nyefmaker
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2008
- Messages
- 6,257
I found this article on the Sebenza from knives journal and thought I would pass it along. Its a good read.
Is a Sebenza worth $300?
Author: Brandon Uhl
A lot of people ask whether or not a Sebenza is worth the money. Never mind that there are many other knives that cost as much, or more. The Sebenza seems to be the standard first expensive knife purchase for many people. To determine whether it is worth it (to you) or not, you have to understand why the Sebenza costs what it does.
First of all, Chris Reeve Knives uses a legal form of price fixing to keep the Sebenza prices standardized. While most knife companies allow the dealers to set their own price, the super premium companies (such as CRK, Strider, William Henry) want to maintain their brand identidy. Chris Reeve only supplies knives to licensed dealers, and dealers have to sell the knives at the price that CRK sets. If a dealer undercuts the competition, CRK will not supply them with any more knives. If you compare the MSRP of a Spyderco Manix to the MSRP of a Sebenza, you will see that the price difference is not *THAT* huge. But the Manix sells for a lot less than the MSRP online, while the Sebenza does not. This is why the gap is so large. Does this mean the Sebenza is a rip off? Or does it just mean you pay a premium for a premium knife?
CRK is a small company that produces less volume than bigger companies like Spyderco. Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw, Buck etc all make great knives, but they can charge so little for them because they make so many of them and use more automation than CRK does. CRK has to charge more per knife because they do not make the volume that the bigger companies do. You pay more for smaller production.
And you get a benefit from that. Chris Reeve knives have *MUCH* tighter tolerances than any Kershaw, Buck, Spyderco, or Benchmade. There are more human eyes and hands on the knives during the production process. Manhours cost money. Sebenzas cost so much because real people spend more time hand finishing the knives, and inspecting them. This is why CRK has such flawless quality. There is no perfect Kershaw, Benchmade, Buck, or Spyderco knife. They all have small flaws because they do not have super high quality control. CRK does, and this is why they cost more. Now, I am not saying the bigger companies should have flawless quality control. If they did, they would need to spend more money or more manhours, and the prices would rise to CRK levels.
People always say A Manix cuts as good or better than a Sebenza, so why pay more? and it comes down to quality. If you just need a knife that cuts, yes a Manix is awesome. But there are many knives cheaper than a Manix that cut just as well, or better. Why not buy them? The answer is because knife knuts do not just want the cheapest knife that will do the job. They want the best knife. And when it comes to quality, the Sebenza is actually a bargain since it is as good or better than many custom-made knives at an equal or lower price.
If you do not want to pay more for flawless quality, dont. But do understand that the Sebenza offers a feel and precision that no cheaper knife can. Whether you need that or not is up to you. But as someone that has owned a Sebenza, an 806D2, a 710, a Manix, a Military, a Spec Bump, and many other knives that compeat with the Sebenza at a lower price, I can tell you that none of those knives come close to matching the quality of the Sebenza. The difference is very obvious. The Sebenza has perfect grinds, bevels, lock-to-tang mating, an amazing pivot assembly, and is just dead-bolt tight in every aspect. No Spyderco, Buck, Kershaw, or Benchmade is as good. None of them. They are great for the price, but if you want perfection you have to pay more. It all comes down to the manhours spend on the knife.
Is a Sebenza worth $300?
Author: Brandon Uhl
A lot of people ask whether or not a Sebenza is worth the money. Never mind that there are many other knives that cost as much, or more. The Sebenza seems to be the standard first expensive knife purchase for many people. To determine whether it is worth it (to you) or not, you have to understand why the Sebenza costs what it does.
First of all, Chris Reeve Knives uses a legal form of price fixing to keep the Sebenza prices standardized. While most knife companies allow the dealers to set their own price, the super premium companies (such as CRK, Strider, William Henry) want to maintain their brand identidy. Chris Reeve only supplies knives to licensed dealers, and dealers have to sell the knives at the price that CRK sets. If a dealer undercuts the competition, CRK will not supply them with any more knives. If you compare the MSRP of a Spyderco Manix to the MSRP of a Sebenza, you will see that the price difference is not *THAT* huge. But the Manix sells for a lot less than the MSRP online, while the Sebenza does not. This is why the gap is so large. Does this mean the Sebenza is a rip off? Or does it just mean you pay a premium for a premium knife?
CRK is a small company that produces less volume than bigger companies like Spyderco. Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw, Buck etc all make great knives, but they can charge so little for them because they make so many of them and use more automation than CRK does. CRK has to charge more per knife because they do not make the volume that the bigger companies do. You pay more for smaller production.
And you get a benefit from that. Chris Reeve knives have *MUCH* tighter tolerances than any Kershaw, Buck, Spyderco, or Benchmade. There are more human eyes and hands on the knives during the production process. Manhours cost money. Sebenzas cost so much because real people spend more time hand finishing the knives, and inspecting them. This is why CRK has such flawless quality. There is no perfect Kershaw, Benchmade, Buck, or Spyderco knife. They all have small flaws because they do not have super high quality control. CRK does, and this is why they cost more. Now, I am not saying the bigger companies should have flawless quality control. If they did, they would need to spend more money or more manhours, and the prices would rise to CRK levels.
People always say A Manix cuts as good or better than a Sebenza, so why pay more? and it comes down to quality. If you just need a knife that cuts, yes a Manix is awesome. But there are many knives cheaper than a Manix that cut just as well, or better. Why not buy them? The answer is because knife knuts do not just want the cheapest knife that will do the job. They want the best knife. And when it comes to quality, the Sebenza is actually a bargain since it is as good or better than many custom-made knives at an equal or lower price.
If you do not want to pay more for flawless quality, dont. But do understand that the Sebenza offers a feel and precision that no cheaper knife can. Whether you need that or not is up to you. But as someone that has owned a Sebenza, an 806D2, a 710, a Manix, a Military, a Spec Bump, and many other knives that compeat with the Sebenza at a lower price, I can tell you that none of those knives come close to matching the quality of the Sebenza. The difference is very obvious. The Sebenza has perfect grinds, bevels, lock-to-tang mating, an amazing pivot assembly, and is just dead-bolt tight in every aspect. No Spyderco, Buck, Kershaw, or Benchmade is as good. None of them. They are great for the price, but if you want perfection you have to pay more. It all comes down to the manhours spend on the knife.
No, Spyderco isn't as well finished, but none have needed servicing to the point of sending them in, either.
