Another Umnumzaan joins the fray

[Ante Vukorepa]

Speaking of which - is anyone making any full or half backspacers right now? Or will i have to whip out the CAD and print my own?

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

Wilson combat is the best looking one

Star-tacs are unobtanium in Europe, sadly.

 

[marthinus]

Congrats on the new knife. Enjoy it.

As for oil vs grease. I have used.

1. Elna sewing machine oil
2. CRK grease
3. Nano oil 5w (I prefer it above others)
4. Moebius grease.

I have not had any issues with any of them. Moebius is nice due to its thixotropic properties, but rare to find. Can normally source it from watch manufacturers or jewelry suppliers.

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

Moebius is nice due to its thixotropic properties, but rare to find. Can normally source it from watch manufacturers or jewelry suppliers.

Thanks for the tip!
Does it get wicked away into the surface like other oils?

For what its worth, i'm now running day 2 (well, 1.5) with a 50:50 mix of nano oil and NLGI 1 geared transmission grease.
Grease on its own is still a bit too thick for my preference, but it mixes really really well with nano oil and ends up somewhere around NLGI 0 and 00. It doesn't ooze out of the washers, and has very low stiction:

I'll stick with it (no pun intended) for the next few weeks to verify how it performs.

(PS: The rattle is from the lanyard pin. I need to figure something out to fix that... The plan is to print a very thin washer out of TPU and insert it on one side of the pin.)

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

A few questions for the knowledgable CRK folk...

The washers on my sample came a bit rough around the edges:

I think that's the side where the "tag" was when they were CNC'd.
Should i attempt to clean the edge up a bit?
It doesn't seem to have any effect, at least post cleaning and relubing.

Second, there's a tiny bit of wear on the blade (also came that way out of the box) but i can't see what could've made it.
I thought it might've been the lockbar edge, but no, it doesn't come into contact with that bit.

It's very tiny and i'm nitpicking here, but just wanted to check if anyone's seen wear like this and/or knows where it came from.

And finally, third, the clip and the scale beneath it already had wear marks after an hour of (very casually) using the knife out of the box:

I've since removed the clip anyways since i can't stand the thing.
But wanted to ask if anyone knows if Millit clips cause similar wear and tear (at similar speed), cause that's what i'll probably buy and install.

To specifically answer the clip question...I have Millit clips on 90% of my CRK’s and they do cause similar wear in a similar amount of time.

Love my Zaan’s.

FWIW, the original pivot Zaan has a smaller protrusion for unlocking the lockbar, and I find it more comfortable in hand than the newer version with the extended lockbar protrusion.

 

[Dcdavis]

When you do, remove the clip and hold your hand closer to the blade. The position is slightly different than an Inkosi because of the weird lockbar tab, and that in turn makes the clip dig into the palm/fingers even more than on an Inkosi/Sebenza.

CRK really should’ve designed a separate clip for the ‘zaan.

The lockbar tab is a problem only if you hold the knife so your index finger rests/curls over it - it should actually go slightly more forward, in front of it. The thumb goes all the way up on the blade jimping.

When you shift your grip like that, it suddenly melts into your hand. The only remaining ergonomic issue i have with it is the lack of “meat” along the spine of the scales - it leaves an empty gap between your palm along the middle, causing all the force from the leverage to dig the pommel end into your hand in one spot.

Hinderer was really onto something re: ergonomics when he started adding “humps” to handles (Eklipse, Jurassic). It really does make a difference, but i realize it makes handles overall larger and uglier to some. It wouldn’t really fit in on a ‘zaan. A jimped backspacer like the ones i’ve seen floating around here might help that.

You’re dead on with what my hand does. Naturally when I open and grip the Zaan it’s not comfortable. If I adjust my hand closer to the blade it feels how it should. It’s a little fidgety for me. The lockbar tab is my biggest issue.
When I open and grip the Inkosi naturally it just falls into place

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

FWIW, the original pivot Zaan has a smaller protrusion for unlocking the lockbar, and I find it more comfortable in hand than the newer version with the extended lockbar protrusion.

You’re dead on with what my hand does. Naturally when I open and grip the Zaan it’s not comfortable. If I adjust my hand closer to the blade it feels how it should. It’s a little fidgety for me. The lockbar bar is my biggest issue.
When I open and grip the Inkosi naturally it just falls into place

Yeah, that's why i had such a love-hate relationship with it the first day.
It needed to "click" in my hand, the ergonomics of it aren't fully intuitive / go against what you're used to.

