Sebenza Overrated?

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Artfully Martial said:
And like Rolex, they no longer (arguably never did) represent the top-tier in their respective arts.


That's ok though. You pay an extra maybe 50% over what it ought to cost given the current competition (on the basic no-frills models anyway).
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Please, do tell who you think does represent the top-tier of production folders.



Darn, you telling me I overpaid by 50% yesterday:grumpy:

If I had only seen your post before ordering:p
 
Of course the Sebenza is overrated. I have no doubt that it's a great knife, with outstanding tolerances, but who needs outstanding tolerances in a knife?

A small knife should not, in my opinion, cost as much as a gun.

I bought this Taurus 9mm pistol for $375. It's stainless steel and shoots 20-round magazines. How, I wonder, could I justify a knife that costs as much, if not more, than such a pistol?

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Knives, in my own personal view, are made today in such a way that they perform extremely well and are priced so that they can be lost or damaged without too much heartache.

Performance is what a knife should offer. If you're into tiny parts and beadblasted blades, and if you have the money, Sebenzas may be just what you need. But in a societal breakdown, or in an emergency (be it in snow and ice or lost in a remote area), these tiny knives won't be worth as much as much as a cheap $15 camping piece.

I'm sure there's a lot of work that goes into a Sebenza, but you can buy a gun and a really nice quality pocket knife that will last a lifetime, and that trumps everything that goes into the making of a Sebenza. I have a CRKT S-2 that has a titanium handle and an excellent blade. (Actually, I bought a bunch of them for $25 a pop, including shipping.) I think each knife will last as long as a Sebenza and outperform them as well, since they have larger blades.

This is an opinion, so please don't jump on me. Everyone has 'em, so yours may be different than mine.

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The S-2 is called the "poor man's Sebenza," and I'm a poor man. If you
have the money and can afford a real Sebenza, then you may be able
to afford a box of 'em. And in the end, you can't beat quality!

.
 
It's a premium product. Minimalist with nothing more that necessary. It's designed to function as a knife that cuts well, looks clean, has tight tolerances. For someone like me, I love my small sebenza because it is the epitamy of what I look for in a small folding knife.

But to answer your question, one can make an argument that you're not getting enough for your money. That's a fair point to make; at the end of the day it is still just S30V and titanium. Honestly there is nothing more one can add to this thread. Does the knife look like it will do what you want it to do? If yes then pursue further and ask yourself, do you even value such tolerance and minimalist design enough to pay a price premium? Nothing wrong if you answer no since it's not for everyone. I couldn't care for a $300 bottle of scotch, but I'm sure there are many who do.

This topic has been done ad nauseum.

EDIT: Another thing to ask yourself is if you find the design appealing. If you don't really then don't bother, since at this price point I think aesthetics are an important factor to consider.
 
Sebenzas are very well made, but in my view the appeal is mostly aesthetic. And there is nothing wrong with that. But they don't cut any better than any other knife, and in some cases don't do it as well. If I want to dismember a box, I'd rather have a Tenacious (being FFG).

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richw said:
Obviously s35, but what are the others? I know that you love cpm154, but according to the creators of the steel its not tougher and has less corrosion resistance.
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M390, 20CV, CTS XHP, ELMAX, S90V....

I can go on.
 
Thrustus said:
or do I need to be crucified?
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"Burn her, Burn her!"

As a "new-to-this-whole-knife-thing" guy, perhaps I'm able to come at it with a fresh pair of eyes. I too was reluctant to consider one, mostly on the belief that it was too expensive. I read all of the wonderful and not so wonderful things about the knife, and decided to try one. There's no doubt they are quality made, and while it may not be THE best knife in existence, it is deserving of all of the praise. May not be for everyone. It's what each person likes that counts. But it's a damn good tool. Worth every dollar to me because it makes me happy when I carry and use it. So, is it worth it? To me, yes. To someone else, maybe not. See it for yourself, and not just from a review or a picture. Use one for a little while. Then make a judgment. If you don't think it's worth it after you give it a fair shake, then I'll respect your opinion. I just don't think someone ought to write it off before they experience it first. And that goes for any knife, and a lot of other things as well. JMHO :)
 
Confederate said:
Of course the Sebenza is overrated. I have no doubt that it's a great knife, with outstanding tolerances, but who needs outstanding tolerances in a knife?

A small knife should not, in my opinion, cost as much as a gun.

I bought this Taurus 9mm pistol for $375. It's stainless steel and shoots 20-round magazines. How, I wonder, could I justify a knife that costs as much, if not more, than such a pistol?
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Sorry, I don't think that's a fair comparison. I race bicycles. My road bike is $6k and my mountian race bike is $5K. So you can say that a bike should not cost as much as a car practically because a car can do 90 mph and a man on a bike can't?

I also have a couple of Sigs, P220 and P229, about $900 each. The P229 is a compact .40. Maybe it's better to compare a higher end pistol with a higher end knife?
 
