If can only buy one CRK folder, which one?

IMO your first purchase should be a Large Sebenza or 21. If you buy the small, mark my words, you will buy the Large down the road. I read that somewhere when I was deciding so I purchased the 21. Then the small. Then the Umnum. Then the Micarta Classic. Then the _______. You can see the pattern. Either way, any of those blades will make you happy so you have to decide what's important to you and what you are able to carry everyday.

I can tell you that out of all 4 I have I am enamored with the Umnum, Micarta, and 21 equally and the small kind of gets left out.
 
I just got my umnumzaan the other day and cant say enough good about it...i dont think its as big of a knife as everyone seems to say...i dont have enormous hands (about 3 3/4" wide), and she seems smaller than she looks in other peoples posts/pix (maybe they have smaller hands). It doesnt attract too much attention at work, but im on a construction site...so the attention is usually when i tell them the price ("you paid HOW much for that?") :D And i guess im not worried about offending the sheeple since i usually have a smaller pocket knife for the public to see me using. But i also have a classic large sebenza en route...so i might like that one more once shes here ;)
 
While I think the large feels a little better (and I carry one hiking on the weekends), I EDC a small Ironwood Sebenza in an office environment and couldn't be happier with it. Are you a City Mouse or Country Mouse?
 
Like every one says,it's the one you're gonna use.That my friend is satisfaction:D
 
Get the large 21. I would rather have a knife thats slightly too large than a knife thats slightly too small. Besides the large sebbie is medium sized.
 
I would go with the small Sebenza unless you really have a need for an EDC that exceeds legal limits. I've been EDCing a small Sebbie for a number of years now, only changing to a Mnandi when in dress slacks. I've found the small Sebenza is easier to carry than the large and does everything I need. Closed, the small Sebenza is the width of my palm

Personally, I prefer the standard without inlays or art work but that is my taste. I find the inlays just add to the thickness and the artwork, to my eye, detracts from the awsomely simple elegance of the original design.

All of that said, you will enjoy any CRK folder for years. After all, what can go wrong with two slabs of titanium and one of steel?
 
At this point I'm b/w a Small Sebenza or a Mnandi. I have a small fixed blade and some very large ones. I like the look and the price of the Mnandi, which still has the titanium handle along with an inlay and the same lock up. I also like the simple small Sebenza design and the size. The price runs the same on both...so I'm still in b/w these two. I would like a few more thoughts on either one of those two.
 
Mnandi's are beautiful but for me just to small and delicate but a true gentlemens knife. I think the small sebenza is more functional, feels better in the hand and gives you more of that large sebenza feel that is legendary.
Either way though you won't go wrong and in the end you'll probably end up with both.
 
Hey Davor, perfect topic and perfect timing. In fact my next/ first CRK will be based on user comments and suggestions here. Before I get into some comments and thoughts I would like to say I picked up an Umnumzaan as my first Chris Reeve knife. What a piece of functional artwork. However, I ended up selling it after a week. :o Loved the swedge, the beefier tip and it felt like you had a small army in your pocket should you need a knife. Yet basically the weight and the fact it drew more "looks" made it less of an EDC choice and more of a weekend sorta thing (which is totally cool too). However, there is no denying that something special about CRK's which I appreciated in the Umnum and would love to find again. I couldn't have summed it up better myself in the original post and these are the knives in question: Mnandi, small seb, or large seb. From the comments I have gathered, some say the large is a little big to urban carry, while others say it isn't a large large (Para 2 size). Some say the small isn't all that small at 4" closed while others say you might as well pay the little extra and get much more knife. "The large can do everything the small can do, but the small can't do everything the large can do." Then some people say the small can do 95+ percent of everything the large can with the blade thickness being the same. Maybe if "we were all honest with ourselves we could all do perfectly fine with the small Seb." was another quote. The small being the size of about a Delica and the large of the Endura. I used to EDC a Delica a long time ago and found it to be a great size. The small Seb has a weight of 2.9 oz so it will ride nicely in the pocket. Yet the sheer design of the Sebenza (large) makes it one of the most compact, carry-friendly med-large folders. :eek:

From what I have concluded the choice for me would be the Mnandi or the Large Seb. I am leaning way towards the Mnandi over the Small Seb due to the ultra-lightness, universally people friendly EDC (from what I have heard), blade length being almost that of the small seb while sacrificing a little thickness (better slicing?), and the same sweet lockup. I read couple of times some stating while they had their Mnandi, they never thought "Oh, wish I had my small Seb for this job".

If one can only purchase 1 CRK which does he choose.......the lighter (weight is a small factor) people-friendly EDC to which will most likely receive more usage OR the weekend/ afterwork handle-all-tasks-better-grip one which argueably represents all that is CRK's by a majority of CRK's owner's? I have a hunch the large Seb would be more fun to use so it is a question of which is more fun or which will get put into action more readily?

