Sebenza 25 or large inkosi? Help please

ChazzyP said:
I have a large 25 PL Jane and a large Inkosi natural Micarta. As others have noted, there's not a huge difference between the two models. Essentially, the Inkosi is the updated and improved replacement for the discontinued 25.

I don't in anyway dislike my 25, but if I had to chose one I'd go with the Inkosi. Among the various aforementioned improvements the most striking to me is the floating stop pin. Inasmuch as both knives feature adjustable pivots, it just makes sense to me that the stop pin screw need not be adjusted along with the pivot.
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I hadn't thought about that, i figured you'd just crank down on the screw until tight and adjust the pivot to preferred tension, i didn't think that the pivot screw needed adjusting too, now I'm siding towards an inkosi. I know the stop pin is notched and needs to be rotated to a certain position on the 25 but I just figured that you just crank it down until tight concerning tension
 
palonej said:
Hey Michael & welcome!!
I was in your shoes up to last week! Have a pretty sizable collection, but no CRK.
Took care of that in a big way!!
Got my first 2 last week, CF 25 and a large tanto 21.....both literally blew me away!
Enjoy whichever you decide on!
Joe
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How do your crk's stack up to the rest of your collection? I just spent over 400 each on my last 2 knife purchases but I've never ventured into chris Reeve territory yet lol but 450 could buy almost any 2 other knives on my wish list lol
 
The Inkosi and 25 are the same in respect to the pivot screw. Both need to be adjusted to get your desired tension on the blade. The main differences, as you're already aware, are the notch in the stop pin on the 25 and the pocket clip. The stop pin is not really a big deal though since you can put loctite on a screw on one side and simply leave that screw in during disassembly to avoid having to rotate the stop pin.
I'd put more consideration into which pocket clip orientation you prefer. I went with the 25 instead of the Inkosi because I like the clip being on the lockbar. Allows more pressure on the lockbar as I grip the knife and doesn't protrude off the scales so much (since the lockbar lets it "lower" a bit when blade is open). Feels very comfortable in the hand.
Either way you go, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. CRK makes one heck of a nice knife. :)

P.S. I believe ChazzyP was referring to adjusting the rotation of the stop pin to get the notch in the right spot. From what I've noticed, the tightness on the stop pin screws doesn't affect the tension on the blade.
 
Michael Coulon said:
Which do you like better? Sounds like you like the 25 better as well lol also I was thinking that the inkosi isn't going anywhere while the 25's are discontinued so I feel like I should probly jump on that while I can lol
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Both are excellent knives. I loved the 25 when it first came out, two of my early 25's have the pinned stop pin, the rest do not and CRK has changed out some of the earlier pinned stop pins to the current set up. As stated earlier, I've not had any issues with the pocket clip that others have had. Hats off to CRK for listening to people's concerns. Since I've got the 25's, there's no need for me to dump them and replace them with Inkosi's. Besides they're mostly lefty's and they don't make a butt load of lefties anyway.
Here's what I've got:
1 prototype, 1 Carbon Fiber inlay(BladeHQ exclusive), 1 Carbon fiber KA exclusive, 1 black micarta, 2 plain janes( one is a bday 25) 1 WC 25
2 earlier 25's with the pinned stop pin.
Right now, the most bang for the buck is the 25, some dealers have them on sale and there's two on the exchange for excellent prices.
 
They literally amaze me in so many ways!!
I'll tell you the one thing I found that I truly couldn't believe!!
I naturally HAD to take them apart because.........well just because!!!
When I put them back together I put the pivot screw in and left it very very loose and checked for blade play in all directions. Nothing at all. So with the pivot screw very loose there is no play whatsoever!!
That kinda blew me away because I don't have any other knives that will do that!!
Damn!! Quite tight tolerances!!!
I love them!!
Joe

Michael Coulon said:
How do your crk's stack up to the rest of your collection? I just spent over 400 each on my last 2 knife purchases but I've never ventured into chris Reeve territory yet lol but 450 could buy almost any 2 other knives on my wish list lol
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Michael Coulon Michael Coulon --Going counter to the grain, since you are already sold on a StarTac 'Zaan (EXCELLENT CHOICE!), why not a Large 21 to complement it? That way you're closer to the full CRK spectrum; one knife with a ceramic lock up & adjustable pivot, and one with the famous bushing-pivot & classic lock bar?

Having both makes me appreciate each of them more (if that makes any sense).
(My first CRK was an Umnumzaan, BTW. I'm glad I started there :))
 
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4mer_FMF said:
Michael Coulon Michael Coulon --Going counter to the grain, since you are already sold on a StarTac 'Zaan (EXCELLENT CHOICE!), why not a Large 21 to complement it? That way you're closer to the full CRK spectrum; one knife with a ceramic lock up & adjustable pivot, and one with the famous bushing-pivot and classic lock bar?

