The Insingo has arrived...

Medic1210

Medic1210

Joined
Sep 16, 2002
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Well, my brand new small Sebenza Insingo arrived today. She was born on December 30, 2010, and to my (pleasant) surprise, she's not "Idaho Made". Well, of course, she's made in Idaho, but not stamped. So, onto the details. Man, this blade shape is better than I hoped. I really really love the blade. I was worried about getting a small, since I owned a small several years ago, and ended up selling it because it just really didn't do anything for me. It's amazing how much difference a simple change in blade shape can make on the overall appearance of a knife. Anyway, as expected, the quality is great. Probably better than I remembered. The blade is perfectly centered and very smooth. Opens pretty easily, and hasn't made my thumb sore despite opening and closing it probably a couple hundred times already today. The swedge is awesome. That thing is so close to actually being sharp, it's pretty impressive how they were able to grind it so close to the edge without actually having the bevels actually touch and make it sharp. I think the size is perfect. I'm glad I got the small now. I have enough larger knives, I needed one a bit smaller to just use for all but the toughest tasks. I had a Leek which I liked in size, but this one is a better fit for me. Not as slim a profile, and not as fragile a blade. Lockup is more like 60-70%, which seems a bit much compared to what others have said is normal, but I'm not really worried about it. Anyway, one ding on it... The edge, while sharp, came with a couple flat spots on the edge near the tip. I'm going to need to hit it with my EF and EEF DMT stones to get it hair popping all the way to the tip. Bevel grind is also a bit wavy near the tip as well. If I'm unable to hit the micro bevel at 40 degrees inclusive and get the edge fixed, then I'll have to resort to a complete reprofile. I'd rather not do that since the edge came with such a nice finish. Anyway, what else can I say that hasn't been said already? Is it worth the price? Hard to say since my Benchmades cut things just as well. I don't think I'm going to sell it anytime soon, so it must be worth it to me right now. It is a nice knife, and a joy to hold. I do wish it had the Micarta inlay though, and I'm thinking I will be keeping this, and buying another Small Micarta to swap handles on. Here's a couple photos.
 

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Congrats on the Insigno. I still have a large on my scope to buy soon. GREAT PATCHES BTW, I must find the Ackmed patch!!! Jeff Dunham is freaking crazy funny!
 
That was bought at one of the haji shops on FOB Shank in Afghanistan where I'm currently situated. Just about every haji shop over here in Afghanistan has a guy that makes patches like those.
 
Very nice. And as mentioned before - cool patches!

I just ordered a large and small yesterday, both will carry the 'Idaho Made' stamp... I've had several CRKs, never an Insingo, but ended up selling everything off but two Spydercos that are routinely carried.

Knifeart is great to deal with and shipped same day. Mine will be here tomorrow :-)
 
Congrads ..... seems like whoever gets a Insingo likes it.I'm pretty sure my next CRK purchase will be a Insingo In the large.
 
What I find interesting regarding the Idaho Made stamp is, when I ordered the Insingo, the description and photos said it would be stamped Idaho Made. Mine was made Dec 30. I haven't taken it apart to see if the lock handle is stamped with a date code from early 2010 or not, or if maybe CRK has listened to all the complaints regarding the stamp and stopped producing them. Who knows. I know they had ordered a bunch with the stamp, but maybe they've gone through all of them, and are rethinking the design. We can dream right?? I guess I just got lucky on mine. Of course, when I order a Micarta Sebbie to do a handle swap, it will likely have the stamp, so I guess I better enjoy the lack of the stamp while I can.
 
Oh yeah, I went ahead and touched up the micro bevel on my DMT EF and EEF stones, and gave it a good stropping, and it's hair whittling sharp now. Took me about 30 minutes from start to finish to get all the little flat spots out of the edge. Didn't even realize they were there at first until I hit the knife on my strop, and saw little scuff marks in several places like there was a burr, or the edge was rolled. Shined a light on it, and sure enough, I could see the light reflecting back in several spots on the blade. Still baffled as to how the knife came with those in the blade. Oh well, no worries. They're fixed now, and it's at least as sharp if not sharper than it was when I got it. No big deal.
 
Nice! I should be getting one this friday. Now you have me wondering if it will say Idaho Made or not. I was prepared for it but now I'm hopeful. Let me just go back to being prepared for it so I'm not disappointed ;-p
 
You'll love your Insingo, Mine has been my primary EDC since I got mine back in November.

Dave
 
Wow thats unusual that it came without a stamp, mine is dated Nov. 17 and it has a stamp. I was pretty upset when I first got it because it was before knifeart advertised them as having the stamp, but I have actually grown to like the stamp for some odd reason. Maybe yours not being stamped is an indication that the stamping will stop, who knows? Anyway congrats on the knife, once you start really putting it to use you will truly love it.
 
Just checked... Looks like I lucked out and got an '09 lock side. Lock side B-09, other side A-10. I guess they sat in a bin for quite a while before CRK finally put it together. Interesting... :confused:
 
Hey Medic1210. When was your Small Insingo born? Mine has the same double dates as yours. B 09 lockside and A 10 the other. Mine was born on May 25, 2010. I posted about it a couple of weeks ago when I discovered the two dates.

An E to CRK got a timely response from Heather saying they sometimes use previous year parts. Rarely but it does happen.
I was initially a bit put off, but now use my rare double date with pride.
They are just beautifully made knives are they not?

cutterman

P S .....Just re read above and you do state yours was made/born December 09. Mine is 5 months later. They must have made a few with the two dated scales.
 
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Hell, I'm actually glad I have odd handle slabs since it means I didn't get the "stamp". I still find it interesting that they didn't use up all the non-stamped handles before switching to the stamped ones. Wonder how mine managed to sit in a box for a full year (at least the lock side) before being "born". I can't help but wonder if maybe I ended up with refurb handles or something. How else to you explain a 70% lockup brand new? I thought all handles were fitted adjusted to match the particular blade. I can't imagine them fitting one to a 70% lockup.
 

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My small insingo also had mismatched slabs. A10 and either B09 or B08, memory says it is B08, but I don't have it in front of me and the picture I posted in the other thread is blurry.
 
cutterman said:
P S .....Just re read above and you do state yours was made/born December 09. Mine is 5 months later. They must have made a few with the two dated scales.
Click to expand...

Actually, it was born Dec 30, 2010, not 2009. That's what surprised me. The fact that my Lock side slab was made in 2nd quarter (guessing B stands for 2nd quarter) of '09, yet wasn't put together until the very end of 2010. Especially surprising that they started using Idaho Made stamped scales before using up all the old stock. At any rate, like I said, I'm not worried about it. Even the lockup isn't an issue for me. Heck, having more of the lock side against the blade tang is more secure anyway, and I don't see it wearing out any time soon. Besides, I still plan to do a handle swap with a small Micarta anyway, so these scales will be sold on a plain blade as a plain Sebenza.
 
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