With nothing being set in stone, is the Small Seb that good??? Is it the one to take the place of them all if a person can only own one? In reality can it handle most everything the large will while boasting that ever-so-nice EDC preferred weight? Is it still too shocking for the non-knife enthusiast in a office/ type environment (not that it will be in one)? From those who own both sebs, have you ever carried your small and wished at one point your large was in your other pocket for a task?

And so the search for truth goes on....
 
Davor said:
At this point I'm b/w a Small Sebenza or a Mnandi. I have a small fixed blade and some very large ones. I like the look and the price of the Mnandi, which still has the titanium handle along with an inlay and the same lock up. I also like the simple small Sebenza design and the size. The price runs the same on both...so I'm still in b/w these two. I would like a few more thoughts on either one of those two.
Click to expand...

Out of the Mnandi and Small Sebenza I would lean more towards the Mnandi my self. It can do most all the things the small can do but comes in a classier package. The small Sebenza has a much thicker lock bar, thicker blade and fills the hand a bit more. The Mnandi my appear to be a bit more delicate but it is not a fragile knife by any means.

For me the Mnandi ticks all the boxes I look for in an EDC. It would be found lacking in the woods or in a first responder situation etc. but I tend to carry 2 knives, one of which would cover those any way. :p:thumbup:
 
Davor,

I have both a small Sebenza and a Mnandi with snakewood inlays. I love both, but I'll have to choose Mnandi if I can keep only one CRK. I've already stated my reasons earlier in this thread.

My take:

If I have to get rid of all folding knives I have and keep ONLY ONE, not just one CRK but only ONE folding knife, then small Sebenza wins.
If I can keep a few other knives for heavy tasks, super harsh situation, etc, but only ONE CRK, then I'll keep the Mnandi.

If your wallet permits, say for a month time, get and try both, and keep the one you liked best. I'm keeping both, though. :)
 
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coelacanth said:
Davor,

I have both a small Sebenza and a Mnandi with snakewood inlays. I love both, but I'll have to choose Mnandi if I have to choose only one CRK. I've already stated my reasons earlier in this thread.

My take:

If I have get rid of all knives I have and keep ONLY ONE, not just one CRK but only ONE folding knife, then small Sebenza wins.
If I can keep a few other knives for heavy tasks, super harsh situation, etc, but only ONE CRK, then I'll keep the Mnandi.

If your wallet permits, say for a month time, get and try both, and keep the one you liked best. I'm keeping both, though. :)
Click to expand...



I like your train of thought - good points.

In earlier "One only" threads, it seems the Large Seb edged out all others. Now though it seems the small seb and Mnandi are taking the cake not in terms of one over the other but with respect to the "One only" scenario.


Cheers
 
SPYfanman said:
I like your train of thought - good points.

In earlier "One only" threads, it seems the Large Seb edged out all others. Now though it seems the small seb and Mnandi are taking the cake not in terms of one over the other but with respect to the "One only" scenario.


Cheers
Click to expand...

The fact that the OP stated he is really only interested in the small Sebenza and Mnandi just might have something to do with that.

If I really had to choose "only one folder" it would be the Umnumzaan......"only one knife" would be a fixed blade like a CRK one piece. :thumbup:
 
I have a large Sebenza with damascus (ladder pattern) and I really really enjoy it. If I was forced to go smaller than I would choose, without question, a small sebenza with damascus. :):):)
 
I decided and chose to buy a Small Regular Sebenza in S30V, probably the last available NIB. I heard a lot of good things about the Small Regular model, so I jumped on it once I found one. I almost bought a Mnandi, even had the order filled out for a snake wood inlay, but the Small Regular was available. I got the Regular for the same price of a Mnandi. Down the road I'll probably send that order in. I'll let you guys know how I like the Small Regular when I receive it within the next two weeks!
 
Ah nice, thanks for the update. Actually I ended up choosing the large Seb 21. Happen to find one off the exchange for a decent price from a good seller.) I might have to start saving up in the future for a Mnandi should the Large really impress me. What help me decide was after reading all the comments and then suprisingly my own post. lol For me the deciding factor was too may similarities between the Mnandi and the small Seb, but in the end the Mnandi won due to its more peoply friendly styling, smaller footprint, and super cool weight. I opted for the Large as this way I might experience all that is a Sebenza in the original size Chris Reeve designed.


Either way Congrats! on your small reg. find and let us know how you like it and thoughts/ impressions.
 
Does it really matter which one it is, as long as it is and when you do hold it, life will never be the same.
 
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