Mnandi...difficult to open?

T

tyco19

Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
8
I'm a recent Sebenza convert and am now taking a serious look at some of the other CRK offerings, including the Mnandi.

My only concern about the knife is the lack of thumb studs. Is that slit in the blade the only way to open the knife? It looks like it might be kind of difficult to get the proper grip/leverage to easily open it with one hand.

I like to be able to easily flick open my knives, not for any practical purpose, but just as something to do while writing, watching TV, etc. As much as I love my Sebenza, even that knife has a tendency to "stick" in the handle a bit (though this seems to improve with continued use). Is the Mnandi about the same? Are those slits in the blade deep enough to be able to get a good grip and easily open the knife? How do people generally open them?

Also, any general comments or opinions on the Mnandi and how it stacks up to the Sebenza would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.

I don't mean to clutter up the board with annoying questions, but I have a birthday coming up in a few weeks and need to be able to point the wife in the right direction for my eagerly anticipated present--Mnandi, fixed blade?
 
Well, the Mnandi is definitely a lighter use knife (Gentleman's pocketknife IMHO). It is a damn good little blade for general stuff. When I had one, I used to use my thumb and middle finger (the Mnandi has that enlarged nailnick/cutout on each side of the blade) to get the blade started out of the detent, then finish the opening arc with just my thumb. I don't see it as being a "flickable" knife really. But then again, even flicking a Sebenza will eventually cause issues as it misshapes the stop pin sleeve and/or the blade tang itself.
 
I've got 2 Mnandis and they are great knives. Very sturdy for their size. I can easily open them by pushing against the recess in the blade with my thumb. You won't regret getting one.

This one is my favorite:

Lcrmnandibarkivoryzebradamascus.jpg
 
The Mnandi is a great knife, blade size slightly smaller than the small Seb but it is a great cutter. It cuts much better than I thought it would. It opens easy one handed. I use mine at work and it has never let me down.:thumbup:
 
i think they are beautiful knives. but....

i have med sized hands, and found opening to be a bit awkward. definitely not flickable, too light and small, and not enough groove for leverage.

im considering giving them another look, but the only place that sells them is about an hour away.
 
I wouldn't call it flickable. It's blade is far too short and doesn't have the mass to be flicked like an Axis lock folder. I usually just thumb mine out.

I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, it's a perfect golf knife: Decent size, light weight, quality, classy.:cool:
 
The Mnandi can be open one handed just as some othe people have said. It can be thumbed opened or use the thumb and forefinger to use what i would call the spyerco drop. Also, I have large hands and it is not a problem. The Mnandi has an excellent edge geometry and mine came very sharp. It carries great in a shirt pocket by the clip.

RKH
 
I received my first Mnandi a month or so ago and although I was a bit concerned about its one-handed opening abilities when I first got it, I can tell you that after only a little practice it's not an issue. The main issue is just to keep your pinky out of the way when opening it so you are not working against yourself.

Personally, I found a good way to open it is to actually place your pinky on the back, clip side of the knife to both keep it out of the way and to help stabilize the opening. That method has worked very well for me,
 
I have large, slightly arthritic hands, and I can thumb open my Mnandi with either hand. Being righthanded, that's how I generally open it, although I have the clip mounted on the side opposite the lock, like a lefty.
 
I too was concerned at first about the thumb slot for one-handed opening but after I received my Mnandi I discovered it is really easy to open with my smaller hands. This is the perfect folder to carry with dress slacks although the clip is deep enough to accommodate the seam of a Levis pocket as well.

From the moment I removed it from the tissue paper wrapping my Mnandi was easy to open. I cleaned and re-lubed it with pure silicone and it has been a joy ever since.

That polished edge really makes simple office cutting tasks easy!
 
I was concerned about that too, but my Mnandi has been my EDC for about 3 years now, and I open it one handed most of the time. It's a great little knife!
 
Django606 said:
Then again, you've only been here for three months ;)

CRK advises against flicking because it can not only flatten a part on the stop pin, but also induce blade play.
Click to expand...
I meant about flicking open any folder. I didn't know flicking open was frowned upon.

Good to know why they say that though. Thanks.
 
If you ever notice a certain roughness when opening your Mnandi, you might want to make sure you lube the side of the blade where the detent on the lock bar bears against it. It is as important to lube this as it is the pivot.
 
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