The Wood Inlay Sebenza

[Chris Reeve Knives]

There has been a lot of discussion over the forums concerning the Wood Inlay Sebenza. We are pleased that it has become such a popular model! With this being an actual inlay (as opposed to overlay), the Wood Inlay Sebenza is truly a unique knife.
Examples of woods currently being used are Southwest Maple Burl, Southwest Spalted Maple, Southwest California Buckeye, Box Elder, Curly Maple, Black Walnut, Desert Ironwood and Cocobolo. All of these, with the exception of a couple, have been stabilized.
Stabilizing is a process that replaces the air and moisture in the wood with polyester resin, resulting in increased strength and durability. This process allows previously unworkable wood to be machined and used as inlays. Please note, however, that even though the wood has gone through this stabilizing process, there still remains a large percentage of natural material and proper care should be taken. For example, do not leave your Wood Inlay Sebenza in direct sunlight or use it in conditions of extreme moisture, i.e., deep sea diving or gutting trout down at the river. These environmental factors may cause the wood to expand beyond its normal capacity.
The bottom line is, no matter how much we dress up the Sebenza, it is, first and foremost, functional and the Wood Inlay Sebenza is no exception. However, common sense dictates that this is an exceptional folder and it should be treated as such. If your usage takes you to extreme conditions, the Plain Sebenza is a perfect choice! Not to mention, now you can rationalize, to your spouse, the purchase of that extra Sebenza!

Mark

 

[floyd]

Well now you tell me.

I've been cleaning Trout with my wood inlay since it was purchased. In fact, the trout can't seem to wait to get on the hook so they can have a look at this beautiful knife. Wood still looks like new so I think I'll keep doing what I've been doing. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Scott Dog]

Mark:

Your response is reasonable. I can't wait to get my left hand small wood inlay. I do intend to use it but will be keeping it well within the parameters you described. I have a plain small left hand Seb that can take care of any of the extreme conditions you describe. Your knives are second to none!

 

[blademan 13]

Desert Ironwood? Oh please, please, please let mine be Desert Ironwood! Oops, I forgot, whining does not become me

(fingers crossed behind back). Who else on this planet could sell 120 expensive knives without telling buyers exactly what they are getting? This whole scenario reminds me of childbirth, you wait 9 anxious months for your new baby and then you find out how it's decorated. Kinda cool really.

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It's only a mistake if you fail to learn from it!

 

[LDSDFW]

I'm sorry, but buying a knife ain't like waiting nine months for a baby. When that baby comes, you'll love it, whether it's male or female, overweight or premature, healthy or handicapped. I don't think you'd love your Sebbie, if it arrived with the wood cracked or marred.

Ordering a wood-inlay Sebenza seems more like going in to a fashionable hair stylist, laying down a couple hundred bucks, and not being told (nor having any input into) what style you'll end up with. You pays your money and you takes your chances. You may get lucky and end up with an attractive do, or you may walk away with a mohawk. It's like laying down $28,000 for a new Honda mini-van, and being told by the dealer that you don't get to pick the color.

Why can Honda get away with that? Simple economics: demand exceeds supply. So there's no need to cater to the individual desires of consumers.

Don't get me wrong. I like Reeve's knives. I admire his shop's commitment to servicing their products. But refusing to accept orders for specific woods (even if the customer is willing to wait longer or pay more), is not a customer-friendly policy. There are any number of ways that it could potentially benefit the manufacturer (e.g., simplifying the order process, allowing knives to be moved more quickly when popular woods are in short supply, allowing woods to be selected and used based on the best current market price, etc.). But, again, it denies the timeworn adage that "the customer is always right."