Having both makes me appreciate each of them more (if that makes any sense).
(My first CRK was an Umnumzaan, BTW. I'm glad I started there :))
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Yeah I was thinking that same thing lol if I got a 21 I would definitely get a plain jane insingo, i don't know why but none of the inlayed handles really appeal to me too much. And I know once I scratch this chris reeves itch it isn't going away and I'll eventually end up owning all of the ones I want lol the question just which one do I pull the trigger on first. I'm genuinely torn between a 25 and a inkosi but a umnumzaan is a definite.
 
I was definitely referring to the stop pin tension on the 25 in my post. It's in such proximity to the pivot that it will hold the slabs in place even though you back off on the pivot screw, making adjustment a bit more fussy. It seems evident to me that this is why they went to the floating pin on the Inkosi. It strikes me as a very elegant design solution.

BD_01 BD_01 's comments regarding pairing the StarTac with a large 21 make a lot of sense. I love all my CRKs, but the StarTac is a particular favorite. As that knife also has the pivot and grind features of the 25/Inkosi--along with the ceramic ball interface--the 21 would provide you with different design elements, broadening the scope of an at-least-for-now two-knife CRK collection. In many ways, the 21 is the quintessential CRK, it's bushing pivot possessing extraordinary purity of design.

Of course, I can also offer you the standard BF response here when faced with choices--Get Them All!
:rolleyes:
 
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Kinda like this, my small "one of each" family. Three "adjustables"--StarTac, 25, Inkosi--and three 21s--KnifeArt CF, Micarta inlayed Insingo, wood inlayed pre-Idaho.

Gotta have a Mnandi too, of course.

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I never had the desire for a 25 / Inkosi but I did want something heavier than my Sebenza so instead of buying a heavier folder I went the cheap route and got a Nyala. With it's new scales and new sheath it will be less than a CRK folder and tougher.

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I've owned nearly a half dozen 25's, plain and Micarta inlay. I now own one Large Inkosi.

The Large Inkosi is a substantial improvement over the 25 in quite a few meaningful ways, fixing flat out design flaws IMHO.

- The asymmetrical stop pin is a terrible design, needlessly creating a potentially disabling condition during routine maintenance, and with absolutely no positive reason for such configuration. Also, a stop pin that holds the frames together just outside of the pivot area effectively mutes the "tunability" of the new pivot design, the feature for which we sacrifice the vaunted Sebenza bushing pivot (the 25 never should have been called a Sebenza for this very reason IMHO).

- The open end of the pocket clip is positioned precisely where you finger is directed by the finger grooves in the scale. This is true on both models (large), but on the Inkosi it is farther away, reducing the impact of this design "compromise". I am really disappointed CRK doesn't have a pocketclip for this model with altered dimensions to fix this issue. I've gone aftermarket for my fix.

- The 25 has a blade grind that is pretty much flat, whereas the Large Inkosi is roughly half way between the rather deep hollow grind of the (real) Sebenza and the FFG-esque Sebenza 25. In real world use, it is the best performer yet I've had from CRK. My L-Inkosi holds a great working edge a really long time.

- The washers on the L-Inkosi are IMHO pretty much fool proof, much more so than the quirky 25's setup.

As you can plainly see, I found a fair amount of fault in the 25's I owned and used; the Large Inkosi has addressed and mostly fixed each of those issues, my Milet pocketclip perfected the package.





 
Oh, one other aspect of the fixed thru-nonlock-scale stop pin (post would be a better description - it's massive) that is a huge plus in real world usage is that the Inkosi's stop post doubles as a tremendous re-assembly guide to line up the scales' two points of contact. Since it passes thru the scale and sits "proud" (mimicking the screw on the opposite side, making a symmetrical feel), it works perfectly for the sandwich style re-assembly procedure, with even the PB washers indexing off it.

I suppose CRK could have milled the same hex shape in the end of it that the screw on the opposite side has for visual symmetry (and a point to hold it for complete detail disassembly).
 
I hugely like that floating stop pin, Officer's Match Officer's Match , from the idea of it through its execution and function all the way to the way it looks. Very form follows function, if you will.

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Of course everything about this natural Micarta inlayed specimen is drop-dead gorgeous.

From time to time I think about moving on from my 25 now that I have the Inkosi, but the former makes a great user and is my only plain Jane-- a configuration I find surprisingly appealing and comfortable in hand.
 
Wow guys thanks a bunch! I must say I'm definitely siding towards an inkosi now, I'll be making my first crk purchase within the next day or so and I'll definitely keep you guys updated! I wasn't expecting such fast and thorough feedback on my first thread ever posted but you definitely haven't left me disappointed. I've seen alot of threads go to crap pretty quick lol but thanks for a warm welcome to bf. I'll keep u guys updated and post pics when it arrives! :)
 
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