CRK Mnandi question before I buy...

cchu518 said:
Oh boy ^ here we go and denial is just another river in Egypt. Why can't we just say it's not really a one hand opener and leave it at that.

The only thing that video shows is the brand loyalty of CRK. Someone is doing finger gymnastics and CRK loyalists are saying see how easy that is?

CRK is the only knife brand that I know where their knives have some deficiency and their fans make up some excuse for it. Oh the thumbstuds are supposed to tear up your finger .... Oh the steel is supposed to be soft like that.... Lol.
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Really, you literally can only think of one brand? Some Spyderco, Emerson, Strider, Benchmade, etc. knives come with or eventually, and rather quickly in some cases, develop blade play...I still buy and use them. I tolerate it. And blade play of any kind is my biggest pet peeve. Not one of any of my current 40+ or any of my past 50+ CRKs ever developed blade play of any kind and I use my CRKs.
 
loon#r said:
Really, you literally can only think of one brand? Some Spyderco, Emerson, Strider, Benchmade, etc. knives come with or eventually, and rather quickly in some cases, develop blade play...I still buy and use them. I tolerate it. And blade play of any kind is my biggest pet peeve. Not one of any of my current 40+ or any of my past 50+ CRKs ever developed blade play of any kind and I use my CRKs.
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People acknowledging that Spydercos back lock eventually get blade play or the PM2 just coming with that in its inherent design is one thing. CRK never fixing their crappy thumbstuds or people trying to say the Mnandi is the best thing since slice bread and trying to label it a one hand opener by demonstrating the 4 or 5 different operations it takes to open it one handed are two different things. I've had multiple Wilson Combats and it's one of my favorite knives but I'm not going to look over its faults and defend a brand to the end. You get more of this in the CRK forum than anywhere else, rather than have a courteous discussion about design and the possibility of change any criticism is met with some overzealous voices more than any other manufacturer's thread. That said I have a mnandi, I think it's ok. It's a great gent's knife that I don't like to carry and it really is a two handed opening knife in design. Period. If they designed it William Henry style with a tiny little thumb stud or top flipping, I think it would have been in my rotation forever. That said I have a Spyderco Baby Jess Horn about the same size that I like a lot better. But ymmv.

Now the original ask from the OP first and foremost was can it be one handed open. And the answer is yes but its not easy. Any other answer is BS as you saw in the video, it's not an easy one step motion.
 
A person’s hands, preferences, and expectations seem to be the matter. Some people find the different sized spyderco holes problematic, I myself have no problem with the original smaller hole or the more recent larger hole. I have regular Large hands. I can open any style mnandi in an easy one step motion. Some hands are just more capable than others.
 
I think the Sebenza thumb stud is a little sharp but I honestly have no problem opening a Mnandi with one hand.
 
cchu518 said:
Oh boy ^ here we go and denial is just another river in Egypt. Why can't we just say it's not really a one hand opener and leave it at that.
The only thing that video shows is the brand loyalty of CRK. Someone is doing finger gymnastics and CRK loyalists are saying see how easy that is?
CRK is the only knife brand that I know where their knives have some deficiency and their fans make up some excuse for it. Oh the thumbstuds are supposed to tear up your finger .... Oh the steel is supposed to be soft like that.... Lol.
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Since the thread is about the Mnandi, i agree that it certainly can be opened and closed one handed. Whether it is “finger gymnastics” is subjective...easier for some than others it seems like. When i got mine, it took me a few days to get the hang of it, but once one gets used to it, can certainly be done without problem. However, i can understand how certain hands would have difficulty...

cchu518 cchu518 the couple other things you mention are also subjective, each person’s experience is different.
Over the past few years Sebenzas have been my most carried knife, and honestly never thought that the thumb studs “tear up” my finger, or that the steel is “soft.” Although in certain circumstances i can see how those can become issues, in which case these are the wrong knives for that purpose... Usage & opinions vary...
 
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416isToronto said:
Since the thread is about the Mnandi, i agree that it certainly can be opened and closed one handed. Whether it is “finger gymnastics” is subjective...easier for some than others it seems like. When i got mine, it took me a few days to get the hang of it, but once one gets used to it, can certainly be done without problem. However, i can understand how certain hands would have difficulty...

cchu518 cchu518 the couple other things you mention are also subjective, each person’s experience is different.
Over the past few years Sebenzas have been my most carried knife, and honestly never thought that the thumb studs “tear up” my finger, or that the steel is “soft.” Although in certain circumstances i can see how those can become issues, in which case these are the wrong knives for that purpose... Usage & opinions vary...
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It certainly is subjective! But like I've said and this is my only point about that. I've never seen more people go overboard in defense of products and say that a subjective comment is just plain wrong than I have in the CRK forum. It actual made me want to carry my CRKs less as stupid as that sounds. That's my point entirely that opinions are subjective but you don't see nearly as many people crawl out from where they are and start attacking people bc they noted that a thumbstud on a knife sucked as much as you do in the CRK forum.
 
This is a little OT, but can someone please explain what problems people are having with the sebenza thumbstud?

:confused:
 
I have three large CRK's and one small, I only bought the small because it's a Basketweave, the large fits my hand size better and I prefer the larger blade.
Would I have difficulty with an even smaller Mnandi?
 
I have large and small Sebenzas and the Mnandi. The Mnandi is one of my favorite CRKs and I carry and use it often, but it is way smaller than a large sebenza and less beefy than a small sebenza. It all depends on how you plan to use it as to whether you’d have difficulty with it. I can get a 3 and 1/2 finger grip on the Mnandi and that makes it more than adequate for 90 percent of what I want to do day to day, and given its size it’s easy to carry especially if you’re in a jurisdiction with stricter knife laws as I am. For a demanding task, I would use something larger and more substantial. The Mnandi is a beautiful and usable knife, and I would recommend it. But if you really want the grip of something like a large sebenza, I would think twice. Your small sebenza is a good comparison and, while the specs are different than the Mandi, I have the same grip basically with a small sebenza and the Mnandi. Hope this helps!
 
DCFree said:
I have large and small Sebenzas and the Mnandi. The Mnandi is one of my favorite CRKs and I carry and use it often, but it is way smaller than a large sebenza and less beefy than a small sebenza. It all depends on how you plan to use it as to whether you’d have difficulty with it. I can get a 3 and 1/2 finger grip on the Mnandi and that makes it more than adequate for 90 percent of what I want to do day to day, and given its size it’s easy to carry especially if you’re in a jurisdiction with stricter knife laws as I am. For a demanding task, I would use something larger and more substantial. The Mnandi is a beautiful and usable knife, and I would recommend it. But if you really want the grip of something like a large sebenza, I would think twice. Your small sebenza is a good comparison and, while the specs are different than the Mandi, I have the same grip basically with a small sebenza and the Mnandi. Hope this helps!
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Thanks for that interesting and helpful info.
 
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