Mnandi size and edc?

J

justbob

Joined
May 8, 2005
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28
I need a new "dressy" edc folder for those rare occasions when wardrobe requirements render my favorite small Seb too quasi-tactical. ;)

I picked up a black micarta Kopa: a little too small for some tasks, but a great little "office" knife just the same. Unfortunately, I have ripped the seams/pockets of two pairs of Bill's khakis when I caught the Kopa's clip on something in passing. :mad: I have NEVER had that happen while carrying the Sebenza.

Anyone carry/carried both the Mnandi and small Seb? If so, what are your impressions? Is the Mnandi really as "refined" (small) in the hand as it appears in Roefisher's pics and, if so, is this a problem?

BTW, THANKS for posting those Rf! Great info and a BIG help. :)

Thanks.
 
I'd go for a small Sebbie. Got a Mnandi a few weeks ago and it's so small and thin I couldn't open it one handed (I have large hands but not huge). A nice small Sebenza is a cool dressy knife IMO.
 
Mnandi is only just shorter overall compared to a small Seb, though much slimmer. It can be worn in a shirt pocket , the clip looks like a pen clip. I would say a Mnandi will do you just fine. I have a Mnandi and really like carrying it .
 
I find that I don't loose much in cutting length with the Mnandi for dress carry. For chores that require more leverage, the small sebenza would be better since there is more to hold on to.

dave

687pzsw.jpg
 
The Mnandi is just a bit smaller than the small Sebenza in length but it is only half the width as you can see from the shots in previous posts. I find it marginally more difficult to open than a Sebenza, especially if you have large hands.

That said, I carry my Mnandi on all those occasions (here in Los Angeles) where anything larger than a penknife will have women fainting and men leading a charge for the exits.

The small Sebenza is a real hard use knife, just smaller than most. The Mnandi is a real gentleman's folder in the classic sense. The Sebanza is blunt, Bauhaus minimalism whereas the Mnandi exhibits a sense of more refinement while still maintaining all that a knife should be.
 
Dang it... so who wants to trade me a Mnandi for my Small Sebbie???

You guys drive a hard bargain - with your persuasive rhetoric.
Now I'm yearning for "one more" Chris Reeve.
 
I'd love to pick up a small classic Sebenza- but there's no way I'm EVER giving up my Mnandi! One of my all time favorite knives.
 
justbob said:
I need a new "dressy" edc folder for those rare occasions when wardrobe requirements render my favorite small Seb too quasi-tactical. ;) . . .

Unfortunately, I have ripped the seams/pockets of two pairs of Bill's khakis when I caught the Kopa's clip on something in passing. :mad: I have NEVER had that happen while carrying the Sebenza. . . .
Click to expand...

I have a small Sebenza classic. It has become for me the "standard" of form/function/utility by which I judge all things edged. My khakis, jeans, camies knife.

Two reasons I am considering the Mnandi: (1) My "practical" is sometimes another's "tactical." That is, you'd think I'd pulled the wolf himself from my pocket the way some of the office sheeplies react to my small Sebbie.

(Ummmm . . . Ya know, now that I see that in print. . . . :o ANYHOO. . . .)

I like the "pen-ish" appearance of the Mnandi's clip. Next to a non-inlaid Sebenza (like mine) the Mnandi (as in dave's pic; I am leaning towards one in bocote) looks like jewelry--albeit very funtional man-jewelry. :cool: Dress slacks, shirt and tie duty.

(2) I don't have a Mnandi.
Hmmm . . . well there you go. I can think of no better reason than that.

The pic really helped with my decision, recoil (dave). Most grateful.

BTW: iamsmiling? I am with Strobengh re. your spot-on assessment/description. Well stated indeed.
 
Don't you realize by now that the only way you are going to be satisfied is to own one of each of CR folding knives?

Own one of each and switch them up regularly in your EDC rotation, simple but it works for me.

:)
 
I have clumsy hands but I can open my Mnandi with either. The cutting edge is the same length as a Spyderco Native. I carry in a shirt pocket, generally a flapped pocket, and no one seems to notice or care.
 
RNST said:
Don't you realize by now that the only way you are going to be satisfied is to own one of each of CR folding knives?

Own one of each and switch them up regularly in your EDC rotation, simple but it works for me.

:)
Click to expand...

:D Heh . . . heh . . . heh . . . heh. . . .

Yep.

Sebenza, Small Sebenza, Mnandi . . . Classic, Regular . . . standard inlays, graphics, premium inlays. . . .

Oh the futility of it all! It will never end. It just never ends.

I guess what I really should be asking is whether those who contract CR-folder-itis run out of pockets before they run out of money? :D
 
Gentlemen, we simply need different tools for different jobs. It may be expensive but . . . what can you do? The search for the perfect tool so often ends up at www.chrisreeve.com.

I know the feeling, I have to wait until next Valentine's day for my damascus Mnandi . . .
 
I have both. I carry the Mnandi with khakis and dressier, the small Seb with jeans, although sometime with khakis too...:D
I open the Mnandi one-handed, not as easy as the Sebbie, but with practice it's no problem.
 
I have given up long ago, trying to decide whether I like my small regular sebenza or mnandi better. They are both too different and too good in their own ways. I rarely say this when someone asks for my opinion between two knives but, get both!
 
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