Question regarding KnifeArt's Carbon Fiber exclusives

Anarchy84

Anarchy84

Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
782
Good evening, all. I've consulted this forum many times in the past prior to making a CRK purchase, but never got around to making an account until today. Just thought I'd express my gratitude for your guidance over the years before making my first new thread. You guys are insanely helpful, and I've always appreciated it. You have my thanks.

I own several CRK's (all large), but I find myself in need of a sub-3" blade for work. I'm torn between a Small Carbon Fiber Sebenza and an Inkosi, and I'm kind of looking for reasons to buy one over the other. I tend to be (inadvertently) rough on my knife handles sometimes, and I'm wondering if Chris Reeve will refurbish the carbon fiber scale during a spa treatment. Does anyone know if it can be blasted / polished back into shape? If not, that may have me leaning toward an Inkosi.

This will be my one and only small knife, so any other feedback between these two knives is also appreciated. Thanks so much!
 
The CF knives are nice and so is the Inkosi. My Inkosi is my EDC and my small 21 CF is not but it's also Damascus so that is part of it.

What you really need to be asking is does the Inkosi fit your hand. If it does not it does not then the question of Inkosi vs small CF but small CF vs small plain.

If you like how the Inkosi feels I expect you will be better off with it.
 
Thats a good question(refurbish the cf). Knowing CRK, whatever you sent in, they would go the distance as far as refurbishing as much as they could. I dont see why they couldnt re sand the CF?
 
Driften said:
The CF knives are nice and so is the Inkosi. My Inkosi is my EDC and my small 21 CF is not but it's also Damascus so that is part of it.

What you really need to be asking is does the Inkosi fit your hand. If it does not it does not then the question of Inkosi vs small CF but small CF vs small plain.

If you like how the Inkosi feels I expect you will be better off with it.
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Thank you for your feedback! I have thought about ordering the Inkosi from KnifeArt and returning it for store credit (toward the Small CF Sebenza) if it doesn't work out. I've heard they're pretty good about honoring their 7-day inspection / return policy for store credit. That may be my best bet.

Unfortunately I don't live within 200 miles of an authorized dealer, or I'd go check out the Inkosi in person before making a decision.
 
lemmuhj said:
Thats a good question(refurbish the cf). Knowing CRK, whatever you sent in, they would go the distance as far as refurbishing as much as they could. I dont see why they couldnt re sand the CF?
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You're probably right. If I managed to jack up the CF too bad I'm sure they'd make an effort to fix it. Maybe someone out there has some experience with this who can tell us definitively.
 
They cannot do as much "fix it up like new" on a CF as they can on a ti scale. The blasting helps cover a lot of things.

Also, the CF scale does not have the same strength characteristics as titanium, so over time the blade tends to move off center if it even comes centered, and CRK cannot really repair this. It is a material selection issue. Contact CRK directly to confirm this if you want.

I would say, IMO get the Inkosi, and if that doesn't fit or work for you, get a small 21 with micarta inlay. It holds up amazing, and the thickness of the inlay makes it fit in the hand so much better IMO. It can be blasted, so its going to look newest longer.
 
I have both an Inkosi and a CF Small Insingo. I'd probably get the Inkosi for office carry. It's almost as long as the Small Sebenza but looks much smaller and less intimidating. The blade is slightly most robust but still a good slicer.

Couple of comparison shots below.


c81734817eb5dc6023824a82cc23b60a.jpg


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Sent from Tracy Island
 
I have both a large and a small Insingo CF that I carry pretty much every day, either one or the other. The carbon side holds up very well IMHO. I've dropped them on several occasions :eek: But they weren't damaged at all.

I've not noticed that they get snail trails like the Ti version does either. Because of the weight savings, these are my favorite CRK style knives!

but I also love CF!!!:D
 
Gadgetman7 said:
I have both an Inkosi and a CF Small Insingo. I'd probably get the Inkosi for office carry. It's almost as long as the Small Sebenza but looks much smaller and less intimidating. The blade is slightly most robust but still a good slicer.

