Chaves Redencion 229 vs Chris Reeve Umnumzaan

[Ron Sabbagh]

Another vote for 'Zaan

For a less expensive alternative I'd choose a Spyderco Military

 

[josiahg52]

Incidentally, in addition to the subject Chaves and CRK knives, I also have a Sypderco Military: G10 and full titanium versions. The titanium Military is an exceptional knife, definitely worth a look at. The fluted titanium is very cool looking.

 

[Harley Hall]

Freeking Chaves. I have handled/owned both. Both made equally in my opinion, but that chaves just has a look and feel that is unexplainable. I’m not into Chinese shit, but Reate makes and incredible knife.

 

[Motoblade]

Just going off your question what knife do you think will ultimately last longer and why. Any environment with the possibility of sand, snow and hot humid climates answer definitely goes towards the CRK Umnumzaan. The Crk will be easier to maintain and clean. Has a proven track record. For this circumstance I would pick S45VN over M390 and washers over bearings. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Ultramar series from chaves/reate. Hell I'd do terrible things for a USA made Chaves Redencion.

 

[LimpCroissant]

I've never owned a Chavez, however I have owned a few Reates. They make an amazing knife, really freaking good. Some of the best fit and finish in the whole knife industry. You can buy one and have a "forever knife" that you can proudly pass down to your kids and probably never have a problem excluding somebody doing something abusive with it. If something were to happen to it, then the idea of warrantee work gets a little shaky in my opinion. Say something were to happen to it 5 years down the line. Reate may not make it anymore and doesn't have any blades to replace it with. However the thing with Reate is that they make such a good knife that, unless you have a problem the first day you receive it (every company sends a lemon out once in a while), you really shouldn't have a problem from then on.

I owned a drop point Umnumzaan years ago for several years and it's just the pinnacle of modern knives as far as quality goes. I also just received a tanto version. If it's a design you like then you just really can't go wrong. Barring you breaking the blade or something it's going to last you the rest of your life, even if you used it to cut carpet everyday and sharpened it every night, it will last you many many years. Then, if you need a new blade, you send it in and for $120 (or whatever the current rate is) you have a brand new blade and the knife comes back re-blasted and looking like new minus any dents you put in it.

Both are amazing, however I'd choose the Umnumzaan for the support later on down the road.

 

[Wolverine666]

I had an Umnumzaan years ago and I’m still pissed that I sold it. When the opportunity presents itself , I’ll be getting another.

As far as the Redencion goes , it’s a fantastic knife (I’m carrying mine today). However , it’s pretty heavy and chunky which I do like but not all the time. Something just a little lighter seems to work best for me.

I’m a fan of both but if I had to pick , I’d go Umnumzaan.

 

[anthonycastorena2014]

Alright knife dudes, I’ve been interested in getting peoples opinions on a VS. The Chaves Ultramar Redencion 229 Tanto full Ti VS the Chris Reeve Umnumzaan Tanto.

What would you choose & why?
What knife do you think will be more reliable in the long run when it comes to hard use?
What knife do you think will ultimately last longer and why?

What did you end up getting and what do you think since this thread has already meen Necro'd

 

[dilla]

What did you end up getting and what do you think since this thread has already meen Necro'd

It’s crazy that it’s been almost 2 years since I’ve been back through this thread but when I posted this originally, I already owned about 18-20 Chaves knives.

At the time the original post, I had only owned my Umnumzaan for a month. It was my very first CRK and I had been on the hunt for one for years prior. I had only been carrying Chaves for the previous 3+ years.

I absolutely could not get into the Umnumzaan at the time. So much so that after owning it for a few hours, it went right back into the back and into a drawer for the next 3 months.

Late September came around and I decided to commit to carrying it for a while so I ended up locking everything else away.

After committing to the Zaan, I fell in love. Now I own 5 of them + a Large Inkosi Insingo lol

I honestly haven’t even done anything with my Chaves knives other than let them sit since then.

But yeah, I was looking for a knife I could grow old with. One that I could put an imprint on and hand down to my children. The CRK warranty allows me to not have to worry about anything. I’ve eve already sent my first Zaan out for a reblade upgrade to Magnacut so now I have two blades for my main user

To say I’m in love is an understatement and I don’t think I can confidently make that announcement anywhere else other than the forums haha.

Hope you’re doing well.

 

[norcalAF]

Alright knife dudes, I’ve been interested in getting peoples opinions on a VS. The Chaves Ultramar Redencion 229 Tanto full Ti VS the Chris Reeve Umnumzaan Tanto.

What would you choose & why?
What knife do you think will be more reliable in the long run when it comes to hard use?
What knife do you think will ultimately last longer and why?

Neither, ZT0640 is the way

 

[Therom]

I like the reduncion 229 but for a user I would pick an Umnumzaan

The handle of the reduncion 229 can be a hot spot on the rear. It is very spicy with an agressive hollow grind which I like but may be fragile for harder use. It runs on bearings, and even if I never had problems with bearing, it can be a concern if you use it in an environment with a lot of thin particules/dust.

