Sebenza questions

S

SarcoBlaster

Joined
Jul 1, 2002
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I'll probably be getting a small Sebenza at blade show west, but I have a few questions about it before I do. If anybody could help me out here, I'd really appreciate it.

  • Is the small Sebenza enough "knife" for everyday use?
  • What can I lube it with? I know CRK has a grease that they sell, but since I have a bottle of Tuf-Glide, can I use that on the knife?
  • Is the large Sebenza that much larger than the small? What can a big one do that the small one can't?
  • Does the knife come with a sheath?
  • How does the small Sebenza compare (size wise) to a Benchmade 705?
  • What's a fair price for one? I know it's probably going to be full retail at blade show west, but if not, what's a fair price?
  • How thick is the handle (compared to a BM 705)?
 
Sorry I can't answer any questions comparing a small Sebenza to Benchmade, nor am I going to give any opinions because mine will all be very biased! I will answer the straigt forward questions though:
- you can use Tuf-Glide, since you already have it. We chose our fluorinated grease because, of all the products we tried, it was the one that did not become sticky after drying.
- the picture shows large and small Regular Sebenzas alongside large and small Classic Sebenzas which will give you an idea of size comparison.
- the knife will not come with a sheath but we do offer a really nice leather one - here is a link to a picture on our website Sebenza sheath - it costs $38.00
- the retail price for a plain Sebenza (Regular or Classic) is $305. That is what Chris will be charging at Blade Show West!

Hope this information helps!
Anne
 
The big Sebenza feels and handles much bigger in hand than small, but the small is "enough knife" for EDC. Comparison to BM 705, the BM blade is just a hair longer but the small Sebenza has a fuller belly and genuine drop point, so it actually has slightly longer cutting edge than 705. Seb blade is thicker at spine (0.125 in. vs 0.1 in.) but has more narrow edge angle out of the box. Biggest difference is handles, the BM handle is slightly shorter and it is thicker- small Seb is slightly heavier according to numbers (BM 2.7 oz vs Seb 3.0) but feels more balanced in hand and it is slimmer in pocket. the 705 has the great AXIS lock, however other wise I think small Sebenza is superior in every other respect. It also has nicer touches like rounded spine vs square spine and great blade finish and ti handle finish-
Martin
 
m.j are you saying that the bench made axis lock is better than the seb lock.i am asking as i have a bm 705 and a great knife it is ,but i do get a bit of play when the blade is fully deployed(up and down not side to side).
 
You won't get any blade play on a Sebenza! Remember, the axis lock works with a type of coil spring that has been know to break as good as they are. The Sebenza with the frame lock, should give a lifetime or two of work without fail!!!:)
 
Thanks for all of the help, everybody!:)

I do have two more questions:

-(This is probably more of a question for Anne) Do you know if anybody at Blade Show West (including CRK) will be charging sales tax?

-How "tall" are the knives (both the large and small)? If you stood the opened knife on it's spine, how tall would the handle and blades be from the spine to the top of the knife?

Thanks again!
 
Originally posted by knifelife
m.j are you saying that the bench made axis lock is better than the seb lock.i am asking as i have a bm 705 and a great knife it is ,but i do get a bit of play when the blade is fully deployed(up and down not side to side).
Click to expand...

In general i think it is fair to say that the AXIS is safer to deploy, also "in theory" the AXIS would be more difficult ro disengage by accident than frame lock. But I think CRK production tolerances and quality is higher than BM (you would expect, you pay more for something after all). Maybe some one has posted about problems with actual lock failure for Sebenza but I don't recall any thread offhand, there has been some hypothetical comments about how you can disengage it by accident by "white knuckling"- squeezing along the bottom in a way that pushes lock bar over, however again I don't recall reading about this and it has not happened to me.
Personally I think AXIS, Spyderco Compession lock, and frame lock of CRK style are the three strongest most reliable locks. Spyderco compression is simplest and maybe most foolproof of all, however it has not been on market as long as the other two. Already we have some stories of AXIS Omega springs breaking, before it was thought of as "foolproof" so now we need to see over the next few months or year to see if compression lock has any unforseeable problems. (There has been mention that detent tension did not adequately hold the blade in closed position on a few Spydies, however this appears fixed and was not intrinsic problem to the lock itself)
Still, CRK framelock has no reported failures I am aware of, also it is the only one of the three locks which is not "owned" by a company, hence it is in wide use by custom makers like Mayo, Ralph, Anderson and others. I don't know of any failures on any custom made frame locks either, so maybe that is best indicator of its record of reliability.
Martin
 
