Small Umnumzaan?

[Neil Ostroff]

Hello all,

Since the introduction of the Umnumzaan, I have been after them to make a smaller one- I was visiting Chris and Anne in Boise a few weeks ago, and was told, once again, that this is not going to happen.

I do personally believe that it would be a great item but from a manufacturing standpoint at their end and based on their already full line of folding knives, I doubt if we will ever see it.

Concerning a Sebenza sized in between the Large and Small- that will not happen either- if you look at the specs of the 2 items, the difference would be minimal and again it would become another entire manufacturing process.

Best regards, Neil Ostroff

 

[EEG]

I purchased a small Seagrass Sebenza at Blade last year but it turned into a collectible for me. At the time I was torn between it and the Wilson Zaan so I picked up a used Zaan with a scotch bright finish here on the forum and love the way it carries. I am surprised how well such a large folder rides in jeans as well as dress slacks so I wouldn't need a smaller version.

 

[Adamar]

Hello all,

Since the introduction of the Umnumzaan, I have been after them to make a smaller one- I was visiting Chris and Anne in Boise a few weeks ago, and was told, once again, that this is not going to happen.

I do personally believe that it would be a great item but from a manufacturing standpoint at their end and based on their already full line of folding knives, I doubt if we will ever see it.

Concerning a Sebenza sized in between the Large and Small- that will not happen either- if you look at the specs of the 2 items, the difference would be minimal and again it would become another entire manufacturing process.

Best regards, Neil Ostroff

Hey Neil:

I am wondering on how well you think the Umnumzaan is selling? Better than Sebenza, worse than Sebenza, or about the same.

In a radio interview a couple years ago with Chris Reeve, he said there was a plan for a small Umnumzaan, but only after he is able to recover the tooling costs for the "Large" Umnumzaan. I think my Umnumzaan is a great knife, but thinking that the knife is selling below expecations, meaning the tooling costs are taking longer to recover, which has caused the decision not to make or delay the introduction of a small Umnumzaan.

Thanks.

 

[Bucky]

Hey Neil:

I am wondering on how well you think the Umnumzaan is selling? Better than Sebenza, worse than Sebenza, or about the same.

In a radio interview a couple years ago with Chris Reeve, he said there was a plan for a small Umnumzaan, but only after he is able to recover the tooling costs for the "Large" Umnumzaan. I think my Umnumzaan is a great knife, but thinking that the knife is selling below expecations, meaning the tooling costs are taking longer to recover, which has caused the decision not to make or delay the introduction of a small Umnumzaan.

Thanks.

I think you may be on the right track regarding the Small Umnumzaan not being produced yet because the Umnumzaan hasn't sold enough to cover the toolings costs. I think though it's more because enough time hasn't passed yet for enough knives to be sold, rather than that sales of the Umnumzaan has fallen short of expectations. My guess would be that they probably expected it to take 3-5 years of Umnumzaan sales to cover the costs of the tooling and invest in the creation/production of the Small Umnumzaan.

As far as the number of Umnumzaans sold per year, here is what Anne said on 10/20/09:

Here is the scoop:
- Including Chris and me, there are 18 of us on the staff.
- Rounding the numbers, but including all variations of each model, in 2008 we made 1,200 Large Sebenzas, 1,000 Small Sebenzas, 250 Mnanadis and 450 Umnumzaans.

.... and because I am sure someone will ask, we made a combined 4,700 fixed blades, of which a little over 800 are the Yarborough for US Army Special Forces.

Anne

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7387855&postcount=14

I would have expected the Large Sebenza to sell about twice as well as the Umnumzaan, when it actually sells closer to about three times as well.

 

[arjung]

If one of these were ever made. I'd be on it within minutes. I love the aesthetics of the umnumzaan. They really appeal to me, but when it comes to knives in the semi-production/custom class I have one rule. It must be something I would carry. Unfortunately I don't usually carry knives of the umnumzaan size.