Inkosi vs. the 25

jmclfrsh

jmclfrsh

Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Messages
1,379
I was shocked to see the 25 was discontinued. I was wondering why the Inkosi was so similar, but looked at it as a small 25 until the large one was announced.

I have a lefty and a righty micarta 25 each among my CRK collection, and was going to sell the lefty as I prefer the older stonewash finish that is lighter gray and finer in grain that my right-handed one has as it is older in the manufacture date.

That might seem crazy, as I'm left-handed.

But not anymore, I'm keeping it. Why?

Nothing against the large Inkosi, but how will a micarta or other inlaid-version ever come out with the clip up above the lock bar as it is designed?

I totally get why they designed it that way, but it seems to be relegated to a non-inlaid model...

Unless they bring back a larger inlaid front, like the older annuals had on the presentation side.

Thoughts?
 
There is a thread that has pics of the limited inlay CRK had at Blade of the large Inkosi. When you see both sides, you'll see how they're going to do it. Like the 25, it will take some time before the inlayed models are offered. It will be interesting to see if other material is going to be offered other than micarta.
 
Ajack60 said:
There is a thread that has pics of the limited inlay CRK had at Blade of the large Inkosi. When you see both sides, you'll see how they're going to do it. Like the 25, it will take some time before the inlayed models are offered. It will be interesting to see if other material is going to be offered other than micarta.
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Do you remember which thread this was? I don't remember seeing the inlaid back and can't find that pic at the moment.
 
einsteinjon said:
Do you remember which thread this was? I don't remember seeing the inlaid back and can't find that pic at the moment.
Click to expand...

I thought the pics were in the thread, went and looked, couldn't find any. Then I remembered someone sent me a pic. That's what happens when you get older :)


 
In my opinion, the seb 25 was a fail. CRK seen it coming and they changed a few things for the better and gave it a new name. Glad they did, I would have never invested in a model 25. As for Inkosi inlay, I am not a fan of the shape. If I invest in an Inkosi, it will be non inlayed!
 
Ah man, thats the first time ive seen the clip side inlay...ughh, not sure if im liking that much. Love the presentation side though.
 
staysharp^ said:
In my opinion, the seb 25 was a fail.
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I disagree, and I will be keeping mine. Sure, the Inkosi has some tweaks, but there was only one thing that requires attention with the 25 - alignment of the stop pin during reassembly. Loctite easily solves this, and was part of the original design. I will not be getting the large Inkosi (I have the small, no issues with it). The large Inkosi needs to have the exposed pockets in the washers filled in. They will easily collect dirt, which will then be between the washers and the blade. Maybe CRK will tweak the design a little more and address this issue. I would rather have an easily solvable issue (by design) than one that will always be an issue that I cannot solve on my own.
 
I will keep my 25. There is nothing that I see in the Inkosi that is an improvement for me to get one....... I will continue to look for 21's and Regulars as they are closer to the original design.
 
The 25 is a great knife. Could things be improved? Sure, but that can be said for almost anything. If you can't do your knife things with a CRK 25, you're doing something wrong...
 
Man, im torn between the 25 and Inkosi. Really thought id like the ergos of the Inkosi more than the 25, but nope. They shaved down the spine and to me, i can tell. Makes the knife skinnier. The stop pin and new washers(as in identical, no hooks) are about the only things i like. Going to try and get a micarta 25 to see if i like the thickness of the inlays. Always liked on the 21s so shouldnt be an issue.
 
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I'm glad I was lazy in this case and did not sell my lefty micarta 25. I'm keeping the pair together.

I like the shape of the micarta on the 25s better, and since I kinda fling (but easily) the blade open on a 25 anyway, the clip bring on the lock bar is no biggie.

Lord knows how long it would take me to find another lefty micarta 25. Like my lefty micarta Insingo, I'll bet it would be awhile before another one comes available.

I'm glad I already have the CRKs I really want. Now I get to just use them.
 
jmclfrsh said:
I'm glad I was lazy in this case and did not sell my lefty micarta 25. I'm keeping the pair together.

I like the shape of the micarta on the 25s better, and since I kinda fling (but easily) the blade open on a 25 anyway, the clip bring on the lock bar is no biggie.

Lord knows how long it would take me to find another lefty micarta 25. Like my lefty micarta Insingo, I'll bet it would be awhile before another one comes available.

I'm glad I already have the CRKs I really want. Now I get to just use them.
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Good choice in keeping the lefty. They're sill out there to be had. I know I'm keeping the 5 lefty 25's that I have.
 