Couple of comparison shots below.

Sent from Tracy Island
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Thank you very much! They both look incredible, but I agree that the Inkosi might meet my needs a little better. I appreciate you posting pictures of both!
 
JustinFournier said:
They cannot do as much "fix it up like new" on a CF as they can on a ti scale. The blasting helps cover a lot of things.

Also, the CF scale does not have the same strength characteristics as titanium, so over time the blade tends to move off center if it even comes centered, and CRK cannot really repair this. It is a material selection issue. Contact CRK directly to confirm this if you want.

I would say, IMO get the Inkosi, and if that doesn't fit or work for you, get a small 21 with micarta inlay. It holds up amazing, and the thickness of the inlay makes it fit in the hand so much better IMO. It can be blasted, so its going to look newest longer.
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After exhaustive research I have decided to go with the Inkosi for several reasons, but this definitely factored into my decision. While the reports of off center blades on the CF models are not insanely widespread, the issue seems common enough to be worrisome, especially if it cannot be fixed by CRK.

In the end, the Inkosi seems like a robust, lightweight beater with a very small footprint. It'll handle my work needs without weighing me down, and I won't have to worry about thrashing it. While I do love the look of the CF Sebenza, I think the Inkosi is a better all-around work knife.

Thanks for all your help!
 
Great decision I hope works out for you in the end. I have driven a 3 hour round trip twice to put a small Inkosi in hand, as I think it is arguably one of Chris's last and best designs, implemented with the attention to detail he is known for.

I only wish it fit my hand.
 
JustinFournier said:
Great decision I hope works out for you in the end. I have driven a 3 hour round trip twice to put a small Inkosi in hand, as I think it is arguably one of Chris's last and best designs, implemented with the attention to detail he is known for.

I only wish it fit my hand.
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Sounds like the Large Inkosi would be perfect for you, then! If you contact CRK directly you can pre-order one. I was told it would be a 3-5 month wait.
 
Anarchy84 said:
Sounds like the Large Inkosi would be perfect for you, then! If you contact CRK directly you can pre-order one. I was told it would be a 3-5 month wait.
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They are available at at least on dealer now, and I sold one at a $180 loss, as I think it is terrible :)

Edit: There were up to a day or two ago, I checked that dealer now and they are gone.
 
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I've made some posts about it in other threads.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1408400-Inkosi-vs-the-25

And this one I think you have been to.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1401341-Renaming-the-25-to-the-Inkosi-what-s-changed

There is more I could add to the first post, about how the clip angled on the small inkosi as measured from the edge of the knife to clip has no similarities to the same measurement in the large, but the 25 is closer. It makes sense in the small, but not the large. The hand doesn't change shape, the knife does. So having them both angled doesn't help. I think I mentioned the spine is cut less ergonomically and sharper, anyways. The point is not too many people are interested in critical or negative opinions here so I will just skip most of if.

I believe Chris made the design of the small, and if he made the large, it was not implemented as he designed it because so many details are missing or seem carried over to the large where they don't work, like the clip. I believe someone didn't understand why Chris did what he did on the small and just carried features over to the large, or left them out completely like the terrible washers.

Anyways I need to stay out of this forum lol.
 
JustinFournier said:
I've made some posts about it in other threads.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1408400-Inkosi-vs-the-25

And this one I think you have been to.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1401341-Renaming-the-25-to-the-Inkosi-what-s-changed

There is more I could add to the first post, about how the clip angled on the small inkosi as measured from the edge of the knife to clip has no similarities to the same measurement in the large, but the 25 is closer. It makes sense in the small, but not the large. The hand doesn't change shape, the knife does. So having them both angled doesn't help. I think I mentioned the spine is cut less ergonomically and sharper, anyways. The point is not too many people are interested in critical or negative opinions here so I will just skip most of if.

