Knives to consider with the small Sebenza?

myowngod

myowngod

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Dec 3, 2009
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I'm looking for a small high quality folder (or pair of folders). Ideally around 3" blade 4" handle or a bit smaller (<$500). I am highly considering picking up a small sebenza (also considering the mnandi). I've bought and sold a lot of blades over the years and never had a sebenza, but am well aware of their quality/reputation; however, it has been a few years since my knife obsession peaked and I just want to know if there has been anything out in the last couple of years that I should also consider.

Back when I was buying a new blade every few weeks the only real sebbie comparison was with the alias or sage 2.. now it seems there are all sorts of smaller framelocks so I want to probe the BF wise for alternatives to consider.

This is not a comparison thread. I know the sebbie is very well made. This is a personal decision, therefore I know what bladeshapes, handle styles, etc.. I like.. and would love to see other things I may not know about to at least consider prior to picking up the small sebbie. Price is (relatively) irrelevant if quality is there so I would also be up for a pair of 100-250 dollar folders as a suggestion if they are well made.

I appreciate any suggestions in advance, if you have owned a small sebenza and a comparable folder your thoughts are even more appreciated!

Thanks!
 
Three Sisters Forge Beast. Have only held one briefly, but the quality was there. I believe you can call the knife maker and get one made with a high grade steel.
 
whp said:
Three Sisters Forge Beast. Have only held one briefly, but the quality was there. I believe you can call the knife maker and get one made with a high grade steel.
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That's an interesting blade and something I hadn't seen before, and exactly why I made this thread so thank you. I'm not 100% on the grind but otherwise I like it.
 
I've got a Spyderco Techno inbound, and although it's not a line by line comparison, I understand they compare very favorably.

I'll try to check in here tomorrow to let you know.
 
Grayman Dua is the most comparable to a small Sebenza that I know of.
 
The lionsteel is interesting.. The dua looks good but that grind is pretty stout.. Thanks for the ideas guys keep em coming!
 
I find the sebenza very unique. I think most of us who have gone down this road find it a slippery...slope...

30-50-60 knives in at this bought, traded, sold and kept I havn't found anything that was a close match to the spartan practicality and quality of a Sebenza. Taiching Spydercos get close in quality as did the benchmade pinnacle. The CRKT drifter has a very similar hand feel but if a Sebenza is what you think you need you should just do it. Or at least borrow one or two for a spell. That's what I did. Great knife. I can't picture edc'ing it in NYC but if I lived in a more knife friendly Place I would pick up a micarta insingo and be done with it.

PS from a practicality standpoint anything skeletonized like a techno with its backspacer swapped out is of interest to me right now. I'm trying to try out a techno before plunging and getting a small insingo to see if I would enjoy edc'ing it vs being paranoid that it will cause problems having it on me in NYC. I would also like to try out a burger lexk or boker exskelibur as an edc as well.
 
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Hmm you are probably right. I just figured since I hadn't really kept up with things lately perhaps some new players were in the game and were truly worth considering in the small high quality folder market. I had forgotten about Burger... always loved the simplicity of his knives... will have to look into those before I make my choice.

Thanks!

cchu518 said:
I find the sebenza very unique. I think most of us who have gone down this road find it a slippery...slope...

30-50-60 knives in at this bought, traded, sold and kept I havn't found anything that was a close match to the spartan practicality and quality of a Sebenza. Taiching Spydercos get close in quality as did the benchmade pinnacle. The CRKT drifter has a very similar hand feel but if a Sebenza is what you think you need you should just do it. Or at least borrow one or two for a spell. That's what I did. Great knife. I can't picture edc'ing it in NYC but if I lived in a more knife friendly Place I would pick up a micarta insingo and be done with it.

PS from a practicality standpoint anything skeletonized like a techno with its backspacer swapped out is of interest to me right now. I'm trying to try out a techno before plunging and getting a small insingo to see if I would enjoy edc'ing it vs being paranoid that it will cause problems having it on me in NYC. I would also like to try out a burger lexk or boker exskelibur as an edc as well.
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New knives in general are novel and there's something cool about it. I. E. The buck marksman, the Spyderco domino... At the end of the day they don't have the compactness of a sebenza. I tried out a buck luxe recently, sages 1 and 2 the knives I just mentioned thinking they might substitute for a crk. They don't. The honest answer is I really do like the simpleness of crk. There's no getting around it.

PS the domino is a sick medium sized flipper like a mini zt.... Loved it!
 
Good suggestions above. The Acies 2 is particularly good, but pretty costly since no discount anywhere.
I love Sage 2's and CRK, but I cannot hold onto the small Sebbie as the handle (at <4") is too short for my hand. The Sage 2, OTOH, is 4.22" long, and I can hold it just fine.
With CRK's, I carry either a Large Sebbie or an Umnumzaan. Had many "smalls" also, since they are so pretty with inlays, but always sold them right away...
The Michael Walker Linerlock is also a great knife, but is discont'd.
I really like the Sage models 1-3, and the CRK's. It's very difficult to beat that combo, although there is a ton of good stuff out there these days...including perhaps the ZT 0770CF...very reasonably priced.
 
having had both a Techno and a small Sebenza, I would say the techno might be the closest match. The build quality of the Techno is close enough to a small Sebenza and the cts-xhp holds a better edge. I would suggest you get both and then maybe sell the one you dont end up carrying.
 
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Here's some Spyderco love. What I noticed about the sage' are that if you have large meat paws, lol than the user really appreciates the hand filling-Ness of the sage vs a small sebenza.

I have average size hands myself and like the compactness of the sebenza better. I do t carry any of these in NYC btw. I usually have an Alex cadet or a barlow traditional on me.
 
Hmm got a mini ritter griptilian in yesterday and even though I don't have large hands the short handle concerns me. Since the grip handle isn't much smaller than the small sebenza... I started looking for knives that fell in between the small and large sebenza and picked up a zt770. Figured I would keep the mini grip and see how I feel about it after a bit before getting the small sebbie. I love its size in pocket but it needs an extra 1\2-1\4 inch on the handle.. The regular is a little larger than what I was looking for so if the ZT and Ritter fill my desires I'll grab a lg sebenza just to try it. If not... I'll probably sell them and get one anyway!
 
I received my new Spyderco Techno today, and I can say that is arguably one of the best folding knives I've ever owned, and I used to own a large Sebenza.

The Techno is a very, very nice knife, and finally getting it in my hands on one makes me understand why folks are still buzzing about it. If you're considering it, pull the trigger. You won't be disappointed.
 
Lionsteel TiSpine. It's still a "bigger" knife, but carries super slim and feels much smaller in the pocket than it is.
Plus it's pretty cool.
 
Turtle I had not seen that lionsteel before but it perfectly fills the gap between the small and large sebenza! I dig the design too! Thanks for that suggestion.
 
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