Sebenza vs. Benchmade

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pauljgallant

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Ok Ok I know you Chris Reeve fanatics will tell me there is no comparison.....but, I am on a limited budget. So, What do you think about the Pinacle 750 vs the small sebenza?

Thanks,

PJG
 
I think some people here didn't like the Pinnacle, but others swear by it.
Benchmade makes very nice blades for that money, have you considered Spyderco also?
 
I like Chris reeves knives but I can not see anything in the Sebanza, just a plain looking knife to me nothing special about it, I would go with a BM over it anyday. Although on Chris Reeves site there is a Sebanza with the Aerican flag etched in it that is doen real well, if I was going to buy one i would have to go that way.
 
Hind sight is always better than. . .than something. I could never remember what though. :)

I remember now. . .

Sometime ago I contemplated a particular knife purchase. Just happened to be between a BM Pinnacle and a CRK large plain Sebbie. Heard all of the good (and bad) junk about both knives. And had the frog skins to purchase either knife.

Had a real hard time swallowin' the sticker price of the Sebbie. . .so, I picked up a BM Pinnacle.

I wasn't too impressed with the Pinnacle as soon as I unwrapped it ! To top it off. . .several weeks later (or it may have been a couple of months) I got the opportunity to handle a large plain Sebbie. I immediately dumped the Pinnacle.

To date. . .I've owned 9 (or so) large or small Sebbie's. Have several as display pieces and several as EDC's. And. . .still kick myself for not purchasing the Sebbie over the Pinnacle !

Personally. . .take your hard earned frog skins and toss it to something other than BM.

Yep. . .here are some folks that make some very good knives: Spyderco, Kershaw, Case, Hen & Rooster, Queen Knives, and Schatt & Morgan.

Again. . .just my .02 cents.
 
Doesn't sound like NGK ever picked up a Sebenza...Save your money, go with the best. There will be no doubt you made the right decision. It will outlast you and your grandkids. :)
 
I have seen many BMs with significant blade play and overall sloppy workmanship. If i had to bet $ that a BM had no blade play and a blade perfectly centered in the handle, id be VERY worried. These are things id gladly bet on with the Sebenza, and id expect my chances of winning to be 99.9%.

There really is no reasonable comparison between Chris Reeve and BM, different class of knife, CR clearly the winner. If you have never closely examined a Sebenza in person, do it, youll see why there are so many CR fans. The elegant design, the quality materials, the flawless execution, the smoothness, fit and finish are nearly mind boggling, and i have yet to see a Sebenza that wasnt as well made as the rest, his quality isnt just high, its extremely consistant, with CR, you dont need to worry that youll get a "good one".

Recently on the forums, i saw someone say, and i repeat it now: "Im too poor to buy a cheap knife" Meaning that spend a little more now, itll serve you well in the long run. The CR is one that youll not end up selling at a loss to upgrade, something you may very well do with the BM at some point. The best is always the best VALUE in the longrun. It serves you better, longer and holds its value better, win-win-win. Just my opinion having owned both brands.
 
Originally posted by Megalobyte
There really is no reasonable comparison between Chris Reeve and BM, different class of knife, CR clearly the winner. If you have never closely examined a Sebenza in person, do it, youll see why there are so many CR fans. The elegant design, the quality materials, the flawless execution, the smoothness, fit and finish are nearly mind boggling, and i have yet to see a Sebenza that wasnt as well made as the rest, his quality isnt just high, its extremely consistant, with CR, you dont need to worry that youll get a "good one".
Click to expand...

This is the reason I purchased my second Sebenza and Umfaan!:D
 
I like to carry my small Sebenza as well as my BM 705, both with the clips removed. If I was choosing only one, my vote goes to the Sebenza.
Jim
 
For starters, the Pinnacle is a whole lot bigger than a small Sebenza. It would be much easier to compare a large Sebenza to a Pinnacle.

I did try a Pinnacle for a while, but wasn't very impressed with either the fit and finish, or the performance. The performance wasn't bad; just not great for the price I paid. I much prefer the 710 in BM's line of knives. The 710HS cuts like crazy.

I guess I'd call the Sebenza an upgrade over the Pinnacle in every way. The Pinnacle is not a bad knife at all, just not the best that BM has had to offer.

If you want a great small frame lock, but can't afford a Sebenza, go with a Camillus EDC. It's an awesome knife for the money.
 