Made a video because it's easier than typing:

I think the confusion comes from the fact Inkosi and Sebenza have a thumb ramp.

 

[marthinus]

Thanks for the tip!
Does it get wicked away into the surface like other oils?

Cant answer that for you as I have never taken that into consideration. I am more concerned on the contact area of washer and blade than washer and Ti.

Might be because I ad the oil and such on the washer and then place it against the blade and never really used the holes to “keep grease in”.

On a side note. The longer you use your knife the more polished it will become under the washer thereby creating less friction.

My 10 year old Sebenza is free dropping with pressure removed from the lock bar.

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

Realized Millit doesn't ship outside US.
Too bad... : (

Gonna check out MXG, i think they do ship to EU (even though i like that clip design less).

In the meantime, turns out no clip and using the lanyard works out pretty nicely for me.
The TAD cargo pants i'm wearing when out and about has an internal knife compartment inside the lower pockets (actually, two of them, on each leg, so four total) that's perfectly sized for the Umnumzaan. It sits perfectly straight and almost up to the edge of the compartment, and the lanyard hangs out into the pocket. So it's super easy to yank it out by the lanyard.

 

[Evany]

My personal favorite clip is the Hawk. It's smaller so it interferes with my grip less. It really holds the knife in place, important to me on several levels: I'm a cyclist and because in my work (film lighting and videography) I often have to get into cramped positions or up on ladders, etc where it's easy to snag a conventional clip or have a knife slip out of your pocket. Regarding the Inkosi, I'm there with DC Davis, it fits my hand perfectly, especially the inlaid version. But a PJ Sebenza--I could (and do) stare at the perfect balance between grip and blade, the minimalist design, the seamless blend of form and function, endlessly. No other knife has had that effect on me.

 

[Dcdavis]

My personal favorite clip is the Hawk. It's smaller so it interferes with my grip less. It really holds the knife in place, important to me on several levels: I'm a cyclist and because in my work (film lighting and videography) I often have to get into cramped positions or up on ladders, etc where it's easy to snag a conventional clip or have a knife slip out of your pocket. Regarding the Inkosi, I'm there with DC Davis, it fits my hand perfectly, especially the inlaid version. But a PJ Sebenza--I could (and do) stare at the perfect balance between grip and blade, the minimalist design, the seamless blend of form and function, endlessly. No other knife has had that effect on me.

I fully agree. I’ve always said I prefer the inlayed Inkosi and PJ 21 in hand. The 21 is more a neutral, one size fits all grip but the Inkosi inches it out by just a little for the win for me.

As far as the clip goes I prefer the stock clip. It’s the only clip I’ve ever had on a CRK. I may prefer something different but the stock one has never gave me a reason to change. I have gotten it snagged and pulled out of my pocket on a several occasions over the years so I can relate with that.

This is from not too long ago. Was leaving a job and couldn’t find my Inkosi. I knew I had it and had just used it. Looked all over and couldn’t find it. Eventually found it rite there snagged on my tool bag. When I lifted the pouch up by the shoulder strap from the ground the clip snagged on a frayed strand. Had me sweating for a minute looking for it

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

My 10 year old Sebenza is free dropping with pressure removed from the lock bar.

My (now) 4 day old 'zaan is almost there already:

Edit: Almost got the silent flick (where the force of the flick is *just* enough to get it to lock completely, but silently) nailed. I can pull it off about 50% of the time. Completely silly, i know, but it's a good stress relief / zen thing.

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

Beauty shot from the park, blade warts, fingerprints and all:

 

[marthinus]

My (now) 4 day old 'zaan is almost there already:

Edit: Almost got the silent flick (where the force of the flick is *just* enough to get it to lock completely, but silently) nailed. I can pull it off about 50% of the time. Completely silly, i know, but it's a good stress relief / zen thing.

Nice.

Here is mine.

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

My Sebenza 21 black micarta tanto just arrived.

First time i can have both an Umnumzaan and a Sebenza next to each other and compare them, also, first time handling an inlaid CRK (my only local CRK dealer only has PJs and an occasional CGG) and i’m finding some things that surprised me...

Sebenza is noticably lighter in hand, or feels that way. Since the difference is only 1/2oz (14 grams) it can’t be the actual weight causing it, so i’m guessing it’s either pure placebo, caused by the feel of the inlays (less contact with titanium), or, it’s the different balance (more likely), caused by the overall shorter and slightly thinner blade.

