Inkosi thoughts

gull wing

gull wing

Joined
May 4, 2002
Messages
2,535
I got a Small Inkosi a while back, and I like it much better than I though I would. I already had the plain Jane and Micarta 21s. I was more than pleased with them with no reason to change.
1. I find the Inkosi easier to open than the 21. What is so great is there was no break in, it opened easily and just seemed to flow when opening it.
WHY IS IT SO EASY TO OPEN? The detent is just as strong.
2.WHY DOES IT SEEM SO FLUID?

:)Now I'm looking at the large, not that I need a larger knife, but.....
 
Mine was easier to open but I can't decide whether it was due to the general design differences or the detent was lighter.
 
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I agree. I sold my Small Sebbenza in favor of the Small CF Inkosi. It is definitely a smoother knife that requires no break in. My only hangup is the length. I wish it was a tad longer. So much so that I'm considering going back to a small seb.
Even though my small seb would fall freely when disengaging the lockbar, it was not smooth when the detent ball ran along the tang. In my opinion it is the larger ceramic detent ball that makes the knife smoother.
 
I received my large Inkosi last night and it was so tight I had to use two hands to open it. Even then it was incredibly tight. So I loosened the pivot and now it will open 1 handed but it is very hard to get it started and once it gets started it flies open like it's being flicked. If I tighten the pivot it becomes hard to open again. Also when it's getting close to the closing point it will snap shut, almost like a Cold Steel Am. Lawman. Is this normal for a new Inkosi? I have a very smooth small 21 and this is totally opposite so I though maybe it's just new and needs to be broken in. After reading some comments I think it might need to go back. Any help would be great.
 
Gull, of the two that I have, the one directly from CRK is like you described to a tee. Unbelievably smooth from the box. Then, KSF had a lefty in red micarta and I got one. Although it's smooth, it's not as smooth as the one from CRK. I suspect the angle of the pocket clip helps with the knife being smooth, and the larger washers help it to stay fluid throughout opening the blade.
BTW, both are large and the detent on the one from CRK doesn't feel as strong as the one from KSF.
 
TYPE-R said:
I received my large Inkosi last night and it was so tight I had to use two hands to open it. Even then it was incredibly tight. So I loosened the pivot and now it will open 1 handed but it is very hard to get it started and once it gets started it flies open like it's being flicked. If I tighten the pivot it becomes hard to open again. Also when it's getting close to the closing point it will snap shut, almost like a Cold Steel Am. Lawman. Is this normal for a new Inkosi? I have a very smooth small 21 and this is totally opposite so I though maybe it's just new and needs to be broken in. After reading some comments I think it might need to go back. Any help would be great.
Click to expand...

It may be a lock bar tension issue, you may want to see if it can be exchanged from where you bought it from or send it in to CRK for an adjustment.
 
Maybe the ceramic detent makes it easier? Plus the wide washers that cover he whole pivot area.
 
TYPE-R said:
I received my large Inkosi last night and it was so tight I had to use two hands to open it. Even then it was incredibly tight. So I loosened the pivot and now it will open 1 handed but it is very hard to get it started and once it gets started it flies open like it's being flicked. If I tighten the pivot it becomes hard to open again. Also when it's getting close to the closing point it will snap shut, almost like a Cold Steel Am. Lawman. Is this normal for a new Inkosi? I have a very smooth small 21 and this is totally opposite so I though maybe it's just new and needs to be broken in. After reading some comments I think it might need to go back. Any help would be great.
Click to expand...

You may be putting pressure on the lockbar as you are trying to open it by the way you are holding the knife. Even a little pressure can make it VERY hard to open.
 
Lapedog said:
You may be putting pressure on the lockbar as you are trying to open it by the way you are holding the knife. Even a little pressure can make it VERY hard to open.
Click to expand...

It's possible, it's a large with inlay and the pocket clip placement does feel weird. Just disappointing, I was so excited to finally get this knife. I'll give it some time this weekend and if it's not user error I'll send it back. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Just try to open it while making absolute sure that you are not putting pressure on the lockbar.
 
I picked up my large Inkosi with natural Micarta inlays all but BNIB from the Exchange last February. It had been minimally handled but needed no break in whatsoever--just wicked smooth from the get-go. I also like to flick out my CRKs (I know, I know) and the Inkosi comes out really nicely. I love my 21s with their bushing pivots, but I had to take their washers down .01-.015 mms each to get the knives to open to my liking. My 25 needed a little interior polishing. My StarTac has just always been perfect.

Anyway, I think the new washer style and size on the Inkosi strikes a great balance between smoothness and strength/stability. The angle of attack with one's thumb falls somewhere between that needed to open a 21--kind of an awkward (for me, anyway) out-and-around--and the surprisingly straight, forward push of the 'Zaan. It does seem easier to access the thumb-stud as has been previously mentioned.