I sold off my BM 710 & 940 axis locks, I had three each.

They disengaged very easily when open if you pulled back while holding near the release buttons.

Regards,
FK
 
SarcoBlaster - as Scott Dog says, yes, we are obliged to collect CA sales tax. Show rules state that a CA sales tax registration number has to be submitted before exhibitor badges will be issued. (Off the record, we don't enjoy collecting sales tax any more than you like paying it but the taxman will get you every time!!):)

As far as the width of the blade of a small Sebenza is concerned - and I may not be understanding your question because my answer is different from Scott Dog's - at the broadest section of the blade (just in front of the thublug), it is 15/16" from the back edge to the cutting edge.

Anne
 
The 705 is a very good knife but the Sebby is quite a bit better. The axis lock is wonderful but the Seb wins out here too imho. I carried the 705 for years and loved it but it is not a Sebby. The Seb does lock up to the feel of a fixed blade and you can use it icepick style if you need to. I seperate frozen food all the time and the lock is secure. The way it is designed, it becomes more secure as you grip it and use it.

If you like the 705 you will love the Small Sebby. The Seb is slimmer in the pocket. I use my Large Seb more for EDC but the Small is a whole lot of knife and will serve you extremely well as an EDC.

The Sebby is the ultimate utility user. I use mine for countless tasks everyday.

Both are good. Get the Sebby and the 705 will become a drawer queen.
 
A 705 was my #1 small EDC. Until I got my first small Sebenza, that is. Now the 705 only gets taken out of the drawer for beater - tasks.
 
My experience is similar to Nathan's. Small classic seb without the pocket clip gets carried alot.
Jim
 
I bought a BM 710 (the 705's big brother) to carry while my Sebenza was in to CRK for a little cleaning and sharpening. It's a great knife for the money, but I much prefer the Seb. The 710 is relegated to the knife drawer until I ever might send my Seb back to CRK for work.

Axis is an awesome locking system, But I guess I'm a framelock kind of guy. I just don't get that feeling of confidence with an Axis lock, that I do with a framelock. I like to keep important things simple, and the framelock is a very simple mechanism. No springs to worry about.
 
Well, I didn't get the a Sebbie at Blade Show:( . The main reason I didn't get a Sebbie was because it just didn't feel right for me. I stopped by the CRK table and held a small and large. Don't get me wrong, the knives were absolutely wonderful. The opening was super smooth and the lockup was unlike anything I've ever felt before. After walking around some more, I decided not to go back for the Sebbie. Not because they're not great knives, but because they just didn't fit my needs (I couldn't justify spending that much for an EDC right now). Well, thanks for the answers that all you guys gave and who knows, maybe I'll be getting one in the future!:)
 
Wow... I had the opposite experience on my first "actual reality" Sebenza visit. I was not planning to walk away with it *that day*. I didd'nt even bring enough money. There is SUCH a HUGE difference between tolerences, fit and finish from even the best of other favorite knives. A truly wonderful concoction of steel and titanium. $300 (almost a weeks pay at the time) became insignificant. Got the cash, got the Sebenza. I think that was almost two years ago. She's still a pup. But a tough one.
 
I was very tempted by a decorated small Sebenza that was shown to me at the CRK table. It had a spiderweb pattern on it and a glass (I think) thing in the hole next to where the lanyard is tied. I actually almost bought it, too.
 
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