The Great Debate...... Strider Sng and Sebenza

T

TheAmazingTacos

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Oct 19, 2011
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Every Knife collector/fan/addict goes through this phase they start buying knives then they get interested in these knives. To help everyone else and I... What did you purchase first and which would you have. Thanks for feedback.
 
Had a BG-42 Sebenza first, great knives, but I really liked the feel of the Strider as an edc. Sold the Sebbie years ago, and a RW-1 SMF is in my pocket now. I'll get another Sebbie some day when I can afford to start collecting again.
 
I have a couple sebbies, never owned a Strider, but want one. The Sebenza is an awesome knife, great F&F. I've heard good things about Striders, and they appeal to me based on the rugged look of them. I tend to not baby my stuff.
 
Had a small insingo Sebenza. Sold it to my buddy Droppoint. Now he's also got an SNG coyote brown, flamed ti, striped blade. Here are the categories I'd vote for which one over:

Unique design: SNG
Practicality/would use more: Sebenza
Feel in hand/different ways to manipulate: SNG
Durability: tie
Feels stronger: Sebenza

Basically, My vote would be for the small sebenza because,

as cool as the SNG is, 2/3rds of it's length is handle, and only 1/3rd is actual cutting edge;
I have small hands, small folder = better for me;
the flamed and striped pattern on the SNG is too nice looking for me so I'd want to keep it nice and never use it;
certain G10 like on the SNG is really dry and grippy feeling, not smooth-feeling and still textured like my Benchmade 710;
titanium handles feel nicer, they are beadblasted yet smooth to the touch;
Clip is strong, but not too tight like the SNG;
simpler design = less to feel bad about using and messing up the looks;
built strong yet opens super fast and smooth, whereas the SNG requires a harder flick (stronger detent on the SNG);

My top reason to choose Sebenza over SNG has to be it's design being so sheeple friendly. When you combine that "boring" of looks with that small size, you won't get a single problem with using it in public. Overall a better user, you'll be less afraid to use it and less worried about messing up the finishes. The SNG is way too designed and decorated to not be used without wanting to take care of it, and it is clearly the more "scary" looking of the two. The sebenza is the ideal folder that you can still beat the hell out of, keep looking nice, and keep any onlookers from being concerned. You can't beat a folder that you can use as a dress knife as well as a beater.
 
Here's how it went for me...this is just relating to Strider and CRK

Bought a small sebenza - sold it within a week

Bought a SNG - sold it within a week

Bought a large sebenza - you will have to pry it out of my cold dead hands...good luck ;)

I'm sure YMMV
 
Sebenza - Strider, probably not bad to own both.

One has legendary F&F, tough yet "gentleman" flair the other Toughness and "Tactical" attributes.
or
Possibly consider a third candidate in the Hinderer XM-18 and possibly satisfy your quandry in one knife.
 
My order was:

SMF CC SW Black G10

then

Umnumzaan

then

SMF Aluminum CPM M4 Black Scale

then

another Umnumzaan (traded the first one toward an SMF)

then a SNG CC RG


So, of these two MFG's, I own 2 SMF's, one Umnumzaan and one SNG

It's personal taste for me and/or perhaps a phase which I do go in and out of. I consider the Umnumzaan as one of the best, every day EDC's available and I used to say THE best but my recently acquired SNG CC is a pretty damned good EDC for every day use too.

If I were so inclined to trade any of these right now, I would probably trade the Umnumzaan first and I have even tried twice with no takers recently. And it might be notable I was looking to trade up for another SMF with even money added.

All in all though, my SMF's fall into that "Cold Dead Hands" category right now. That's the phase I'm currently in and my current personal taste today.

My SMF SW CC Black is probably my favorite knife in my rotation right now and has been for quite some time.
 
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Owned both, First Strider, then Sebenza (BG-42). Sold both eventually.
As things are, I'll never buy either one, for different reasons though.
 
Matador said:
Had a BG-42 Sebenza first, great knives, but I really liked the feel of the Strider as an edc. Sold the Sebbie years ago, and a RW-1 SMF is in my pocket now. I'll get another Sebbie some day when I can afford to start collecting again.
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Similiar..had a "P series" Sebenza. Got a Strider SMF. Got a Strider SnG. Sold the Sebenza. Got more Striders. Picked up a Bradley Alias 1. Still have it. Haven't had a Sebenza craving since.
 
mystro said:
Do a search on this topic. This has been beaten to death.
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:) I foresee: He does the search, and then if he has additional question or a comment on an old thread and posts it, there will be another person(or more than one) commenting on thread necromancy...
 
Honestly, this isn't a great debate, it isn't any debate at all. :thumbdn: It's a dead horse that has been beaten for years, beaten so often that it's no longer visible to the naked eye. They are very different knives. Everyone should own one of each, at least temporarily. Buy both. You will not be disappointed. I bought a Sebenza before I bought a Strider, but I currently own 4 Strider folders and seven Sebenzas. So...maybe that's your answer, at least from me...


TheAmazingTacos said:
Every Knife collector/fan/addict goes through this phase they start buying knives then they get interested in these knives. To help everyone else and I... What did you purchase first and which would you have. Thanks for feedback.
Click to expand...
 
I got a large 21 first, then sng dgg, small insingo, smf cc, umnumzaan, and most recent a large lefty 21. I only have the sng, umnumzaan, and lefty 21 now, others have been traded. The sng is my favorite and has been my edc for 2 years. I liked the small insingo the most of the sebenzas. The plain sebenzas are just that, plain, but they work. The umnumzaan is greatness. Not my favorite but it would be my "If you could only have one" knife.
 
Made this vid a while back. Maybe it'll help.


[video=youtube;vWL0ajrmlnk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWL0ajrmlnk[/video]\
 
No debate...just get both.:)
Doesn't matter in what order as long as you get both.;)
 
I have both, but honestly am not that fond of either. I would be more fond if they were in the $139 range. The SNG is stout, light weight, a poor slicer and too spendy. The Sebenza has the "bank vault" thing going for it, more aesthetic appeal (in my subjective opinion), and is still overpriced by about $150.

I use the term "overpriced" loosely on each of these, as many people, including me, have paid the asking price. So in that regard the makers are charging what the market will bear. I'm groovy with capitalism. But in terms of materials and construction, they are not objectively 3x "better" than their lesser brethren, nor worth 3x the asking price. JMO.
 
powernoodle said:
I would be more fond if they were in the $139 range. The SNG is stout, light weight, a poor slicer and too spendy.
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You gotta reprofile those SnG's.
They ship with an obtuse edge angle and thicker tip due to the stupid things some folks think they should do (like stabbing computer monitors and digging in rocks...)
But a little time with a few grits of silicon carbide paper and it'll do what a knife should do...cut things with ease.:)
 
JNewell said:
Oooohhh. Is this forum rated for that stuff? :eek: :D
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I think you're thinking of necrophilia, not necromancy...

My vote goes to the Sebenza. It's as tough as you'll need, but nice at the same time. CRK is great at optimizing tiny details to get every little detail right, whereas the Strider is plagued with issues relating to little details in the design (thumbstuds falling out or cracking the blade, locks wearing out in a few months, blade play or rock lock, etc). When I got my CRK, I realized what people are paying for. When I saw the Strider in person, nothing seemed that special about it.
 
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