Sebenzas Are Overpriced???

Megalobyte

Megalobyte

Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
2,761
Well, the last thing I want to do is start yet another Sebenza thread in the general forum, I think we're all sick to death of them, but, i did have one thought on the issue of Sebenzas allegedly being overpriced.

Im not sure there is a way of saying this without sounding somewhat condescending, but here goes...

I know what goes into making a knife as smooth and perfect as your typical Sebenza, there is a cost to acheiving the incredible consistancy of fit and finish that defines the Sebenza and makes it so remarkable, and thus, i am very certain that the $340 or so you spend on one is money well earned and spent.

But, i was wondering, is it possible that many of the people who say the Sebenza is overpriced simply, for whatever reason, do not notice or appreciate the uncanny precision and the remarkably high level of fit and finish that the Sebenza has that justifies its cost? In other words, do some people simply not have the ability, or desire to differentiate between merely "good" quality, like you might find in a Benchmade, and truly superior quality that you find in a Sebenza? Or, is it that some people dont care enough about that last 10% of quality that seperates a good knife from a great knife? And thus, dont feel the substantially higher price is worth it. I dont know. I do know that not everybody is a perfectionist like me and doesnt examine a knife as closely as i do, examining every minute detail of fit, finish and function, which is where you really see how incredible the Sebenza is.

In any case, it just always boggles my mind when i see people saying the Sebenza is overpriced, and I'm trying to figure out whats behind this viewpoint. And, i dont mean to offend anybody, im not saying youre stupid if you think its overpriced, i agree 100% that there are several legitimate reasons that a person might not like the Sebenza, but as far as it being overpriced, i just dont see that at all, the remarkable and ultra-consistant quality that is present in every Sebenza is not cheap to acheive, and $340 may, in fact, be a bargain for what you get, which is truly custom level fit and finish, in fact, i wish all customs were as consistantly perfect as the typical Sebenza, it would save me a lot of heartache in my collecting.
 
posted by Megalobyte:
In other words, do some people simply not have the ability, or desire to differentiate between merely "good" quality, like you might find in a Benchmade, and truly superior quality that you find in a Sebenza? Or, is it that some people dont care enough about that last 10% of quality that seperates a good knife from a great knife? And thus, dont feel the substantially higher price is worth it.
Click to expand...

The answers are yes, yes and yes.

IMNSHO, the problem of dimishing returns on any creative effort is why the last fractional improvements in design and execution are so very expensive. If you haven't operated a creative endeavor in a business environment, it would be difficult to understand this point.
 
Have a Large Plain, Just today got my Small Classic.
Sebenza= RIGHT out of the box FIRST time,EVERYTIME.
guy
 
I belive a lot has to do with what I call the "sunglasses theory".
Most people seem to belive that a cheap pair of sunglasses every month or two due to loss, breakage etc. is cheaper than an expensive pair once every 2 or 3 years. The expensive pair last longer because of quality, care etc. and when price is averaged, are really cheaper over the long run. But people still buy 5-6 pairs of cheap sunglasses every year. Quality is something most people don't appreciate. Look at non-knife people. They think you are crazy to spend the price for a benchmade(subsitute any good knife)let alone the price of a Sebenza. Most people think a $20.00 knife is expensive.

Droopy
 
If you appreciate precision and quaility beyond the typical factory knive, the the Sebenza is not overpriced.
 
Everyone here probably pretty much agrees with you so I'm not sure how much new information you'll get.

That being said I do know that the Spyderco Ti Salsa has been in my pocket everyday for quite a while.

Is the blade steel better - NO
Is the fit/finsh/precision better - NO

Do the finger cutouts match my hand like a glove - YES!

Does it open great with the spyderhole and cobrahood - YES!

Does it fit in my watch pocket so as not to interfere with other pocket stuff? - YES!

Those last yes items alone make up and overcome the other shortcomings. I do still carry sebbies, usually on weekends.

I realize the some people don't like the salsa, and in fact I'm not too crazy about the aluminum one, but the TI really works for me.

The result is astonishing, because I used to not buy to many other knives because they are not as nice as sebenzas, but now I've pretty much quit buying sebenzas because I like the TI salsa so much.
 
You're preaching to the choir here. As far as being overpriced goes, how many "other" knives do you have to buy to get the satisfaction of just one Sebenza?
I just got my third CRK, a small classic. So that's over $900 for three knives that I can't find a single thing wrong with. All the other knives I own/have owned come to wayyyyyyyy more than $900 and I've found fault with almost every one..."customs" included.

