Spyderco Forums

Hi all,

I have kind of a dilemma..I've been contemplating the purchase of a small sebenza 21..
I do have around 30 or more folders, but I don't see myself as a "collector"..I'd really like to use my knives
however, that being said, I always end up being hesitant to use the ones that are on the more expensive side
so what ends up happening is that the knife will sit in the drawer and wont see any actual use

If I do purchase a sebenza, that would make it my most expensive folding knife, and I'd hate to spend that kind of money for something I'll probably not use!

Do any of you sebenza owners actually use yours? I'm definitely not rich by any means, and $400 is quite a lot of money to spend on a knife...
How do you guys justify carrying an expensive knife, carrying in the pocket, possibly scratching the titanium..accidentally dropping it, etc etc

help me decide!!
Or help me get over my hesitation to use my knives! lol

I've contemplated the same thing, but I always end up buying two or three Spyderco folders instead.

Hi Leon!


It's pretty simple for me: I'll Never Buy Anything I don't Plan to Use. :D That said, I'd never pay a nickel for a knife that ain't worth it.

And I can assure you the Seb doesn't even worth a third of their street price. :rolleyes:

I am not a fan of chris reeve knives due to the low HT, that said if you like it, CRK are the last knife you should be worried about using and getting marked up. The stonewash hides scratches on the blade well, and any marks on the handle can be refinished by chris for minimal cost. I would recommend buying second hand as the F&F will be amazing like they all are and you can get it at a much better cost

I looked at Sebenza's , Stryders, Daryl Ralph and a lot of other expensive knives at the blade show last year and was disappointed in them all for the price. That's why I'm on the Spyderco Forum because I think they are the best knives in the world for the money.No two small slabs of titanium with a blade sandwiched between them is worth five hundred dollars .If the handles were made from solid gold maybe. I have a Sage 2 that I paid $147.95 for brand new and for the money I'll take it over a Sebenza any day plus it has the same S30V blade.

Thank you all for your replies..very good points indeed.

And yes a very good point is, why would I want to carry a sebenza over, say my caly 3.5, native 5..or my southard?
Those three combined costed me less than a seb 21 will...
so again, the more I think about it, the more I lean towards not buying one...

they do hold value quite well tho..I might buy one off the forums and sell it soon after..just to get it out of my system lol


btw, that jdavis882 video and the s35vn messed up edge (CRK low heat treat?) worries me too..more reason I probably wouldnt use it even if I owned it lol

If you like the Sebenza concept (aesthetic and design philosophy) I would grab one. You can buy 2 or 3 Spydies but most people only carry a knife, maybe two at once. My brother has a couple CR's, a large and small Insingo and I've changed my mind on them completely. It's a solid tool even if it doesn't hold an edge like a Spyderco with Unobtainium_01 steel.

I personally ended up scrounging some money and buying a semi-custom from Kingdom Armory, a mini Samaritan. Similar to the Small Sebbie concept and built like a tank. It's prob my favorite folder at this point but I have to think some of that is the cost alone and knowing it's a small-scale project. That and I respect what David Rydbom does as a maker.

Cutting videos are overrated (IMO). If you use a tool and sharpen it when it gets dull it should accomplish a reasonable amount of work. When was the last time you had to fill three trashbags with cardboard scraps just to punch out for the day?

Note: I totally respect Spencer's opinion but second hand has to be done with an ounce of care. There are ton of fakers out there and nothing hurts like dropping $300 for a knife that isn't as expected.

I like many aspects of the CRK concept. I now own a few (though I never thought I would own one 5 years ago) and they are still impressive to me every time I carry one. The high hollow blade grind is my favorite part. I do however prefer the older CRKs in BG42, but that's just my personal taste and they tend to bring a premium on the secondary market if you can find them.

Before I bought a Sebenza I would have to ask myself two questions because I'm anything but rich. First would I be able to sell that thing and get my money back if I got into a jam financially and second if I got into financial trouble would I hate myself for having $500 sunk into a pocket knife.

Blerv wrote:If you like the Sebenza concept (aesthetic and design philosophy) I would grab one. You can buy 2 or 3 Spydies but most people only carry a knife, maybe two at once. My brother has a couple CR's, a large and small Insingo and I've changed my mind on them completely. It's a solid tool even if it doesn't hold an edge like a Spyderco with Unobtainium_01 steel.

