Happy new owner

Hawk45

Hawk45

Joined
Jan 28, 2005
Messages
2,154
Been camped out by the front window waiting for the Post woman to come by this AM, cup of coffee and dogs in tote. She delivered me my first CRK, a beautiful new Large Micarta Insingo.

Pulling the cord before ever being able to handle one and only reading threads and watching videos, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Lots of excitement and a little concern as many have said "you may be underwhelmed". Well let me assure you I could be nothing farther than underwhelmed. This thing is an AMAZING piece of craftsmanship. Being a pessimistic person by nature, I immediately pulled it out of the box and began to look for flaws.. anything and everything.. nothing to speak of though. I was almost disappointed for some odd reason b/c I've never received anything that didn't have at least some flaw. In that moment, I got it. This is the price of perfection. I've always been one of those that could deal with imperfection as long as the product did what it was supposed to and served its purpose. This now shows me you CAN HAVE IT ALL, and really at one time in your life, you should.

So anyone on the fence about trying a CRK, DO! There is something magical about, well, everything. That beautiful 'tick' as it closes. Anyway, enough of my spew, I've got to go break this thing in.

Oh, a pic to commemorate it's adoption:

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I think you did good. I carry mine everyday and think the insingo with micarta inlays might be a perfect utility knife for me.
 
Congrats man! Use and carry it well! By the way---- welcome to the addiction :D
 
Great looking knife man. I, like you, pulled the trigger on my first CRK a month ago and bought a small 21. A week later I purchased a large 21 and a week after that I purchased a 25. Now the Mnandi is on my radar. I am the same as you in the sense that I always look for flaws in the things I own. It's an amazing feeling having something with quality and perfection yet so functional and fun.
 
SHAKEandBAKE said:
Great looking knife man. I, like you, pulled the trigger on my first CRK a month ago and bought a small 21. A week later I purchased a large 21 and a week after that I purchased a 25. Now the Mnandi is on my radar. I am the same as you in the sense that I always look for flaws in the things I own. It's an amazing feeling having something with quality and perfection yet so functional and fun.
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How does the 21 feel compared to the 25? I only have the 25
 
Only took me an hour to scratch up the Ti on my jean rivets. We'll at least that is over.. on to using this sucker.
Got though the first night/day in the pocket.. moved my whole setup around. Used to be cell phone in left (solo) and money clip, flashlight, knife and keys in right.
Now, keys, flashlight and money clip in left. Cell and CRK on right. Cell should be less rough on the knife and actually makes more sense for how I grab and use things.
 
Hawk45 said:
Only took me an hour to scratch up the Ti on my jean rivets. We'll at least that is over.. on to using this sucker.
Got though the first night/day in the pocket.. moved my whole setup around. Used to be cell phone in left (solo) and money clip, flashlight, knife and keys in right.
Now, keys, flashlight and money clip in left. Cell and CRK on right. Cell should be less rough on the knife and actually makes more sense for how I grab and use things.
Click to expand...

Keys on that ti would be a nightmare. My pocket clip seems to take a lot of scratches though, I get it caught on tables when I stand up
 
smt96797 said:
Keys on that ti would be a nightmare. My pocket clip seems to take a lot of scratches though, I get it caught on tables when I stand up
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I HIGHLY recommend the CRK calfskin pouch. I use them with all my CRK's and they provide superior protection when compared to just clipping your knife in your pocket. Not only will it provide it protection from scratches, there is almost NO chance it will ever fall out of your pocket. It also keeps dust and lint out which is important as our pockets are....well you know.... are dirty haha. You may think it would be hard to get your knife out of your pouch from within your pocket but it's really not, especially with a lanyard.
 
S&B, I was thinking of trying that possibly, but wasn't sure how it works with the pouch. Most important is I can get to my knife w/o having to use two hands, and fast if need be. Second is that it doesn't take up a lot of pocket real estate.

So how does the pouch work? Is it textured outside so when you pull the knife (say by a lanyard) the pouch stays in the pocket and the knife slides right out? What about putting it away? Do you have to pull the pouch out to put the knife back in?

Thanks for the feedback.
 
smt96797 said:
How does the 21 feel compared to the 25? I only have the 25
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That's a very interesting subject. Remember everyones hands are a little different and we all have different preferences but this is my take on it. Btw, I have medium sized hands. To me, my 25 fits better in my hand because of the finger grooves. It gives me a more "fitted" feel which gives me more confidence when cutting things. BUT, the 21 is also very comfortable and confidence inspiring, just in a different way than the 25. The 21 lacks the fitted feel. Here are some other things I like more about the 25 when compared to the 21. Keep in mind that I love my 21, large and small, and would never sell these knives. I LOVE the extra blade width, the bigger pivot, and the lack of the machining and lanyard holes. It also comes with a standard double thumb lug. When compared to the 21, the 25 is just stouter in every way. Especially with the bigger pivot and thicker blade, you get a knife that was already solid before (the 21), but now get a knife that is truly built like a super tank, not just a regular tank, if that makes any sense. Some people will conclude that the 21 is a better slicer because of the thinner blade, and maybe their right, but I like a thicker and more durable blade, so again, it's all about preference. In conclusion, I prefer the 25 over the 21. The 25 will be my edc until I find something better....if that's even possible. haha
 
Hawk45 said:
S&B, I was thinking of trying that possibly, but wasn't sure how it works with the pouch. Most important is I can get to my knife w/o having to use two hands, and fast if need be. Second is that it doesn't take up a lot of pocket real estate.

So how does the pouch work? Is it textured outside so when you pull the knife (say by a lanyard) the pouch stays in the pocket and the knife slides right out? What about putting it away? Do you have to pull the pouch out to put the knife back in?

Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...

The pouch system of carrying requires 2 hands. I know that some people have perfected this type of carry and are able to do it with 1 hand with practice but for most, like myself, it does require 2 hands. This does not really affect speed though, as long as you practice. Also, it does not take up much room in your pocket at all, and is very comfortable. It also does NOT require you to take the pouch out of your pocket to take the knife out or put it back in. All you do is place you non-domiant hand on the outside of your pants where the pouch is, holding the pouch down, then with your dominant hand you simply pull the knife out. I've gotten very fast and efficient at this and can see no discernible difference on how fast I can do this when compared to just clipping my knife in my pocket. This is a great example of giving a little to get some in return. Although you are giving up being able to take your knife out with 1 hand, your going to keep your knife from getting scratched and preventing it from falling out of your pocket when the clip gets caught on something. For you though, if might sound as if a belt pouch might be the best of both worlds. If keeping your knives hidden, this is not the best option but a belt pouch will allow you the protection of the pouch and the 1 handed use of the clip. Good luck!
 
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