I believe Chris made the design of the small, and if he made the large, it was not implemented as he designed it because so many details are missing or seem carried over to the large where they don't work, like the clip. I believe someone didn't understand why Chris did what he did on the small and just carried features over to the large, or left them out completely like the terrible washers.

Anyways I need to stay out of this forum lol.
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I actually enjoy hearing people's opinions about knives I'm interested in - good or bad. Nothing is perfect, and it's good to know what the potential downsides of a product are before dropping $450 on it.

Personally, I can deal with the shortcomings I've read about the Large Inkosi if they fix the exposed washers. Under no circumstances will I buy the knife if they allow a silly design flaw like that to go into production. Inviting dirt and debris into exposed grease pockets in the pivot washers is an insane oversight. I have a hard time believing they won't fix it.
 
I understand and it's not just the pockets. They are also big, protruding from under the blade and go almost all the way to the edge of the scale. So no matter what they do about the pockets they will certainly foul quicker. If you clean them super carefully of grease to reduce that then they will just corrode. They are action is not nearly as smooth feeling probably due to the surface area.

After comparing the Large Inkosi to my 25s at length, I actually took 2 of my safe queen 21s out and out them into my EDC rotation. No way a 25 can match the smoothness and action of a 21, and the difference between the 21 and 25 is that much again from the 25 to the Inkosi. I could take the trade off for the ergos of the 25, but not as far as the Inkosi.
 
Interesting. I appreciate you sharing your findings. We'll have to wait and see if they make any changes to the Large Inkosi before it goes into mass production!

I know you mentioned that the small Inkosi didn't fit your hand, but I am hopeful that the ergos won't be an issue for me. People of all hand sizes have rather polarizing opinions about it.
 
This is a hard one for me honestly. I'm a size 10 hand. I fall into the category of people that the 25 fits perfectly. There is nothing in the ergos I would change. So for me, it's not a compromise like it is for some people, where one knife hurts in one way but another in a different way and you have to chose which.

Additionally there is no where I go in my normal activities I cannot carry a 25, even work so no problem there either.

The 25 feels like it was made for me, so almost everything else I grip folder wise is immediately inferior. That means it has to have enough strengths to overcome the lack of ergos. For me, the 21 tuned well is so smooth, and hydraulic that I will accept the split broomstick ergos to experience that smoothness from time to time. Also the UGs and Damascus help :)

Back to the small Inkosi.

The finger groves are a risk. They will improve the grip for some people, and make it uncomfortable for others. So for me, the small 21 is too small in girth for comfortable use so I bought a micarta inlay. The inlay increases the girth which is the only way a small is comfortable as my finger tips jam into the heel of my thumb too much otherwise. So the small Inkosi was immediately suspect.

When I went into the 25s I naturally tried a Micatra again, and found it made the best knife for me, better. Now there is nothing I have found that compares as I said.

So back to the small Inkosi, it's too narrow to be gripped well and my fingers don't fit the groves, so it's just... uncomfortable. Of course it could still work in a pinch, but there is no reason to force it.
 
JustinFournier said:
I understand and it's not just the pockets. They are also big, protruding from under the blade and go almost all the way to the edge of the scale. So no matter what they do about the pockets they will certainly foul quicker. If you clean them super carefully of grease to reduce that then they will just corrode. They are action is not nearly as smooth feeling probably due to the surface area.

After comparing the Large Inkosi to my 25s at length, I actually took 2 of my safe queen 21s out and out them into my EDC rotation. No way a 25 can match the smoothness and action of a 21, and the difference between the 21 and 25 is that much again from the 25 to the Inkosi. I could take the trade off for the ergos of the 25, but not as far as the Inkosi.
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Washers? What washers...Oh, you mean these washers!

28080488416_67899b1bb1_b.jpg


28080489226_09377a1ff8_b.jpg


Yes, they do show themselves proudly! This design is likely be be revised before production. If not, there will be lots of them sitting in inventory. I was lucky to purchase one (pre-production?) at an amazing price from a forum member on the Exchange.

The 25 is still my top pick of the CRKs.
 
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