I personally ended up scrounging some money and buying a semi-custom from Kingdom Armory, a mini Samaritan. Similar to the Small Sebbie concept and built like a tank. It's prob my favorite folder at this point but I have to think some of that is the cost alone and knowing it's a small-scale project. That and I respect what David Rydbom does as a maker.

Cutting videos are overrated (IMO). If you use a tool and sharpen it when it gets dull it should accomplish a reasonable amount of work. When was the last time you had to fill three trashbags with cardboard scraps just to punch out for the day?

Note: I totally respect Spencer's opinion but second hand has to be done with an ounce of care. There are ton of fakers out there and nothing hurts like dropping $300 for a knife that isn't as expected.

Good points...and yea I do agree about having to be careful on the secondary markets...
If I do get one, I'd want the insingo..I think most fakes out there (to my knowledge) have the original blade shape

RanCoWeAla wrote:Before I bought a Sebenza I would have to ask myself two questions because I'm anything but rich. First would I be able to sell that thing and get my money back if I got into a jam financially and second if I got into financial trouble would I hate myself for having $500 sunk into a pocket knife.

Yes, and yes again.
Now what?! :p

3rdGenRigger wrote:I've contemplated the same thing, but I always end up buying two or three Spyderco folders instead.

I like the way you think sir!

Sebenza = good tool...

If you can afford it, get it and have no regrets...

It will serve you very well in most cutting tasks anyone could ever run up against :)

I used to own a sebenza. I think they're good knives with excellent warranty. Why did I sell mine? I think sebenzas have a certain style, and it's not my style.

One thing I'll add--if you're one of those people that tend to loose/misplace things, don't buy a $400 knife.

I just have 2 a small21 with ebony inlay and a large Micarta Insingo. I love them both. The sea didn't part and the heavens didn't open when I received them but the more I handle and use them the more I appreciate the design, simplicity and quality. some say they have had trouble with the heat treat , I can't say I have my small is s30v and my large is s35vn and both are razor sharp and easy to keep sharp. I love both blade shapes and and the finishing is really something that you have to handle for a while to appreciate. Anyway just one man's opinion. Here are mine;

If you have to ask yourself whether or not you can afford a Sebenza (or anything, for that matter, that you want ... but don't absolutely need), the answer is probably no. Whether or not a Sebenza is worth the price ... that is as debatable as asking whether anything is worth a particular price. That said, CRK knives stand out in the world of production knives. (I think Sal even said that Spyderco's would cost a heck of a lot more than they currently do if built to CRK tolerances.) For me, they are well worth the price (as users or collectable pieces). They hold their value fairly well, customer service is OUTSTANDING, and you really begin to appreciate them umteenth time you take them apart to do a cleaning and find they go back together with the same precision as before disassembly. For me, I admire and enjoy collecting and using my CRKs, though most of them are for collecting and admiring. I tend to prefer the 21 and the Mnandi the most. Started out with my first CRK in May of 2012 and, while I have sold some of the ones I have purchased since then, do not regret spending money on any of them. In the end, only you can answer the question of whether or not you should really buy a Sebenza.

...I just hate thumb studs......but that's me.....

:)

Having checked some really expensive customs I think my S30V Sebenza 21 is worth the price Chris Reeve asks for it. Of course it could be cheaper but that applies to all brands if you take into account that the tolerances, smoothness, fit and finish of a Sebenza are in another league compared to most of more affordable knives. About low HT, some people just prefer easy of sharpening and hate steels chipping easily, so I don't think it's a problem unless you're going to cut A LOT of stuff everyday. If that's the case then a S110V Manix2 is much more suited for the task at a fraction of the cost.

Personally, if this was me, I would not. I would rather purchase more than one Spyderco. I am not saying that because I am an everlasting Spyderco fan, I am saying that simply from an economics point of view. However, to those who love Chris Reeve knives, I am not knocking them.

Shop around for a good deal, get it, handle it, use it. You owe it to yourself to try it at least and see how the F&F compares to Spyderco. Sell it if you don't like it!

I own two, a large 21 (S35) and small regular (BG42) and love that they're both LH specific. Enjoy the high hollow grinds and rounded spine, fit and finish. After getting those two and 5 Strider SnGs, it makes me value the Spyderco offerings that much more. They're all good knives, but Spyderco reigns on ergos and blade geometry.

Sebenzas hold their value well. Buy a used one in good condition; if you pay a reasonable price for it, you can resell it if you don't like it without taking much of an economic hit, if any.