Small Inkosi Pocket Clip Issue?

I find myself reading this thread over and over. I've come to this conclusion... I have gotten used to bending clips and fixing blade play on pretty much all my Benchmades. Benchmade was the first 'good' knife brand I really did some serious collecting and carry with. Great, but require DIY maintenance to be perfect, in my opinion of course. So when i ran into this issue on my sebenzas i didnt think much of it i guess, just fixed it. But with that being said, my first 3 or 4 CRK's were absolute perfection right out of the box but I can ABSOLUTELY see myself being really let down if my very first CRK had even the slightest thing wrong with it. Even something like a clip. This is a non issue as stated before, but long story short... it would be way cooler to just have the damn clip as solid as the rest of the knife.
 
Another negative of having to adjust the “New” clip which I just noticed while fixing one :

The clip leaves a mark on the titanium slab where it touches. Once pushed down the clip moves a bit further up leaving an exposed wear mark where the clip was previously resting.

For some this might be nit picking or a “Non Issue” but honestly I would rather have a knife that came perfect from the factory, especially at this price.
 
Scotcha said:
...but honestly I would rather have a knife that came perfect from the factory, especially at this price.
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Anything made by man is imperfect. To think otherwise is to risk the wrath of the gods :) the hubris of man annoys them.

Anyway, per Tim Reeve, the clip is "perfect."
 
bhyde said:
I received a response from Tim;


Yah, he can just press right in the middle to bend it into the shape he would like. Yah total non issue, and is basically the point of having the spring clip.

Thanks!
-Tim


And FYI, these clips are made by a third party vendor. You will see the same clip on CRK, Microtech and Piranha Knives (there may be one or two others).
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Frankly I'm shocked at Tims dismissive response, it shows total disregard for his customers issue. These clips have been perfectly made the same way for some 15 odd years, and now without explanation we have one that juts out in a odd way and he just tells us it's a non issue and to just mod it how you like it...BS response IMO.
 
Jimbo75 said:
Frankly I'm shocked at Tims dismissive response, it shows total disregard for his customers issue. These clips have been perfectly made the same way for some 15 odd years, and now without explanation we have one that juts out in a odd way and he just tells us it's a non issue and to just mod it how you like it...BS response IMO.
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Before anyone continues on to hang Tim out to dry- I am making the assumption that he has SEEN the pics in this thread..That doesn't mean he has and it also doesn't mean he is being dismissive either.
From my dealings with him in person and on the facebook page, he has been VERY responsive and willing to do whatever it takes to help people out.
What I am currently finding comical is the willingness to throw a rope over the highest point with nary a phone call or email to see what is up. My email to Tim was a question about this thread, but again..it doesn't mean he has seen it and nor does it mean he didn't misunderstand the question.
 
I believe two of my newer CRK's have this "new" style clip. I thought that I had bent them or maybe that I was just crazy. I will probably contract customer support this week and ask if they know if there has been a change and if they have any old clips that they could send. It seems like the slightest difference, but in my experience it feels totally different in hand when you are used to holding a specific model with and "old" clip and then feel the same model with the "new" clip. Not to mention the functional difference in terms of clipping the knife to your pocket. Aside from how the "double clipping feature" being totally negated, the tip of the clip being bent inward can really cause the knife to snag going into the back pocket of certain pants. I have tried bending one of the clips one time, and I will try again, but for some reason I had trouble getting the clip to feel like one of the old ones. I really thought I was crazy before I found this thread...
 
bhyde said:
Before anyone continues on to hang Tim out to dry- I am making the assumption that he has SEEN the pics in this thread..That doesn't mean he has and it also doesn't mean he is being dismissive either.
From my dealings with him in person and on the facebook page, he has been VERY responsive and willing to do whatever it takes to help people out.
What I am currently finding comical is the willingness to throw a rope over the highest point with nary a phone call or email to see what is up. My email to Tim was a question about this thread, but again..it doesn't mean he has seen it and nor does it mean he didn't misunderstand the question.
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Perhaps you should have included your question to keep it in context, you stated earlier "I will ask Tim about this and get back. Seems like a pretty recent change." I naturally assumed that this was Tims answer to this change...
 
