Mnandi and slicing

Pomsbz

Pomsbz

Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
2,556
Hi folks,

Can I ask a straight forward question? I'm thinking of a Mnandi but living in a (relatively) low wage part of the world, the purchase of one would mean selling practically every other knife I own, a few pipe pouches and then call it my birthday present. As such I want to make sure I get it right.

I love apples. I cut up and eat at least one a day at work and another at home. Every single hollow grind blade I have ever used has not worked for slicing apples. The apple gets caught in the hollow and jams up stopping a smooth slice. I get a similar result with salami for example. Anything where the slice continues past the halfway height of the blade. I've been told that the Mnandi has a shallow hollow, that the high hollow makes slicing different on this knife.

From users, can you tell me if I'm going to be disappointed, if I'm going to wish I hadn't sold FFG blades which work well for me for a hollow which looks unbelievable but does not slice apples? Or is this grind truly different?

Many thanks for your experience!
 
Mnandi is small for most apples. I don't think edge geometry will be a problem. Weight and length may or may not be a problem.
 
TripleT said:
Mnandi is small for most apples. I don't think edge geometry will be a problem. Weight and length may or may not be a problem.
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2.75" should be enough? It's the same as my current (8+ months) EDC Queen Copperhead.
 
It worked for me slicing apples, but so do my 21s and 25, which are considerably thicker. I usually carry a thin slipjoint precisely for apple slicing though, so I couldn't say whether a Mnandi would function better without knowing what you have been dissatisfied with.

Mnandi slices well, not as well as thinly ground slipjoint, better than other knives.
If you were to buy it purely for the function of slicing apples (which I don't think you are) then you would be dissatisfied (there are better slicers in the world).
If you were buying a mnandi for the sake of having a mnandi and are just asking if it will slice apples well, then yes, it slices apples very well.

The grind alone is not what makes it a $375+ knife, and in the end, the blade is just very nicely worked metal, so there's no magic, but it is a great knife.
 
I'll try to give an idea of what I have experience with. My Opinel 6 glides through all food like a light saber. My CRKT Swindle (hollow ground) gets stuck. So do my Leatherman blades (hollow ground)in both 420HC and 154cm. My Case Sodbuster Jr (hollow ground) does get stuck but not as badly and is usable. My Northwoods Willamette Whittler is flat ground but still jams up mid cut even after a regrind (came with an unfinished grind from the factory). My Queen Copperhead (after regrind and thinning down) is ok, not great but ok. Ditto my CSC Blade Forum 2015 knife. Even though it's flat ground and has been reground by a professional.

Thanks for all your help.
 
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I realise of course that this is just one aspect of a carry knife and especially a jewel like the Mnandi but it would be an important aspect for me unfortunately.
 
I'd pass on the Mnandi. Too small and not enough leverage for most apples. Also since the blade is not as tall as other blades, it can twist sideways in the cut.

If you want a CRK for fruit, you want a small Insingo, imho. The tip of the Insingo blade extends beyond the spine, which makes for a large thin section with no shoulder, when compared to other hollow grinds. Also the blade is tall, the stonewash does not drag on the apple flesh, and the handle has enough leverage for the task. I find my small Insingo to outperform my FFG PM2 on Apple duty.
 
kidcongo said:
I'd pass on the Mnandi. Too small and not enough leverage for most apples. Also since the blade is not as tall as other blades, it can twist sideways in the cut.

If you want a CRK for fruit, you want a small Insingo, imho. The tip of the Insingo blade extends beyond the spine, which makes for a large thin section with no shoulder, when compared to other hollow grinds. Also the blade is tall, the stonewash does not drag on the apple flesh, and the handle has enough leverage for the task. I find my small Insingo to outperform my FFG PM2 on Apple duty.
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I agree with respect to the Mnandi being a little small. I love those extra big Honeycrisp apples (large Fuji's also) and the Mnandi is kind of small for them. Trying to cut a Pink Lady is no fun (very dense apple variety). However, like kidcongo said, the small Insingo does it right. You can find them dressed up with black micarta or carbon fiber inlays if the plain Ti slabs are too common for what you're looking for.
 
+1 on kidcongo's recommendation on the small Insingo. I use my Large 21 Micarta Insingo almost exclusively for food preparation. It is a folding chef's knife to me.
 
The Mnandi is nice and certainly capable of slicing your apple.
The small Sebenza is better, as it gives you a bit more length and mine (ti-scales) is easier to wash afterwards.
Well at least I do not have to bother about the wood-inlay.
I have to agree with the size of the apples.
:)
 
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