Mnandi Alternative

[Dr Blazer]

William Henry makes a lot of unbelievably beautiful gent knives but they come at a price, but most customs are pricey. Brad Zinkers knives are sorry classy gent knives. I have 7. Chad Nell also makes some incredible knives. Charles Gedraitis is another one. I also have a super classy Rainy Day knives front flipper. Meades makes a few different classy gents. J Oeser has some beauties. Birdvis is as well. Pena knives. Lots of gorgeous slip joints, but my left arm is paralyzed so I can't use most slip joints.

 

[Chronovore]

I just ordered one of these … for the zero times I have to dress up. Because after all I am a cheapskate, and you never know when the next time is you’ll have to wear a tie again.

Great point. People die. People get married. You never know when you'll need to wear a tie and that need can pop up suddenly. Having a dressier pocket knife on the ready is a nice touch.

That Civivi Savant is a great budget option. I scale-swapped a pair for my wife. Action and lock-up on both were excellent.

From that same sort of design family, along with the Voltaic and Cachet, the Smooth Sentinel from WE can be a good choice in the next tier up. It is available in several configurations.

 

[Don_Logan]

Debating this given your purpose. However, it's not too heavy and depending on occasion, would do the job well.

 

[gooeytek]

Shamwari

 

[Don_Logan]

I’d be shopping at Mnandi prices or lower. There’s no hard ceiling if a particularly fine example of something stands out though.

I didn't see this part. Sorry.

Okay, the WH mentioned are prob a good alternative I posted.

The skiff is out and so is the Sham mentioned along with a Chad Nell someone else mentioned. Mentioning "there is no hard ceiling " should not warrant knives well over double or even triple the Mnandi in some cases. I guess some of the Mnandi are getting up there in price, but I suspect OP is thinking 400 to 550 range (?)......op if I'm wrong about that, let us know. The Skiff is about 1.2, used are less but hard AF to find. The Sham is 1.8 or so. A Nell is about 1.3 and can be had for less on the secondary, but finding one your jam for this mission could prove an indefinite wait given his volume.

This seems to be something where you might want to consider the deployment method as well. Some locations you're at * could* be a place where a flipper and especially a front flipper only would be inappropriate(?) as that could bring unwanted attention.

The william henry I posted walks out very easily with one hand and would fit right at home being opened at the table at even the nicest steakhouse around non-knife people. This is actually why I bought the knife. It fills the Niche perfectly. It looks a bit bigger in the photo. It's a very small, inviting knife and the way it deploys ads no flare, which may not be wanted depending on situation.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

William HenryView attachment 2312681

I really wish their “plain” models were more readily available. The one on top in your photo is perfect.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

As mentioned above, the Pro-Tech Newport is in the same class/category. And available in a variety of finishes from simple to fancy.

Thanks. I forgot about the Newport. I don’t think I can justify swinging for one of the custom models, but a satin/black with inlay should do fine and are reasonably priced.

 

[tiguy7]

I really wish their “plain” models were more readily available. The one on top in your photo is perfect.

That knife weighs less than 2 oz., is bulletproof, and has a ZDP-189 San Mai blade. The newer models use VG-10. The cored scales are a nice touch.View attachment 2320895