Paul
 
Hey, I LIKE preaching to the choir! :)

But, you have the same experience as me, order a custom, I'm nervous until i get it, and im pretty sure I'll find something wrong with it, order a Sebenza, i know its going to be perfect, because basically every single one I have ever seen was absolutely perfect.

As i said, its the perfect knife for someone like me who is a perfectionist and who craves ultimate precision in a knife. The Sebenza always delivers, customs, even some very expensive ones, rarely do.
 
I was at a local gun store today... looking around before I grabbed the Flitz I was there to get... checking out the knives... Somehow I ended up showing the guy behind the counter my new small sebenza. He immediately commented on how nice it was. He thought it was a custom. He said that he wanted one. I told him the price and he still said he wanted one. Today marks the FIRST person I have had physical contact with (other than the dealers I know) who looked at my little ol' gray knife and understood.
 
The sebenza is subtle and not everyone can appreciate its qualities. Fewer yet understand the pleasure of being able to take the knife apart for cleaning and lubrication - even being encouraged to do so by the maker.

This analogy may be odd, but, I know many people who would rather have a vat of cheap ice cream than a smaller container of excellent ice cream.

I agree with the diminishing returns to investment in quality for certain items, particularly those thought of as "tools".

I am glad there is a forum like this where we can speak freely about sebenzas with others who understand our affinity for these knives.
 
Dave - myself and others agree - the Titanium Salsa is a hell of a knife. I won't go into detail here, but I will simply say that if you like the small Sebenza, you will be vrey surprised when you pick up a Ti Salsa.
 
Is The Sebbie Over Priced - NO!
:p

I purchased a large plain sebbie several months ago. Prior to that I had all the run of the mill BM's( Nothing wrong with them), AlMars, Kershaws. None of the above can compare for action, smoothness, blade geometery, materials or workmanship. I'm in the market for the Mnandi and small sebbie now

Of course there will alway be folks that complain regarding the prices of high end products.
IMO, great knife at a fair price, consistant knife to knife. Not all custom makers can say that.

Megalobyte, I can't believe that you started this thread without inviting Brownshoe.



:) :D
 
What can I add... I've really understood what Sebenza is all about after about a year of using it. Of course, anyone (?) who buys Sebby loves it even before unpacking the box but that's not the point. After the year I've understood that this knife is just made to work for me and it's just perfect. If I go camping, fishing, sailing or do some trekking in the mountains than I ALWAYS take my Sebenza. Overpriced... well, maybe? Who knows... but even if it is 10% or 20% overpriced than anyway I'm glad I've spent that money for my first large regular.
 
Originally posted by .45acp
....I'm in the market for the Mnandi and small sebbie now...
:) :D
Click to expand...


I handled the Mnandi at the NYC show last week and it was a little small in my hand. It was a work of art, but just a bit too small to make me buy it. I asked Chris if he was going to make a larger Mnandi and he said "maybe" with a wry smile. FYI.---Marc
 
Geode, your .02 worth about .25. I really appreciate the manufacture support, but I had a thought about fieldstripping my Sebenza, then I had visions of Chris and the gang laughing while they put the knife back together.Mr.GoodWrench I'm not.:)
guy
 
Originally posted by .45acp




Megalobyte, I can't believe that you started this thread without inviting Brownshoe.

:) :D
Click to expand...

Brownshoe is more than welcome to come on over here to the CR forum if he needs a good slamming... :)
 
Originally posted by Geode


This analogy may be odd, but, I know many people who would rather have a vat of cheap ice cream than a smaller container of excellent ice cream.
Click to expand...

I'd rather have a vat of the excellent ice cream, and i often do... :)
 
Economically speaking, the Sebenza is under priced. Demand for the Sebenza at its current price exceeds the production capacity at CRK. When you throw in the fact that you will have purchased a very high quality knife that matches or exceeds those that are "custom made", the fact that CRK takes the satisfaction of its customers very seriously, I think that you will find that the Sebenza (or any CRK product for that matter) is quite a bargain.;) :p :eek: :cool:
 
I'm with Geode on this one: CRK hit the nail on the head when it designed the Sebenza to be taken apart and maintained.

I own a couple of revolvers, but I don't think I would try to disassemble it. My Sig 229 can be broken down to clean--love that gun:D

I have many customs that I would never take apart--they really weren't designed to field strip. Now the Sebenza, on the other hand, is more like my Sig 229:D .

My only complaint about the Large Sebenza that it's a little small for my hands--could be a little longer and thicker.

Hey, that gives me an idea--with all the custom makers jumping on the framelock with overlay bandwagon, my next Sebenza just may have to have a facelift!:eek:

Sebenzas are worth the money, list price or used.



Barry H
 
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