Mnandi question

A

arijer

Joined
Jul 13, 2009
Messages
745
Just got my first CRK Folder in. its a Knifeart small sebenza. I like it a lot,

my question is, i am eyeing a Mnandi in stainless damscus. How much of a user do you find the Mnandi? I love a beautiful knife that is a user also.

Now when i say user, i am not expecting a folder that will act as a fixed blade. Nor am i looking to use it as a pry bar:D I mean just how solid is it and a functional user that can be abused a little on day to day use. The sebenza that I got feels great as a user that can be abused a little. Just sometimes i may want a knife that will look like a gentleman's knife more:D

your advice is appreciated
 
I love the Mnandi. IMO it is unparalleled in the knife world. You get the classy elegant look but with the CRK toughness and crazy tight tolerances. IMO the Mnandi is a masterpiece with beauty while being very tough and useful.
 
Ok thats it, all i needed to hear. expect to see post next week of my spending money and what came in... God I need therapy, good thing i chose a decent field of work
 
I have a pair of Mnandis, both with Ironwood inlays. One has a plain S30V blade, and the other is Damascus. Here is the Damascus one:

crk-mnandi-bubblewrap-ironwood-1.jpg


crk-mnandi-bubblewrap-ironwood-2.jpg


crk-mnandi-bubblewrap-ironwood-3.jpg


The pattern is Bubblewrap, which I like a lot.

My wife has her own Mnandi, which she carries every day. It has Creme Mammoth Ivory inlays.
 
I have 4 mnandi and love them all. I have a S30V Camel Thorne, Jigged Madagascar Rosewood and Bocote. I also have a Devin Thomas Stainless Steel Basketweave Damascus with Cocobolo. I have yet to use Camel Thorne. I carried the Jigged for a day or so, the same with the Bocote. The mnandi that has seen the most use is the SS Damascus Cocobolo. I have used it for things most suited for the umnumzaan and it has performed with flying colors. If I could only have 1 mnandi, this would be it. I sharpened it up a little when I got it on the sharpmaker and have used it to cut a ton of cardboard, whittling sticks, food prep, you name it and when I was done it still shaved hair. I personally think DT SS Damascus is better than most of the premium blade steels including 154CM, S30V, BG42, etc. I like it that much, I just cant afford it.....lol. They are a tough little knife that is every bit as tough as a sebenza or umnumzaan, only in a gentlemans streamlined package. When you first get it, it might seem hard to open because your used to your sebenza, but once you get used to the thumb nick, you will be opening it just like the sebbie. Get one, you will love it !!!

Before getting the SS Damascus, I did alot of research. The SS ( stainless ) damascus is very corrosion resistant while HC ( high carbon ) damascus is prone to oxidation from finger prints, food juices and such. HC damascus does have a varnish-like coating, but if your going to use it, it will wear off eventually. I had heard Devin Thomas is going to quit or has quit making HC damascus and will only offer SS damascus from now on, but I cannot confirm. My personal experience with DT SS Damascus is Amazing and I Highly Recommend It ........Enjoy !

MyMnandi2.jpg

MyMnandi13.jpg

MyMnandi9.jpg

MyMnandi17.jpg

MyMnandi5.jpg
 
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All right, nyfemaker, that's it, thanks to your review and additional photos I am now looking for one of these little knives......in DT SS Damascus.

I knew I shouldn't have come back here tonight!
 
lunde said:
I have a pair of Mnandis, both with Ironwood inlays. One has a plain S30V blade, and the other is Damascus. Here is the Damascus one:

crk-mnandi-bubblewrap-ironwood-1.jpg


crk-mnandi-bubblewrap-ironwood-2.jpg


crk-mnandi-bubblewrap-ironwood-3.jpg


The pattern is Bubblewrap, which I like a lot.

My wife has her own Mnandi, which she carries every day. It has Creme Mammoth Ivory inlays.
Click to expand...

Dang Ken! That is one hot looking Mnandi!! Let's see your wife's sometime too... I bet that is a sweet knife as well. Is hers also Damascus? Do you use your damascus one or is it a safe queen? Sure is pretty and damascus is said to really hold an edge!

Jon
 
I would really love to get my hands on an Ironwood Mnandi. Can't seem to find any at the moment.

Anyone know of any out there?
 
I had a client meeting today so carried my camel thorn Mnandi. Nice to get reacquainted!
 
I have a snakewood mnandi that I got a few months ago. I carried it to work at the office for a few weeks. Honestly, I can't bring myself to carry it the same way as I carry my small sebenza. It's a gentlemans knife. I'll be carrying it to a wedding that I'm going to in august, but I won't be carrying it day to day.
 
I really don't need to read this thread...too tempting!

My sebenza is just fine, my sebenza is just fine....

Great knives all :)
 
The mnandi remains my favorite knife after many years and considering all the knives I have seen and handled, I think that says a lot about what I think of the knife. My collection consists mainly of mnandis. My second favorite knife is the small regular sebenza. I was quite sad the day that it was discontinued.
 
I have a mnandi ergonomics question. Unfortunately I bite my nails. Without a thumb stud on the mnandi, can someone with very short nails open the mnandi easily?
 
You can open it just like with a thumbstud.
That's just one of the many awesome things about it.
 
Been reading about the Mnandi too much! I pick mine up from my local dealer at 5:30pm today!!! Like all my CRKs it will be a user. The collection now moves up to large Sebenza classic, small Sebenza classic, Umnumzaan, and now a Mnandi.
 
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