Wood vs micarta

M

mep

Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
63
I am wanting to buy a small Sebenza and plan to use it and carry it every day in my pocket. I want one with inlays and I prefer the look of the wood inlays over the micarta. I know that the micarta should wear better and is designed more for this purpose but I still like the wood.

Which hardwood would you who are knowledgeable suggest that I go for when thinking about longevity? Does anyone have any experience with the different woods?
 
they are all stabilized, so should hold up fine.

i actually like when natural scales have a worn in look.
 
I dont have a sebenza with wood, but I have 2 mnundi. There is alot of wood exposed and a larger piece than the sebenza has. I have 1 with cocobolo and 1 with bocote. both have been used and carried quite a bit and both look like new. They have been dropped on hard floors and all with no damage. Any wood you pick will look beautiful and will be as durable as it is beautiful. I would go with a lighter wood with some nice grain to it, it will definately make you appreciate it more. Definately go with the wood in my opinion.
 
Last edited:
I read that the Lignum Vitae is probably the hardest of the woods but that over a period of years it will turn green colored. I am leaning towards the cocobolo. I am glad to hear that they will hold up.

Nyfemaker, I also want a Mnundi and your answer helps with my question. Sometimes I think that the Mnundi might actually be a better knife for my uses than the Sebenza.
 
The Mnundi are awsome. I was able to obtain the damascus cocobolo mnundi on ebay for $386, NMIB, what a deal. I traded a small sebenza for my bocote mnundi. I wanted one to carry everyday and wanted to keep the damascus nice. I actually used the damascus more and its great. I used it for everything, now its in the safe. I like the lighter wood of the bocote over the cocobolo. I originally wanted camel thorn, but was unable to find one at the time, so I set my sites on the bocote. If your going to use the knife for everyday cutting and nothing extremely heavy duty, the mnundi will definately fit the bill. My dream mnundi is a bark mammoth ivory, but just dont have the funds for one.

I will take a pic of both of mine so you can see a comparison !!! Give me a few....
 
I have owned two CRK folders with wood scales, that I should have kept (you know how ti goes). Lg coco Seb classic, and coco Mnandi. The wood looked great, and was durable. However, remember that the blade on the wood Sebs is polished. The micarta ones are bead blasted. For using, I prefer the micarta. The woods just look a heckuva lot better. Polished blade, wood inlay, gold thumbstud.
 
I took some pics for you to see the comparisons. I could take better pics outside in daylight, but these are not too bad. First are a couple pics where you can see the size comparison between the large, small sebenzas and the mnundi. The others show the darker cocobolo and the lighter bocote. I wear size large gloves, so you can see the mnundi is not that small !!!
mycrk1.jpg

mycrk2.jpg

mycrk3.jpg

mycrk4.jpg

mycrk5.jpg

mycrk6.jpg
 
Thanks for posting the pictures. I agree that I like the lighter colored bocote best. Those mnandis are sweet. Obviously, I am going to have to get one after I get the small Sebenza. Why are knives so addicting?
 
Its easy to become a CRK addict, they have so many great models in nearly every configuration they offer. From the one piece line to the folders, all are great, wish i would have one of each.......I am working on it....lol.
 
I had a bocote small classic Seb & liked it, but my small classic micarta is a MUCH better user, IMHO. It's more durable & has better grip & just makes for a better EDC/EDU folder. For the most part, I rotate between my small micarta Seb & lg. classic CGG Seb with a G-10 scale (Have a digicam one coming soon).

If you're totally set on wood, I'm not sure any are better than another because they're all stabalized, I believe. If not, then the Ligum Vitae would probably be the best choice.
 
If you like the wood then go for it they are very durable. Micarta may be close to indestructable but the wood works great.:thumbup:
 
I carry a large cocobolo inlay classic. The wood had shown no problems and feels great in the hand.

Don't worry about durability, they will hold up fine for a long time
 
Thanks for the opinions and experiences with your Sebenzas. When I called Chris Reeves they suggested the micarta but it just isn't as pretty as the wood inlays.
 
Keep in mind the wood inlay will have a satin finish on the front side and BB on the lock side.

I didn't like the shiney side on the wood and sold it to buy my micartas.
I also put in the matt pins/screws, and like them much better on the micarta sebbie.
Put this pic up before, but here it is again in case you want to see a matt micarta.
IMG_1815.jpg
 
Ken44 said:
Keep in mind the wood inlay will have a satin finish on the front side and BB on the lock side.

I didn't like the shiney side on the wood and sold it to buy my micartas.
I also put in the matt pins/screws, and like them much better on the micarta sebbie.
Put this pic up before, but here it is again in case you want to see a matt micarta.
IMG_1815.jpg
Click to expand...

Very Nice, Especially with the satin screws !!!
 
You guys are making my decision harder. LOL Maybe this is why so many have more than on Sebenza.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top