Hi folks,
I'm new round here, and a total knife newbie, but I'm lucky enough to live in NYC where you may know there's currently a knife show happening. I went last year and poked around but didn't buy anything. This year I was not so fortunate.
Before you get to the Mnandi pics, I hope you'll indulge me in my little story.
I had just walked into the show yesterday when I spied a lovely 2 tone micarta handled Mike Irie (extremely nice fellow!) ATS-34 fixed blade "Sport 100" at an incredibly reasonable price. Thinking I was done, having bought a knife I have no real use for but couldn't resist, I planned on leaving.
Three hours later, I was still there, meeting all kinds of people and playing with the goods (and probably annoying several folks to no end with my incessant newbie questions.)
I was making my way round the last row of tables when I spotted some cool knives, each with a meticulously tied noose-style short nylon lanyard on the end. Having never been a boy scout, I had always wanted to know how those knots were tied.
I approached the fellow at the table and inquired about the lanyards. He immediately reached into his bag of tricks and produced a length of cord, took my knife, and showed me step by step how to make the knot. This accomodating gentleman was none other than Chris Reeve.
I tried to pay attention to the knot lesson, but I was more intrigued by the small folder he pulled out to cut the cord. It was like nothing I had seen anywhere else at the show. I asked what it was and how much. It was of course, the Mnandi, and he was sold out completely, hours before I even arrived.
We chatted a bit more and I thanked him for the free lanyard/lesson and went home, adding the Mnandi to the list of all the knives I couldn't have at the show...a couple of amazing Lakes, a Hodgson, a $1600 Ron Richard folder that nearly made me cry, a 3 or 4 Sawbys that had me considering selling the watch off my wrist.
Today I got to wondering what became of the Mnandis Chris sold yesterday. Surely some of the dealers at the show snatched them up and were offering them today, or had packed them up to sell back home. So back I went to the show today, in search of a Mnandi.
I returned to Mr. Reeve's table and another fellow was there. I inquired as to who might have bought a Mnandi and if they were dealers. Sure enough, he pointed me to what turned out to be the only dealer in the show who had one, or was willing to admit it. I went to the table and asked about the knife. He said he indeed had one, and that I was welcome to see it, but that it was already spoken for. I was not hearing that.
He pulled out the knife I was "not allowed to buy". To make matters worse, it was a beautiful Ebony model, unlike the brown wood models I had seen on the web the night before, and the one Mr. Reeve had. The brown was nice, but I generally prefer black for almost everything, being a New Yorker and all. When I saw the knife, I knew I had to have it.
To make a long story slightly less long, the dealer could see I was not leaving without the knife. He took pity on me (and me paying $50 over retail didn't hurt either).
I'll shut up now. Here come the pics. First is the Sport 100, followed by the Mnandi, which I like more and more by the minute.
-Rob
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I'm new round here, and a total knife newbie, but I'm lucky enough to live in NYC where you may know there's currently a knife show happening. I went last year and poked around but didn't buy anything. This year I was not so fortunate.
Before you get to the Mnandi pics, I hope you'll indulge me in my little story.
I had just walked into the show yesterday when I spied a lovely 2 tone micarta handled Mike Irie (extremely nice fellow!) ATS-34 fixed blade "Sport 100" at an incredibly reasonable price. Thinking I was done, having bought a knife I have no real use for but couldn't resist, I planned on leaving.
Three hours later, I was still there, meeting all kinds of people and playing with the goods (and probably annoying several folks to no end with my incessant newbie questions.)
I was making my way round the last row of tables when I spotted some cool knives, each with a meticulously tied noose-style short nylon lanyard on the end. Having never been a boy scout, I had always wanted to know how those knots were tied.
I approached the fellow at the table and inquired about the lanyards. He immediately reached into his bag of tricks and produced a length of cord, took my knife, and showed me step by step how to make the knot. This accomodating gentleman was none other than Chris Reeve.
I tried to pay attention to the knot lesson, but I was more intrigued by the small folder he pulled out to cut the cord. It was like nothing I had seen anywhere else at the show. I asked what it was and how much. It was of course, the Mnandi, and he was sold out completely, hours before I even arrived.
We chatted a bit more and I thanked him for the free lanyard/lesson and went home, adding the Mnandi to the list of all the knives I couldn't have at the show...a couple of amazing Lakes, a Hodgson, a $1600 Ron Richard folder that nearly made me cry, a 3 or 4 Sawbys that had me considering selling the watch off my wrist.
Today I got to wondering what became of the Mnandis Chris sold yesterday. Surely some of the dealers at the show snatched them up and were offering them today, or had packed them up to sell back home. So back I went to the show today, in search of a Mnandi.
I returned to Mr. Reeve's table and another fellow was there. I inquired as to who might have bought a Mnandi and if they were dealers. Sure enough, he pointed me to what turned out to be the only dealer in the show who had one, or was willing to admit it. I went to the table and asked about the knife. He said he indeed had one, and that I was welcome to see it, but that it was already spoken for. I was not hearing that.
He pulled out the knife I was "not allowed to buy". To make matters worse, it was a beautiful Ebony model, unlike the brown wood models I had seen on the web the night before, and the one Mr. Reeve had. The brown was nice, but I generally prefer black for almost everything, being a New Yorker and all. When I saw the knife, I knew I had to have it.
To make a long story slightly less long, the dealer could see I was not leaving without the knife. He took pity on me (and me paying $50 over retail didn't hurt either).
I'll shut up now. Here come the pics. First is the Sport 100, followed by the Mnandi, which I like more and more by the minute.
-Rob
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I didn't know they made the Mnandi in ebony. Thanks for sharing.
