Kevin
27-02-05, 07:43 PM
This is my long term user review of my Chris Reeves Sebenza .......
I purchased it about 2 years ago...didnt purchase it new..but it was in 'as new' condition. I am not totaly sure what the steel is......but its probably one of those ultra modern stainless types :)
I am not exagerating when I say that my Sebenza has been with me , clipped inside my right hip pocket everyday, 7 days a week...and doesnt just sit hiding in my pocket. He is used daily. The only time I have been without it is when I have to travel thru airports.
I pretty much always carry 2 knives...this one , and one of my own made fixed knives. The sebenza has had the short straw many a time when I have had to cut something.....
..My sebbie isnt one of the prettiest around...it has been a 'user'. Dropped multiple times, the steel has been stained when I have cut fruit and not cleaned aferwards (yes, it did stain and needed buffing out), it has weld spatter over the handle when I left it on a bench I was stick welding,and it has been sharpened enough times that the edge is now worn some way back from where a new one would be.....and because of this wear, the point has also slightly worn away.
There are the usual signs of scratches on the blade but not as many a I thought it would have considering all the cutting it has performed.
The handle now has a very worn and rubbed patina...from handling and constant wearing in my pocket. I actualy like the patina.
I have had a small problem with the spring clip. It bends open a bit too easily, and there have been at least two occasions when it has slipped out of my pocket and fallen on the floor. Both time when I was getting out of the car. I was very lucky both times to have realised it had happened, else it would have been lost. I have re bent the clip so it is now very tightly sprung...but keep checking it every so often.
The nylon cord wore away just a few weeks ago.....it just dropped off!....the knot was still intact, but I guess the nylon rotted. I havent replaced it as yet...and probably wont.
Another problem I had was that that the blade would sometimes not lock fully open. The integrated handle/spring was not 'springing' back as far as it should do to make sure it is safely locked. This resulted in the blade folding on me a couple of times. I took it to Chris Reeves at last years Blade show and showed him. He stripped it down, cleaned it and pushed the spring back a bit more.....It has been perfect since. Chris commented on how 'used' the knife looked (he buffed out the stains)......and re sharpened it for me.
I havent had any problems with the lock since Chris serviced it.
The handle is bomb proof...simple...what can go wrong?.Its not an uncomfortable knife to hold, my index finger rests comfortably in the cut out and my thumb rests on top of the spine. ...Its not specificaly built for comfort, but built for use.....a bit like the old Landrovers.......Actualy, I think thats a good comparism.....If this were a car (in my Jeremy Clarkson voice), then this would be a 110 or a Defender :D
Whenever I make a knife of my own, I also subject them to some cutting tests to check edge retention and ease of sharpening etc...and I have been using my sebbie as a bench mark against my knives of similar size and other makes. So the sebbie has probably made a couple thousand rope cuts ( cutting on a wooden bench), and has shaved quite a bit of wood.
From the use and testing I have done.... edge retention is very good....but no so that it outperfoms well above the edge retention tests I have done on some other knives (custom and production)..........but my tests are not exactly scientific and done in a laboratory :).
Someone reading a book may be able to quote significant differences......but I didnt find anything 'that' significant...testing against what I belived to be quality knives anyway.. ..but then again.....I didnt find anything significantly better either;)........ Can it get any better?
Re honing with a ceramic stick has also been very easy...a couple of swipes and it is sharp.....but thats been pretty common for the knives I have tested and compared it against(mine and others).
I like the hollow grind on this knife.....The grind doesnt leave much steel between sides , so its definately not as strong as other geometries....but then again, this is a cutting and slicing knife, It is not meant to chop wood or bone.
Although the blade is showing signs of sharpening wear......this is not a problem as the geometry of the hollow will maintain easy future sharpening and not need to be re profiled for a long time, if ever, unlike a convex or some full flat grinds.....If and when it gets so bad (and I mean a lot more years of constant use and sharpening)..then I will just get a CR replacement blade :) .
All in all....This knife is a keeper for me... its bomb proof.
I cannot imagine ever wanting to own another folding locking pocket knife as a daily user (subject to legislation on restrictions etc).
The initial purchase price isnt cheap when compared to some other options......but this for me is a long term investment...maybe a life long one :) .
