Chris Reeve Inkosi insingo

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fivesense

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Jun 5, 2017
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I'm considering a traditional Sebenza as well as the Inkosi insingo. I'm a "user" of my blades and not a collector- but I don't unnecessarily abuse my edged tools either. I use my edged tools daily for a combination of puncturing and slicing.

For those who have the Inkosi, what are your thoughts?
 
For me, the Inkosi’s extra blade thickness doesn’t add anything, and the removal of the pivot bushing makes it more fiddly to take down for cleaning. I go 21.
 
Dangerously said:
For me, the Inkosi’s extra blade thickness doesn’t add anything, and the removal of the pivot bushing makes it more fiddly to take down for cleaning. I go 21.
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Does that mean you suggest a Sebenza?

Sorry for the base question...
 
fivesense said:
Does that mean you suggest a Sebenza?

Sorry for the base question...
Click to expand...

Personally, yes. Sebenza 21 fits me best. And the drop point. There’s enough flat blade that I don’t need more, and I like the pointier tip. Of course, this is all dependent on preferences and workload.

Of course I had to buy 5 knives to figure it out, 21 and inkosi, large and small, drop point and insingo. Ended up with small sebenza 21 as a favourite, the first one I bought.
 
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Dangerously said:
Personally, yes. Sebenza 21 fits me best. And the drop point. There’s enough flat blade that I don’t need more, and I like the pointier tip. Of course, this is all dependent on preferences and workload.

Of course I had to buy 5 knives to figure it out, 21 and inkosi, large and small, drop point and insingo. Ended up with small senenza 21 as a favourite, the first one I bought.
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I wish I listened and got the 21. I liked the more aggressive look and robustness of the inkosi at first but looking back I shoulda got the 21. Bushing pivot. Seek. Better cutting geometry.
 
My first Chris Reeve knife was a large inkosi insingo it's a great knife! Smooth operating and tuff. My second CRK was a 21 followed by 3 more 21's ;). My favorite is my large 21 insingo, it's a great slicer.
 
I have:
- Large PJ sebenza 21 damascus
- Large micarta 21 insingo
- small micarta 21 insingo
- Large CF KA Inkosi
- small PJ Inkosi

I have slight preference for the 21 in term of ergos and EDC use.
I love the size of the small inkosi however and it is the one which has the most pocket time.
I have removed the lanyard on this one as it was annoying for me to get a good grip.

The extra thickness may give sme more trust when hard using the knife but IMHO it may be more a quesiton of feeling than anything easy to proove in use.

considering the use I have of my CRK, I think I will change my small insingo micarta for a small KA CF insingo, and my large KA Cf inksoi for a large inkosi, either PJ or micarta.
 
The Inkosi is a very fine made knife.
The Insingo blade shape is very versatile, I think is more a worker.
For weight reasons I got the version with CF front-scale.
Happy camper.
You might consider frequenting the CRK sub forums here.
It's not that you will find the answer, but lot's of information.
Hope this helps.
 
fivesense said:
I'm considering a traditional Sebenza as well as the Inkosi insingo. I'm a "user" of my blades and not a collector- but I don't unnecessarily abuse my edged tools either. I use my edged tools daily for a combination of puncturing and slicing.

For those who have the Inkosi, what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

I have both and am trying to figure out how to get rid of the Inkosi Insigo...heck, with top bevel to blade tip, a normal Sebenza blade is stronger out front...

Plus, the back side of handle is ground in a swayback, which makes the corner points sharper angled and pointier in hand....to get that image, draw a line straight up.....then across....then back down...observe the wonder of the 90° angles...now, from corner to corner, draw a concave/swayback line and tell me which corners, the outside ones on scale bevel against palm, are sharper...

Plus put lanyard location (one choice, THERE) where palm rests while holding...

Plus they formerly bragged of great thumb access on the Sebenza, which they then cut away on the Inkosi to put a finger groove right where thumb needs to push lockbar...

And, I too, find the "simpler" knife more difficult than the Sebenza straight forward dis/reassembly where the latter is simply unscrewed/screwed, with one wrench, including snug on everything. May not seem that way the first time or three in comparison, but, it shows shortly...

But mainly the other above points...rather than improve a Sebenza, like maybe radius ALL corners the way one is at finger relief, they made a new knife even more hurtful to hold and unlock...it was just dumb, likewise a heavier blade with tip weakened to less than a thinner blade normal modern grind....

Get the Sebenza. You WILL like it, after adjusting lock detent/pressure/friction to tastes...the Inkosi?....possibly...
 
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mtngunr said:
I have both and am trying to figure out how to get rid of the Inkosi Insigo...heck, with top bevel to blade tip, a normal Sebenza blade is stronger out front...

Plus, the back side of handle is ground in a swayback, which makes the corner points sharper angled and pointier in hand....to get that image, draw a line straight up.....then across....then back down...observe the wonder of the 90° angles...now, from corner to corner, draw a concave/swayback line and tell me which corners, the outside ones on scale bevel against palm, are sharper...

Plus put lanyard location (one choice, THERE) where palm rests while holding...

Plus they formerly bragged of great thumb access on the Sebenza, which they then cut away on the Inkosi to put a finger groove right where thumb needs to push lockbar...

And, I too, find the "simpler" knife more difficult than the Sebenza straight forward dis/reassembly where the latter is simply unscrewed/screwed, with one wrench, including snug on everything. May not seem that way the first time or three in comparison, but, it shows shortly...

