Sebenza worth it?

Dkenz said:
I shell out 400+ bucks it better give me wood when I finally hold it. I'm very impressed with the zt0560 I bought. Will I once again be impressed by a sebenza?.. To be honest I'd pay a grand if I knew I'd have my final "grail" knife just perfect in every way.. Including looks.. Which seems these expensive ones are kinda plain
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I just bought my first CRK and I can only say that there *is* something that is very hard to describe about feeling and holding such a perfectly manufactured and beautifully designed object. And, yes, I really did feel something like an electric current running from my hand to the rest of my body the first time I picked it up and opened it. BTW, I am a physical scientist and don't believe in psychic experiences or anything like that.

Try a CRK and as long as you have an open mind and are receptive to new experiences, I predict (and hope) that you will also have an emotionally satisfying initial experience with your new Seb.

Now I *have* to save up for another one. It turns out that Chris Reeve knives are addictive too!
 
I'd say yes and here's why.

My knives are my "toys" if you will. Occasionally I treat myself to a nice toy and I want good value for what I am paying for. The Sebenza I feel is worth the cost to treat myself.

Like I said I don't do it often but when I do I want something nice in terms of my toys I invest in.
 
Well I'll try to help out by giving my worthless thoughts on the subject.
I was a Benchmade kind of guy, I liked the looks of their designs and loved the axis lock( still feel that it's one of the best locks ever ). One day I went over a friends house to bs, drink beers, and check out his knife collection. In that collection he had 13 Sebenza's, I had no idea what they were and because they didn't have that "tactical" look that I was so fond of I didn't really check them out, I spent my time looking over 50-60 other knives that he had on display. On my next visit I looked them over and was amazed by the "feel" of the Sebenza's, there was no slop or wiggle, the lock up was perfect, the sound of it locking up was impressive,the blade grinds were perfectly even, both sides of the blade the same, the edge was down the middle, and was the same height on both sides. The knives were all perfectly centered as well. As I went through the various Sebenza's I noticed that this wasn't just a single perfect knife, but that EVERY ONE of them was perfect.
I was completely amazed, I had never seen a knife so perfectly made before, let alone seen knives from a company that could do it every time. We talked about the company and my buddies love of CRK Knives over some beers and I was impressed by the quality of what they were making but was put off by the price- I had never before spent more than $185 on a knife and I thought that was a lot at the time.
The 3rd time I was over his house wheeling and dealing knives I didn't pick up a knife that wasn't a CRK, I was hooked, even though I'm not very savvy with a computer and didn't even own one at the time, that night I used my phone to buy a Small Classic with high carbon ladder Damascus. It's been downhill for my savings account ever since.
I still find a knife here and there that I enjoy that isn't a CRK but a CRK has been in my pocket for the last 7 years or so and I don't think that'll change anytime soon.
To me they're worth every penny, I hope that if you give one a chance that you'll feel the same way; the good thing is that if you don't the secondary market is quite strong and you should be able to sell it quickly to recoupe your funds.
 
Nothing else like a CRK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

theone.jpg
 
My story is similar to Abominable's. I was selling a nice HK P7M8 and let the guy know I was "into" knives as partial trade options. He came over with a bag of knives. He pulled out large and small Dog Paw sebenzas along with a lot of other knives. He was pushing them on me and I wasn't into them at all. The look on his face was that he couldn't believe I didn't like his $400 knives. I was thinking more tactical as many new-knife guys do. I was thinking "$400 each for that plain old silly knife?". I ended up taking a Budde AD and cash for the pistol (At around $300 for a small fixed blade I was still thinking I was crazy). I continued with my Benchmade collecton and even started buying anything that looked good to me. Some were great and some were junk. It was hit or miss. I had well over $1,000 worth of benchmades and what not and still thought $400 was way too much for one knife. I mean I could get two benchmades for that at least.
One day I decided to take a chance on a large insingo for $315 on here.
Fast forward three years.....I own one Benchmade and my knife drawer has 3 Umnumzaans, 3 Sebenzas. That's not counting the ones I've sold for close to what I paid for them or the ones on my short list to buy. I have 11 nice folders. 1 Strider, 1 custom, 1 Spyderco, 2 TAD Dauntlesses, a minigrip, and 5 CRK. I try to carry other knives. I want to like other knives near this price range as much, but always end up with my user sebenza in my pocket. Your mileage may vary, but I will probably always own one if I'm lucky.
 
If my first Sebenza was a let down, I'd like to think I was smart enough not to buy a second. I now own 4 sebenzas and an Umnumzaan, so I'm either really stupid, or they are worth it (to me). The most telling thing to me is that there's a lot of folk on this forum who own multiples. I think that says it all, because they are not cheap! Anyone who felt burned after buying a 400 buck folder, would likely not go back for another.

When you think about what goes into making one, they stop seeming so expensive. Its just a question of whether you want to pay 50% more for a knife that's 25% more perfect. If you like 100% perfect stuff, CRK comes the closest. For me, I'll pay the big premium to have the small things looked after.
 
