Umnumzaan gives SNG a run for it's money.......

batosai117

batosai117

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I was looking around, minding my own business and I began to look at all of the youtube videos of people comparing Sebenza's with Strider SNG's. I thought to myself, "no, this can't be, most of those guys don't know what they are talking about." about 3/4 of the people ended up with the SNG on top.

So as the wheels and gears started cranking up, I had a "Eureka I thought of it!" moment. Since the Umnumzaan is a beefier, slightly more tactical looking variant of the Sebenza, do you guys believe it will shoot those Strider guys right out of the water?

I don't own either, the closest thing to a strider that I have is a ZT 0301 and I had a few SBMF 889's in the past, and I'm only drooling over all of the umnumzaan pics :p.

So, what do you guys think, maybe now those guys will bow down to CRK :cool:
 
You started drinking early! :)
The knives you mentioned are in the Top 5! It boils down to which knife you like. All super good.
 
Lycosa said:
You started drinking early! :)
The knives you mentioned are in the Top 5! It boils down to which knife you like. All super good.
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How did you know I was drinking? :D I went light since it isn't even noon yet, a strawberry daquiry seagrams :thumbup:. Taste like fruit punch, but eases the mind a little bit :p
 
I was wondering how long it would be till this thread popped up. I'll say this.. the zaan is a much better knife to compare with the sng than is the sebenza. I think the zaan stomps all over the sng in most categories including durability and overall toughness. I do enjoy the choil on the blade of the sng, and IMO the strider comes with a much better edge. (zaan came to me with a pretty unimpressive edge). I do like the sng but I'll take the zaan any day.:thumbup:
 
I think CRK is wasting and wasted time going after the tactical market with the new folder.
 
DaveH said:
I think CRK is wasting and wasted time going after the tactical market with the new folder.
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I would agree Dave, I have the sebbie and SNG and they fill different needs. I carry the sebbie to work all the time and with the leather or graphics or wood its much more sheeple friendly than the strider, which everyone seems to think I should be wearing a flack vest to carry.
 
DaveH said:
I think CRK is wasting and wasted time going after the tactical market with the new folder.
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I still don't really understand what the "tactical" market is. Seems to imply use of the knife as a weapon, in which case I think just about any fixed blade would be preferable to even the most robust folder.

As a utility cutting tool, I like the Sebenza better than the SNG/SMF, so in that sense, I agree with Dave.
 
I'll chime in with my own SMF vs. Sebby experience. (Note this was a buy it now in store, only what they have on hand experience.) The sebby is great, silky smooth and all that jazz. The SMF was way less smooth, bigger bulkier, but it felt better in my hand, sure it might never have as keen of a razor edge as a sebby but in utility use the thicker edge will probably serve me a little better, either way that isn't a huge concern.

Bottom line for me was, it wasn't about picking the "better" knife, it was about picking the knife that felt good in the hand and looked pleasing to me. (Digi Camo SMF just looks pretty cool to me.) Anyways I don't think it's really a competition of which knife is better, but to a true knife USER it's a matter of what YOU like better for your own personal use.
 
batosai117 said:
...Since the Umnumzaan is a beefier, slightly more tactical looking variant of the Sebenza, do you guys believe it will shoot those Strider guys right out of the water?...
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I don't think it will. Strider folders use thicker blade stock than the Umnum (The SNG is 0.1875" vs 0.140" for the Umnum). I think Striders will always have their place in the market; some even have NSNs. That being said, I really like knives that use 6Al-4V on both sides of the handle. G10 will likely provide better grip under most conditions, but I like the symmetry of Ti on both sides. Anyway, to each his own. Cheers folks.
 
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DaveH said:
I think CRK is wasting and wasted time going after the tactical market with the new folder.
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won't be a waste of time for him if he sells thousands of them, which he probably will. and if the buyers love and charish them... why a waste?
 
The Umthing might be a better knife in every way, but until CRK backs their products the way Strider does, it's still at a disadvantage from a "tactical" point of view, IMO. Strider might call you a dumbass for wrecking one of their knives, but they will replace it.
 
I've been carrying an Emerson mini cqc7 for 2yrs., but now I've found my thrill. Im very glad that CRK designed the Umnumzaan. IMO, is both a utility and tactical. I feel better depending my life on the Umnumzaan than my mini cqc7. There have been people complaining about the name of this "Umnumzaan." To me, I don't care what her name is. As long as she look sharp and useful at all time.
 