Artfully Martial said:
Paying for a brand name is nothing unique to the knife world. Rolex makes a quality watch, but it's vastly outperformed by cheaper equivalent Grand Seikos. But a great many would prefer the name recognition and the reputation of the Rolex. Like Rolex, CRK makes good high quality stuff. Like Rolex, CRK has had its share of innovations. And like Rolex, they no longer (arguably never did) represent the top-tier in their respective arts.

That's ok though. You pay an extra maybe 50% over what it ought to cost given the current competition (on the basic no-frills models anyway). If you like it enough, that's not a huge amount.

Me personally, if a Kershaw RAM and Small Sebenza were both priced evenly at, say, $200 (for hypothesis), I'd take the RAM without blinking. But that's me personally.
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Rolex is still a mechanical marvel. Try getting any mechanical Seiko to hold <+-5 sec a day.
 
I have my first Sebenza coming by Thursday or Friday, it's a minty Large Classic. I can't wait to be in over rated heaven. Put it this way, if it's ALMOST as nice as my Bradley Alias 1, I'll be more than happy.
 
Brennanscott said:
I have my first Sebenza coming by Thursday or Friday, it's a minty Large Classic. I can't wait to be in over rated heaven. Put it this way, if it's ALMOST as nice as my Bradley Alias 1, I'll be more than happy.
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Nice!!
prepare to be in overated heaven:D
I just got my 3rd CRK today, a small 21(sans made in Idaho) with Devin Thomas RainDrop damascus:cool::thumbup::cool:

Man I'm in AWE!!
 
powernoodle said:
Sebenzas are very well made, but in my view the appeal is mostly aesthetic. And there is nothing wrong with that. But they don't cut any better than any other knife, and in some cases don't do it as well. If I want to dismember a box, I'd rather have a Tenacious (being FFG).
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I agree with the performance part but the real appeal is the craftmanship. You dont buy a beamer over a honda just because it looks better. It just drives smoother, feels better, and built better. The Sebbie has just about flawless F&F and thats what costs that extra cash. I totally agree though that there are lots of other knives out there that cut just as well as a Sebenza and some that are better with FFG.
 
Josh K said:
Rolex is still a mechanical marvel. Try getting any mechanical Seiko to hold <+-5 sec a day.
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My '64 SS Datejust doesn't keep time quite that well. But it's still within spec. And it's a really nice watch. :thumbup:

I've reached the age where it doesn't make sense not to enjoy some of the finer things in life. Knives are a passion of mine, So I've made a decision to buy a Chris Reeve folder. I'm edging toward a Mnandi because I'd actually carry and use it. It would share pocket time with my William Henry EDC. But I haven't totally made up my mind yet. I may end up with a Sebbie instead.
 
It amazes me how much print the Sebenza gets & always seems mixed with "it's overrated/overpriced" or it's worth every penny, etc.

One thing is true, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you like the Seb, great, if you don't, that's fine, too. It really doesn't matter.

The comparison to what a Seb (Or other high-end semi-production knife) costs to what a handgun costs is interesting, but usually not fairly compared. In comparison to other knives, the Seb is on the upper end of cost (For production or semi-production knives). It's not really a fair comparison to one's $375 Taurus (Nothing against Taurus's, I have a PT709 SLIM that sees alot of carry time).

I have noticed that few knives seems to get the attention a Seb gets, whether it's a thread like this one or a F/T thread where someone's looking to trade theirs off. Of all the knives I've owned (Including a fair # of customs, semi-production, high-end production, & run of the mill production), none of them get the attention a Sebenza does.

For me the Seb's worth it & I can't honestly or fully explain why. I've owned several Bradley Alias's, Buck/Mayos, Strider PTs & SnGs, & an assortment of other Ti frame-locks & I keep coming back to a Sebenza.

But like anything else, it is purely subjective. Someone(s) doesn't like it, not a problem & nothing's wrong with that person(s). But at the same token, someone does like them, that shouldn't be a problem either & nothing's wrong with them, either.

Enjoy it or don't, we should be thankful there're so many good choices around.

Off topic, but I thought I read that non-paying members can search now. Is that true? If not, then I guess I understand why so many of these type of threads keep popping up on a regular basis. If anyone can search, it might be a good idea to do so as I imagine the hits would provide far more reading material than even this thread, regardless how long it gets.
 
One thing I haven't noticed here is the concept of longevity( or maybe I missed it). My '97 lg Regular BG42 has been carried, used, sharpened, left out in severe weather, and is still 100% rock solid. A lot of 'quality' products work great for a year, two. And then what?
 
Ehhh. 160 posts one this, again? :D It's a free market. If it floats your boat, great. If not, great, really. I don't need other folks' validation to feel good about decisions I make. I will say, though, that I was a skeptic until the moment I actually held one, and ownership (current 2 small Sebs and 1 large Seb, one each regular, Classic and 21, two S30V and one BG-42) has only confirmed my satisfaction in every regard.
 
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