What are the Competitors to the Chris Reeve SEBENZA? Are there any?

[Kettleman]

Do you have a link to this? Interested to hear how he worded that. I figured that the failure mode for both would be buckling at the lock relief, not the lock face breaking. One thing that's nice about the 21 version, though, is that titanium galls against steel, making it less likely that the lock will slip after a sudden shock. Whether you're likely to encounter that in regular use is a different matter...

I'm starting to think that I need to add an Inkosi at some point, seems like the missing piece alongside my 21 and Umnumzaan

And then since you are “ that close” you might as well get a 25 and then oh what the hell a 31.

At least that’s how it happened to me!

 

[gooeytek]

Curtiss.

 

[Boattale]

We're taking a spur of the moment trip to Colorado for a few days. The Inkosi will definitely be going along.

 

[norcalAF]

This arrived this morning, glad I gave the Large Inkosi a shot, the small sebenza I had before was way too small, this one is looking great so far!
View attachment 2306721

 

[Therom]

I am a big CRK fan.
Other folders I would consider if you are interested in the Sebenza or Umnumzaan are IMO:
More in the $600-700
- Koenig Arius (flipper or non-flipper)
- Demko AD20 (full titanium if possible)

On your $500 range
- Spartan SHF
- Les Georges VECP
- Hinderer XM18 or Eklipse 3.5

Under your $500 range
- TRM Atom Ti

 

[marchone]

The knife I EDC the most is a custom Laconico EZC. The knife is executed as flawlessly as my Sebenza yet has superior ergonomics in my opinion. A handful of other custom, midtech and production knives match the CRK or come close. My Trevor Burger, Jens Anso and Shirogorov knives come to mind too.

As to ergonomics I place a high value on ease of opening and closing. I tend to prefer flippers for their fidget quality which makes them snap open on command. The Sebenza doesn’t win anything in that category.

I have a Herman Sting on its way. I have high expectations for it. I hope I’m not disappointed.

 

[goldie]

The Spartan Harsey i like a giant Zaan in a way i have one its a great knife, and i think a VECP would also be a good choice,too.They are very good quality too.

 

[Modernflame]

Do you have a link to this? Interested to hear how he worded that. I figured that the failure mode for both would be buckling at the lock relief, not the lock face breaking.

Took me a while to find it. The conversation about the lock starts around the 50 minute mark. I find it to be an interesting discussion about the materials, although I certainly won't be doing anything with a folding knife that would challenge either version of the lock.

 

[luethge]

Les George - EXTREMELY UNDERRATED.

 

[Ozmose]

Never handled one, but I've heard the Toor Merchant referred to many times as "the poor mans Sebenza".
Looks like the SHF has been mentioned many times here, I can second that, but it's definitely a good bit larger than the Sebenza.
Another I'd throw in is the Arno Bernard IMamba. It's a custom, so there will be a little bit of a wait, but it's actually in the same price range depending on how you configure it. The Bernard brothers are out of South Africa, and pretty much attributed CRK as a big inspiration for the knife.

Toor Merchant


Arno Bernard IMamba

 

[luethge]

Left to right

Laconico CJ
Inkosi large
Les George VCEP
21 large
SHF large
Les George Talos

No bearings, no springs, nothing to really wear out. Lots of similarities. CRK’s are definitely responsible for pioneering this style ( as far as I know ).

 

[VorpelSword]

Tangent but related:

What are the direct competitors to the Chris Reeve "Green Beret"?

Amog other things, I'd like to see CRK make a bayonet version of, or a conversion for the GB.

A run of longer blades in the GB line might be interesting too.

I know that CRK is a production operation, and it would not be practical to do special projects. I am just wishing.

 

[brownshoe]

Sorry but you meant to say the Sebenza 25 not 21 correct? It was completely designed by Chris as his final upgrade to the Sebenza. No pivot bushing and the ceramic ball interface instead of the hardened lock bar.

A knife that became the Inkosi ( which last I heard was what Chris carried) only because the 21 was so loved and by then had become greater than the sum of its parts. It had become a legendary standard that other knives were compared to not because it was better.

I’ll take the 25 over the 31 and the 31 over the 21. I own, use and love them all but it is what it is.

I agree, to me me the lack of a bushing and the ceramic ball were the end of the classic sebenza.

 

[Don_Logan]

Not sure if it has been mentioned but as far as looks go the Kody Eutsler DUK is pretty close. I own both a 21 and a DUK. The DUK is a fun one to carry and I enjoy it more than the 21. This is primarily do to the fact the DUK it on bearings and its one of my favorite knives to deploy.

 

[norcalAF]

Not sure if it has been mentioned but as far as looks go the Kody Eutsler DUK is pretty close. I own both a 21 and a DUK. The DUK is a fun one to carry and I enjoy it more than the 21. This is primarily do to the fact the DUK it on bearings and its one of my favorite knives to deploy.

If you haven't tried Kershaw's KVT system on a flipper, you owe it to yourself. Flipping amazing!

 

[Tsujigiri]

Took me a while to find it. The conversation about the lock starts around the 50 minute mark. I find it to be an interesting discussion about the materials, although I certainly won't be doing anything with a folding knife that would challenge either version of the lock.

Thanks for digging that up, man, I found it very interesting. It sounds like he mentioned both the lock relief and the interface as failure points, wish he had specified whether it was a permanent deformation or not. The bigger surprise to me was that he said lock wear was starting to be an issue with the newer supersteels, I'm guessing because of the carbide content? He briefly alluded to that, but I don't think I've ever seen an instance where someone was able to wear out the lock face from regular use on a 21 or earlier.

That does remind me of another point when talking about Chris Reeve's knives compared to others; these knives are designed and refined using feedback from users who really put these knives through their paces. That's one area where the high end Chinese makers will never be able to compete, and even most American brands don't offer that. There's more of a separation between the manufacturer and the customer, and they essentially wash their hands of the knives once they leave the factory. On the other hand, CRK is collecting feedback from users and taking in knives for repair or refurbishment, so they see first hand what works and what doesn't, and gradually eliminate any weak points in the design.

 

[goldie]

^Also, Chinese designs come and go; i cant think of one knife with a particular design made in China from 5 years ago that is still around today.They drown the market with designs and new products to the point that many get lost in the shuffle.Sebenza has been around for decades.....