Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza 25

I have a sorted past with Chris Reeve Knives. A bad experience with their warranty almost made me swear them off forever. However, thanks to the Sebenza 25, I came back around. I'm glad to own a CRK piece again as I do believe he still sets the standard for production quality in the knife industry (even as companies like ZT continue to challenge that title). 

The 25 is a bit of an amalgamation; a hybrid of design and feature of two other CRK knives. The first being the venerable Sebenza 21 and the  second the aggressive Umnumzaan.  The 25 shares its profile and overall aesthetics with the Sebenza family but the guts of the knife are all Umnum.

The blade profile is a classic drop point but differs a bit from the 21 in it's execution. The stock used is thicker than the 21 and the same as the Umnum. This gives the 25 a bit more heft on the blade as does the grind.

The grind on the 25 is what CRK refers to as a high hollow grind. If you did not measure it, you would swear it was a flat grind. I prefer this blade to that of the 21 or the Umnum as it give the classic shape of the Sebenza but more to work with. The blade steel is CPM-S35VN, a great edc powdered metal steel. S35VN was actually developed jointly by Crucible and Chris Reeve. 

The 25 comes standard with double thumb studs. This is a nice feature for all the lefties out there and they are indeed easily accessible from both sides. The jimping cut into the blade is sharper than that of both the 21 and the Umnum but, again, I prefer the 25's as it provides excellent grip without any discomfort. The pattern is a repeating set of threes that is a nice touch. 

The 25 I have sports the micarta inlays. I like the extra width it provides as well as the break up of solid titanium that would otherwise dominate the flat surface. The handle shape is unique to the 25 in that it includes two finger grooves. I find that they fit my hand well and do not cause any hot spots during use. The handle slabs are also thicker than the 21 which, in conjunction with the thicker blade, give this knife a much more robust feel in hand than the 21 or even the Umnum in my opinion. 

Contacting the blade tang is not raw titanium but a ceramic ball. This ball also acts as the detent for the knife. This system was first introduced in the Umnumzaan and, from my experience, is a superior design than raw titanium. I don't have to worry about the soft titanium wearing against the hardened steel. 

The 25 is an incredibly smooth, strong, and beautiful knife from Chris Reeve Knives. If you are on the fence, you might at well go ahead and get one (you can always sell it later and not lose too much off what you payed).