Small Inkosi Insingo Micarta thoughts?

J

JBoone

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
1,066
I lost my small 21 Insingo and am thinking about saving my money for one of these.

Has anybody had both? All I know is the Inkosi is a hair smaller.

Thanks!
 
I have both. The small Inkosi is noticably smaller than the small 21. It shares the same pivot as the large which makes it a bit awkward on the small body.
 
I have both and have medium-size hands. Given a choice it would be the 21 Insingo. The little bit shorter Inkosi and especially where the lanyard is mounted makes it awkward to hold. And I keep my lanyards on, the way Mr. Reeve designed them, for those who would suggest removing them because they are very useful when handling the knife along with other items. Inkosi finger choils may not fit your hand and you may want to try before you buy. But the thumb ramp on the Inkosi is killer.

Note where the lanyard hits my palm:

40247066525_674df492c1_b.jpg


30797902372_942e18c196_b.jpg
 
I just received my small insingo Inkosi with natural micarta inlays two days ago. Out of the box it has been the smoothest and sharpest CRK I have got new. It is definitely smaller than the small Sebenza 21 but he Inkosit fits my hand (medium size) great. The finger choils hit in all the right places for me. I really debated between the small 21 and Inkosi for a while, but I decided I liked the blade profile of the Inkosi better. I have had a small 21 and a small Inkosi with the drop point blade, but I sold them both since I really prefer the large patterns over the small. With that said the small Inkosi with insingo blade is a great small knife carry option. I don't see myself getting rid of this one.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I will try one.
Should make an awesome office edc as well as all around. I tend to like smallish knives.
 
I just ordered one with black micarta. Do they make filer inserts for pocket clip hole for these like the 21 if I want to pull clip and drop in pocket? Still hope my small 21 shows up at some point but the void it left has been eating at me.

21 has been “missing” for 6+ months. God knows where it is.
 
Last edited:
I am still digging through my house. It drives me nuts. I think it is in there somewhere but can’t be sure. My first knife that I have lost. I picked an expensive one to lose!
 
I've owned both the small 21 (plain and Micarta) and small Inkosi (plain, very briefly!). The small 21 is just large enough for me to get a solid, comfortable grip. The blade is just long enough to fulfill all of my edc tasks and some food prep, especially in insingo variant. By contrast, and much to my surprise given the similarity, I kept the small inkosi for a day before deciding to return it. To me, despite being only marginally smaller, the small inkosi fell short in terms of grip and capability.

I have medium to large sized hands, and could not get a solid four finger grip on the handle, and the finger grooves caused hot spots. The blade, despite being only marginally shorter, felt noticeably less functional. Granted I only tried the clip point, perhaps the insingo version is more capable. Either way, the handle just didn't do it for me. The small 21 insingo really just is perfection to me, and the Inkosi, as close as it is, isn't.
 
I have large hands but don’t mind smaller knives where my pinky does not quite fit. I will send her back for a 21 if I don’t like it having said that. We shall see.
 
Got it today and it’s a keeper. I can get 4 fingers on it with my large hands (with no room to spare). I don’t see handle shape being an issue for me. I think the clip would be as much of a hot spot for prolonged use but I am doubting I will be carving spoons with this one anyway.

Very smooth out of the box and very sharp.
 
I got one in the mail last week. It’s one of my favorite EDC’s so far. Really like the small size and the minimal real estate it takes up in the pocket.
 
I stepped up to the Umnumzaan Tanto a few weeks back and love it... but it is a large, aggressive knife. I right away knew I needed a smaller CRK to compliment so began the small 21 and Inkosi research. Today I placed my order for an Inkosi Insingo with natural micarta inlays. I had also been considering the CF version, but not sure I find extra value in an ultra-light knife and had concerns about the long term durability of the CF relative to keeping the blade centered. Obviously I would want a flawless CRK for life.