I'm really happy with my Inkosi, but it doesn't make me like my 21s or my 25 or StarTac any less. It's just a great addition to an excellent stable of knives!

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Update on my Inkosi. When I got home Friday night I tried to open it 2 hands without touching the lock bar. I took a lot of force to open and when it did it would pop open to about 90 degrees. I took it apart and removed all the grease, there was quite a bit of it. After re-greasing and reassembly the knife is much smoother. It still has some stiffness but not as bad as it was. I think after breaking it in that it'll be fine. Overall it's a pretty impressive knife. This is my 1st large CRK and the blade and lock release are really nice. Thanks for the feedback!
 
TYPE R,
Don't know if this helps but.....
My Inkosi's washers were "grabie" when held between the fingers. As though there was a tiny burr at the perforations.
They get better with use.
 
TYPE-R said:
Update on my Inkosi. When I got home Friday night I tried to open it 2 hands without touching the lock bar. I took a lot of force to open and when it did it would pop open to about 90 degrees. I took it apart and removed all the grease, there was quite a bit of it. After re-greasing and reassembly the knife is much smoother. It still has some stiffness but not as bad as it was. I think after breaking it in that it'll be fine. Overall it's a pretty impressive knife. This is my 1st large CRK and the blade and lock release are really nice. Thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...

If your large Inkosi is truly that hard to open it seems to me something must be wrong. From day one my Large Inkosi has been extremely easy to open. While still having that Chris Reeve hydraulic opening feel it was much smoother to open than my 21s were new. Is the difficulty to open stopping after you clear past the detent? If that is the case it seems to me there may be something wrong with the detent. You might want to send it in the CRK if that is the case.

Either way CRK knives are warrantied for life so if you want to keep on trying it out to see if it breaks in eventually you can always send it in later if the problem doesn't resolve. Still it seems kind of odd that if you are certain you are not putting pressure on the lockbar in any way as you are opening the knife that it is that difficult to open.
 
I went back and forth on Inkosi vs. Umnumzaan, and decided on the 'zaan. It lasted 2 days and I decided to sell it - I simply couldn't figure out the right (consistent, reliable) way to open it. Wore out my thumb trying to figure it out. Maybe I had a lemon (highly doubt it) but I feel like my knife should open no matter how I might screw it up (within reason). Instead, with the 'zann, I felt like I was trying to straighten out my golf swing - it was purely a guessing game as to what I was doing wrong.

I now have an inkosi on the way and am anticipating an entirely different result, more on par with my large 21. Really looking forward to this knife!!
 
gull wing said:
TYPE R,
Don't know if this helps but.....
My Inkosi's washers were "grabie" when held between the fingers. As though there was a tiny burr at the perforations.
They get better with use.
Click to expand...
Lapedog said:
Is the difficulty to open stopping after you clear past the detent? If that is the case it seems to me there may be something wrong with the detent.
Click to expand...
It has smoothed out quite a bit since I took it apart. I have small Sebenza that was smooth out of the box, so I was surprise when I got the Inkosi and it wasn't.

TRfromMT, as Lapedog pointed out, if you put pressure on the lock bar it's hard to open. I make sure my grip is on or below the pocket clip so I'm not on the lock. Hope it helps.
 
Just make sure you're not putting pressure anywhere on the lockbar, not only avoiding it close to the lockface.

Also.l I'm sure you know this but the thumb motion to open CRKs is different than other thumbstud knives. For CRKs you are supposed to sort of push out then around. So you are pushing the stud 90 degrees perpendicular to the spine of the knife then rounding the pivot.
 
^^^ I read (a lot!) about the pressure on the lockbar and various tips. I'm a pretty analytical guy, mechanical engineer by trade, and understand the geometry of the mechanism. I know it was me and the knife would fly open when I got it right. My frustration was that getting it just right, consistently, eluded me. I can't have that with a knife. I need a knife that's idiot proof (or at least "me proof" when it comes to my dexterity). I have NO ISSUES with my L21, so that's where my expectations were set. It's intuitive, but the 'zaan wasn't, so it was moved on.
 
^ You just have to figure out then practice a way that puts no pressure on the lockbar when you open the knife. It is really not that hard. Just keep your finger off the lockbar and there will be no pressure on it. Once you get used to gripping the knife that way when opening it will be zero issue for you to handle the knife every time that way when opening it.

Still if you are having problems keeping pressure off the lockbar when opening it then maybe certain framelocks are not right for you. Linerlocks keep pressure off the lockbar by virtue of the scales. Since everyone's hands are different this means that different framelocks will naturally fall in people's hands in different ways which will put pressure on the lockbar of one but not another.
 
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