Ti Mili vs. Sebenza

[Krav]

Golly, with all this talk about sebenzas and military's I want to but a ti military, and a
Umnumzaan. Too each his own is what I say. I own a sebenza 25, I can loosen the pivot with several 360s and there is little if NO blade play, so I don't need a micrometer to show me that the tolerances are fabulous. I haven't owned another knife that I can do that YET. I don't own a military, but I do own a paramilitary, the deal breaker with the paramilitary is the very same thing people love it, the compression lock, I don't like were it is located, when I open with my thumb my index finger gets a slight pinch, so it will be finding another home soon.
Spyderco is a fantastic company with a Huge variety of knives, I don't think the 2 should even be compared to each other quite honestly, sebenzas are in a different class than spydercos all together, that's not implying one is better than the other. I like mint chocolate chip ice cream, doesn't mean that it's better than plain chocolate ice cream.

 

[riskydevil]

I owned a small and large Seb, and now a Zaan. They're nice but I quickly learned that paying for the best tolerances doesn't do much for me as knives like the Military with its inferior tolerances serve me well in everyday use. I use a knife all day at my job and I do not see a drop off in performance between these two. In fact, Spydercos S30v is ran harder not to mention the Military is available in superior steels. As far as finish goes, I have no issue with the quality of knives at the $200 range.
As far as the warranty, that CRK is unmatched, of course you are paying for that warranty though. A Ti Millie is easy to take apart and if your not an idiot, cleaning it should never be a problem and I have sent in Spydercos for servicing that I've taken apart and they took no issue with it.
Just because there is a difference that noone can see without a nanometer scale doesn't mean everyone will chose it over the Military
You're right about that. I pick the Ti Military.

I don't really care what your opinion of crk is, I have them both here in front of me. I can see with my own two eyes, titanium and steel, real evidence. I don't even own a micrometer, I have never measured either knife aside from how it looks, feels and operates.

This is not a debate about function, your nonsensical argument that you don't need a sebenza also applies to not needing a military.

The fact that you have taken apart your military instantly voids any warranty of that knife should any problems occur, any dishonesty on your behalf still does not change spyderco's policy.

They are both good knives and are both worth what they cost.

I'm sure the sales figures will reflect this, personal preference is just that.

 

[riskydevil]

double tap

 

[MRaymond]

Don't think that can possibly be an issue. How long has the Military been in production, with only minor changes? Since 1996 when I bought my first one. I foresee them keeping the model in production as is for a long time to come, it is so popular. Therefore, spare parts for this particular knife is a non-issue.

I don't give a hoot about putting a knife in a freaking micrometer. Talk about over-the-top! It works. The Military works. It works well. And it does not break the bank getting one. A crk will never be one of my knives. Don't tell me "never say never." NEVER! I am going to order a titanium Military from an online dealer soon though. That'll be four Millie's and zero crk's. ;-)

Actually, due to the the constant quality improvements and "tweeking" over the years, you most likely won't be able to replace some parts of an older Military without buying a new one. That being said, I own a g10 military and a sebenza 25 (along with a para 2 but that doesn't matter for this discussion). Spyderco makes FANTASTIC knives for the money. The military is definitely one of them. However, the best thing about the military in my eyes is the weight and how much blade you can carry despite it being so light. I have balked at buying a titanium Military because the weight takes away the best thing the g10 military has going for it. The g10 military is just as capable and strong as the ti military for all practical uses.

The Military is my go to camping/outdoors folder. It truly is a legend. The Sebenza (or para2) is the knife I carry for EDC tasks. I will just say this, there is a reason why the Sebenza is the standard that most other knives are judged by. I will also say that my opinion is that anyone that says they won't buy a CRK because paying what it costs is basically just paying for the name is severely mistaken or just uninformed. I prefer to think the latter because once you get one in your hand and put it to use, most will at least appreciate it for what it is. Even if it's not the knife for everyone, there is a rich history and years of proven quality that prove that CRK knives deserve to be the standard barer.

 

[sodak]

Even if it's not the knife for everyone, there is a rich history and years of proven quality that prove that CRK knives deserve to be the standard barer.

Here's the issue that I have with it. After buying one, the tolerances are very good. The edge holding was terrible, not even close to many of my knives in other steels, all of which are much cheaper knives. So if you want to sit and admire a knife for it's tight tolerances and all that, I would actually agree with you. It's quite impressive.

I expect, however, my knives to cut well and hold their edge for a reasonable amount of time, especially my expensive knives. The Sebenza was substandard in that area. So I got rid of it, it was disappointing. Many of my Spydercos, including a Mili in CPM D2 blew it out of the water in both cutting and edge holding. For a $400 knife, I expect performance and didn't get it.

YMMV.

 

[cbxer55]

Actually, due to the the constant quality improvements and "tweeking" over the years, you most likely won't be able to replace some parts of an older Military without buying a new one. That being said, I own a g10 military and a sebenza 25 (along with a para 2 but that doesn't matter for this discussion). Spyderco makes FANTASTIC knives for the money. The military is definitely one of them. However, the best thing about the military in my eyes is the weight and how much blade you can carry despite it being so light. I have balked at buying a titanium Military because the weight takes away the best thing the g10 military has going for it. The g10 military is just as capable and strong as the ti military for all practical uses.

The Military is my go to camping/outdoors folder. It truly is a legend. The Sebenza (or para2) is the knife I carry for EDC tasks. I will just say this, there is a reason why the Sebenza is the standard that most other knives are judged by. I will also say that my opinion is that anyone that says they won't buy a CRK because paying what it costs is basically just paying for the name is severely mistaken or just uninformed. I prefer to think the latter because once you get one in your hand and put it to use, most will at least appreciate it for what it is. Even if it's not the knife for everyone, there is a rich history and years of proven quality that prove that CRK knives deserve to be the standard barer.

Which is to be expected. But in reality, I've used this knife as an edc for many many years. DUg holes in the ground with it, etc. There has never been a problem, with the exception of the clip holes stripping when it snagged something while in my pocket. I did not send it in for a fix, but fixed it myself, years ago. Took the knife apart, drilled new larger holes, tapped them, and installed long screws which I then sanded offf on the back side prior to re-assembling. Has not been a problem again since. The old two-hole clip models were known for this weakness. I do not expect the much stronger three-hole clip models to follow in this problem.

I've never, in all my 52 years, had to send a knife in for warranty work. So talk of warranty is a BIG MOOT NOTHING to me. I could care less about warranty. I am certainly not going to pay $400 for a knife just because of a good warranty. Actually would prefer not to have to pay for a warranty at all. But that's just me. I have no criticism of anyone for buying a crk knife. It's all a personal decision, glad you like them. I have a ceiling price, and $400.00 is not it. The most I have paid for a knife was $350.00, and that was for a very limited edition Micro Tech front opener, which I later sold for $500.00. Other than that, I will not stray above $200.00 unless it is something exceptional, like the Cold Steel Espada XL I recently paid $287.00 for.

Oh yes, a bit of black heat shrink tube now and then keeps the shiny clip nice and black. Occasionally I tear it on something, but it is so easy to replace. ;-0
The "knurling" on the liner lock was ground off years ago because I used to carry it on my left side. I slightly re-shaped the scale and lock bar on that side to make access to the hole easier left handed. Now I have an actual left-hand model, so kind of regret having done that. But oh well, it's a hard use knife. No big deal. I recall paying just north of $100.00 for this knife in 96.