are around 60 RC. :thumbup:

I cut a lot of cardboard, and I mean a lot of cardboard and I don't want the knife to dull too fast.

I don't want to pay $300+ for a blade that I would have to sharpen everyday or more I can tell you that.

I like high performace steels and I can tell what is what without knowing just by the way it holds an edge and or sharpening it.



Jill,

Yes, exactly. :thumbup:

I think the quality and F&F is excellent though on the CRK's for the record.
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I'd be interested in seeing about getting the blades hardened up a little more on my Seb and Umnum. I'd love the knives more if they held the edge better, then they would be a more perfect knife. :thumbup:
 
RevDevil said:
I'd be interested in seeing about getting the blades hardened up a little more on my Seb and Umnum. I'd love the knives more if they held the edge better, then they would be a more perfect knife. :thumbup:
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I would like one with an O1 carbon steel blade or other simple steel such as L6. But then the rust. I don't mind S30V in a blade that size hardened the way CRK does.
 
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Ankerson said:
Yeah they are, but I can't get past the performance of the soft S30V that's why I am waiting for CRK to change to S35VN before I buy one.
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OK...but the S35VN is likely to be on the softer end of the range, too...I am not sure it's going to suit you?
 
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