When the question arrises concerning "tough use" knives, my first thought is "what are they doing with these knives and how are they using them?"

So I'll ask it here...what is it that you guys do that you require a folder to perform as a fixed blade or pry bar? What's the toughest thing you ever had to cut or use your knife for? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate these high end knives as much as anyone, and while I know a $30 knife can do all that a $400 one can, I still wonder just what it is that you NEED out of a knife. To my thinking, the Strider vs. Sebenza vs. Umnumzaan debate can go on forever, but they are all over built and ready to handle any task that, dare I say, 90% of us will use them for. From most posts I've read, a majority of users are using them for opening packages, cutting rope or cardboard, prying staples out paper, or yardwork. With a few exceptions there are those who carry primarily for self defense. But all told I think any one of these knives can handle any of the tasks mentioned with ease.

In the end I guess you have to decide what is most important in a knife...slicing ability, edge retention, carving, self-defense, asthetics, cool factor, ergonomics, low maintenance etc.

In fairness to Chris Reeve he offers a solid warranty so long as the knife was being used as a knife, and not a chisel or a hammer.

Me, I'd feel perfectly happy with any one of the aforementioned knives, they're all solid knives that'll last you a lifetime.
 
coolhand68 said:
When the question arrises concerning "tough use" knives, my first thought is "what are they doing with these knives and how are they using them?"

So I'll ask it here...what is it that you guys do that you require a folder to perform as a fixed blade or pry bar? What's the toughest thing you ever had to cut or use your knife for? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate these high end knives as much as anyone, and while I know a $30 knife can do all that a $400 one can, I still wonder just what it is that you NEED out of a knife. To my thinking, the Strider vs. Sebenza vs. Umnumzaan debate can go on forever.
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Heretic!!! You shall be banished from our presence, but first you will receive 370 lashings, one for each dollar over the $30 knife you speak of that can supposedly be as good or better than a $400 CRK!!!

Seriously though, you can't talk like that around the fiance, I've only recently been spending excess amounts of money on my knives and I have just convinced her that they are worth the money.

Personally though, I USE my folders, they have to be big and/or beefy. The Sebenza fits the bill perfectly for outdoors and in an office/school environment. You take a look at an SNG and it says "krun smash" right on the blade, you pull out a sebenza/umnumzaan, and it says "perfection, all around balanced."

My folders go through hell since I don't really like fixed blades. Plus they are a lot more fun to play around with. I baton, cut, slice, cook, carve, make things with my folders. Don't get me wrong, I do spoil my knives rotten, but when I need them, they better work. So it only seems right that the word "Sebenza" translates to "work."
 
The folks that love Striders are just as passionate about how awesome their blades are as the folks that love the Reeves.

Personally I have been on both sides of this fence a few different times.

There are reasons / factoids / opinions (often by folks that don't have one or the other) that have been and will be thrown around for a long time as to which is best, and the truth is those that have had several of both are split down the middle as to which they like best for the given day.

All boils down to personal preference / mood / environment /tasks - in short; way to many variables to make a clear determination of or if one is "better" than the other.

I'm glad for both companies - they are geared well to suit their Customer base, and hopefully both are making a good living at it.

Take it easy as you can,

sp
 
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Don't get me wrong, I own Sebbies and have owned Busse's and customs as well. So I'm not debating price points at all. I just wonder how tough is tough enough? I own several Benchmades and they are as smooth, sharp and durable as my Sebbies and I feel perfectly confident that my Benchmades and Spyderco's will do anything and everything I ask of them. That said, I feel the Reeve knives and Strider's are built to handle any task you could wish of them within the limitations of a folder or knife in general.

Each brand has a loyal following, and I don't think either maker will see a decline in sales as a result of the other's new knife introductions. This week I plan on fondling a few Umnumzaan's. Afterward I'll have a definite idea as to whether or not it will replace a Sebbie or gets bumped up the on the wish list ahead of an SnG. Regardless, it's nice to have that many quality knives on the market to choose from.
 
Easily ahead of the smaller SnG. But the race is close when compared to the larger SMF. And no, a Spydie and a Bench cannot do everything a CRK can. They would not be able to hold my attention for as long as a CRK would, for example :) .
 
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