Nyala users who hunt

S

Scope2x

Joined
Dec 13, 2016
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Anyone use the Nyala as their primary hunting knife? Looking to upgrade from my Esee 3. Any feedback or pros and cons would be great!
 
I can tell you about the Umkhombe, but not the Nyala..which may or may not be useful.
They are both very similar, with the Umkhombe being bigger and a little different blade shape. (my pic, but this isn't the Nyala you are looking for)

The Umkhombe did pretty well- Good grip while soaked in blood..pierced extremely well. The only downside I personally experienced was that the edge didn't last quite as well as I would have thought. Sharpened it up and will try again next year with edge retention as I didn't really check the sharpness to begin with.

20141211_151431_zps6b5e28a6.jpg
 
I skin and cut up several whitetail each year with the Nyala. It would be nice if the steel had a little higher HT, but it will usually get through a single deer before it needs touched up. I did use a different knife from another maker on one deer this year, and was quite impressed with the steel on it. The ergonomics were not as good on the other knife, though. Overall, I would highly recommend the Nyala for hunting.
 
Thanks for the feedback! I'm worried about edge retention which was one of my reasons for buying the knife. My buck S30V holds an awesome edge. Considering the Nyala or a Bradford guardian.
 
The knife has S35VN steel but doesn't come all that sharp from CRK.... edge retention should be good... it is a very rugged well made knife... if you have a wicked edge then sharpen it before using it
 
I have both Nyala models. The Insingo and the original standard design. I have used various CRK's for hunting over the years, everything from a Sebenza 21 to the Sable IV and Ubejane OPK's, and of course the 2 Nyala.

The previous 2 years I have used the insingo version. It's an excellent slicer and for delicate skinning tasks or boning out, the point really gets in there. For field dressing, it gets in there a little too well and I ended up slicing up the tenderloins. It's also easier to poke the stomach if not careful. The 21 was even worse as I nicked the stomach pretty easily. Overall it's a great knife and I really like it a lot. Mine is an older version that has the PVD coating. Why it was put on the blades, I am unsure of as the stonewashed S35VN is just fine. I also got it as a gift, so it has special meaning. I do wish the sheath had a larger belt loop as I use wider pistol belts when hunting and this small loop pretty much regulates the knife to pocket/hunting vest carry.

This year I had some eBay bucks and used them to buy the regular version of the nyala. I ended up taking 4 whitetails this year and used it on everyone of them. On one of them, it was used to skin and butcher the deer completely. The blade is of perfect design. It field dresses beautifully, skins even better. I used it to completely bone out the deer I got the first day of rifle season and only sharpened it a couple times ( pics provided ) And in sharpening, I mean only 6 light swipes each side on the sharpmaker. It holds an excellent edge and I could not be more pleased with it. Again, it has the same sheath as the insingo version, so the knife is regulated again to pocket/hunting vest carry for me.

Out of all the CRK's I have used for hunting to date, I feel the old OPK Ubejane performs the best. It has a very similar blade design to the Nyala, it's grippy with the knurling and the sheath has a huge belt loop with one way snap, so it fit on my belt. The Ubejane is of course discontinued and $500+ at least. For less than half that, you can get a Standard Nyala that will perform just as well, plus on those super cold just above Zero hunting days, it will not be as cold and sticky in hand as the Ubejane is.

So, between the 2 Nyala, I would choose the standard version overall with the insingo version being a close second. The knives themselves are pretty much perfect in design, have and hold an excellent edge, it's just the sheath that I find lacking with the small dress belt size belt loop.

Hope this helps a little. If you have any questions, ask away.




 
Thank you for the awesome review nyefmaker! I plan on using the small inkosi for my fish knife and my nyala as my big game nice. Your post have given me confidence! Thank you again. I believe you covered all of of my questions and concerns. Lastly, I take it nothing gets caught behind the handle material? How many times did you sharpen per animal? Look forward to using this out in the field!
 
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I usually get a couple white tails a year and have been using my Nyala. The blade shape and ergonomics are great but as pwrdbycotn stated I wish the heat treat was a bit higher. I believe the newer ones are run a little harder so I may sell my current one and get a new Nyala or try possibly try a Bark River. I hear those are awesome as well.
 
bhyde said:
I can tell you about the Umkhombe, but not the Nyala..which may or may not be useful.
They are both very similar, with the Umkhombe being bigger and a little different blade shape. (my pic, but this isn't the Nyala you are looking for)

The Umkhombe did pretty well- Good grip while soaked in blood..pierced extremely well. The only downside I personally experienced was that the edge didn't last quite as well as I would have thought. Sharpened it up and will try again next year with edge retention as I didn't really check the sharpness to begin with.

20141211_151431_zps6b5e28a6.jpg
Click to expand...

bhyde, impressive looking knife... do you have any other reflections on the Umkhombe ?
 
ti lock said:
bhyde, impressive looking knife... do you have any other reflections on the Umkhombe ?
Click to expand...

Sure :)

I like the size compared to the Nyala..Just seems more substantial and fits my large hands which is pretty important to me.
Great grip with the handles and the false edge/swedge really does help to pierce the hide of the Deer/Elk/Game very well.. Think of an Umnumzaan fixed blade, but larger. I used the spine, just behind the swedge to lay my forefinger to do precise skinning with good success.. The large hands help with this as I am able to grip back a bit with the rest of my hand.
There was a question earlier about cleanup; Not an issue at all..It was pretty easy with a bit of soap as all the little bits came off. There are not any real spaces between the handles and the steel to get into. Really a tight fit. Surely, there must be some VHB tape in conjunction with the screws to hold them on.

The only thing I had an issue with was that it seemed to get dull a bit faster than I thought it should. This may be a bad perception on my part as I didn't really check the sharpness to begin with. I will again use it as I have hand sharpened to hair popping sharp to see about the edge later. Likely, it was a wire edge I didn't catch, but we will see.

As far as availability, they are available only in the US direct from CRK..If you are abroad, then from Globetrotter in Germany.

Anything else you would like to know, just ask :)


Bill
 
Bill, Thank you and a good review ... do you know when this knife came into existence ....?
 
ti lock said:
Bill, Thank you and a good review ... do you know when this knife came into existence ....?
Click to expand...

No problem :)

We first seen it around Dec of 2014.

Oh- Umkhombe=Rhino if I remember correctly
 
smitty1505 said:
I usually get a couple white tails a year and have been using my Nyala. The blade shape and ergonomics are great but as pwrdbycotn stated I wish the heat treat was a bit higher. I believe the newer ones are run a little harder so I may sell my current one and get a new Nyala or try possibly try a Bark River. I hear those are awesome as well.
Click to expand...

Ya that's what I'm worried about. Saw a bad review on the edge chipping. Everything else from CRK is 59-60 except for the Nyala is 58-59. Somewhat hesitant and looking at other knives in M390, Bradford knives is current on my list.
 
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