Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza 31
- Available in Large or Small
- Reeve Integral Lock with ceramic ball on the lockbar
- Blade steel: MagnaCut
- Clip design: offset (on the 31, the clip now sits diagonally rather than straight)
Open the blade and you notice it straight away: everything here just fits! You won’t find any bearings, yet it runs as if it’s been oiled, because the tolerances really are spot on, down to the last detail. Pick up a Sebenza for the first time and you’re guaranteed to open and close it a few more times afterwards. Just because.
The Sebenza is the folder from Chris Reeve Knives in Boise, Idaho, and for many in the scene it’s the grail knife, full stop. The name comes from Zulu and means work, a nod to Chris Reeve’s South African roots. The first Sebenza was made in 1987, and since 2019 the Sebenza 31 has been the current generation and successor to the legendary Sebenza 21. The basic shape has stayed the same. The improvements are in places you’ll only notice on second glance.
First and foremost, the Reeve Integral Lock, Chris Reeve’s take on the frame lock. On the 31, a ceramic ball sits in the lockbar and presses against the blade tang. Ceramic is so hard that practically nothing wears at this contact point over the years. That’s why the lock-up should feel the same after long use as it did on day one. You may already know the principle from the Umnumzaan and the Inkosi.
On the 31, the clip is offset and sits at a slight angle, so it no longer presses on the lockbar. On top of that, the finger groove at the front of the handle has been reground, and you feel that straight away in the grip. The handle is made from sandblasted titanium, the hollow-ground blade from CPM MagnaCut. The steel is extremely corrosion resistant and holds its edge for a long time. For you, that means less sharpening and fewer worries when Hamburg serves up its usual drizzle.
Small or Large?
The Large has a 9.2 cm blade that’s 3.2 mm thick. Open, it measures 21.2 cm and tips the scales at 133 g. A full-grown work knife that still won’t hang in your pocket like a brick. The Small comes in at 7.5 cm of blade with 3.0 mm stock, measures 17.5 cm open and weighs 85 g. In the EDC world, it’s been a benchmark for years, and for good reason. Depending on availability, you can choose between a drop point and a tanto blade. Then there’s the Insingo with its long, almost straight edge, which pays off if you do a lot of draw cuts.
In the end, the Sebenza 31 is a knife you don’t have to think about for long. You slip it into your pocket in the morning, it does its job, and in the evening it lies on the table just as precise as on day one. That’s really all you want from a folder.
