Sebenza value?

Moine said:
You're an happy contributor to economic health ;)

Cheers,

David
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HA! I don't think I contribute anything to the economy. I'm poor, get most of my stuff 2nd hand and usually for cheaper than new products of lesser quality cost.

A lot of people cannot see the difference between something cheap and something that's of higher quality. Unfortunately I can see the difference. Be fortunate that you can't... it's saving you a lot of money :)

Haven't you ever had an inanimate object put a smile on your face? The roar of a 500 horse small block Chevy, a good sports car getting a work out on a twisty road, or looking at the detail that goes into crafting a finely fitted widget such as a knife or gun? A good car makes driving more enjoyable, a good gun makes shooting more enjoyabe, and a Sebenza really does making cutting stuff fun :D If you have to drive, shoot, or cut something, why not enjoy it?

I don't think a $300 Sebenza does anything better than my $100 Benchmade. But that's not really the point, if that was the point this forum wouldn't exist and us enthusiasts wouldn't own so many knives! I can appreciate what it takes to make a knife like a Sebenza, and I have enough money that I can appreciate it first hand. Now I need to figure out how I'm going to afford breakfast... :D

I'm a mechanical engineer, know some things about how stuff is made. Even if you don't believe that the finished product is worth $300 as a tool, I'm pretty sure it costs at least 2x as much to make the Sebenza as it does to make most high end Benchmades or Emersons. Some of that is economy of scale, but even if they were made in equal volumes I think the Sebenza would still cost 2x as much as those high end production knives. Where did all that money go? DETAILS
 
Moine said:
:rolleyes:

Gadgets and stuff won't make you happy, and it won't make your life more exciting. You'll just be excited about your new toy for five minutes, then you'll need another toy to get the same thrill again... and again... and again.

I'm not judging you. If you like it that way, fine... :) You're an happy contributor to economic health ;)

Cheers,

David
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That is not true. Cool stuff does indeed make my life more enjoyable, happy and exciting. Maybe we are just very different. Most of my "toys" keep me excited for many years. I am a happy contributor to my own mental health as well as my own economic health.

Cool stuff, hobbies are very healthy ways of keeping your mind occupied and your interests varied.
 
This whole topic has forced me to put down my Millie, and to carry my Seb for the last few days. The Sebenza really is an amazing piece. I completely disassembled the knife yesterday, as it was horribly dirty and gummed up with old lubricant. You just can’t put a price on being able to completely take down a knife, clean it, and put it back together again, with just a single allen wrench in 5 minutes flat.

The pivot assemble also impresses the heck out of me. If other manufacturers were to start using a similar assembly, I might think much more of them. But as long as the Sebenza has a pivot that’s 1,000% better than everybody else’s, the Seb is worth its weight in gold; at least as far as I’m concerned. I hear many people saying that their Brand X knife has no lateral blade play. I’ve yet to handle a folder other than the Sebenza, that truly has zero blade play, while still being able to open easily.

I’m also a whittler, so I spend quite a bit of time with my offhand thumb placed on the spine of my blades. That radiused spine makes the work go a whole lot easier.

I guess it’s just a matter of priorities. I’m hooked on what the Sebenza does FAR better than any production folder out there.
 
I think the Sebenza is a fine knife. I'll even agree that it is a GREAT knife.
But it is also a very overpriced knife (IMO).

Let's also burst a few comparisons:

Cars: I've heard this anology at least a hundred times. Yes, a BMW costs more than a Kia, but there is a definite measureable difference between the two. Engines, torque, horsepower, transmission, suspension, number of safty features, speed, ect...

Watches: Another common anology. Yes, a Times will keep time just as well as a Rolex, but most Timex watches don't have comparable materials to Rolex watches. When's the last time you saw a Rolex with a plastic caseing and a canvas band?

It will last forever: Only if it's treated right. And so will a Spyderco SS Endura.

