Resurrecting this thread for the OP in case he's still wondering about this.
I own a Nyala. I carry it pretty much every day at work, I use it for EDC tasks and I use it extensively in the kitchen. I also use it for practicing bushcraft stuff.
I like the knife, but I think a fair review demands that we point out any and all flaws, so here are my three/four main gripes.
#1. Addressing one of the things in your main post; The jimping on the spine. I just don't understand the choice of jimping there. It's far too large. It's not sharp and it basically serves no purpose. Even when wearing thick gloves, it doesn't give me much of a grip. I would much rather they stick with the traditional Sebenza jimping, it's great and would be much more functional on this knife.
#2. The handle: The grooved Micarta doesn't do it for me. It gets a bit uncomfortable when you're really bearing down on the knife. It's not too sharp, and it's broken in a bit over time, but I still wish it was made out of wood. For me, a smooth wood, bone or Ivory handle is always supremely comfortable. I don't like Micarta, but I knew this when I purchased the knife.
#3. Edge geometry/Heat treat: The edge came ridiculously sharp. Too sharp. I haven't measured it but it's just too fragile. I have had the original edge roll/chip several times. The first time I used the knife in the kitchen, the edge rolled when cutting carrots on a plastic cutting board. That's just not acceptable, in my opinion. It has happened several times since in the kitchen and when doing bushcraft work. I hate to bring up J Davis because of his colorful past, but for all of the nasty things he ended up doing, I think he was right about CRK knives being hit or miss with their heat treat. For the record, I have not had any of these issues with my Sebenzas. I will probably have to end up re profiling the knife slightly.
I don't hunt, so I can't speak to how it would perform as a skinner. I think most people who do hunt probably agree that it has enough belly to get the job done, but the tip is quite sharp so that could be a problem. All in all, it works okay as an EDC knife. But honestly, I am strongly considering a Bark River Bravo 1 as a replacement, mainly due to their superior steel, better choice in handle material, and the convex grind. And I do with it has a 90 degree spine so I could use it with my fire steel. But that's not a big deal, as I just use a striker.