I'm keeping most of my 25s and sold my Large Inkosi at a $180 loss while it was still NIB. The micarta 25 is the best of the best for me.

That's how awesome the large Inkosi is, that they have offered it for sale once, and it didn't sell out at the show, so they sold some to dealers, who didn't sell out either.

The Large Inkosi is better for people whose hands it fits better than the 25 did. Full stop. A better fit is better, when the models are this close, plain and simple.

The tang grove did not stop lock stick, my example had the exact same amount (tiny) of lock stick as all my 25s when new.

The clip off the lockbar was no improvement, the lockbar is stiffer than 3 of my 25s. The amount of tension in it is far more important than the pressure applied by the clip which should be almost none when tuned right. Maybe they needed more pressure to push into the grove.

For no other reason than the washers I wouldn't want the Large Inkosi. It's going to get grease in your pocket and your pocket lint and dirt in the washers and feel awful. The washers are now wider than the blade tang, so there is more surface area, which makes the action feel worse. Also, the washer is exposed, so it's naturally going to collect more lint. They are simply too big. It's going to require more maintenance.

The stop pin is ugly in my opinion as it breaks up the symmetry of the fasteners.

The spine of the handle was now more concave, well my palm is actually concave, so now it touches less of my hand when I grip it, more on the ends, so more pressure.

The main things I liked better about it, the chamfer on the ends match.

The blade has a deeper hollow grind so I think it will slice better.

In my mind, the Inkosi is a massive flop and the only CRK I regret buying.
 
JustinFournier said:
I'm keeping most of my 25s and sold my Large Inkosi at a $180 loss while it was still NIB. The micarta 25 is the best of the best for me.

That's how awesome the large Inkosi is, that they have offered it for sale once, and it didn't sell out at the show, so they sold some to dealers, who didn't sell out either.

The Large Inkosi is better for people whose hands it fits better than the 25 did. Full stop. A better fit is better, when the models are this close, plain and simple.

The tang grove did not stop lock stick, my example had the exact same amount (tiny) of lock stick as all my 25s when new.

The clip off the lockbar was no improvement, the lockbar is stiffer than 3 of my 25s. The amount of tension in it is far more important than the pressure applied by the clip which should be almost none when tuned right. Maybe they needed more pressure to push into the grove.

For no other reason than the washers I wouldn't want the Large Inkosi. It's going to get grease in your pocket and your pocket lint and dirt in the washers and feel awful. The washers are now wider than the blade tang, so there is more surface area, which makes the action feel worse. Also, the washer is exposed, so it's naturally going to collect more lint. They are simply too big. It's going to require more maintenance.

The stop pin is ugly in my opinion as it breaks up the symmetry of the fasteners.

The spine of the handle was now more concave, well my palm is actually concave, so now it touches less of my hand when I grip it, more on the ends, so more pressure.

The main things I liked better about it, the chamfer on the ends match.

The blade has a deeper hollow grind so I think it will slice better.

In my mind, the Inkosi is a massive flop and the only CRK I regret buying.
Click to expand...

No need to hold back, tell us how you really feel! :D
 
Large Inkosi is growing on me but have to wait and see what the other inlay materials look like before I pull the trigger. So far some complaints I've seen are hot spots on the clip, one side not probably chamfered and some issue with the shape or size of the washers? Maybe they'll remedy all these problems upon production. But the inlay size and shape is growing on me, it's kind of a 25 + 21 shape. Eating some pop corn and keeping an eye on this one!


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Regarding the deeper hollow grind on the Inkosi, yes, it's much deeper. Not quite 21 but somewhere in between. Here's a few measurements:

At mid-blade (tip to tang) the Large Inkosi measures 0.065 inch thick at 0.40 inch in from the blade edge. The Sebenza 25 measures 0.080 inch thick at the same position.

At mid-blade the Large Inkosi measures 0.035 inch thick at 0.20 inch in from the blade edge. The Sebenza 25 measures 0.050 inch thick at the same position.
 
Still just stuck with the trusty 21 and don't think CRK will ever come out with a better knife and I'm fine with that....they made a virtually perfect knife with the 21! I guess if I had to choose I'd take a large Inkosi with some sort of inlay...but I am concerned about those washer pockets because it really is just inviting dirt and grit onto the blade tang.


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Personally, I prefer the 25 over the large Inkosi I handled at Blade this year. The straight clips fits my hands better and the angled clip digs into my palm right beneath the birdie finger.

The funniest thing I saw at Blade was someone behind the CRK counter spraying the pivot area of the large Inkosi with WD-40! Whodathunkit?!?!
 
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