It can be disassembled: This is good and bad. Good that you can take it apart and clean it (IF you happen to have the right tool).
Bad in the fact that a loose screw can fall out somewhere on the trail (don't forget Murphy's Law).

Naturally you can expect to pay more for premium blade-steel, and titanium handles cost more than FRN handles, but the cost of the Sebenza has more to do with status than material cost.

Fortunately for Mr. Reeve, there are plenty of people willing to pay the asking price.
It's your money, spend it as you wish.

Allen.
 
allenC said:
Naturally you can expect to pay more for premium blade-steel, and titanium handles cost more than FRN handles, but the cost of the Sebenza has more to do with status than material cost.

Fortunately for Mr. Reeve, there are plenty of people willing to pay the asking price.
It's your money, spend it as you wish.

Allen.
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Correct! The best of anything has a certain amount of status involved. That is part of the fun! That means the best motorcycle, car, watch, tennis racket, golf clubs etc. etc, etc. Most folks never really need the "best" of anything. However, not wanting to collect the best, you can comfortably afford, takes some of the fun out of collecting.

Truth be told I could probably get by with one Buck 110 for the rest of my life. But then, that would not be a collection or a hobby. That would be simply "owing a knife". I now have about 80 knives and I collect them all for fun and enjoyment. The Sebenza is, by far, one of my best. In fact, the buying public, overall, has decided that the CRK knives are worth the money.
 
I always got a kick out of the feel of the Sebenza, a feel that makes a lot of production folders feel chintzy in comparison. Cost of materials is, in a word, immaterial. The handwork that this knife gets before delivery is superior to that which machine assembled knives don't benefit from; and that American labor does not come cheaply. One thing we might all agree on is that the same design made by two different craftsmen can sometimes result in two entirely different outcomes as to fit and finish. Sebenzas and their owners benefit from a better craftsman.
 
I used to think a Rolex was the watch...then I discovered IWC's and now Rolex is fogotten.

Same thing happened when I discovered Sebenzas....all my Spydercos and Benchmades and Microtechs are growing moss in drawers & boxes.

I have a Strider SMF which I think is a very nice knife...but if it came down to a choice between it and my large Classic...I would take the Seb.
 
My fiancee bought me a small 2 high mix for Christmas 2 years ago and it's been my EDC since. I've also rotate other knives with it, but it's awfully hard to put the sebenza away. It's just plain perfect. I guess that the thing I like about it the most is that I can put the clip on it and it becomes my EDC. I can take off the clip, put it in a slip sheath and it becomes the perfect gent knife. As far as the price point is concerned, she paid about 400 for it but if I still carry it at the pace that I am, it's been worth the 16 dollars a month.
Matt
 
mitchfried said:
FELDER:

Here's an example from the watch world. I own a Breitling that lists for $4,000.00, but sells for $3,000.00. It's my favorite watch, but at $4,000.00 it's overpriced, and I wouldn't buy it. A Rolex submariner lists for about $4,000.00 and sells for about the same. Fine watch, but not worth it, in my opinion. You can do better for the money.
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You seem to be bothered by the fact that neither CRK knives nor Rolex watches are available at a discount. Frankly, I enjoy a bargain as much as anyone but while it may provide some psychological comfort to buy at a discount it does not necessarily provide better value. It is simply a marketing strategy to set an artificially inflated MRSP and then allow retailers to provide a generous discount. CRK and Rolex happen to not believe in this marketing strategy.

The value of an object is simply what people are willing to pay for it. If you want to find out this value just do a search on Ebay to see what this object has been selling for recently. This is what the efficient market is all about. But remember that this abstract value is not the intrinsic value of the object. Graphite and diamonds are both pure carbon but diamonds happen to be rare and people find them pretty so they are willing to pay large sums of money for diamonds while graphite is dirt cheap. If a method is perfected to turn graphite to diamonds you could buy a two carat rock for your girl friend with pocket change.