Boiled down to the cleanest, best feeling, most impressive in the hand knife you can buy. I'm sure someone makes one as nice as nicer, but not in this price bracket. Worth every cent over and over! Take the plunge,,,, you'll be glad you did. Stays sharp, I go from eating with it to opening boxes, any job it will do…every time.
 
The simple answer is YES.....!!! We all started with ONE and ended up with MANY. So YES, the sebenza is indeed that special. I have tried Many Others, the top brands and ALWAYS come back to the Sebenza.
 
nyefmaker said:
The simple answer is YES.....!!! We all started with ONE and ended up with MANY. So YES, the sebenza is indeed that special. I have tried Many Others, the top brands and ALWAYS come back to the Sebenza.
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Well said nyefmaker.

I think we also should make mention of another kind of CRK fan that lurk in numbers on this forum. Those that bought one Sebenza, and have never needed or wanted another folder. They found their grail EDC and were satisfied. That is also saying something about the loyalty these products command.
 
Ultimately if something is "worth it" or not is subjective. It depends on the person... in *my* opinion the sebenza is worth the price of admission. But will *you* think it's worth it? I don't know...like others have said you have to try one for yourself (and by try I mean carry, use, disassemble/reassemble, etc...) only after doing that could you appraise its worth. JMO.
 
I had several ZTs all gone to buy some new CRKs.
I own a ZT561 so I can compare it, not with a sebenza, but with An Umnumzaan that I believe is in the same class.
Well i now I have to carrie one I take the Umnumzaan. More reliable, easy to carry than a ZT
 
I would say, yes, they are worth it. I have carried and used a good few different knives in my time. I have had liner and frame locks from a well known (perhaps not regarded) company that are so far the only knives of that sort that I have had that actually "ran out", the locks went to 100% and developed play. This took just under a year in the worst case and that was the frame lock.
I do on occasion use other knives still to this day but those knives either have play as part and parcle of the knife or developed it in one way or another. There is also the issue of hardwear on some knives. Those little 2/56 or similar screws generally used being rather bad for stripping and deforming and that is a constant theme on this forum with the knives that do use them. I've done it myself a few times more than once. :p

I have had CRKs for a few years now, fixed blades were my first Chris Reeve knives but it was not long before the CRK folders were really the only folders I carried. I have had an Umnumzzan that I bought brand spanking new at the end of 2009 in my pocket since then and it still does now what it did on day one. I have had zero issues with lock wear, the lockup has sat in the same spot for years now. The same is to be said for wear of any sort on the knife, there is no play developing at all and the hardwear is all original and still solid. The hardwear is simple but effective as are the knives as a whole. I have had no issues with stripped screws or deformed heads and those people that do have issues with CRK hardwear are a rarity.
Some people may harp on about edge retention and steel type, but in my experience they do just fine and really there is not much at all between the regularly used steels for the end user. Those that can tell a difference are probably imagining it anyway. :D (there are exceptions but not many)
The ergonomics of a knife handle really are a subjective thing and there are popularly touted knives that I just hate to hold as well as others that are a pure pleasure. For me CRK do a very nice neutral handle shape and that is one thing I do like about them alot. This is unfortunately a less present feature of more recent knives, like the 25. I'll be honest and say I'm not a huge fan of the handle shape on that knife but I know many find it to be just fine.

I was gifted a Regular sebenza that was my friends EDC for ~8 years at the time and that knife is as useable now as it has ever been. I would love to see other knives that are that age with use and still in perfect working order with original washers, screws, pivot, handle and blade, but they are few and far between. I don't mean to take anything away from other knife companies as there are many great knives out there but they just don't last like a CRK does. I say this from experience and not fanboyism as I do have things about CRK that I don't like, but for me they are the pick of the bunch for a number of reasons, for their longevity alone if anything. :):thumbup:
 
Yes it's woth it.
Perfect knife, perfect character.

There are many cutting tools out there, but this has more to give.
For sure it's not everybodys taste, but for me that's fine.

Hope that helps.
red mag
 
Are they worth the money? Yes. Are they worth the money to you? Only you can decide. Some love them right away and others take a little time to see what a great all around folder they are. If you have the chance, find somewhere you can handle a few. Otherwise I suggest buying a used at a reasonable price-should be able to get most if not all your money back out. While the plain Jane version is fantastic, he does offer other varieties-inlays(micarta are extremely nice), unique graphics and computer generated graphics, any of which could be to your liking.
 
Posing this question in the CRK will give you a 1 sided positive response; yes, it's worth it. Otherwise none of us would be here. :p

Why do you like your ZT0561 so much? What qualities of that knife speak to you? Most of what makes CRK the reference that all others are compared to has already been stated here. Be sure that the qualities that are important to you is also a strong suit of CRK. For example, if exotic steels is important, then s35vn may not "give you wood". Temper your expectations if you get a sebenza because at the end of the day it's just a knife. Use it and see if it speaks to you like it does for the majority of us here. If it doesn't, resell it and buy the next knife that may speak to you.
 
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