Sebenza & Mnandi specs and photos

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There's always chat about knife sizes and some people have no idea how big a Sebenza is beside a Mnandi or what any of them look like in hand.

EDIT: Please also see post 21 below for new information on the differences between the Regular, Classic & 21 model Sebenza.

So I have taken a few picture to show this plus I've taken some measurements. The earlier versions started with an ATS-34 steel blade heat treated to a hardness of 58-60 RC and followed with a BG-42 steel blade heat treated to a hardness of 60-61 RC, which included the now famous flat ground models, and the most recent Chris Reeve folding knives have a hollow ground S30V steel blade, heat treated to a hardness of 58-59 RC. Blades are also available in various Damascus patterns with the steel usually coming from Devon Thomas. The handles are made from 6A14V Titanium. They are all assembled with Allen key headed screws and can be easily stripped and rebuilt. Here is a link to just that,
http://www.chrisreeve.com/sebenzaclean.htm

Here is the FAQ from the company which cover all the usual queries,
http://www.chrisreeve.com/faq.htm

The large Sebenza:
3.625" (92mm) blade and overall length of 8.335" (212mm) 0.125" (3.175mm) blade thickness.
The small Sebenza:
2.94" (75mm) blade and overall length of 6.875" (175mm) 0.125" (3.175mm) blade thickness.
The Mnandi:
2.75" (69.5mm) blade and overall length of 6.375" (161mm) 0.090" (2.30mm) blade thickness.

All three together. From top, Mnandi. Middle is the small Sebenza and bottom is the large Sebenza,

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All three open with a measuring ruler,

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All three in hand,

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Here's the various parts and fully disassembled pictures of a Sebenza & Mnandi. My list may not have the proper technical names for these items - I have just named them as such to help you identify them during assembly.

Sebenza (parts shown from top to bottom are)
- Front side handle
- Large washer - front side
- Small washer - rear side, smaller due to the lock bar travel.
- 3 sets of bolts and screws which are identical
- Largest spacer is the rear backspacer
- Medium spacer is the pivot bushing
- Smallest spacer is the bladestop spacer
- Small roundhead screw is for the clip shown beside it
- Allen key
- At the bottom is the rear side handle with blade to the right.

100_2321.jpg


Mnandi (parts shown from top to bottom are)
Front side handle
Top row (l~r)
- Pivot bolt
- Rear backspacer
- Pivot bushing
- Bladestop spacer
- Pivot screw cap
Bottom row (l~r)
- Rear bolt
- Pivot screw
- Rear backspacer screw
- Large washer - front side
- Small washer - rear side, due to lock bar travel
Clip
Allen Key
At the bottom is the rear side handle with blade to the right.

100_2327.jpg


Mark
 
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I wonder if the moderator would pin this thread because it is very relevant and covers the specifications of all three knives.
 
wow Mark....what a great post! this should go into one of the top stickies!:thumbup:

Jules
 
Great pictures that tell the story. And very nice knives as well.

A relevant bit of information is your hand size. I can see from the photos that your hand is larger than mine, thus the different knives fit me differently.
 
Very nice pictures Mark. Thanks for the post. Just a quick reminder(and I don't have the dimentions myself) but the Classic Sebenza, large and small, are slightly larger(longer) than the regular Sebs.
;)
 
Thanks Mark, I vote for sticky too.

I had just started a thread before this one went up to see these types of photos.

Cheers.
 
Extraordinarily nice!!

(If you have any difficulty reassembling that Mnandi, just send it my way - may take me a while:D )
 
Holy smokes that is one of the best lineups I have every seen.

Wow... wow... wow...
 
Great post! Why don't you link it or put a copy in the unofficial FAQ Sticky? Nice job.
 
Hey Roefisher,

Can you please put up a photo of both the Mnandi and Small Seb lying in your hand at the same time with your hand open?

This is fantastic and I am sure a lot of guys appreciate your time in doing this, it is a big ask to put down $300+ on knife sight unseen. We don't have any CRK in the shops in Australia.

I am buying one but I am torn between the mnandi and small seb. I like the lines of the mnandi a little better but worried it might be too small. It will be a user and EDC. And please don't say get both...the sinister minister for finance has already veto'ed me on that!

Thanks again.
 
I've been "mentally committed" to buying a CRK folder for a while but had a hard time wondering which one would be best for me. This thread completely answered everything for me. I've never seen or handled one in real life so this is the next best thing. Thanks for the effort you put into this thread.
 
Thank you for the positive opinions, folks :)

Marc9910, I've done a couple of pictures of both knives. I hope this helps you to choose ...


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Mark
 
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Thank you Mark - This was the photo I have spent hours here and on BB looking for!

Much appreciated indeed.
 
It's funny, the mnandi does not look overly small compared to the sebbie, yet it weighs only 41 grams? I guess a lot of the weight difference must be in the blade? I am really swayed towards the beauty of the mnandi and from what I can see here I think it will do everything I need an EDC to do.

Those are fantastic looking knives Mark - Is that the ivory you dropped a few months ago? It appears to be faultless - perfect.

If the mnandi ends up being too small I guess I will just have to fund a small sebbie from the special 'black projects' funding that the sinister minister for finance does not know about...it might be risky and I will certainly be dead if she finds out!
 
Hey morrowj,

what did you decide on?

The Mnandi. I'll use it more. I don't want it to be a safe queen. I'd rather get the Mnandi and use the hell out of it. If I need (ha...need.....like any of us "need" what we end up buying) a larger one I'll get the small Seb. I don't have much use for a large folder.
 
All,

Given that this thread has been deemed a key reference on CRK products, it has been made a sticky and is normally locked. If you would like to add reference material to it, simply PM me and I’ll temporarily unlock it for that purpose. If you have general questions/comments regarding this sticky’s content, please start a general thread on the subject.

Best regards,

Dave
 
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