Here I Am. Thanks....I Think...

H

hokiewise

Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
182
Good morning all! Long time lurker, but infrequent poster on message boards. Been a knife nut my entire life, with my first knife being a "Kamp King" folder from the Gold Bond stamp store, as a gift from my father back in the 60's. Moved on to Buck, Case and Gerber ( the early USA ones ), and then to Spyderco, which I love. Then I wound up here about three months ago. My wallet is feeling the pain. After reading all your posts about CRK and the quality of the Sebenza, I had to give one a try. You were right. Started with a small Insingo, and was amazed at the feel, and now truly know what all the love for these knives is about. It is my EDC. Then wanted to try a large, so the wallet opened again, a bit too easily. This time a large plain 21 Insingo. Also awesome. But it really seems a bit too large for my use, and has been sitting neglected while the small gets all the love. My question... do I keep the large and hope that I will start to use it, or should I sell it and go for a Mnandi? Are the small Sebenza and Mnandi too much alike, or would they make a great pair? I don't " heavy use " my knives, so I think it would be plenty blade for edc. Just torn on selling the Large Insingo, cause one day the "itch"will probably need to be scratched again. Just can't justify having the $$$ sitting in a box. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think...
 
I'd hang on to it for awhile. It may grow on you. The Mnandi is great to add in the meantime. You can always unload the large later.
 
You have some good questions, the Sebenza and Mnandi to me are nothing alike, the Sebenza is a work horse, do everything a knife should do. The Mnandi is refined, wonderful knife for those special times when you want to dress up a little. Both do make a great pair, both will do anything a knife should do. You can not go wrong ether way.
 
I love the Mnandi, so my opinion will be biased in that respect. I think the Mnandi can best handle tasks such as:

Letter opening
Package/box opening
Food prep - slicing apples, cutting steak, etc.
Twine/rope cutting
***Most lady/gentleman tasks that you might do with a ~91mm sized Swiss Army large blade
I wouldn't hesitate to use it for more demanding tasks if it's the only knife I had on me
 
Really appreciating the input. Having never handled a Mnandi is the problem, along with, of course, the cash outlay. Lisa, after seeing your collection I certainly understand your perspective. Amazing! Almost afraid I would be opening a whole "nother can of worms with the purchase of a Mnandi. Should never have come here:) My wife definitely wishes I had never found CRK and you "enablers". More shoes for her!
 
I'm the Opposite of you, my Larges and Umnum's get all the love. Can't forget about the 25, somehow it feels more compact but heavier at the same time. They'll grow on you :D
 
I think the Mnandi was a great fit for me since I did carry a SAK for years and was either using the main blade or small blade the most out of all the other implements.
If you find yourself needing a more "beefy" knife or more handle real estate then the small or large, 25 are better fits....even the Umnumzaan.
I personally think the Mnandi is one of the best values in gentleman's knives (when compared to some custom knives of similar size), and it's a joy to carry.

It's a capable knife for most urban tasks, it would possibly hold up in a rural environment, light camping chores, not wood splitting of course.
 
Last edited:
I appreciate the refined and beautiful qualities of the Mnandi; however, I tried 3 of them and ended up selling them all. Not because they weren't wonderful, but simply because of personal preference--nothing more, nothing less.
 
I carry one of my large CRK's for my daily knife, although I carried a small for a couple of years I just can't seem to go back to it as an edc. While I was carrying a small I also owned a very nice Mnandi as my special occasion knife, it was an amazing piece. I view it as an entirely different animal than a Sebenza, it's blade is much thinner and the tip more fragile. It cuts very well though and excels at regular knife tasks. Since you said that you're not hard on your knives it'd probably serve you well. I think that the people who don't like them are comparing them to the Sebenza and it's just not made for the same tasks.

That said, my favorite knife right now is my large Insingo, I couldn't imagine selling it. If your budget allows I'd recommend getting the Mnandi before you sell the Insingo to see which one will suit your needs better.

Good luck choosing, they're both great knives.
 
That's the great thing about CRK. If you get one and try it, and just don't like it or see it getting used, you can sell it for close to what you paid for it. Or trade it for a mnandi. Then down the road, if you get the hankering for the large insingo again, they will be there to buy again. Most of us have bought, tried, and sold different CRK, only to buy the same thing again down the road. Its just the nature of the beast that is CRK.

btw......the Mnandi is an amazing little knife. I have had 6 of the over the years and regret selling or trading every single one. Its built as tough as a sebenza, only more streamlined and a lot thinner. I have used mine for almost everything I use a sebenza for and it has never let me down.
 
Last edited:
I haven't kept track of how many Sebbies, large and small, that I've had...all within the last year as the fever overtook my common sense. I've never wanted a Mnandi; too small for me. Even the small Seb is a bit small for me, but I couldn't turn down that wonderful small box elder the other day from my old bud RR84.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top