That's not a criticism of Reeve or his shop. They're certainly free to manufacture and market their products as they see fit. And it's not a criticism of the product. I have yet to see an unattractive wood-inlay Sebenza (in person or on-line). But, notwithstanding Reeve's terrific products and "going the extra mile" support for the same, the "you get what you get" policy on wood selection is a disappointment to would-be purchasers of inlay Sebbies. I have a hard time believing *any* consumer would rather roll the dice than have his choice. And, as several forum members have said, the fact that they cannot choose the wood has caused them to hold off on buying the knife, or has forced them to track down a dealer who has the type they want.

ldsdfw

 

[swong13]

I can understand the CRK point of view here if I try to imagine the logistical nightmare of trying to match a half dozen or so different types of wood with the people that want specific types of woods. Availability would be a problem with some nice pieces of wood being available in one type of wood and not in others. People wanting type X wood might get their Sebbies in three months while someone wanting type Z wood might have to wait years before CRK found a piece of type Z that met their standards. I couple of months ago I wanted a set of grips for my custom .45 made out of koa wood. Tom Mayo (www.mayoknives.com) also makes grips for 1911 style handguns. Koa wood comes in a variety of shades ranging from a light blond to a dark brown. There is a type of koa called curly koa that has beautiful grain patterns. Now, I thought that I wanted a particular color of koa so Tom was good enough to email me photos of some wood samples and I picked my wood. Unfortunately, the piece that I picked turned out to have wormholes in it. Tom wound up choosing a piece that he thought was really good and he sent me the grips with the option of returning them if they did not meet my approval. I have to tell you, the wood that Tom picked was incredible and there is no way they are ever leaving my .45.

-Steven

 

[Jackal]

I kinda like the idea, myself. These are of limited availability, and are extremely sought after knives. If you really want one, I'm sure you won't have a problem with taking that "risk." Though I must tell you, CRK uses only the finest of woods, and all are very beautiful.

-AR

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- AKTI Member ID# A000322

 

[ROBB]

I agree with LDSDFW.I think for that kind of bucks a customer should have a choice.As for the "logistical nitemare"I just don't see it.The knives don't even have to be made till the order is in-there is a long waiting period.I have 2 sebenzas now and I love them.Some of the wood colors I don't care for mainly the light ones.If I knew I could get an ironwood handle I would order one.

 

[UW Mitch]

I think it would be nice if customers could choose the wood for their inlay, but the high demand for these knives allows CRK to set their policy in a manner which makes life easier for them. CRK can sell every single wood inlay sebenza they make even though customers have no choice. I guess it's up to those who want specific wood inlays to wait for the secondary market, when they know exactly what they will get.

~Mitch

p.s. wouldn't a stabilized curly koa (does that exist?) wood inlay Sebenza be nice?

 

[harrydog]

I have a wood inlay on order and I'm willing to take the chance on the type of wood. However I must admit that I would much rather be able to choose the type of wood that goes into my knife. I've never seen one in person but from the pictures I've seen, there are a few that don't look particularly nice to me while there are others that look great. I'm assuming that if the wood I end up with is unsatisfactory to me I would be able to return it to CRK for a refund. The only reason I can see to spend an extra $200 on an inlay Sebenza is if the wood is one that I personally think is something special. I realize that all the wood they use is very nice but different people have different ideas of what looks great and what looks only OK.
Has Mark from CRK ever commented on the reason they won't take requests on wood type?

Bill

 

[harrydog]

Dagnabbit! I really like the wood inlay pictured on the CRK site (redwood burl) and I just checked Arizona Custom Knives and saw that they had just sold that very same knife. Had I been a couple of days earlier I could have had it with out waiting 6 months! They also just sold a California Buckeye burl which I don't care for, at least from the photos.

Bill

 

[RGRAY]

This was sent to me by Mark.
I hope my small Left Handed Sebenza is the Southwest Maple Burl like the one on their web site.

"The wood used in the picture is a dyed maple burl.
The types woods that we are currently using (but not limited to) are..Southwest Maple Burl, Southwest Spalted Maple, Southwest California Buckeye, Box Elder and Curly Maple.
Thanks,
Mark"

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RICK - Left Handers Unite

 

[harrydog]

Rick, if you get a chance go to the Arizona Custom Knives site and look at the photos of the Large wood inlay Sebenza which they say is redwood burl. Then look closely at the knife pictured on the CRK site (the one on the map with the compass). They appear to have identical markings. I wonder whether it is redwood or dyed maple?

Bill

 

[Walt Welch]

I have a large Seb with the CA buckeye burl inlay. It is gorgeous. There are CA buckeyes all over my property. Walt