Can someone take me to Mnandi School?

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FranksTheTank

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Oct 9, 2012
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I just purchased my first Mnandi and have a feeling there are more to come. The one I purchased has a birthdate of 11/21/2011 and looks to have the older clip and the pivot stud is recessed and the steel is S30V. After pouring over threads I've noticied a bunch of different variations of the studs, clips, steels. Can someone give me a rundown of the progression/history of the Mnandi? Are there certain characteristics that make some more desirable than others (inlays excluded)?
 
The following are rough estimates.
Steel
  • BG42 - 2001
  • S30V - Early 2002 thru early to mid 2011
  • S35V - Early to mid 2011 until now
New clip and new pivot were introduced around end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.
New nail nick was introduced around middle of 2012.
As far as which are preferred, I believe this comes down to personal preferences. I personally prefer BG42, new clip, new pivot and older nail nick. Of course a Mnandi with all these options does not exist.
 
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There were some damascus with older nail nick and new pivot, and BTW the clips are interchangeable if you have the extra screw.
 
The older pivots are a lot larger. Here is a very closeup of a fancy pivot.

Old vs new pivots and nail nicks (the fancy part is NOT common):
old is on top

These are 2 of my most recent scores ;)

_MG_2884.jpg


_MG_2892.jpg
 
Nice sk8n! It's not often you get the exact answer you are looking for on the first post. As far as preference. I will only ever buy Mnandis with the old nail nick. I prefer it in every way, both form and function. The new nick needs to be pinched open, the old opens effortless with only the thumb. I don't really have a preference for pivot and clip, just know that if you want to remove the new style clip, you need to have CRK send you a screw.
 
Thanks for the breakdown. With your info all makes sense. The Mnandi I just bought is 11/21/2011, S30V steel, old clip, old nail nick, newer pivot (at least that's what I think from looking at other pictures).

sk8n said:
The following are rough estimates.
Steel
  • BG42 - 2001
  • S30V - Early 2002 thru early to mid 2011
  • S35V - Early to mid 2011 until now
New clip and new pivot were introduced around end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.
New nail nick was introduced around middle of 2012.
As far as which are preferred, I believe this comes down to personal preferences. I personally prefer BG42, new clip, new pivot and older nail nick. Of course a Mnandi with all these options does not exist.
Click to expand...
 
These are beautiful! Was the fancy pin an order option previously?

franzdom said:
The older pivots are a lot larger. Here is a very closeup of a fancy pivot.

Old vs new pivots and nail nicks (the fancy part is NOT common):
old is on top

These are 2 of my most recent scores ;)

_MG_2884.jpg


_MG_2892.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I believe the decorated pins were only available as special orders for dealers. As franzdom noted above, I believe they were specifically made for shows. I don't believe they were ever available as a direct-order option.
Regarding the nail nick, there was also another design that was available around 2006 or 2007. I have only seen a few with the "unique" nail nick; see photo below.

[URL=http://s54.photobucket.com/user/sunstar_2006/media/CRK/uniquenailnick.jpg.html][/URL]
 
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humblerodent said:
As far as preference. I will only ever buy Mnandis with the old nail nick. I prefer it in every way, both form and function. The new nick needs to be pinched open, the old opens effortless with only the thumb.
Click to expand...

I agree it is easier to open an S35V with the older nail nick but don't find much of an appreciable difference with damascus. The difference in appearance on a damascus is less noticeable as well; it is almost camouflaged.
Having said that, I definitely prefer the older design but the newer design does not stop me from purchasing one.
 
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