The ergonomics are the interesting bit - not only does the ‘zaan fit my hand better, there’s also more ways to hold it and get a good grip, it slips less, and those extra curves in the spine of the blade make using it in various scalpel grips way more comfortable and more precise (i use that a lot when cleaning up and processing methacrylate resin 3D prints). Another interesting bit - lanyard on the ‘zaan never gets in the way, while the one on the Sebenza is often in the way. I understand now why they added the chamfer around it on the 31.

It should’ve been repositioned lower, at the apex of the butt, like on the Umnumzaan, it work better AND look better too, as the lanyard pin would then be in-line with the pivot.

Here’s another surprising bit - finger grooves on the ‘zaan are way more comfortable to me than on the Sebenza. The lock tab on the ‘zaan digs into your finger - if you position the finger wrong. The lockbar and the cutaway for the lockbar on the Sebenza *always* dig into your finger, no matter how you position your hand. It’s less of a hotspot, but it’s always there, whether you hold the knife as intended, or lower. In fact, the only way to avoid it is to choke up and push your index finger all the way up above it. Overall, it’s not uncomfortable, but it’s not overly comfortable either - it does the job, barely. The clip is as much of a problem on the Sebenza as on the Umnumzaan and the Inkosi - i don’t know, maybe it works on small models, but on large ones, it *always* and dead on digs into the center of my first knuckle.

Onto the locking... There’s about as much lock rock on the sebenza 21 as on the umnumzaan, in fact, i can feel it and hear it on the 21 more easily (even though the deflection is likely about the same). So, for me, that pretty much buries all those theories of ceramic lock interface causing greater flexing, because it presents a smaller pivot. It’s the same thing. Really. If you didn’t worry about it before, there’s nothing to worry about now.

Fit, finish and action... Sebenza came way way less gritty and much smoother out of the box. I’ll still take it apart and clean it, because i feel just a tiny tiny bit of grit near the middle of the blade swing range (with the lock disengaged), but it’s very minor. My Umnumzaan felt like sand in comparison. As it stands, the Sebbie feels out of the box the way the Umnumzaan felt after two disassemblies and 3-4 days of breaking in. It also came with the blade sharpened VERY nicely, whereas the Umnumzaan came completely dull and unable to cut even thick paper (in fact, i could drag my finger along the blade freely and not cut myself). Good thing too, cause i don’t want to mess up that nice tanto grind on the 21.

The chamfering and little details on the Sebenza are nicer than on the Umnumzaan, in my opinion. There’s more to gawk at. And the tanto blade fits it surprisingly well, on a purely aesthetic level. The hardware finish is more uniform too, Umnumzaan’s varies from side to side, and the Pivot screw is finished noticably different than the rest of the hardware (and even the female side of the pivot). There’s less small manufacturing defects i can see on the Sebenza, than on the Umnumzaan (to put things into perspective, there’s only a couple on Umnumzaan, and you need a magnifying glass or good eyes to spot it; there is zero on the Sebenza).

Haven’t stripped it down yet, so no clue how easily it disassembles and reassembles, but i have a feeling that’s gonna be another point for the Umnumzaan

Overall, do i hate it? Hell no, it’s a pretty little thing. PJ sebenzas are just a bit too meh for me, but the inlays + tanto combo make it much more attractive and less blocky looking. And that’s coming from someone who isn’t a fan of tantos, on a purely functional level. Will i keep it? Yes, absolutely, it’s still a good knife, and a pretty one at that. But, that said, the Umnumzaan is still the superior, more functional knife to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

I guess the universe will be out of balance until i get an Inkosi too...

 

[Dcdavis]

I guess the universe will be out of balance until i get an Inkosi too...

Hands down one of my favorite work knives. Hard to beat for me personally

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

I want an Umnumzaan / Inkosi hybrid.
Imagine that - 'zaan's handle shape, inlay options from an Inkosi, 'zaan's blade shape, and the locktab/finger grooves that are a mix of both.

If i take two knives and just sorta bash them into each other for a few days, do you think that might produce a mix?

 

[Jsega51]

If i take two knives and just sorta bash them into each other for a few days, do you think that might produce a mix?

You might wanna try buying them dinner first

 

[Ante Vukorepa]

Let them work for it!