Im a sebenza guy thru and thru, but ive seen some awesome cream bone mnandi. I was just wondering why the sebenza gets the spot light. I would like to hear from some mnandi owners to see what they think. Maybe we could compair and contrast the two (compair and contrast) now i sound like my 5th grade english teacher, damn i must be getting old.
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sebenza vs mnandi
- Thread starter Dr sharp
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- Jan 19, 1999
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- 842
That would be like comparing sports cars with pickup trucks.
The Sebenza is a tough robust work knife and the Mnandi is a dressup gent's knife. One is for shirt pocket wear and the other is a pants pocket knife.
The Sebenza is a tough robust work knife and the Mnandi is a dressup gent's knife. One is for shirt pocket wear and the other is a pants pocket knife.
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2003
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The Mnandi is a beauty, no doubt, every inch of it, seemingly even more well-crafted than a sebenza, but I didn't find it very useful. I'd carry one with me for dress purposes, but I'd rather carry a WH Westcliff or a Spyderco Kiwi. The Mnandi's blade shape doesn't work well for it's size, and I'm afraid to mess up that near-mirror-polish which is very difficult to get with S30V. I might rather have a damascus one for that reason.
As I've said before, a wharncliff blade would make a much more useful Mnandi. I know others agree with me, so HINT HINT Chris!
But, as to why the Sebenza gets the spotlight...prob because it's been around so much longer and the only other reason I can think of is, like I said, it's more useful than a Mnandi.
As I've said before, a wharncliff blade would make a much more useful Mnandi. I know others agree with me, so HINT HINT Chris!
But, as to why the Sebenza gets the spotlight...prob because it's been around so much longer and the only other reason I can think of is, like I said, it's more useful than a Mnandi.
1. While I don't really agree with your statement that the blade shape doesn't work well for its size... I will agree that nipping the upturned tip would be my preference - that preference being a Loveless/Horn blade shape (like the Spyderco Horn C27). I will say that the upturn is really excellent for cutting fruit at the desk.
2. If you think you can mar the polish on the S30V - I think you be WRONG! If you are scraping barnacles or something like that, maybe. But I carry and use both my Mnandi frequently and I haven't scratched the metal. The same can't be said for my Westcliff.
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architecht, sorry if my opinion seemed misinformed. i just always ended up using my sebenza and couldnt afford to keep both, although I wish I could have.
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- Apr 12, 2001
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I had ordered a Mnandi and then returned it for a Sebenza after handling it. The Mnandi is a superb gents knife, no doubt about that, but I was looking for more of a general EDC. From seeing pics I though the Mnandi look just slightly smaller then the Seb, but when actually handeling it I found it to feel much smaller. I love my Seb and find it to be the perfect EDC size. It's robust enough feeling that I don't worry about it and smaller enough to carry easily.
Now, if I dressed up often and had need for a smaller, classier knife (though my sm classic wood inlay is reasonably classy) the Mnandi would be perfect. Maybe once I get out of school and get a real job where I have to dress up for work I'll get one. Until then my Seb fits great clipped to my jeans pocket.
Now, if I dressed up often and had need for a smaller, classier knife (though my sm classic wood inlay is reasonably classy) the Mnandi would be perfect. Maybe once I get out of school and get a real job where I have to dress up for work I'll get one. Until then my Seb fits great clipped to my jeans pocket.
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- 4,379
As has already been stated, the Mnandi is a dressier kind of knife than the Sebenza. It's smaller and lighter than the small Sebenza. I love mine, makes for a great "take - to - the - office" kind of knife. Don't let it's small size fool you, though. The Mnandi obviously is less robust than the Sebenza, but is still plenty tough. It's a lot of knife in a small, handsome package.