On the other hand the umnumzaan has a more comfortable handle (even if I prefer the ergonomics of the inkosi), the hollow grind is very well balanced between cutting performance and robustness.
It runs on washers and the thumb stubs act as blade stops and help to stabilise the blade when their are lateral constraints

And IMO the clip of the umnumzaan is more functional

 

[Slice-E]

I’d go Zaan but you mentioned food prep. I’d suggest going for the Drop Point Zaan (even harder to get than the Tanto ) if you plan on doing food prep with it.

The Tanto can absolutely do food prep, but to finish your cuts through food youre going to have to mate one of the edges completely with the cutting board. Which can be a bit difficult with how in line the edge of the blade is on the Zaan. Another option would be to do a dragging cut, like you would with a drop point. While this works, you will be making a cut into the cutting board or flat surface while you drag the secondary tip on it.

A drop point variant would just slice like any other kitchen knife.

Outside of food prep, the Tanto is great though. I’d go for the Umnumzaan over the Chaves everytime. Better customer service and warranty, plus life time of spa treatments. Plus, better resale value if you decide to part ways. Also easier to buy parts for the Umnumzaan (screws etc are on the CRK website).

 

[dilla]

Neither, ZT0640 is the way

Nice, had my 0640 since I want to say 2020. It was only carried and used for maybe a month. The knife scales are extremely slick and when using it, it really does feel like it’s going to slip right out of your hands. Still to this day, it sits in my knife case getting absolutely no love. I try bringing it out from time to time but it goes no further than a couple flicks open and then right back into the case.

I gifted it to my father and he had it for a while but also never used it because of how slick it is.

The only ZT I kept in my collection that I actually like is the 0620cf.

 

[dilla]

I like the reduncion 229 but for a user I would pick an Umnumzaan

The handle of the reduncion 229 can be a hot spot on the rear. It is very spicy with an agressive hollow grind which I like but may be fragile for harder use. It runs on bearings, and even if I never had problems with bearing, it can be a concern if you use it in an environment with a lot of thin particules/dust.

On the other hand the umnumzaan has a more comfortable handle (even if I prefer the ergonomics of the inkosi), the hollow grind is very well balanced between cutting performance and robustness.
It runs on washers and the thumb stubs act as blade stops and help to stabilise the blade when their are lateral constraints

And IMO the clip of the umnumzaan is more functional

I love my Chaves knives however, I’m not sure of others experiences but Reate’s M390 is ridiculously chippy in the beginning.

 

[dilla]

I’d go Zaan but you mentioned food prep. I’d suggest going for the Drop Point Zaan (even harder to get than the Tanto ) if you plan on doing food prep with it.

The Tanto can absolutely do food prep, but to finish your cuts through food youre going to have to mate one of the edges completely with the cutting board. Which can be a bit difficult with how in line the edge of the blade is on the Zaan. Another option would be to do a dragging cut, like you would with a drop point. While this works, you will be making a cut into the cutting board or flat surface while you drag the secondary tip on it.

A drop point variant would just slice like any other kitchen knife.

Outside of food prep, the Tanto is great though. I’d go for the Umnumzaan over the Chaves everytime. Better customer service and warranty, plus life time of spa treatments. Plus, better resale value if you decide to part ways. Also easier to

I use my tanto Zaan for just about everything, including food prep. I do agree, the drop point is much better for that task but the tanto gets the job done when necessary. Absolutely love my Zaan.

Great response by the way, thanks for contributing here

 

[raidzx]

For those saying washers vs bearings; on almost all Chavez knives from reate you can replace the bearings with thick washers, I do this

 

[norcalAF]

Nice, had my 0640 since I want to say 2020. It was only carried and used for maybe a month. The knife scales are extremely slick and when using it, it really does feel like it’s going to slip right out of your hands. Still to this day, it sits in my knife case getting absolutely no love. I try bringing it out from time to time but it goes no further than a couple flicks open and then right back into the case.

I gifted it to my father and he had it for a while but also never used it because of how slick it is.

The only ZT I kept in my collection that I actually like is the 0620cf.

Both of my 0640s are wearing Micarta scales and are plenty grippy

 

[dilla]

For those saying washers vs bearings; on almost all Chavez knives from reate you can replace the bearings with thick washers, I do this

I’ve done this with one of my Redencions. In my opinion, the detent is far too strong for washers.

 

[dilla]

Both of my 0640s are wearing Micarta scales and are plenty grippy

Aah I misread. I thought you said you had one on the way.

I haven’t tried micarta scales with it but for me, I’d still choose an Umnumzaan.. probably over any ZT.

 

[norcalAF]

Aah I misread. I thought you said you had one on the way.

I haven’t tried micarta scales with it but for me, I’d still choose an Umnumzaan.. probably over any ZT.

If money is no object, then sure. I've had a couple of Zaans, I just don't get the hype so they both ended up moving to new homes. For me a tanto Inkosi is the sweet spot CRK

 

[scorpnsnake]

WOW! I'm a Chavez fan, own several, even have one on me now. But I'm shocked that a vs discussion exists between these two.