African Blackwood or Macassar Ebony

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Liquidm1980

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Jun 26, 2005
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i am looking at getting a mnandi with a damascus blade. i am between these two handles. anyone know what the difference is? right now i am planning on using it for edc rotation so if one is more durable then the other id prefer that one.

thanks,


liquid
 
According to the Janka Scale, Ebony is harder than the African Blackwood. See following link http://surfpick.com/hardness/

I have a Box Elder, softer than the Blackwood, that I have used as an EDC without any issues. I would suggest picking the one that you prefer aesthetically, either one should hold up fine. In other words, I don't think you can go wrong with either one.
 
thanks for the input. its hard to tell by the pictures i have seen online which looks the best. i wish i could find a local dealer that had both in stock.
 
It will most likely be very difficult to find both with Damascus in one location. I was recently looking online and there are very few Damascus Mnandis to be found.
Have you looked in the archive section of Only Fine Knives? They have quite a few photos of various Mnandis that they have sold in the past. They have photos of Ebony with Snakeskin and Zebra Damascus; I would love to have either of those.
 
As has been stated, macassar ebony is significantly harder and more resistant to denting. You really need a much larger piece of wood to showcase the beautiful grain of macassar, the small scales on the Mnandi won't do it justice. The color of the scales on the mnandi could be blond, very dark, or a combination, depending on the piece that was used to make the scales. African blackwood will usually be a more uniform black or dark brown. If the macassar scales are from a dark portion of wood, it would be very difficult to tell apart from blackwood from a distance. African blackwood is a rosewood and is oily, while macassar, being an ebony, has very little oil.

Macassar is one of my favorite woods, and I would take it over blackwood if I had the choice.
 
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I would agree that the Macassar ebony is going to be harder and more resistant to damage but really any properly stabalised wood tends to behave its self any way. I would also say the Macassar ebony is going to be a richer more luxuriant looking wood than the the African black wood. As mentioned you will be getting a small piece of it on your Mnandi so it may well be tough to tell apart. It still would be my choice of the two woods you're thinking about though. :):thumbup:
 
Thanks for the info ebony it is. I am half way there if I can't decide on the pattern to get I.might post a similar question.
 
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