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Wood or Micarta Inlay?

S

spkn01

Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
430
Hey guys,

I have two small sebenzas, a regular and 21 :) I'm looking to try out an inlay version. Just curious what you prefer and why... I'll honestly probably end up with both in the future.

Wood or Micarta? Thoughts?

Thanks!
 
My micarta is in my EDC line up. I have that both in a small and large. I have a large wood inlay but don't carry it that much. Honestly I really love the wood inlay and hope to get one soon in a small. I love the way the wood inlay feels in the hand. It is very warm to the touch and feels great. That's the best way I can describe it.
 
I have a large 21 w madagascan rosewood and it is an edc, looks great and holds up well. i would probably rather have no inlay than having a micarta one, imo. CRK has great looking wood inlays. The choice is yours, enjoy either way. cheers, Kris
 
Micarta is grippier than wood, wood looks better than micarta. Cocobolo is pretty durable, but will get dark fast. I had a large cocobolo classic, and a small African blackwood classic, but I'm looking for desert ironwood classics, large and small.
 
For me, it depends. I found the micarta version to be a better one for use, while the wood inlay models are so darn good looking (Great for the collection or as a "dress" knife).
 
Considering you already have a couple sebenza's then I would personally go for a wood inlay version. I have a small micarta sebenza.

I'm considering wood inlay but it will probably be a Mnandi.
 
I'd say start with the micarta and enjoy using it.
Then get a wood inlay for those dressier occasions.
hope this helps

red mag
 
The micarta is prob the only sebenza I dont have. What exactly is micarta made from? Looks like a durable cloth material?
Thanks.
 
mag1 said:
The micarta is prob the only sebenza I dont have. What exactly is micarta made from? Looks like a durable cloth material?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Nevermind guys, i know what it is..I do have a knife with it, just not a sebenza. Still hungover I guess! Get both.
 
The micartas are great users. I was initially put off by the idea of paying the same amount for micarta as for the wood inlays, but they definitely have a great deal of appeal and utility...so, as the man said, get both! :D

silenthunterstudios said:
Micarta is grippier than wood, wood looks better than micarta. Cocobolo is pretty durable, but will get dark fast. I had a large cocobolo classic, and a small African blackwood classic, but I'm looking for desert ironwood classics, large and small.
Click to expand...
 
haha, so the consensus is get BOTH! I'm leaning towards the S35V Micarta right now... I'll share pics of my Seb collection when I get the next purchase :)
 
I have a lignum vitae inlaid small that I EDC. It's a great knife but I do have my reservations regarding how well the wood will stand up to prolonged use. The wood has already gotten quite a bit darker than when I first got it. Don't get me wrong, it feels solid I just keep thinking that I am going to scratch up the wood terribly or possibly break a chunk out of it.

Anyway, long story short I just ended up ordering the micarta version yesterday. I want my sebenza to be my EDC and what sold me on the micarta is this from the CRK website:

Because we have found most customers choose the micarta inlay as a working knife, S30V blades are tumbled and the handles are sandblasted. Silver thumblug and spacer round out this hardworking functional model. At this time, we offer only Black Canvas Micarta.
Click to expand...

While those are small differences, in general the micarta version just seems like it was designed more as a user. I'll keep my lignum vitae inlaid as my (what my wife calls) "Old Man Knife" :)

*EDIT*

This is a bad comparison because I had a flash in one picture and the lighting is off in the second, but this thread needs pics anyway :) Here is my LV inlaid when I first got it and a picture I took yesterday. If the lighting were better in the second picture you would notice that it's quite a bit darker than the original picture but other than that it has held up very well.

closed.jpg


2011-06-04_17-22-38_727.jpg
 
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seiryu said:
I have a lignum vitae inlaid small that I EDC. It's a great knife but I do have my reservations regarding how well the wood will stand up to prolonged use. The wood has already gotten quite a bit darker than when I first got it. Don't get me wrong, it feels solid I just keep thinking that I am going to scratch up the wood terribly or possibly break a chunk out of it.

Anyway, long story short I just ended up ordering the micarta version yesterday. I want my sebenza to be my EDC and what sold me on the micarta is this from the CRK website:



While those are small differences, in general the micarta version just seems like it was designed more as a user. I'll keep my lignum vitae inlaid as my (what my wife calls) "Old Man Knife" :)

*EDIT*

This is a bad comparison because I had a flash in one picture and the lighting is off in the second, but this thread needs pics anyway :) Here is my LV inlaid when I first got it and a picture I took yesterday. If the lighting were better in the second picture you would notice that it's quite a bit darker than the original picture but other than that it has held up very well.

closed.jpg


2011-06-04_17-22-38_727.jpg
Click to expand...

I don't think you are going to damage that wood. It's one of the hardest most dense woods in the world. Much much harder than oak.
 
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Love 'em! Digging the top folder the most though I must admit. Which model is it?
 
LV! LV! LV! I have a large and a small Classic. LV is totally cool. It was used for bearings on sub prop shafts, among other things. It is one of very, very few woods that will not float! :)
 
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