anyone unhappy with the Mnandi?

Q

Quy4n8

Joined
Nov 27, 2002
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659
Has anyone been less than pleased with the CRK Mnandi? I have a number of “good” knives, i.e., Benchmade, Microtech, William Henry, Greco, Camillus, etc., but lately I have been looking for the next step in quality. With the cult like following that CRK has, it seems to be the next logical step, but I haven’t actually seen any of his knives and I am hesitant to spend quite this much money on a knife. From their selection, the Mnandi fits my current needs best and I am just curious if anyone out there thinks they are NOT worth the money and if so why? It is just hard to believe that one company can please 99% of the people 99% of the time. Thanks for any and all replies.

Richard
 
I've owned a couple of Mnandis and I think that they are fine knives if you can afford one. To top it off, CRK offers some of the absolute best service in the world. When I destroyed a Mnandi through my negligence (it fell out of my pocket because I didn't close my car door and a semi ran over it, ripping it to shreds :eek: :footinmou ) the company was quite reasonable in helping me out with a replacement. The Mnandi is a great knife because it is really nice looking, but it is a sturdy framelock just like a Sebenza and is more than capable of heavy duty cutting.
 
They ARE worth the money. They work very hard to please that 99%.







But...those William Henry Buttonlocks are sweet.
 
I'm 100% satisfied with my African Blackwood Mnandi. I consider it the ultimate gentleman's knife: light, not too big, sharp, elegant and very sturdy.
 
The Mnandi is my favorite locking blade knife. I like it even better than my small Sebenzas. ;)

Paul
 
I have 2 (one EDC and one behind glass).

I'm still amazed how a small knife can carry such a large kick. . .at least the one that I carry does ! :D


I can assure you. . .absolutely no disapointments !
 
anthony cheeseboro said:
I've owned a couple of Mnandis and I think that they are fine knives if you can afford one. To top it off, CRK offers some of the absolute best service in the world. When I destroyed a Mnandi through my negligence (it fell out of my pocket because I didn't close my car door and a semi ran over it, ripping it to shreds :eek: :footinmou ) the company was quite reasonable in helping me out with a replacement. The Mnandi is a great knife because it is really nice looking, but it is a sturdy framelock just like a Sebenza and is more than capable of heavy duty cutting.
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OUCH! you know, I would have thought it (at least if closed) would have emerged bruised, but intact. I had a FRN Endura get run over by a car (I know, car, not semi, and only one wheel) and it emerged battered, but not broken)

Edited to add:

I have a tamboti Manadi, and it is my favorite folder -- as everyone says, tough, light, pretty, and cuts like hell.
 
Unfortunately, titanium is more rigid than plastic as well as stronger. Wood and titanium will snap where zytel will probably just bend and go back to it's original shape. That is not meant as a swipe against CRT, no knife should be expected to survive being smashed by eighteen wheelers. :eek:
 
Now I'm getting interested in checking out Mnandi's. This was a knife I never bothered looking into.
 
The only thing I can imagine you being disappointed with is the size, but since it seems you prefer folders of that size I'm sure you will be very pleased!
 
Boink said:
Now I'm getting interested in checking out Mnandi's. This was a knife I never bothered looking into.
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Do more than look man, buy!!! Seriously the Mnandi is the absolute best production "Gent" knife (yeah, like CRKs are "production" :rolleyes: ;)) in the whole-wide-dang-hanging world. :D :D
 
The original question, (who does NOT like the knife), is an interesting one. I'd like to extend it to the Sebenza if I may.

You can find any number of people who will tell you what great knives they are but I can't readily recall any post where somebody had a substantial complaint, apart from cost but that's another argument.

I've just ordered my first Sebenza and, from what I've read, I've made the right decision but has any owner or previous owner ever had a serious problem with one? Blade steel too hard/soft, too hard to sharpen? Too heavy/too light? Unbalanced? Bad vibes make your dog sick? Anything?
 
Don't start! The classic "Sebenza thread" begins with someone maligning a CRK product and ends with the world crashing in on them! :D

There are several reasons for actually disliking Sebenzas. For example, having tried one, found it uncomfortable to hold, insufficiently aesthetic by one's own standards, or not as strong as your average tactical sharpened prybar. And been offended that Sebenzanistas cannot believe your honest opinion! :eek:

There are also otherwise perfectly decent knife knuts who will not accord the Sebenza the respect they lavish on their custom knives. :cool:

There are also trolls ... but they don't really dislike Sebenzas, they just like to say so. :grumpy:

By the way. The other day, I grabbed a Native III to go for a walk. I wanted a light weight knife on a hot & muggy day. Then I turned back, took out my Mnandi, and compared blades, back to back. The Native and the Mnandi have exactly the same length cutting edge. That's a pretty big small knife.
 
Too small, unless you need to clean your fingernails.... :) (sarcasm)

never used 1 but when in my hand, it feels too small for work...maybe good for a letter opener, I suppose it is a great knife, but i will not own 1...due to the fact i am very happy with my 6 sebenzas :) (3 lg, 3 sm)
 
enkidu said:
I'm 100% satisfied with my African Blackwood Mnandi. I consider it the ultimate gentleman's knife: light, not too big, sharp, elegant and very sturdy.
Click to expand...
I also have an African Blackwood-and I agree -great knife-Go for it!!-Tony :cool:
 
There was a good thread a year or so ago on why people chose not to buy or to sell their sebenzas. The top reasons were ergonomics (opening difficulties, harsh thumb stud, slab handles), tip-up design (there have been a few pocket openings of sebenzas), ugly and not worth the cash compared to something else. One thing for sure, by the number of sebenzas that are sold on this forum, there are a lot of people who buy em but don't keep em.

I don't own a minandi but shopped for one. It's a fine knife, just didn't float my boat. I'd suggest handling one before buying.
 
you won't have a problem with the quality, it's just a subjective question of look and feel - do you like the way it looks? Does it feel good in your hand? For $300 I'd find a way to handle one first before buying. you can always resell it pretty quick here if you don't like it, but at a loss of maybe $50.
 
Now, I won't say that I don't like them, but I will tell you that I have sold all three that I have owned (1 Lg Unique, 1 Lg Classic, 1 Sm Regular). For me, not having a lot of extra cash, I can't afford to have that much money tied up in one item. Now, I will make an exception for some of the knives I carry (MT Scarab value $450) but I'm still looking for my "perfect" knife. I know that I will eventually settle down and keep a Sebenza, or maybe a Mnandi, but I'm enjoying the hunt for other knives a bit. If I ever hit a cash surplus over $500, I'm sure I would get a CRK folder, and keep it forever. For now, I'll just settle for the occasional one that passes through my hands, in search for knives for my permanent collection.

one man's opinion,
DD
 
Comfort is a very personal thing. I advise most to get to a local knife show and try these things out. When you buy afterward, you won't be looking to sell it so fast, if at all. I made the beginner's mistake of getting every knife someone said was great and getting knives that had great eye appeal. Most got sold off as my tastes developed. Then I realized that there is nothing like touchy-feely before getting one.
 
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