- Joined
- Oct 20, 2004
- Messages
- 4,704
Don't forget Spyderco...in a sub $100 knife no less. Not saying it's as good but you don't have to get into half a grand or mid-tech territory to find it.
What are Sebenzas hardened to these days? Are they only using S35VN?
Many years ago I was interested in them. So I went to Blade and handled a bunch of them. Kept checking them out at different vendor booths to make sure I wasn't missing something or if they would grow on me. And they just aren't my thing. Yes, they are made well and a nice design and they have a blade and will cut stuff. But many knives will do all that and look better doing it while costing significantly less. IMO. They may have very precise tolerances though I really don't know other than that's what everyone claims. Your human body sure isn't capable of detecting them so you just have to take their word for it. Many other knives feel just as well made.
When I was first curious about them I had been into good knives for a while ($100-$200) and I wasn't, and still not, a big fan of S30V. Or knives with softer heat treats (58 HRC) and that is what they were running at the time. I also was learning I wasn't a big fan of Ti frame locks. I had a couple fail and one wear out to the point of blade play that couldn't be (easily) fixed. And as a mechanical engineer I wasn't a fan of the design that seemed to be made from a bunch of compromises. And a little luck, which is probably why CR instituted such high tolerances so it would be reliable (?) as he 'designed' it and it was going to carry his name. Especially not when compared to other lock types. I say 'designed' because it's really just a Walker liner lock with the scale removed and the liner thickened to make up for the missing scale. But I'm not a knife historian and I digress.
I still check out a Sebenza every few years whenever I come across one and they still aren't for me, especially at their price point. Similar to Chinese take-out food. I get some every 6 months or so just to remind me why I don't eat it all the time. But we all have different tastes and different needs. I own plenty of Benchmade knives, including my personal all time favorite design, and many contain blade steel that will hold an edge significantly longer and sharpen in a way that I much prefer over softer steels that contain a lot less carbides and would likely cut circles around a Sebenza after a good sharpening. Most of my Benchmade knives also use a lock that IMO is far superior in every way and is a ton of fun to use in comparison to the Reeve Integral Lock.
It also seems like CNC and automated machining is becoming much more precise in recent years and that any gap in tolerances are becoming more and more negligible. Though it's been a while since I've looked into that world and that's a bit of a guess. This is all my opinion. I've owned many, many quality knives and spent more on them than I like to think about and I'm not one that appreciates the Sebenza. I like quality tools but I'm more of a function over form guy and don't believe in sacrificing performance for a name or status symbol. Like many have said, you either love or hate the Sebenza and their doesn't seem to be much middle ground. Also has been said, you can try one to see for yourself and not lose a lot of money deciding for yourself if you aren't quite sure of your tastes yet.
