Unlock difficulty - Lg vs small Sebenza?

M

Mrgauth

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Mar 12, 2016
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I am looking to get a Seb21 Insingo and am curious how much easier is the small to disengage the lock bar than the large? As best I can tell the Ti is thinner on the small, so in theory it should be much easier to push the lock bar over. Is that true for those who have both?

I have a large regular Seb21 but have never held a small and I find the large a tad bit difficult to disengage with my aging fingers.

So, is the small just a ton easier or the difference minimal to not noticeable?
 
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Appreciate the reply. That is surprising, but maybe the ti thickness is not as different as I thought.
 
The difference is negligible. However, both my small Inkosis seem very easy to disenage. I almost didn’t get an Inkosi and I’m so glad I did. They are some of my favorite knives.

i.ashx

i.ashx
 
I've had quite a few of each size. Primarily, I only bought the "smalls" due to how pretty they are when dressed up in custom woods. In the small CRK's, they are too SHORT for me to hold on to them. When I want to unlock the lockbar with my thumb, I have to push the knife a bit forward in my palm, and it falls forward onto the floor...(well...almost).
All my smalls are long gone, but I do like their appearance.
I edc a large Sebbie or Zaan for the last six or seven years.
 
I own two large Sebenzas (one old large regular and a large 21 Insingo). And one small 21 Insingo. They are all about the same to unlock, with the exception that sometimes my small feels like I might drop it when unlocking it. None are difficult to unlock, but they are secure in the open position.

I also own an Umnumzaan and a small Inkosi. The Umnumzaan is much harder to unlock than the Sebenzas, while the small Inkosi is by far my easiest CRK knife to unlock. I NEVER feel as if I might drop the small Inkosi during the unlocking phase. Also, I find the small Inkosi more comfortable than the small 21 Insingo, and it feels more ergonomic and secure in my hand, even though it's a bit smaller than the small 21. Even though the small Inkosi unlocks extremely easily, it's still very secure in the locked open position.

So my personal favorite CRKs for carry/use are my large 21 Insingo and my small Inkosi.

Jim
 
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You wouldn’t think that a pocket clip would make a big difference in the lock bar tension on a CRK, but it does. I’ve got a large inkosi and it is by far the easiest of all my CRK’s to disengage the lock bar. Never handled a small.
IMO, there’s not much difference between the large and small concerning lock bar tension. Sometimes a small spring is more difficult to compress than a larger spring.
 
The Inkosis do not experience lock stick because of the ceramic BB lockface. Although most CRKs experience minimal lockstick anyway.

Just referring to the force the sprung lockbar pushes itself towards the opposite scale with I would say they uare about even between large and small models.

Even though the large does have thicker scales the cutout on the lockbar is actually determines how stiff the lock is. I just compared them and the Ti is cut to be just as thin on each knife for the lockbar relief cut. I imagine this is to make the knives comparably similar in unlocking difficulty. I would imagine that as it is a longer lever, the large 21 may be slightly easier to unlock. In practice there seems to be no discerniyble difference.

However I will say this. Close the Sebenza and look through the spine side at how close the edge is to the open back. Wow! I can catch the edge with my finger nail easily. If I tried pushing a fatty part of a finger in there I could easily cut myself. Oddly enough I only noticed this today.
 
While your mileage may vary, so to speak, there is a flip side to your question that you may want to consider. Depending on the dexterity remaining in your fingers and the size of your hands ... the small Sebenza may be a little more difficult to "open" one-handed than to close. You may need to change your normal grip a little so that you do not apply excessive pressure on the lock bar (too much pressure would make it a little more difficult to open one handed). There is so much more frame to hold onto with the large, that if you are going from the large to the small (with aging fingers) you might find it a little more difficult to open. If you are aware of this, and consciously grip the knife frame accordingly ... should be no problem. I do not carry my remaining small Sebenza much anymore ... but when I do, I have to think about how I am holding the knife to open it easily.
 
Thx. You answered my questions and concerns. Gonna stick with large. Now just have to decide between ti or carbon fiber one. Decisions decisions. But that has to do with my eyes and not my hands. Thanks BF.
 
Lapedog said:
However I will say this. Close the Sebenza and look through the spine side at how close the edge is to the open back. Wow! I can catch the edge with my finger nail easily. If I tried pushing a fatty part of a finger in there I could easily cut myself. Oddly enough I only noticed this today.
Click to expand...

Both of my Sebenza 25s have bitten me while closed with little papercut type slices without much force applied. My large Starbenza gave me a pretty nasty slice but I was gripping it very tightly while tightening the lanyard and the knife slipped a tiny bit through my fingers.

i.ashx
 
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photoman12001 said:
Both of my Sebenza 25s have bitten me while closed with little papercut type slices without much force applied. My large Starbenza gave me a pretty nasty slice but I was gripping it very tightly while tightening the lanyard and the knife splipped a tiny bit through my fingers.

i.ashx
H,
Click to expand...

Yes those type of shallow papercut like slices are exactly what I was talking about. For reason it doesn't seem to be an issue with the small Sebbies.

I actually noticed it when closing my large 21. I felt something hitting my palm from inbetween the scales at the spine of my knife.
 
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