If you talk about knife on the Internet then you ’ll have it off the Chris Reeve Sebenza is hold up as the pinnacle of production knife ne plus ultra . But what ’s it care to use and express one in the real world ? I let this one sting me to find out .
Full Disclosure : KnifeArt.comprovided this Sebenza for review .
What Is It?
The ultimate fold knife ? Since 1987,Chris Reevehas been build up his visual sensation of perfection . The Sebenza was the first production knife to take in the unattackable , elementary skeletal system lock chamber and is ramp up to obscenely sloshed tolerance that are enunciate to , in some showcase , exceed those of the aerospace industry .
ThisSebenza 25improves on the original with a newfangled “ large hollow ” grind for its S35VN steel blade and uses slab of 6Al4V titanium for its handgrip . A monolithic amount of effort go into insure those handles are precisely straight and bestride precisely parallel ( something titanium is not get it on for ) with the blade on the dot centered between them .
That blade pivot on a phosphor bronze washing machine with a tier of smoothness that has to be felt to be think .
This is a large - bladed Sebenza with a 3.6 - column inch , drop - level vane . fold up up to 4.75 inches , it ’s about as handsome a tongue as you ’ll want to carry in your air hole . The smaller , $ 350Sebenza 21employs a 3 - inch blade that folds to just 4 inches in length .
You see phrasal idiom like “ banking company hurdle , ” “ rock solid , ” “ bench mark , ” “ punctilious , ” and “ modern classic , ” used to key the Sebenza and reviews of them on meeting place and in knife magazines tend to read more like honey letters than they do objective critique . In fact , you ’ll see even see competing knives occasionally grant the reluctant praise of “ Sebenza smooth ; ” that ’s the courteous thing you could say .
Who’s It For?
If you ’re purchasing a $ 450 pocket knife , you ’ve already gone way , right smart down the knife nerd hare yap and build up an obsession with engineering , intensity and tactile quality that exceeds all reason .
The Sebenza is incredibly secure , ergonomically well-disposed and cuts hooey as well as anything . But , you may say the same about knife startingas scummy as $ 14 , if you ’re talking about a fixed blade .
What you ’re corrupt here is the tactile feeling of perfection and you ’re doing that because you find delight in reserve and using the finest potential tools , because you like the idea of one slightly sore perfectionist devising knife in a low workshop , because you want to reward yourself for your backbreaking oeuvre , and because you want the bragging rights of owning not an ape , but the bench mark .
If you spend your evening drinking small mint Bourbon dynasty while talking to like minded multitude on Blade Forums , then you ’re the kind of individual that belike already owns one , if not several of these knife .
Design
The Sebenza is n’t so much designed as it is engineered . get ’s bulge out with the leaf blade , which features a grind that ’s midway between vacuous and flat , uprise to a utterly beveled back that switch to a chamfer where the jimping starts . There ’s double-dealing thumb stud for opening , but Reeve prefers to make freestanding left and correct hand versions of his tongue .
The CPM S35VN steel is a little tougher than the already very prissy , but more commonly found S30V and should hold its edge longer . Reeve treats it to a relatively soft 58 - 59 Rockwell hardness economic value so that it is feasible to preserve yourself .
That pin on a mechanism with national interruption design to bear dirt and span dirt off the steel as you open up it . A bronze washing machine on the curl side improves the hocus-pocus of that pivot and the titanium frame material pairs well with the integral lock as it has wo n’t fatigue or recede its form memory over many decades of use . The lock and bade interface with minute beau ideal , with the lock covering about 90 pct of the blade ’s breadth .
The perimeter of the physical body slabs is doubly beveled , making them very comfortable in your script , while two finger’s breadth cutouts at the front provide a whole unassailable suitcase . The slab are beetle off together by two through bolts , in increase to the pin . The soma is slightly pointed on both end , for use as a non - lethal impact weapon ; in a unsympathetic fist the closed knife protrudes about a 1/4 column inch on both terminal .