But mainly the other above points...rather than improve a Sebenza, like maybe radius ALL corners the way one is at finger relief, they made a new knife even more hurtful to hold and unlock...it was just dumb, likewise a heavier blade with tip weakened to less than a thinner blade normal modern grind....

Get the Sebenza. You WILL like it, after adjusting lock detent/pressure/friction to tastes...the Inkosi?....possibly...
Click to expand...

Do you think the Inkosi is Chris' design or one made by a CRK committee? I always thought it was a design to appease those who need a useless lock stop and want to easily flick their knife open. It was an "update" to satisfy Internet experts. Sebenza is the best cause its a simple refined design. Didn't Chris leave CRK soon after the Inkosicame out?
 
My favorite CRK is my large 21 Insingo. I also have both a small 21 Insingo and a small drop point Inkosi. Between the two smaller designs, I prefer the Inkosi. It just feels better in my hand than the small 21, even though it's a bit smaller than the small 21.

Jim
 
I've owned a few variations of both. The 21 does everything the Inkosi can with a better build IMO.

I also prefer the lockup of the 21.

I'D
get an Insingo 21 of some sort.

Or the drop point for super puncture power.

And the handle is way better on the 21 for me
It's less bossy than the Inkosi .
 
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brownshoe said:
Do you think the Inkosi is Chris' design or one made by a CRK committee? I always thought it was a design to appease those who need a useless lock stop and want to easily flick their knife open. It was an "update" to satisfy Internet experts. Sebenza is the best cause its a simple refined design. Didn't Chris leave CRK soon after the Inkosicame out?
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What lock stop are you talking about? Wait- What are you talking about in general? None of this makes sense..You do know that Chris carries a small Inkosi..right?
I seriously doubt he would carry a knife he didn't believe was exceptional. Sooner or later, you will have to give in and accept that Chris has retired and move on.


I have a large Micarta Inkosi that I carry quite alot. Have owned more Sebenzas than most people and still have a collection that is mixed with large regular sebenzas, 21's and Umnumzaans- Out of all these, I carry the Inkosi and Umnumzaan the most. Have never experienced hotspots on my Inkosi that I have seen others complain about..Maybe it's my 2XL hands?
 
brownshoe said:
Do you think the Inkosi is Chris' design or one made by a CRK committee? I always thought it was a design to appease those who need a useless lock stop and want to easily flick their knife open. It was an "update" to satisfy Internet experts. Sebenza is the best cause its a simple refined design. Didn't Chris leave CRK soon after the Inkosicame out?
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I took a tour of the CRK facility yesterday and learned the Inkosi story. Chris Reeve hasn't "left" the company; he is simply enjoying retirement as his son takes the reins.
 
Sooner or later, Chris would have retired, anyway. He's no spring chicken, after all, and like most, I'm sure he has other things he'd like to pursue. Some would say if he retires they won't like (and/or will stop buying) CRK knives. Unless you only want any knife company's knives while the founder is still directly involved, every single knife company will experience its founder retiring and/or passing on. If a company wants to continue, it will have to uphold the founder's demand for quality products or go the way of the dinosaurs. If it can do that, then their product can be every bit as good going forward.

My small Inkosi is every bit as well-made as any of my Sebenza models, including my large regular from 2002.

Jim
 
I went through multiple CRKs as well and love the Mnandi best followed by the small 21. I really enjoyed the large's but personally for edc the smaller versions work out better
 
Get one, it’s a great knife. I have Large and Small 21s and a Large Inkosi Insingo. It’s a damn good knife. Got the Inkosi with me today.5FBF8E04-404E-4B6C-971C-F9593A10EA66.jpeg
 
brownshoe said:
Do you think the Inkosi is Chris' design or one made by a CRK committee? I always thought it was a design to appease those who need a useless lock stop and want to easily flick their knife open. It was an "update" to satisfy Internet experts. Sebenza is the best cause its a simple refined design. Didn't Chris leave CRK soon after the Inkosicame out?
Click to expand...

Now, in a video done at the factory, Reeve was bragging of the upcoming new knife....so....

But, it certainly struck me as a committee knife....

when mine arrived, the lock tension was unbelievable, it really was painful to open and close....when I began taking it apart, even though full-open, rather than lock on side of blade, as soon as spacer fit overcome, the knife exploded in pieces, the lockbar had enough bend to reach outside of far side of knife...

I wrote a dissatisfied customer email stating all these same points,, and the guy answering, who turned out to be a shop lead, wanted only to argue, and then tell me that maybe I ought to just form my own company and make my own knife...

I replied that a better response would have been "thanks for the input and will bring it up at next meeting along with everybody else's," and that I had been buying a few various knives for gifting a to a group of military/industry pals, and thanks to his "customer service", they all would receive Hinderer, and did....

This has not stopped me from buying Sebenzas, as the Inkosi original name intro already showed their game plan has been for it to supplant the more complex Sebenza, so, I bought a variety of desired models while still available, before they dropped the bomb and badly hurt the company...

What they NEED to do is stop flooding the market with Ford Woodie and machined duplicate embellished versions, reinstitute the secondary edge bevel on the Sebenza, and stop trying to invade other markets which they clearly do not understand...and continue making the Swiss watch of folders, and try asking OUTSIDERS what small tweaks it might need to be ultimate daily driver carry knife...

All, just my opinion...
 
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