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Was this a Inkosi or a Sebenza?
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Chris Reeve Inkosi insingo
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Was this a Inkosi or a Sebenza?
I'm a CRK rookie, but not a quality knife or steel rookie. I have the amazing good fortune of living 25 minutes from the CRK factory. I will take in my new Inkosi to have the actual makers of my knife fun through the functionality of it. I know they are willing, and for that I'm grateful. Having taken the factory tour, I can only say that any owner of a CRK knife is fortunate to own a tool of such high quality, USA-made craftsmanship. I'm a functionality-first type, rather than a "fanboy" (hate that term). But for a company that has more orders to fulfill than they "need," CRK is doing more than a pretty amazing job.
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JJ_Colt45
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I can say the Inkosi was by far the smoothest out of the box CRK I have owned ... but each and every CRK has broken in to be extremely smooth and glide open with that CRK vault lock up at the end.
aesthetically I prefer the 21 slightly ... I can't speak to out of the box cutting ability as I have at least touched up or sharpened them all before much use ... so even though the 21 may be slightly thinner stock ... with a proper edge on them I can't notice a difference in cutting abilty from the 21 to the Inkosi to the Umnumzaan ...
and as for my blade preference ... I like the Insingo for slicing slightly better and I prefer the 21s drop point or Umnumzaan harpoon type tip for EDC ... sometimes ...
so I guess I think it depends on your uses and what pleases your eye or hand. They are all high quaility knives ... I don't think there is a wrong choice.
aesthetically I prefer the 21 slightly ... I can't speak to out of the box cutting ability as I have at least touched up or sharpened them all before much use ... so even though the 21 may be slightly thinner stock ... with a proper edge on them I can't notice a difference in cutting abilty from the 21 to the Inkosi to the Umnumzaan ...
and as for my blade preference ... I like the Insingo for slicing slightly better and I prefer the 21s drop point or Umnumzaan harpoon type tip for EDC ... sometimes ...
so I guess I think it depends on your uses and what pleases your eye or hand. They are all high quaility knives ... I don't think there is a wrong choice.
We were discussing my (large) Inkosi experience and their/his response to customer feedback on same, which reminded me more of a couple of legendary overpriced tactical makers of times past....seems I am not the first to experience such, based on facebook.
The Inkosi rear corner digs into hand, and lanyard (if desired) in same critical spot in palm, far less lock access, and why I answered to choose (large) Sebenza over the Inkosi.
Again, my personal opinion, folk are welcome to post their own opposite opinions, but I will not argue over my opinion, as it is mine and nobody else's, and is informed by owning both subjects of discussion in exact same trim.
ChazzyP
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I have all larges except for my Snakewood Mnandi. I had a small 21 Cocobolo and it was not a good fit for my thick mitts. Presently I own:
21 "pre-Idaho" Bocote inlays in S30V (drawer queen).
21 KnifeArt CF.
21 Insingo black Micarta inlays.
25 Plain Jane
25 Wilson Combat Starbenza
Inkosi natural Micarta
Wilson Combat StarTac (Umnumzaan)
Forgive me, but I like them all. The Insingo, KA, Plain Jane, and Starbenza are work users. The StarTac and Inkosi are EDCs, but not hard users.
The Insingo is probably the best slicer, but I don't cut a lot of food with my pocket knives anyway. That one's a useful work knife, but my KA CF probably gets the most use and carry and the drop-point is a very useful blade shape and has a plenty long run of straight cutting edge. I would like another Insingo, but can't decide amongst a KA CF Inkosi, a WC 21 Starbenza, or waiting for a WC Inkosi.
As an earlier poster mentioned, properly sharpened, I find really no difference in cutting performance between the thinner and thicker blades. For purity of design, I really like the 21 with its bushing pivot, but I frankly like my knives' action to be a taste freer dropping and more flickable than they come from the factory, so I've ever-so-slightly thinned and polished the washers on my 21 users. I also prefer to oil, rather than grease all my knives.
It's fairly clear that CRK was looking to offer an alternative pivot design along with other new design features when they came out with the Sebenza 25 both to innovate and to appeal to a broader market share that favored adjustable pivots. Nothing wrong with that. I really like both my 25's and the Starbenza is the freest and smoothest CRK I've ever handled. Of course, there were many who took offense at the 25, claiming it shouldn't be considered a Sebenza at all and--voila!--the Inkosi was born. It's really just an updated and re-named 25 incorporating several improvements, the most remarkable for me being the floating stop-pin, which takes pivot adjustability to another level.
I could go on and on, but I've gone on enough already. In short, for me there's plenty to like in all my CRK folders and my advice would be the standard BF response--buy 'em both, or buy 'em all.
Great knives from a great company!
21 "pre-Idaho" Bocote inlays in S30V (drawer queen).
21 KnifeArt CF.
21 Insingo black Micarta inlays.
25 Plain Jane
25 Wilson Combat Starbenza
Inkosi natural Micarta
Wilson Combat StarTac (Umnumzaan)
Forgive me, but I like them all. The Insingo, KA, Plain Jane, and Starbenza are work users. The StarTac and Inkosi are EDCs, but not hard users.
The Insingo is probably the best slicer, but I don't cut a lot of food with my pocket knives anyway. That one's a useful work knife, but my KA CF probably gets the most use and carry and the drop-point is a very useful blade shape and has a plenty long run of straight cutting edge. I would like another Insingo, but can't decide amongst a KA CF Inkosi, a WC 21 Starbenza, or waiting for a WC Inkosi.
As an earlier poster mentioned, properly sharpened, I find really no difference in cutting performance between the thinner and thicker blades. For purity of design, I really like the 21 with its bushing pivot, but I frankly like my knives' action to be a taste freer dropping and more flickable than they come from the factory, so I've ever-so-slightly thinned and polished the washers on my 21 users. I also prefer to oil, rather than grease all my knives.
It's fairly clear that CRK was looking to offer an alternative pivot design along with other new design features when they came out with the Sebenza 25 both to innovate and to appeal to a broader market share that favored adjustable pivots. Nothing wrong with that. I really like both my 25's and the Starbenza is the freest and smoothest CRK I've ever handled. Of course, there were many who took offense at the 25, claiming it shouldn't be considered a Sebenza at all and--voila!--the Inkosi was born. It's really just an updated and re-named 25 incorporating several improvements, the most remarkable for me being the floating stop-pin, which takes pivot adjustability to another level.
I could go on and on, but I've gone on enough already. In short, for me there's plenty to like in all my CRK folders and my advice would be the standard BF response--buy 'em both, or buy 'em all.
Great knives from a great company!I have a Small Sebenza 21 and a Small Inkosi. Both with drop point blades which I find more aesthetically pleasing than the Insingo blade. These are small knives, especially the Inkosi.
The aesthetics of knives are important to me. CRK knives are simple but built to extremely high standards. The result is elegant knives that are a pleasure to operate and use. The Inkosi pivot design makes for an even smoother feel than the 21. But as an EDC, the size of the 21 is perfect for my hand. Last, the proportions of the drop point 21 when open is absolutely perfect and beautiful. Like a well proportioned woman.
The aesthetics of knives are important to me. CRK knives are simple but built to extremely high standards. The result is elegant knives that are a pleasure to operate and use. The Inkosi pivot design makes for an even smoother feel than the 21. But as an EDC, the size of the 21 is perfect for my hand. Last, the proportions of the drop point 21 when open is absolutely perfect and beautiful. Like a well proportioned woman.