Reeve envelop one skeletal system bolt with a small lanyard adjacent to the pouch clipping , which is made from the same fabric as the handgrip .
Using It
Operating the knife extract a opinion of strength and smooth perfection every time you open it . The blade see no resistance in its trend , but neither does it pass open broadly . No other ignition lock you ’ve ever used conveys so much authority every time it engages , but it does take two hands to move the lock out of the elbow room and end the knife .
In your hand , the bevel slabs are both well-heeled and secure , allow you to bear down with much pressure in total assurance . Your hands will not slide on this tongue , even if they ’re wet or it ’s cold out .
But you wo n’t involve to bear down much . Not only does the Sebenza arrive acute than any knife I ’ve before know — just touch it to your skin with no pressure and it will draw blood — but that big hollow pulverisation really does work unbelievable well . The brand is a relatively thick .140 inch , but slices with a level of precision match that of a filet tongue . So , it works just as well preparing dinner party in your kitchen as it does ripping through composition board or trimming gullible branches off a tree . You will not find an easy steel to slue with than this one .
It ’s worth call off out the thumb ramp and jimping , which manage to fascinate your thumb all in use , yet do n’t pop or catch your air pocket when close .
Like
The knive arrives hop on in foam alongside a chamois cloth , tubes of both lubricating oil and Loctite and the three hex key you ’ll require to take apart and serve it . squeamish touches , all .
The only logo is small and subtle . Anyone who cares will in a flash recognize the knife for what it is , but the uninitiated wo n’t be aware you ’re carrying anything outside the average .
The blue thumb studs are a nicely pernicious bit of flair .
The sharpest knife I ’ve ever experience . And that ’s as it comes new , not after it ’s been to a professional sharpener .
The sword is big , thick and strong , yet slices as fine as anything .
The frame lock provide an unerring sense of strength .
The pivot man is so smooth it defies description .
No Like
It does n’t bother me , but collectors may be vex by the easily - marred bead blasted culture . Carry the tongue alongside your keys and it ’ll be scratch up in minutes .
The lanyard serves no discernible purpose , but makes pocket stock awkward .
The cartridge clip impound the knife to your pants with security system , but leave half an inch of the handle protruding . People will easily see that you ’re carrying a knife .
Should You Buy It?
No one need this knife . But , if insanely sloshed tolerance get you off , you ’ll cream your pants every fourth dimension you handle this affair . And man , does it work well at cutting stuff .
Having said that , as someone who carries a knife everywhere I go , I discover the experience of hold a brand to be as essential to overall utility as I do the knife ’s performance once its assailable and being used to cut . And the Sebenza just does n’t carry all that well . It ’s not just the gloomy clip , it ’s also the four start bolts that hold the affair together and those big thumb studs on both side of the blade . It just does n’t tantalise seamlessly in your sac .
So , while I ’ve been trying to make a point of carry the Sebenza around for examination , it ’s myDPx Aculusthat I keep going back to . That knife employs a interchangeable frame lock to the Sebenza and its Niolox sword pivot as swimmingly , but the milled - from - one - slice titanium handgrip is utterly free of excrescence , so it slides into and out of your pocket much more smoothly . Its rich carry clip conceals the integral body of the knife under the lip of your pocket and its thumb hole wo n’t catch anything . I hate to say it , but Pelton has but get a more graceful , more easily carried package that ’s just as estimable at being a knife , too .
And , like other DPx leaflet , the Aculus has one feature I ’ve quickly found to be essential . In either an urban surroundings or around vehicles , its carbide glass breaker adds a surprisingly level of confidence that I ’ll be able to easy bankrupt safe glass either to escape or rescue someone . Use it for that purpose once and you ’ll never go back to a tongue that does n’t have one . This is the fancy brochure that hinge upon in my pocket every day as a result .
reviewSpecsTitanium
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