Ask knife nerds what they think is the best folding pocket knife, and there’s a good chance they’ll say the Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza. First released in 1987, the knife stands as a model for quality and precision, winning the Manufacturing Quality Award at the annual Blade Show 16 times (out of 19). A drop-point folder made of CPM S35VN steel paired with a titanium handle, the Sebenza also introduced the Reeve Integral Lock, a feature that’s commonly known as a frame lock and is now standard across the industry. This year, Chris Reeve Knives updated its design for the first time in a decade.
Lovers of the original can rest assured that the new iteration, called the Sebenza 31, isn’t a total redesign. Actually, the changes are incremental at most. The handle ergonomics are slightly different (but mostly unnoticeable), and the clip is now angled instead of straight. The most significant changes are the application of a ceramic ball interface on the lock and a new inlay pattern made of a single slab of material (box elder burl, ebony and bog oak are the options) instead of two. Beyond that, the Sebenza 31 doesn’t depart from the original, and given its historic success, that’s a good thing.
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