I don't know too much about the sebenza but I've been using a 750S as a working knife everyday for the last 2 years. I use it on a farm for everything. Its rock solid. The RC62 ATS34 blade takes a very good edge (I can cut free hanging binder twine with a flick of the wrist) and holds it for a good bit of cutting. The blade is thick enough to be very tough and flicks very nicely on opening, but still cuts well. I don't know what the blade shape is called but I consider it to be a reinforced clip point. The false edge looking grind on the back makes for a VERY strong point thats still a sharp point.
The bead blast finish on the handles is nice. The oil on your hands will make it less noticeable during normal use, but when its wet (when you really need it) the grip comes back. And the overall grip to the handle is very good. Its shape makes it very secure.
The lock is solid and reliable. During hay and straw baling the knife gets a lot of sweat and dust in it and can get pretty gunked up, but the lock has always been secure and reliable.
I don't see the point in buying a $300+ knife if you like the Pinnacle. Functionally it can do everything a sebenza will.
They have been discontinued IIRC, so they're not going to be easy to find for much longer. I'd recommend getting one. If you really don't like it someone else will and you'll be able to sell or trade it and still get your sebenza.
I know the sebenzas are cool but I think people take the whole thing too far. I sort of look at it the same way I look at buying a truck. We use a 1 ton Ford Dually to tow our horse trailer. Diesel, and 4 wheel drive are mandatory. Theres the functional part, as for the interior... the leather and wood trimmed lariat doesn't do anyhting more for me than the cloth and vinyl XLT besides increase the payments. The sebenza may be smoother, better looking, and sharper out of the box... but it doesn't have any magical power. Some people come across like touching a sebenza suddenly makes all other knives defective in their hands.... I say they're spoiled ;)
 
My Sebenzas get more use than all my many other knives put together, but I do like to play with some of the other toys occasionally :)

And Benchmade does make some nice knives ... only the Pinnacle is not at the pinnacle of their efforts. I put my Benchmade-Emerson 975 through a lot, and it only shows a little wear on the Black-T. Their balisongs are tough enough to be fine working knives, if the public didn't wet its pants when we use them. The 710 Axis Lock is awesome. It's tough, slick, fast, smooth, and big.

But 2 or 3 of these knives later, and you could have had that Sebenza. So. I suggest you go out and .. look at, touch, play with a Sebenza. Most people who decide they really, really want one only decide after they've actually come into contact with the quality. It's hard to describe.
 
Sigh.............................................



youre gonna end up with the sebenza anyhow.....why not save yourself some time and money? :rolleyes:
 
I pretty much agree with all the remarks about the Sebenza. It is truly the best of the two, and a very fair price for that level of quality, But...

What do you plan to be doing with the knife you purchase? You see, the reason I ask is this...

When I had my Sebenza I normally carried it while working construction. It didn't take very long until I got orange and grey marking paint on my blade, I got no idea what's in that stuff, but it actually etched the blade. Then the next week my foreman (who I did not have the balls to say "no" to being that I was enjoying my 5+K a month seasonal job) asked to use it and before I realized what he had in mind ran the edge straight down a brickwall to cut some netting. That hurt alot too...and then there was the day It came outta my pocket and I barely found it before the Operators backfilled over it...

Myself, if I could do it over again, I'd want the Benchmade instead, based on expendablility alone. The Benchmade is hard to love but quite functional, and that aint necessarly a bad thing. The Sebenza on the other hand is very easy to fall in love with, and is very much a knife to last your lifetime and be passed down for generations. To this day I'm still kickin' myself for lettin' the Sebenza slip away in a trade.

Edited to clarify that Even though I'd have had the Benchmade for a sheer exxpendable work knife, I'd have still wanted the Sebenza to carry every other place I went.

Aw hell, Just get the Sebenza, unless you do something totally pi$$ ignorant and stupid with it or lose the thing you won't regret it.

The fact that Chris Reeve will pretty much tune it up any time for a nominal fee is a good thing also.

As I've made VERY clear I have alot of mixed ideas between the two, but once all the smoke clears I'd suggest the Sebbie...

Dammit..now that I took a trip down memory lane I'm thinkin' about goin' on a mission to find another one for myself...
 
For a small fee, CRK will completely reconition your Sabenza in the event you mess the thing up over time due to hard use. And hard use is what these things take. You wind up getting it back from CRK and it's like - totally brand new, for heavenl's sake.

Sabenza is an investment. It has a very safe lock, bar none. It has S30V steel, available in satin or stone washed finish.

You really ought to be comparing Benchmade with Benchmade, unless your real reason for posting this thread was to sit back and watch the inevitable ensuing controversy.
 
Sebenza...

Remember, also, that BM no longer produces the Pinnacle...

--dan
 
PJG,

This has been discussed many times; so you may want to do a search on Sebenza Pinnacle.

When you buy a Sebenza; you buy a knive for life so it will save you in the long run.

You also get a great guarantee and people backing it.

Remember, you get what you pay for and the Pinnacle is no longer made. :)
 
I don't think Benchmade and Chris Reeve's knives can be compared. They're on a different level (price and quality wise).
 
PJG,

I too was once in your shoes, wondering if the Pinnacle was just a less expensive Sebenza. I've have handled the Pinnacle and have owned two Sebenza's and there is absolutley no reason why you would want to buy the Sebenza when you can buy the Pinnacle at 1/3 the price......................unless you want perfect fit and finish, perfectly centered blade, perfect lock-up, no blade wobble, better blade steel, and the backing of one of the most respected individuals in the knife making community. Yes, they both cut and are both framelocks with titanium handles, but that's where the similarity ends.
 
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