Chris Reese Sebanza folder and M. Prater Painted Pony pocket knives

G

Grizzly Bear

Well-Known Member
I just bought a Chris Reese's Sabenza pocket knife. I paid over $450 for it. Now that I have it and tried to use it, I am wondering if this knife is worth $450. It is well built but arrived dull. It could hardly cut paper. I sent the knife back and they re-sharpened it. It is still dull. Is this knife really worth $450 to you guys. I feel like I fell into the trap of looking at a U-Tube video that said the knife was an ultimate knife. What do you think?

I was watching Cutlery Corner and they are selling "Painted Pony" knifes from Mike Prater. He wants $350 for these. I like the looks of them but don't know if they are worth as much as the TV guy says. Is this just another thing for a late night person to blow his money on just because it is pretty?

Please give me your feed back.

God Bless

Grizzly Bear
 
Grizzly Bear said:
I just bought a Chris Reese's Sabenza pocket knife. I paid over $450 for it. Now that I have it and tried to use it, I am wondering if this knife is worth $450. It is well built but arrived dull. It could hardly cut paper. I sent the knife back and they re-sharpened it. It is still dull. Is this knife really worth $450 to you guys. I feel like I fell into the trap of looking at a U-Tube video that said the knife was an ultimate knife. What do you think?

I was watching Cutlery Corner and they are selling "Painted Pony" knifes from Mike Prater. He wants $350 for these. I like the looks of them but don't know if they are worth as much as the TV guy says. Is this just another thing for a late night person to blow his money on just because it is pretty?

Please give me your feed back.

God Bless

Grizzly Bear
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear about your sebenza not living up to your expectations.

I have an startac umnumzaan. And its a solid well built knife. Expensive.

I guess what makes the Crk folders worth the money is the tolerances in which they are made. They literally have tighter tolerances than the aerospace industry. That and the warranty is fantastic.

I guess value is somewhat subjective. I think they're definitely worth their price. But for reasons that someone else might find irrelevant.
 
First, it's Chris ReeVe, not ReeSe. Just sayin'. :D :) Not trying to be a jerk, just mentioning in case you call and talk to him on the phone or something. :)

Which model do you have? The large or small? And is it decorated with any type of graphic?

I've owned several, both large and small, but quite a few years ago and haven't had one in recent years at all. The ones I had were some of the earliest models. I liked the looks of the originals better than the models they make now. I know the differences are subtle but they are noticeable. I think they were then, the very best quality folder on the market, at least as far as production knives. Today, I'd say that they are still in the top two or three, again at least in production knives. I'm talking as far as quality of construction, durability and value.

The one issue I had was that if you used them hard, especially the large size, where you had to squeeze them, they weren't very comfortable and kind of hurt the hand. Maybe it was just how they referenced in my hand. Never had any lock issues or other failures from using them hard, they were just a little uncomfortable. Maybe that's the reason behind the subtle changes in the newer models?

If I remember right, when I first got one, you could get a small, plain sebenza for $305 and the large plain one was $335. I don't know what the plain ones go for new now. I still think they're probably pretty good value for the money. Mine were always sharp and always performed well. Sorry to hear that you got one, twice now, that wasn't very sharp. I'm maybe call them up politely and explain the situation. Customer service has always been very good.

I think they're still cheaper than most customs that are in that ball park as far as quality goes.
 
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No disrespect to Chris Reeve; I never could spell and was too lazy to go and get the knife and read how the name is spelled (sent thread at 3:00 am).

When I sent back the knife to be re-sharpened, they were very good at taking the knife back. I hadn't sent in my registration card. They just wanted to know where I had bought it so that they would be sure I wasn't wasting their time with a Chinese knock-off.

I bought the new large Sebenza for $450.00. It is plain grey without any decoration. Yes it is hard on your hands.

I called the customer service and asked about the sharpness. She said that they had changed the way they sharpen the knife. She said they no longer "polish" the knives. John you know a heck of a lot more than me, does she mean that they no longer polish the blade like you would polish a katana to get it razor sharp?
I don't know but she did indicate that they are treating the knives differently when it comes to sharpening.

God Bless

Grizzly Bear
 
Grizzly Bear said:
No disrespect to Chris Reeve; I never could spell and was too lazy to go and get the knife and read how the name is spelled (sent thread at 3:00 am).

When I sent back the knife to be re-sharpened, they were very good at taking the knife back. I hadn't sent in my registration card. They just wanted to know where I had bought it so that they would be sure I wasn't wasting their time with a Chinese knock-off.

I bought the new large Sebenza for $450.00. It is plain grey without any decoration. Yes it is hard on your hands.

I called the customer service and asked about the sharpness. She said that they had changed the way they sharpen the knife. She said they no longer "polish" the knives. John you know a heck of a lot more than me, does she mean that they no longer polish the blade like you would polish a katana to get it razor sharp?
I don't know but she did indicate that they are treating the knives differently when it comes to sharpening.

God Bless

Grizzly Bear
Click to expand...
I sent my umnum in October and got it back around Christmas and it was real sharp. But who knows maybe people were complaining. Sorry that the experience has been so poor for you.
 
It's hard to say what happened for sure over the years. I don't know if they are trying to quicken things up to meet demand or what.

I'm assuming she meant they don't polish the edges. But that shouldn't have anything to do with the general sharpness. It should still slice paper like a razor if it's sharp, polished or not.

Again, it's been so long since I've had any experience with any Reeve knives I'm not really up on them anymore. Let me reach out to someone and see if he can shed any light here. I don't know if he will be able to offer any help but I'll ask.
 
Just a couple of thoughts.....the first thing that pops into my mind is the fact that this is a production knife you are dealing with, which means its simply not going to get the same level of attention to detail as a "custom" knife produced by a single individual.
Its been several years since I've been through the Reeve's facility, but back then I would consider it somewhere between a "mid-tech" and "production" type facility....meaning that some of the work is done by human hands, but theres also a good portion done via automation. The machines only do what humans program them to do. I guess what I'm trying to say is..... no matter what the price is, in my experience you are simply not going to realize the same consistent quality level in a mid-tech/production knife, as you do with one produced by a single custom maker. With a mid-tech/production knife, there is always a compromise.....between quality level and production, so some things may not always be "spot on". Whereas with a single custom knifemaker, his/her entire reputation rests on each knife that goes out the door, and therefore EVERYTHING about each knife, must be the best it can be.

Its all about the amount of value for your dollar. Personally, I simply don't think one can expect the same consistent level of quality/craftsmanship with a mid-tech/production knife compared to a "custom" knife....no matter what the price point.
 
Thanks for the input guys. This makes me feel better in a way knowing that I shouldn't
expect the same quality of knife (custom steel, hardness, toughness and handle comfort) as a
custom knife from a very good knife maker.

Bye the way, Ed Caffrey, I like your frankness and no B.S. answers on this forum. Thanks for being you!

Grizzly Bear
 
I don't know of any manufacturer that uses the highest quality steel for their blades. A good custom hand made knife made by a good knifemaker has a high quality steel blade. The type of steel and the heat treating determine the edge holding ability of a blade. The heat treat method for the good steels is too fussy and it takes too much time for a production knife.

Factory made blades are usually stamped out from sheet steel. Good knife quality steel would tear up the dies.


Soooo, if you want the best go to a custom knife maker. :s12138::s11041::taz:
 
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