Jimbo75 said:
Perhaps you should have included your question to keep it in context, you stated earlier "I will ask Tim about this and get back. Seems like a pretty recent change." I naturally assumed that this was Tims answer to this change...
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Post 37 there was a little context to this,..here is is.

"Not sure I understand the statement. When i asked the question of Tim, I gave him the link to this thread. I would assume that he has read and seen the pictures and didn't really seem concerned with it. Maybe it's the new norm and you are expected to set whatever bend you like to suit your particular needs? Not sure because the statement is somewhat ambiguous.
I am heading over there Thursday and will see if I can get some further clarification in person. Personally, I am not worried about it because I have bent them back after bending them out on a seatbelt and had no issues."

You may have missed it- Either way, I will find out tomorrow.
That's the thing I hate about text and the reason I am going over there. There is no inflection or facial queues/body language to help decipher meaning or context.

 
So this got me thinking of my clips. The Inkosi was made in 03/17 and the ‘Zaan was made 07/17. Vast difference in the two, but is this because of the knives or pocket clips?

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I do throw the ‘Zaan in my pocket often, but I wouldn’t think I’ve smashed it in some. The Inkosi’s clip seems ‘fat’ compared to my ‘Zaan’s.
 
I just got home and I'm about to bust out some birthcards, but I honestly think the difference in clip has to do with birthdates. The primary difference I keep noticing is the difference in the lip of the clips. In the newer clips, the lip seems to be folded over, in my CRK's and in the ones I'm seeing on this thread. I think that's the part that bugs me the most. The new one also seems to flare out more, maybe in an attempt to mitigate the effect of the bent lip hanging up on pockets.
 
Umnumzaan: Old Box, didn't bother checking birthcard (2015 or 2016 I think) = Old clip
Large 21 Insingo: 1-27-17 = Old clip
Small 21 : 2-23-17 = Old clip
Small CF 21 Insingo : 4-11-17 = Honestly I'm not sure. I caught the clip on a door strike and bent the hell out of it. I manually bent it back into place. I'm pretty sure it had the old clip but I'm not 100% sure.
Small Inkosi Insingo : 9-29-17 = New Clip

I really feel like it has to do with the date. I'm really curious if this was an actual change in design, a possible change in equipment or staff that caused this, or some weird coincidence. Anyway, I'm about to email customer service so I'll let you guys know if I find anything.
 
HST HST Do you care if I use your picture to show the difference? My apartment is poorly lit and it's raining outside so I'd rather not submit a terrible picture
 
cashville cashville Not at all, as long as it’s not used pejoratively. Thank you, for being considerate.

FTR, the Inkosi is fresh from complete Spa Service.
 
I can really see the difference now physically. The “U” in the clip is a different size, resulting in a bigger arc of the clip along with a lower end at the clip’s upsweep.

I have played with both since noticing. I’m a newbie, but it seems, the new clip acts better when clipped on the pocket. I also like the way the new clip swells in my hand when gripping the knife. I realize I have two different CRK animals, but I’m pretty sure I like the newer clip.
 
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I think the OP's clip was a bit out of whack and would warrant a call/email to CRK if you didn't want to try bending it. I think the rest of the clips in the thread seem fine, albeit with some minor variations in design.

Lastly, I think some folks are getting a bit bent out of shape over something that's likely a minor tweak in the clip design.
 
From the pics posted, I'd guess a different clip for current Inkosi's. Maybe it is a change that hasn't been announced. Of course, I can't recall if any announcements have been made when CRK makes a subtle change. The 21 I just got has the normal clip, so did the CCG I got about a month ago. That's why I think it could be the model that it's being used for. I've also seen them phase out inventory to replace with new stock material. Look at how the boxes were changed. It didn't happen over night.
When I think about perfection/tight tolerances, I don't think about pocket clips. But, I do appreciate that if one of the clips on a CRK does get bent, it's fairly easy to bend it back in place without fear/concern that the integrity of the material will be compromised.
 
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