Spartan Blades Akribis folders with 3.5" blade of S35VN

RamZar

RamZar

Joined
Mar 3, 2013
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How good are the Spartan Blades Akribis folders with 3.5" blade of S35VN?

All surfaces are PVD Coated!

Titanium handles and frame lock (Rick Hinderer Lock Bar Stabilizer) with nice CF inserts.

The S35VN steel (58-60 HRC) seems to have had good "double deep" cryogenic treatment and tempering.

The one I'm looking at has ZrN (Meteorite Grey) PVD coated blade & titanium handle.

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RamZar said:
How good are the Spartan Blades Akribis folders with 3.5" blade of S35VN?

All surfaces are PVD Coated!

Titanium handles and frame lock (Rick Hinderer Lock Bar Stabilizer) with nice CF inserts.

The S35VN steel (58-60 HRC) seems to have had good "double deep" cryogenic treatment and tempering.

The one I'm looking at has ZrN (Meteorite Grey) PVD coated blade & titanium handle.

e30d9d7e712498876319d05af060376e.image.1000x664.jpg
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Heard good things about them but man they are pricey!
 
Top notch knife when you can get them. Zirconium nitride coatings are pricey btw...one of the reasons for the cost.
 
From all indications the Spartan Blades Akribis is as good as or better than CRK Sebenza.

I ordered the Spartan Blades Akribis with Meteorite Gray (ZrN) blade (S35VN at 58-60 HRC) & handle plus CF on the scales.

[video=youtube;SUe_rtZbg3Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUe_rtZbg3Y[/video]

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I really really liked the one I handled. I was skeptical about them at first but I was a believer after handling one. The only problem I had with it was the handle thickness. The liners are frame lock thick and the overlays are liner lock scale thick. It's like a double wide knife.
 
Scurvy092 said:
I really really liked the one I handled. I was skeptical about them at first but I was a believer after handling one. The only problem I had with it was the handle thickness. The liners are frame lock thick and the overlays are liner lock scale thick. It's like a double wide knife.
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The knife is a frame lock...thus the thick "liner"...the scales should be thin. The knife also has a Hinderer lock bar stabilizer to it.
 
Looks to be an awesome folder.

I also dislike the thick handles, but the 'swedge' on spine always bothers me. Sebenza spine is rounded and feels nice to use. My.hogue has similar spine to spartan and limits thumb placement. Maybe my fingers are longer than average...
 
My Spartan Blades Akribis with Meteorite Gray (ZrN) blade (S35VN at 58-60 HRC) & handle plus CF on the scales is as good as advertised with fit & finish and overall quality as good as and better than CRK Sebenza.

It's even smoother than my Sebenza and Umnumzaan (actually a Wilson Combat StarTac version as seen in the pictures below). I especially like the Zirconium Nitride coating for the gray look all over and protection but it's also a fingerprint magnet. The S35VN blade is awesome. The extra thickness of the CF actually gives me a better grip since it has a pretty narrow profile.

This is an extremely impressive folder. Fast deployment. Looks good in jeans or dressy pants.

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I just received mine the other day.

As Ram said, the F&F is that of a Sebenza or imo a bit higher. The edges are a bit more rounded and finished. The coating is also excellent, though as stated, a fingerprint magnet.

One negative thing that in my opinion should not be there is a small amount of blade play (very small) from side to side. its not very noticeable when holding the blade toward the grip, but once with hold it out at the tip it becomes obvious. I tested both my sng and 21 neither had this. Since there all in the same price bracket (akribis being 50-100 more) they should all have no blade play, no matter how small.

Overall, it is a very impressive knife and if you wanted something like a sebenza, but not, this would be a good choice. Oh ya, the rumors are true, it is smoother than the sebenza :) hard to explain, but damn it opens sooo nice.

Will it be my new edc that puts all others to shame? Nope not a chance. It feels too pretty and I feel like I will ruin the finish after some hard use. Its just a bit too nice. However I will carry it from time to time. I am now, but its new so ya know. The sng is screaming to be put back in my pocket though. Its a knife "I just dont care about" if that makes sense. Its a no frills - solid knife.

The Akribis will likely stay in my collection for some time, but its just an addition. For my personal uses the sng is best.

Bottom line: Is it worth $495? Hmm if it didnt have the blade play then I would say yes. But since it does I can't agree with the price. The overall fit of the blade is outstanding though. I mean it really does scream quality no doubt about it.
 
payj said:
I just received mine the other day.

As Ram said, the F&F is that of a Sebenza or imo a bit higher. The edges are a bit more rounded and finished. The coating is also excellent, though as stated, a fingerprint magnet.

One negative thing that in my opinion should not be there is a small amount of blade play (very small) from side to side. its not very noticeable when holding the blade toward the grip, but once with hold it out at the tip it becomes obvious. I tested both my sng and 21 neither had this. Since there all in the same price bracket (akribis being 50-100 more) they should all have no blade play, no matter how small.

Overall, it is a very impressive knife and if you wanted something like a sebenza, but not, this would be a good choice. Oh ya, the rumors are true, it is smoother than the sebenza :) hard to explain, but damn it opens sooo nice.

Will it be my new edc that puts all others to shame? Nope not a chance. It feels too pretty and I feel like I will ruin the finish after some hard use. Its just a bit too nice. However I will carry it from time to time. I am now, but its new so ya know. The sng is screaming to be put back in my pocket though. Its a knife "I just dont care about" if that makes sense. Its a no frills - solid knife.

The Akribis will likely stay in my collection for some time, but its just an addition. For my personal uses the sng is best.

Bottom line: Is it worth $495? Hmm if it didnt have the blade play then I would say yes. But since it does I can't agree with the price. The overall fit of the blade is outstanding though. I mean it really does scream quality no doubt about it.
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My brand new Akribis has no issues with blade play or anything else. I checked again just now.

I think you got yours not so new? I recommend you send it to Spartan Blades.

Oh yes, amazingly, it's smoother than a Sebenza! Hard to believe.
 
It is beautiful to be sure, but I'm with previous posters in the opinion that it might be a tad thick with those scales. I really like the thin profile of my Seb 25.
 
Gavin S. said:
It is beautiful to be sure, but I'm with previous posters in the opinion that it might be a tad thick with those scales. I really like the thin profile of my Seb 25.
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It isn't as thick as it seems. See the picture below where the Sebenza 25 is next to the Akribis (third and fourth from the top):

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I have been wanting one of these for quite some time now but the size has me second guessing it all the time, I would love to see this in a small sebenza size as I prefer it to the larger knives. But who knows I may just suck it up and get it anyways lol
 
Blade-fiend said:
I have been wanting one of these for quite some time now but the size has me second guessing it all the time, I would love to see this in a small sebenza size as I prefer it to the larger knives. But who knows I may just suck it up and get it anyways lol
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I'm hoping they'll come out with a 3" blade length model since that's what I'm limited to when in Los Angeles city proper. For now, a small Sebenza 21 is great. Perhaps a small Sebenza 25 one day.


Edited: Got the Sebenza 25...

I still prefer the Star-Tac (Umnumzaan) to Sebenza 25. Akribis is still the smoothest!

Here some comparison picture. From top to bottom: Wilson Combat Eagle, Wilson Combat Star-Tac (Umnumzaan), CRK Sebenza 25, Spartan Akribis, Strider SNG GG and Curtiss F3 Medium.


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The size isnt bad at all guys. Just a weee bit thicker than my 21. So if your worried about size, dont imo. Its also light.

Mine was used like new from this forum.

I will contact spartan and see what they say. When you tested it did ypu hold it at the tip?
 
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