It has been days and days and countless reviews on balancing the slightly larger small 21, that may fit the hand better, against the newer technology, beefier Inkosi. Ultimately after viewing many dozens of written and video reviews the conclusions I came to:
  • The Inkosi size is perfect for EDC - many more reviews identify the Inkosi ends up with The Most pocket time than reviews that identify the small 21 to end up with The Most pocket time
  • The Inkosi action is more dreamy than the 21 long term (I love, love the Umnumzaan blade deployment feel)
  • The Inkosi is more beefy than the 21
  • The Inkosi micarta has a bit more style than the 21 as it wraps around the finger choils
  • No unexplained hole in the show scale
  • My biggest potential negative with the Inkosi is the choil ergonomics... but many reviews suggest to just power through any potential negative thoughts of the feel in hand (if any exist) and soon this small knife feels natural.
  • Time will tell about my ultimate reaction to the lanyard and its seemingly awkward placement and whether I keep it on (likely not) - but I do enjoy my lanyard on my Umnumzaan
In summary, I decided I wanted a little (more pocketable) indestructible knife to compliment my big indestructible knife... else I would have ended up with the Mnundi. I'm less caught up in the history of the 21 and more attracted to those phat washers and related creamy deployment on the Inkosi... I also like the ability to make micro-adjustments on the pivot to minimize the thwack of deployment based on my deployment style... has worked wonders with the Umnumzaan.

In a week I'll find out whether my academic study matches up with reality.

… and now I'm done buying knives. :D
 
43F24DC6-504A-4966-8297-63FC1CB89511.jpeg

Just wanted to add to this thread. The Small Inkosi Insingo in Micarta has impressed me a lot. Originally I was against the idea of the Small Inkosi altogether, because of those saying the handle is too small. While I agree it is a small knife, the front finger choil does accommodate my large sized hand, with my fat fingers to boot.

One of the factors that convinced me was ARCHMAN (YouTuber that runs Nice Guy Machine CO.) stating that he really enjoyed the Small Inkosi Insingo for his daily use. He even said he thought the blade shape looked bad, and that the Small Inkosi looked pretty small.

Over time, ARCHMAN said he just got used to it, and just used his knife instead of just thinking about how he would use it. If you white knuckle a Small Inkosi, it won’t feel good. But if you just use the damn knife and see and feel how it maneuvers in your hand, it feels natural.

While there is limited access to the thumbstuds because of the finger grooves, I haven’t found it particularly hard to open. I can even spydieflick the Small Inkosi consistently. This is a complaint I hear a lot, but is really overblown in my opinion.

The Micarta really makes this knife great. It adds traction and warmth to the titanium frame. It also makes it easier to pull out of the pocket. It also adds a slight amount of width to the knife which rounds out the handle a bit more. Is it worth the $100 extra? It would be up to your opinion…

The blade is small. But not incapable. The edge length is around a Spyderco Delica, and you never hear anyone complain about them for use. Additionally, the Insingo blade curves upwards moreso than the Sebenza’s Insingo blade. Allowing for use on a cutting board, which is great. Not that I use my folding knives for cooking so much, but it can absolutely chop up an apple or a banana or a sandwich.

Overall, really been impressed by the Small Inkosi Insingo with Micarta. Hasn’t had a problem doing anything I’ve needed to. Opens easily. Feels good in the hand even for my large hands. It’s not going to be a 4 finger knife for some, and for me it’s more of a 3.5 finger knife, but honestly I almost never hammer grip my knife. Even when I do hammer grip my Small Inkosi to cut harder cardboard, it does not feel like it will slip out of my hand at all.
 
Agree. Archman did a nice review of the small Insingo Inkosi. It’s on my list. I just grabbed a Stretch 2 in ZDP-189 as they are getting hard to find. Similar thought, don’t look at it to much, just use it.
 
dan35 said:
Agree. Archman did a nice review of the small Insingo Inkosi. It’s on my list. I just grabbed a Stretch 2 in ZDP-189 as they are getting hard to find. Similar thought, don’t look at it to much, just use it.
Click to expand...
For around the house and garden/outdoors work I would prefer the larger handle and the increased blade of the Large Insingo Inkosi. However, for EDC I'm leaning towards the Small Insingo Inkosi. It's just so short and nimble in the hand, and because the blade and lock are smaller, it requires less force to deploy and disengage.

At home outside of work, the small can be a bit too short to do certain tasks. Cutting some food items, cutting larger cardboard, skinning a dinosaur... all these things are better with a larger blade.

At work, the small handles everything with ease. A lot of tasks are done with the tip portion of all of our knives. It can also cut through decent thickness cardboard relatively easily. If you are getting to the really heavy duty stuff, you may wish for the large. I rarely encounter that type of thing at work. I can also see wanting the large for thicker plastic bands used for pallets if you are around those.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top