If there is no intrinsic value to an object then the question is simply reduced to whether you are willing to pay a certain price for it. In other words: What is the object’s value for YOU?

If you are saying that Sebenza's aren't worth $300 and I say they are, guess what: We are both right. This is one of the reasons why people end posts with YMMV since everything is relative.

Incidentally, I happen to own both a Sebenza and a Rolex and for ME they represent better values than Benchmade and Breitling.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/51800416/126214951qanbRz

YMMV, protodoc
 
With all of my ranting about the value of a Sebenza, I think it is important for me to say that I don't carry the Sebenza all the time. Most of of the time I carry a Spyderco Military or ATR. I like having a variety of knives and they all don't have to be a CRK. While I think the Sebenza is one of the best, many other folders suit my needs also.
 
This topic about the Sebenza seems to pop up from time to time. I like and own Chris Reeve products and will acquire more. They are worth it to me. If all our tastes were the same, there would be many less types of knives made - to each their own.

There are knives that I do feel are not worth the price, however I respect other peoples opinions that they are appropriately valued.
 
Don Adelfson said:
I used to think a Rolex was the watch...then I discovered IWC's and now Rolex is fogotten.

Same thing happened when I discovered Sebenzas....all my Spydercos and Benchmades and Microtechs are growing moss in drawers & boxes.

I have a Strider SMF which I think is a very nice knife...but if it came down to a choice between it and my large Classic...I would take the Seb.
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That's me exactly. I've been so impressed by my Sebbie (not to mention my Mnandi) that I've either sold, traded or put aside most all my other knives. CRK folders (I haven't messed with the one piece line, yet) are an absolute work of genius when you take into account their fit/finish, ergonomics, materials and utter simplicity of design. Then to top it off they are backed by an excellent warranty from a company who encourages and enables you to break their knives down. I know other fine manufacturers/makers exist but for me CRK folders embody all that I’ve appreciated about knives for 25+ years.
 
I've had most of the more popular brands pass through my hands over the years. Most have been sold, traded, given away, or are laying in the bottom of a drawer. I carry knives to use them. The two brands I reach for are CRK and my V-nox SAKs. No others have given me the service OR value that these two do.

Paul
 
I was fondling Dozier folders today at his table and heard him comment that the Sebenza was the best engineered folder on the market bar none. He said he learned a lot about how to make a good folder by taking a Sebenza apart. Whether that has anything to do with value... I don't know. But I do think it's a very high complement when makers such as Dozier marvel at them. He makes a pretty nice folder as well ;)
 
Ive had a Lg Std Sebenza for about 4-5 years now, daily carry. It cost about $290 2nd hand when the new ones were going for about $330 or so, with a waiting list. It was a bit of a stretch financially, and you can bet i was a little concerned sending a cashiers check to a forum member i didnt know personally, for a knife i'd never seen. But faith did pay off, and the blade arrived in pristine condition as advertised, complete with certificate and allen wrench in the original box. The Sebenza replaced an Axis 710 that day as my daily carry.
The hollow ground Sebenzas seem to take an edge, and hold it, better than many of the flat ground blades ive handled, Benchmades included. The Sebenza isnt well suited to some of the harsher tasks like cutting wire or opening cans, which Benchmades actually handle fairly well. The Sebenza seems better suited to tasks that require a very sharp edge over the long haul. If i want to dig holes, cut wire and open cans, a fixed blade Strider covers that.
As already mentioned, gotta love a folder you can strip, clean, and re assemble in under 10 minutes.
Ive just taken a look at mine, still looks as good as when it came to me, with a few additional burnish marks on the scales. character. Its been with me through hell and fun, probably last long enough to give to someone else when i cant use it any longer.

If a person has the money to afford one, and they really like it, get one. If it would be a financial catastrophe for you to lose it, i'd recommend something else.

measure twice, cut once.

peace.
 
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