Which CRK would you get?

I wish you guys wouldn't have told me that.

I was in the process of putting the brakes on my toy, er, knife spending for a while.

I am going back to the CRK website now, please excuse me...
 
Just how durable are the wood inlays?

With enough use will the finish on the wood wear quite substantially? Dings from coins or keys etc.



All the pics I have seen are of pristine looking Mnandis. I wonder if they just age that gracefully or maybe they just get babied a lot.
 
WHAT......You did not buy a Mnandi yet ???.....I have been using my SS Damascus daily since I got it and it does not have a mark on it. Its so beautiful, it should be a safe queen, but I like it so much, I have to have it with me and I pull it out and use it every chance I get. Plus, its just the right size where it is not immediately noticed when you use it. I love the Mnandi so much, I am looking for another in S30V blade. I just missed a nice one in the exchange over the weekend. As far as putting a Mnandi or Sebenza or your basic $10 knife in your pocket with keys and coins, they ALL will Scratch and show wear. I do not put my Mnandi in my pocket with change or keys. Mostly, I have my Mnandi clipped to my pocket in my pocket t-shirt or clipped to the neck.
 
This one all boils down to what inlay I want now. Mnandi beats Umnum this round.

I would love the mammoth ivory inlay because I think thats the most aesthetically pleasing but I'm too cheap to pony up the extra 200 bucks for it.

The lighter woods seem to be most pleasing to my eye. Tamboti looks pretty good on the CRK website but I see that African Blackwood has been very popular among forumites.
 
My dream Mnandi would be a Bark Mammoth Ivory wit SS Damascus Blade. I tend to lean towards a lighter wood with some nice grain to it. I am sure any wood CRK puts in a Mnandi, it would look great. As far as what I like on the CRK site, The Tamboti looks great as well as the Bocote. Box Elder is nice too.
 
Well since you have a credit how about put a dual thumbstud on one of your large sebbie or upgrade the blade to a damasteel:DYou mention that you like the larger knife so the Umnumzaan is a no brainer, if you wish to purchase another knife.I just purchase one on the secondary market and i was amazed at the details that Chris put into it.I personally think that the Umnumzaan is a tactical weapon:thumbup:
 
BOK said:
Just how durable are the wood inlays?

With enough use will the finish on the wood wear quite substantially? Dings from coins or keys etc.
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As you would expect, there is a fair amount of variance in durability across the different inlay materials. Here are my observations/conclusions:

  1. If you put a Mnandi amongst keys/coins grinding away in pants pockets, any inlay material available in the Mnandi will suffer scratches and dents, and the metal surfaces of the knife will, to a lesser extent than wood, do so as well.
  2. I would surmise that lignum vitae would be the most abrasion-resistant wood inlay offered, and would recommend going that route for any highly abrasive carry method. Ship builders used to make propeller shaft bearings out of lignum vitae -- tough, tough stuff, for sure.
  3. When I carry my MIB Mnandi in my pocket amidst keys and coins (and I do this often), I keep it in the calfskin pouch that comes with the Mnandi. As a result of the protection by the pouch, my Mnandi is in flawless condition.
  4. If you carry the Mnandi via the clip and it doesn’t reside with other hard objects against which to collide, you’ll see minimal to no wear from carry.
  5. I have the most experience with moisture damage. I used to work out with my camelthorn inlay Mnandi IWB, and the knife got pretty sweaty. I also accidentally put it through the wash, and it was in contact with wet fabric for many hours. The camelthorn suffered water damage in the way of lost sheen and raised grain patterning, much like what you’d see if you left a pool of water sitting on a finely finished wood surface for several hours. The inlay didn't warp – just didn’t look that great. If you need moisture resistance, go with cocobolo or lignum vitae. Both have natural oils that give them significant moisture resistance. Cocobolo comes standard on the Inyoni for that reason.
Hope that helps.
 
Ya know...when I initially posted this I had this feeling that I was gonna lean toward the Umnum but I ended up being totally wrong.

After the first couple or so comments I started looking a little closer at the Mnandis and I think this is a knife that could really work for me. The lighter coloured wood inlays look amazing.

There will no doubt be an Umnum somewhere in my future too though.
 
BOK said:
Ya know...when I initially posted this I had this feeling that I was gonna lean toward the Umnum but I ended up being totally wrong.

After the first couple or so comments I started looking a little closer at the Mnandis and I think this is a knife that could really work for me. The lighter coloured wood inlays look amazing.

There will no doubt be an Umnum somewhere in my future too though.
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Box elder is way cool looking. It's been my sister's EDC for 4 years, carried in the pouch, clanking against all sorts of keys, coins, and other stuff in her purse. It's in mint condition.
 
That is very useful info indeed Fooj! I appreciate that.

I don't much like the striations on the cocobolo and lignum vitae. I think those lines are a lot more appealing on the lighter woods.

Looks like its going to be a bit of a trade off either way. Sweaty palms play a role here so cocobolo might be a more practical choice.
 
pvicenzi said:
Hum, they are all great. As nyefmaker mentioned, if you at all like the one piece knives, I'd get one before they are discontinued.
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+1 :thumbup:

That, or an Umnumzaan. Heck, even if it turns out that the Umnum isn't your kind of knife, I'm sure you could trade or sell it without too much trouble. As of late, they are in relatively high demand. Cheers.
 
Sent off an e-mail to CRK today. I have decided on box elder.

I look forward to owning my first non-sebenza CRK product.
 
Now I get to exercise patience because it will take several months :)

Actually handled my first Mnandi yesterday. It was a friends african blackwood inlay. Beautifully executed knife. Simple and elegant.

I can't wait for mine to arrive.
 
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