If you own a Sebenza....don't let it sit in your drawer in the dark. It wasnt made to be a 'queen'........it shouts to be used......... :)
http://216.46.248.210/pixc/coutel/sebie-2.jpg
I purchased it about 2 years ago...didnt purchase it new..but it was in 'as new' condition. I am not totaly sure what the steel is......but its probably one of those ultra modern stainless types :)
I am not exagerating when I say that my Sebenza has been with me , clipped inside my right hip pocket everyday, 7 days a week...and doesnt just sit hiding in my pocket. He is used daily. The only time I have been without it is when I have to travel thru airports.
I pretty much always carry 2 knives...this one , and one of my own made fixed knives. The sebenza has had the short straw many a time when I have had to cut something.....
..My sebbie isnt one of the prettiest around...it has been a 'user'. Dropped multiple times, the steel has been stained when I have cut fruit and not cleaned aferwards (yes, it did stain and needed buffing out), it has weld spatter over the handle when I left it on a bench I was stick welding,and it has been sharpened enough times that the edge is now worn some way back from where a new one would be.....and because of this wear, the point has also slightly worn away.
There are the usual signs of scratches on the blade but not as many a I thought it would have considering all the cutting it has performed.
The handle now has a very worn and rubbed patina...from handling and constant wearing in my pocket. I actualy like the patina.
I have had a small problem with the spring clip. It bends open a bit too easily, and there have been at least two occasions when it has slipped out of my pocket and fallen on the floor. Both time when I was getting out of the car. I was very lucky both times to have realised it had happened, else it would have been lost. I have re bent the clip so it is now very tightly sprung...but keep checking it every so often.
The nylon cord wore away just a few weeks ago.....it just dropped off!....the knot was still intact, but I guess the nylon rotted. I havent replaced it as yet...and probably wont.
Another problem I had was that that the blade would sometimes not lock fully open. The integrated handle/spring was not 'springing' back as far as it should do to make sure it is safely locked. This resulted in the blade folding on me a couple of times. I took it to Chris Reeves at last years Blade show and showed him. He stripped it down, cleaned it and pushed the spring back a bit more.....It has been perfect since. Chris commented on how 'used' the knife looked (he buffed out the stains)......and re sharpened it for me.
I havent had any problems with the lock since Chris serviced it.
The handle is bomb proof...simple...what can go wrong?.Its not an uncomfortable knife to hold, my index finger rests comfortably in the cut out and my thumb rests on top of the spine. ...Its not specificaly built for comfort, but built for use.....a bit like the old Landrovers.......Actualy, I think thats a good comparism.....If this were a car (in my Jeremy Clarkson voice), then this would be a 110 or a Defender :D
Whenever I make a knife of my own, I also subject them to some cutting tests to check edge retention and ease of sharpening etc...and I have been using my sebbie as a bench mark against my knives of similar size and other makes. So the sebbie has probably made a couple thousand rope cuts ( cutting on a wooden bench), and has shaved quite a bit of wood.
From the use and testing I have done.... edge retention is very good....but no so that it outperfoms well above the edge retention tests I have done on some other knives (custom and production)..........but my tests are not exactly scientific and done in a laboratory :).
Someone reading a book may be able to quote significant differences......but I didnt find anything 'that' significant...testing against what I belived to be quality knives anyway.. ..but then again.....I didnt find anything significantly better either;)........ Can it get any better?
Re honing with a ceramic stick has also been very easy...a couple of swipes and it is sharp.....but thats been pretty common for the knives I have tested and compared it against(mine and others).
I like the hollow grind on this knife.....The grind doesnt leave much steel between sides , so its definately not as strong as other geometries....but then again, this is a cutting and slicing knife, It is not meant to chop wood or bone.
Although the blade is showing signs of sharpening wear......this is not a problem as the geometry of the hollow will maintain easy future sharpening and not need to be re profiled for a long time, if ever, unlike a convex or some full flat grinds.....If and when it gets so bad (and I mean a lot more years of constant use and sharpening)..then I will just get a CR replacement blade :) .
All in all....This knife is a keeper for me... its bomb proof.
I cannot imagine ever wanting to own another folding locking pocket knife as a daily user (subject to legislation on restrictions etc).
The initial purchase price isnt cheap when compared to some other options......but this for me is a long term investment...maybe a life long one :) .
If you own a Sebenza....don't let it sit in your drawer in the dark. It wasnt made to be a 'queen'........it shouts to be used......... :)
http://216.46.248.210/pixc/coutel/sebie-2.jpg