small Sebenza vs mini skirmish

Lev

Lev

Joined
Nov 6, 2008
Messages
463
I've been looking at these two for a long time, but can afford only one. I hear great things about both, but the Sebenza is quite a bit more expensive...the difference being about $150.00. I have decide tomorrow, as the Skirmish, as most people know, has been discontinued and there is one available if I want it.

I would like some opinions about which you would prefer. I'm willing to pay the extra if it is worth it, but if the differences are not so much then...

Thanks
 
I would also look at the sage 2 by spyderco. Out of the two you mentioned, the sebenza is better, but not twice as good, and not worth twice the price imo. But, buy what you want for the price you are willing to pay.
 
Don't let your decision be too swayed by a time limit. Yes the Skirmish is discontinued but if you keep your eyes peeled on the exchange forums they come up quite frequently.
 
You cant go wrong with a sebenza,even for the extra money,its well worth it.it is so well made,& its probably easier to open than the skirmish....
 
I would rather get a sage 2 if moneys tight and you want a great knife that's similar. I have a couple of small sebenzas and still decided to get a sage 2. Great f&f,ergos and HT of the S30V, opening hole, wire pocket clip, full flat grind leaf shape blade just to name a few of the features I like.
 
I love Sebenza's, so my vote would be for that. If you want a Sebenza, get a Sebenza.
 
If you can find a BM635 for what you deem a reasonable price... buy it. It is a great knife. The next step up would be a Sebenza, but not by much.
 
If you have the money get the Sebenza! It's on a whole different level than the skirmish or sage. I should have said this in my earlier post.
 
I like CR knives. I own them but the mini skirmish is one of the best designed knives ever IMHO
 
Just throwing this in, I really, utterly, hate that chamfering of the thumb hole on the Skirmish. It's a deal breaker. (That, and the Skirmish at my dealer is selling for above MSRP)
 
I have a Sage 2, Small Classic Seb and a 635. In terms of utility, they are basically equal - the leaf-shape blade of the Sage may be the best of the bunch. In terms of quality, there is no question that fit/finish improve as you spend more, but we can't tell you whether that's "worth" the difference in price. In terms of how they handle, they are fairly different, even though they are all titanium framelocks. I hate to say it, but you should try before you buy if at all possibe to make sure you're not going to hate how one or more of them handle or feel.
 
wongKI said:
Just throwing this in, I really, utterly, hate that chamfering of the thumb hole on the Skirmish. It's a deal breaker. (That, and the Skirmish at my dealer is selling for above MSRP)
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+1

They ruined a perfectly good knife by chamfering that hole. It makes the knife way too hard to open. If you are going to copy Spyderco, do it like Spyderco. There is a reason there haven't been any chamfered Spyder-holes in 20+ years.
 
Why does everyone blame Benchmade for that chamfered hole? That is what original Blackwood design called for and that's exactly what went into production.
 
If you want another choice in a US-made S30V/Ti framelock - consider the Buck 172 Tom Mayo 'TNT' - or the Kershaw JYDII in Ti & SG-2 - pretty neat alternatives. Of course, the BMs are super - especially the still current 760BK LTi with it's M4 blade - super knife. Remember - the 630 Skirmish is a large knife!

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Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Stainz
 
Thanks for the opinions. As mentioned in some of the posts, the chamfered hole has made me a bit skeptical. Honestly, I prefer thumb studs to the Spyder holes. But taking nothing away from Spyderco, just a preference.

I do prefer the handle on Skirmish to the Sebenza, but prefer the blade on the Sebenza. I'm sure I could find something about both that I didn't like, as there are no perfect knives IMHO. However, these two come awfully close.

As for the Sage, I do like it. But I already know if I bought that I would still want either the Skirmish or the Sebenza. So...

Anyway, I think I have decided on the Sebenza. Let you know

Thanks again.
 
RxEnergy said:
Why does everyone blame Benchmade for that chamfered hole? That is what original Blackwood design called for and that's exactly what went into production.
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That's a good point, but I think people blame BM because they produced it with the chamfered hole. The chamfered hole might be nice for a limited # custom, but I think it detracted from the usefulness of a production knife (There is a difference).

Some great choices, that's for sure. I've owned/used all of them, except the Sage II. My comments:

BM 635: Very nice knife with a great blade to handle ratio. 2 "issues", IMHO. The chamfered hole & if you have lg. hands, like me, the handle's a little small. I think it's because of the curves & lg. finger guard area.

Bradley Alias II: Ergos are similar to the Seb. This is probably the best choice if you like the look & feel of a Seb, but don't want to spend the $. It's not the equal of one, but nice, nonetheless. I've had more Aliases than any of the others, except the Seb.

Buck/Mayo TNT: Another excellent knife with an "different" blade shape. Only issue for me (Me only) was the tip-down only.

CRK Seb: I'm assuming small. The standard that all other production frame-locks are pretty much judged against. Worth it? That depends, but I keep going back to a small micarta Seb.

I have not tried a Sage II, but have used/carried a Sage I & if the F&F is anything like the I (Which, based off of many posts, I think it is), it's an excellent choice if you want more "shape" to your handle, plus the full flat grind leaf shaped blade is a great utility type blade shape.

As I said, I keep coming back to the Seb. Now, if you want a larger folder, while the lg. Seb & Umnum are great, I EDC a BM 760. M4's hard to beat & I have a G-10 scale on it. Now I just need to flip the clip on it & I'm good to go.

Good luck with your choice.
 
The skirmish is discontinued and getting harder to find. The sebenza will always be around further down the road to purchase. Everyone complains about the chamfered hole but all that has to be done is drill the hole bigger to remove the chamfer. Look up your local machine shop in the phone book and I'm sure for about 10 bucks and five minutes of time you can have it fixed.

I'm not sure I'm sold on the sage 2 as the large cutout to get to the lockbar feels funny in my hand.

I have not held a sebenza but it is past the price I'm willing to pay for an s30v blade and some titanium handle slabs. I would much rather have my s90v manix 2 and rift m4 in my pocket. Better steel and locking designs and I have 2 (better?) knives for the price of one. But that's just my opinion
 
If you really want it, the seb is worth the money. Small sebenza is perfect for EDC.
 
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