Small folders for those who like the Chris Reeve Mnandi

I think a front-flipper from Andre Thorburn would be nice in addition to a Mnandi. Both makers hail from South Africa too:)
 
Spyderco air by Bradley is probably one of the closer options to the mnandi but with m4 steel which is a nice upgrade.
 
Several of the Al Mars (Falcon, Eagle). And other vote for the Air. Perhaps a Kiwi 4. And at the (very) low end, maybe a Buck Spitfire.
 
Thanks for the suggestions -- please keep them coming!

In no particular order, here are some small (under 3-inch) folders that I enjoy:

Strider PT
Strider PT MSC Custom
Chris Reeve Small Sebenza
Curtiss Small Slimline
Boker Plus Decade Edition Exskelibur II
Burger Knives EXKI
Small Benchmade Ritter with Wilkins Ti or G10 grips
Galyean Pro Series Small Junkyard Dog
Enlan EM-01
Brous Bionc 2.0
Buck Small Vantage Pro
A.G. Russell Acies2
Hinderer XM 3" flipper
Zero Tolerance 0900
Spyderco Techno
Spyderco Pingo with Cuscadi scales
Spydero Mini Southard (modded)

I also like the Spydero Air Bradley, but wish it had jimping, a clip and stainless steel.

I have too many larger knives that I can't or won't carry -- these are the folders that I enjoy the most.
 
Many of those are not very elegant or gentlemanly, which the mnandi certainly is. WH is the only competitor here. Possible a nice Lum.

Pictures would be great I'd love to see pics!
 
I like Todd davisons slip joints also for small folders. Actually carry one of those more often than my mnandi.
 
ev13wt said:
Many of those are not very elegant or gentlemanly, which the mnandi certainly is. WH is the only competitor here. Possible a nice Lum.

Pictures would be great I'd love to see pics!
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I agree that, of any mentioned so far, the Mnandi has the style, size and weight to be the most elegant of the group -- that's why I asked for more suggestions.
 
The poster who says WH is the only competition for the Mnandi has a point. I'm not a fan of button locks in general and traded the first WH I owned.

But I still have one that really is keen competition for Mnandis -- it is the WH T12CF. It's a 3-inch blade with carbon fiber scales and a liner lock! Mine has a clip and comes with a handsome leather pouch with clip attached.

I'm honestly not sure why I don't carry it; I suspect it's because I like my Mnandis so much more.

A second folder that belongs in Mnandi company is Spyderco's Chaparral. Like my WH, I prefer the CF Chap, Spyderco's first version of the Chaparral.

When I got the CF Chap, I remarked that the f&f seemed as good as that on my Sebenzas. That might have been slightly optimistic on my part, but not by much.

The CF Chap is elegant, a breeze to open, and the 2.812 inch blade is right in the sweet spot for Mnandi lovers. The CF Chap (there are two versions, identical except for the blade steel) has a much more attractive price than the later Ti versions.

The only nit for me is that I can't close it single-handed. Which is why I prefer the old-style Mnandi to the new. That aside, the Chap is at the top of my list for Mnandi lovers.
 
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Hate to say it but all the other options including WH pale by comparison to the Mnandi. The only real competition is its big brother. I find my small 21 is just enough larger to be much easier for my old hands to open.
 
While I don't have one, I've read/seen good things about the Enzo Birk 75. Multiple handle materials, including some wood, and S30V.
 
ChrisB507 said:
While I don't have one, I've read/seen good things about the Enzo Birk 75. Multiple handle materials, including some wood, and S30V.
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I have one in FFG and Micarta.
It's comparable to some of the 3-inch folders I listed above, but not the Mnandi.
 
My favorite small carry knife is a frankenLeek, believe it or not. S30V blade, G10 scale, titanium framelock.
 
CRKT eros, best little gentleman's folder, Ken Onion coined the word "gentical" for it. William Henry as well, I like the atlas.
 
If you want the same size as a mnandi in a william henry, that would be the b10 lancet. I have many and love them, better quality than the mnandi but more costly also. The older version of the b10, the 10 liner lock is more similar to the mnandi in that it doesn't have the button lock and pivot pin that the B models have. I have many of both(see pics of the t and b model lancet), have collected them for years, love the t10!!View attachment 531807View attachment 531808
 
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