I'm considering buying a knife.  I've had cheap pocket knives before, but nothing serious and I am very much uneducated and out of my wheelhouse here.

But if I'm going to buy one knife to work with and carry, I'm going to buy a good one.

And I think I've narrowed it to Spartan or a Sebenza.  I've done a little bit of reading on the subject, but what I'm really having issues with is deciding the type or blade, length, and manufacturer between the two.

I'm an attorney; I don't do very serious work with a knife.  I like going outdoors and hiking occasionally, but this isn't going to be something I'm doing heavy work with.  I'll use it to open boxes and packages, for range days, and other chores around the house and outdoors which require a knife.  I probably won't even consider it for a defensive EDC type roll; I'm entirely unqualified to carry a knife in defense of myself or others.

So I want something that is very high-quality, with a little bit of flair, is a well-respected brand, isn't obtrusive or huge to carry around, and just plain works.

I don't want something enormous, but I also don't want something useless.

So I narrowed it to a classic Sebenza (need advice on size) or one of the Spartan folders like the Akribis or the Metis.  Unfortunately, no one around here carries those knives in-stock AFAIK, so I can't just go in and mess around with them to see which I prefer.

Any advice on brand, size, or mechanism would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately I don't have experience with the knives your looking for, but shopping around for your knife is almost as fun as actually owning them.

I guess I just popped in to say have fun shopping, and keep us updated!

I find for day to day use and office carry the small Sebenza is an excellent knife.

The Sebenza is a perfect EDC knife.

Solid steel, excellent design, and very well made.

If I had to pick one knife to carry everyday it would be a Sebenza because it would do everything I'd need it to.

I don't have any experience with the Spartan folders. The fixed-blade knives are great.

I'll throw in for the large Sebenza, since they can be dolled up and are somewhat a status symbol, which will most probably retain its 'spendiness' as long as your dog doesn't chew on it.

Lot's of good knives out there but the CRK Sebenza is famous and just about ubiquitous, as much as a $400 folding knife can ubiquitous.

Chris

Carried a small sebenza for 10 years.  It's a good knife and does what I nwed it to.  Disappears into a pocket if you need it to.  Plenty tough when it needs to be.

The Sebenza does nothing for me.

Know nothing about Spartan folders.

I'd rather get Three Sisters Forge Gorgon.

I remember wanting a CRK A1, or whatever his survival knife was, at the Miami gun shows in the mid 90s.  The Sebenza has been, and even was, a classic folder, at that time, when there weren't tons of choices out there.

If you gave me $400 to buy a folder, I'd probably go another route and buy say a ZT, another Spyderco and then a Benchmade, if I had some money left.

It's like the small custom EDC (Hanko flashlights, Twisted Trident) that guys spend upwards of $1000 on.  They're a nice piece of jewelry, work really well and are even works of art, but for me I just need to see what I can't see in the dark and a grand on a light is just too much--even $200 for a smaller light, is too much and I'm a boutique flashlight guy.

Chris

I agree 100% with you.  For the average person, a Benchmade, Spyderco, or ZT is going to really wow someone who isn't willing to spend $1000 on a knife at the drop of a hat.  

The bang/buck quotient in the ~$200 and under price point is about as good as it gets.  Get much higher than that and the owner is increasingly required to be a knife aficionado in order to really enjoy them.  

I'm not saying that very nice custom knives aren't enjoyable or worth the $.  I'm just saying that I've been into knives since I was a child, and I can enjoy some of the $$$$$$ customs and semi-customs out there....and I can see why people like/buy them......but even I can't really justify going above $300-400 for any knife that I'd actually buy (because I know I would never use a spendier knife the way it deserved to be used).  Part of that is my budget for knives isn't large enough to allow me to pick up those higher $ blades.....but the other part of it is I'd rather spend a little less, have a little less flash, and use them as tools instead of worrying about damaging the art.

Really do your research before you buy.

Remember there are diminishing returns at a given price and beyond, and people that spend a lot on anything usually wont admit to being underwhelmed for the money spent.

There are a lot of great knives out there, and most are well under $400.
A knife that is around $100-$150 is much easier to use and abuse without worry and knives in that price range are still very much quality knives.

If you want an easy EDC I suggest a knife that has a thin profile and is light weight.
I also suggest even if you cant put your hands on the knives you think you want you should handle some knives that are available in your area to see what feels good in you hands and feels good to operate.
You should find your preferences side with a certain weight range, blade length, lock type, opening method (thumb stud / hole / auto / flipper), scale material and grip shape. Then there is the whole blade steel type that is another topic.
Make mental notes of which knives feel good to you and what you liked about them. Look up the specs to get an idea of what you're looking for in a knife.

Don't forget a decent sharpening setup to include a strop. Getting your knife atom splitting sharp is as much fun as getting a new knife.

The Sebenza is great knife.
I prefer the Insingo blade and the carbon fiber is the right amount of bling.

It is goddamned perfect!



The blade shape is awesome. My wife used it on our vacation to prep food since the place we were staying had dull knives

Another vote for the Sebenza. Can't wait until I get my large Sebenza back

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Great info here.  I'll definitely do that and try to narrow it a bit more

another vote for the sebenza, in whichever size and blade profile suits your needs.

fwiw, i have an office job as well, and don't use my knives particularly hard.  i bought a large, and while i love it, it's definitely large.  i'm considering replacing it in my EDC rotation with a small model.

I'm not a knife aficionado and look for the same things you're looking for in a knife. My edc is a large Sebenza 21. I really like it and think it would meet your need well.

You're really overthinking this. $400 should get you at least a half dozen knives that suit your minor needs.