The Sebenza is 21 years old!

to be honest, i'm having a little difficulty even seeing the change...

i'll be ordering my first sebenza in a year or so, so it looks like it'll be the 21.
 
To answer a few questions:

Throughout the years, Chris has amassed a huge amount of customer feedback on the Sebenza, and while he has incorporated very minor improvements here and there that have never been associated with a Classic version change, he implemented a couple of them at once to launch the Sebenza 21. Chris views the Classic Sebenza as the company’s “Porsche 911 equivalent”. Accordingly, his changes to the Sebenza are cautiously evolutionary, as opposed to revolutionary. Throughout the life of the company, we will have knife models come and go; however, it would not surprise me if the Sebenza will have a permanent presence in the product portfolio, continuously evolving through time.

If you recall, when the company hit it’s 21st anniversary, CRK came out with a commemorative model of the Sebenza that took the Blade “Investor/Collector Knife of the Year” award. Now, as the Sebenza model turns 21 years of age, we’ve got the Sebenza 21. So, why “21”? The significance of that number is from Chris’s and Anne’s South African roots. The “coming of age” milestone is 21 years. For a young South African man or woman, it’s a very significant age in his or her life. There are a lot of celebrations, parties, etc. Many cultures have special B-day celebrations (3, 5, 7, 20, 60, 77, 88, 99 years of age in Japan, for instance). I think it’s a shame that every country doesn’t have similar celebrations – I think many of us are missing out . . .

Re: the chamfer on the pivot end of the handle slabs – they are indeed on both the large and the small models.

Yes, the markings (where the “Classic MM” resided) are gone.

Don’t worry about repair of old Sebenza Regular or Classic models (or even models like Umfaans and the like). We’re in the business of servicing our products for the long haul, with plenty of spare parts in stock.

Dave
 
qpuf said:
I'm thinking I might order a spare blade(maybe two) for my Reg. Any one else consider doing this?

Also, does anyone else think the name "Classic 21" a little odd? What will it be called next year...? I could see it being last year, but "21" is a fairly odd year to recognize in some ways. Maybe it's just me.
Click to expand...

ah, yes, I just received a regular small Sebenza "Think Twice - Cut Once" graphic today from TNK.

Just a comment here, if you look at the thread, this is a dealer who may or may not have been treated 100% by CRK. FYI there have been a few dealers who have quit selling the product for whatever reason: Stocking levels, Product commitment, etc etc. Please bear in mind business is business with customers on these forums but the sales channels may not treat the dealers as 'nicely'. FYI, I did communicate with an ex dealer who was selling off his stock and couldn't compete versus these forums, ebay or the like. He is still sitting on a large inventory.
 
qpuf said:
I'm thinking I might order a spare blade(maybe two) for my Reg. Any one else consider doing this?

Also, does anyone else think the name "Classic 21" a little odd? What will it be called next year...? I could see it being last year, but "21" is a fairly odd year to recognize in some ways. Maybe it's just me.
Click to expand...

In Chris' native South Africa the 21st birthday is considered a significant right of passage. That is why CRK released a special 21st Anniversary Sebenza at the Blade Show last year, it won the "Investor Knife of the Year" Award.
 
Given the name of the award ""Investor Knife of the Year" Award", it sounds as if the change is really for that market only. Not because the small change to the front of the handle is demanded by ordinary users.
 
Thanks very much for clarifying the meaning behind the name. Much appreciated.:thumbup:
 
Was planning on a large regular to add to my CRK collection somewhat later this year but the recent news had me ordering from TNK a little sooner, kinda like today. Am hoping Neil has a large Trapeze in stock, was having a tough time trying to drill down to the CGG that I wanted.

I see some retailers are already offering the new graphics that are available with the "21".
 
Rich357 said:
Given the name of the award ""Investor Knife of the Year" Award", it sounds as if the change is really for that market only. Not because the small change to the front of the handle is demanded by ordinary users.
Click to expand...

The "Investor/Collector Knife of the Year" that CRK won in 2005 went to a special limited run of classic sebenzas with damascus blades, inlaid garnet and a graphic of a spear pointing to Idaho celebrating 21 years of Chris Reeve Knives. It was really made for die-hard collectors (not really investors in my mind). The 21 year celebration/model of the Sebenza is unrelated.

Hopefully, Piter won't mind me re-posting his pic:
crk2.jpg


Personally, I like that CRK doesn't drastically change features of the Sebenza and they are probably alone in the knife world in not messing around with what works. Most knife companies change their entire product lines yearly. If CRK is improving the Sebenza I'm not about to doubt Chris until I can see and handle it in person. I am sorry to see the Regular go, my large and small Regular Sebenzas both work great, but I am really excited to see what's been changed/improved.

Just for reference: William-Henry won Investor/Collector Knife of the Year in 2000-2003, 2006, and 2007. Case won it in 2004. I'd much rather have CRK keep winning the Manufacturing Quality award since that's what matters most to me and I think we'd all agree it's obvious that's what matters most to CRK.

-Troy
 
Sad to say, I love my regular. I'm thinking about buying another to put away "just in case". If I can't get a regular anymore I don't think I will be buying another Chris Reeve knife. I have owned both styles in both sizes, and I don't care for the classic at all. Michigan with the 3" blade law, big hands and a small classic just don't work to good together. Sorry for the negativity but CRK's are losing there best designed, most practical knife, and one loyal customer. Sad to hear about it.
 
just bought one of each of the regulars (large and small) with BG42 to put away for the long run. Sad to see this one go though, it is far superior than the classic IMO. Glad I got two more coming though, sweet. Today is the dealine by the way so if youre gonna order one you better do it quick.
 
Interesting.....Of all the discussions on this forum about the Sebenza design I cannot recall one time someone wished for a more pronounced chamfer on the pivot end of the handle.
 
I just ordered a large regular with some added touches from Heather today. She told me about a month or longer for completion.
 
I just found this thread; I turned 21 myself three days after it was first posted. I've had my large classic for scarcely eight months and it's been my EDC the entire time; I imagine that the same will be true in eight years.
Truly, this is a knife that transcends its materials, its ergonomics, and its dimensions, instead blending all three together into a tragically uncommon harmony. This is a knife with a soul.
Can't wait to see how it evolves!
 
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