Impinda Review by an Average Guy

Slice O Life said:
I still surprises me that Chris Reeve wanted to make a slip joint, and didn't just turn the mnandi into a slip joint mechanism. Seems like it would be fairly easy and a no brainer design!
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I agree but there must have been a reason that they didn’t. What that reason is beyond me.
 
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After using it for a longer time, I wanted to say that this knife continues to impress. The Impinda has another really good set of benefits that I would like to add to this thread.

1) Being able to be opened in pretty much any situation.
The Impinda is not a knife that you can flick. It is always going to be a two handed opening knife. It is also small enough for most people to consider it to be non-threatening. This is something amazing, there has not been a situation in which I felt like I could not open my knife without putting people off. With something like my Protech Malibu, using the flipper to deploy it and having it go "THWACK" and being fast, does scare people. When you have to take the time to open the knife with two hands, I doubt anyone besides the ultra-scaredy cat types would think twice about it. I have been able to open it in any given moment that I needed it, with the peace of mind that no one will think that I am being aggressive or intimidating. Of course, you could open it like Lynn Thompson if you desired, to show that you are indeed a strong strong man, but those situations come up rarely. When I am around my grandma, and need to cut a bag open or cut a thread off my shirt, the Impinda is something she would not only not be scared of, but remind her of the nostalgic days of when most knives were like this.

2) Being able to travel to pretty much any area with it.
I love my larger knives, but as soon as I drive into Denver, the new law of the land is 3 inches blade length max. The Impinda is slightly above that limit, but I think you would be hard pressed to find an officer that would use it against you. Of course, your milage may vary, and don't be an idiot with your knife, but for the most part people will look at the Impinda as a 3 inch blade. It is also non-locking, so you could pretty much travel most of the world with this knife and have it be completely legal. Yes, it is slightly above that 3 inch limit, but like I said, I think it is close enough to where you won't have any issues with it. Of course, I am not a lawyer, so my advice is kind of stupid, but you get what I mean. I feel like when I travel with the Impinda, it can pretty much go anywhere and have no issues come up from it, and that is beautiful.
 
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Really nice review. I'm trying to resist, but this might be the best folding knife they make right now. I'm waiting on a small inkosi but that's 10 months out.
 
dan35 said:
Really nice review. I'm trying to resist, but this might be the best folding knife they make right now. I'm waiting on a small inkosi but that's 10 months out.
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Not sure if I would say best but I like it a lot. You could probably dive into aspects on what makes CRK great for hours on every knife they make.
 
Interesting comments I see regarding the Impinda, great handle, very comfortable in use. Great blade, great edge holding.
 
Karl H said:
Do you have a link to this new law? From my google searches, I thought blades up to 3.5” were legal in Denver.
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You might be right, looking it up I can't find anything. I could have sworn that for some reason that Denver only allows 3 inch blades to be carried.
 
I've been happy with my Impinda since I put the Hawk clip on it. A lot more comfortable to me. The original clip sat weird in my palm near my ring and pinky fingers. Now it's amazing. I like the thought of it lasting forever since most slip joints seem to out live the rest. 20211020_161814_compress31.jpg
 
I own a small 21 PJ Insingo, a small Damascus 31 Sebenza, a large 31 PJ Damascus, and an Impinda. I could never give up any of the three smaller ones. I’d probably give up my GEC collection before losing one CRK. That said, I put them in favorite order: Impinda > Insingo > Small Damascus > Large Damascus. If only there was a Damascus Impinda I might consider giving up all four in exchange.
 
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Slice O Life said:
I think that the price makes sense because of the R&D and collaboration split that they must have had to do in order to work with Harsey. It is also a fairly unique design and a new design at that for CRK so they need to open up machining time for it. I think it makes sense, just as much as an Umnumzaan makes sense to be at 450.

Also the clip is easily replaceable for $15 on Chris Reeve's website so I don't really think that is a big deal either.
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I own a small Damascus Sebenza, a small insigno Sebenza, a large Damascus Sebenza, and an Impinda. (Repeated from prior message but important to the comments here). I also have huge hands. Of the four CRKs the large Sebenza is my least favorite, due to its considerable weight and intimidating size. Just not the kind of knife you would take out in front of other people. There's nothing the large does that the small can't do, and in Illinois we have a 3" knife law (though the small Sebenza and Impinda cheat that limit slightly.) Of the three smaller CRKs I would never part with any of them. I once owned an Impinda that I sold and later regretted so much that I finally bought another one. You can't compare an Impinda with any other CRK; it's a slipjoint. Oh yeah, probably should mention, like all other slipjoints the Impinda has zero fiddle factor. I love my GECs, but the Impinda is my favorite slip joint. The Impinda's blade shape and comfort in the hand are superior to any other CRK. This is an excellent review thread, Slice. It tells everything that a potential Impinda owner would want to know before spending the money. The website price is now $500 and the wait time is about four years. Still worth the $325 I paid.
 
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celticrogues said:
What’s the pull strength on an Impinda like?
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The first half opening is "light", similar to any slipjoint, I guess. At the halfway point it becomes stiff. Not too stiff but noticeable stiffer. When closing the first half is stiff and the second half light, as you'd expect. No half stop. An Impinda will never close on your fingers as it takes a lot of force to get it started, as it should.
 
Slice O Life said:
You might be right, looking it up I can't find anything. I could have sworn that for some reason that Denver only allows 3 inch blades to be carried.
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Colorado law is 3.5" maximum:

www.akti.org

Colorado Knife Laws | American Knife and Tool Institute

Any non-ballistic knife with a blade not exceeding 3 ½ inches is lawful to carry, whether concealed or openly, including on school grounds. A knife with a blade exceeding 3 ½ inches may not be carried…
www.akti.org www.akti.org
 
I just purchased an Impinda on the marketplace and look forward to trying it out. Your review helped push me over the edge. Thanks!
 
ddallam said:
I own a small Damascus Sebenza, a small insigno Sebenza, a large Damascus Sebenza, and an Impinda. (Repeated from prior message but important to the comments here). I also have huge hands. Of the four CRKs the large Sebenza is my least favorite, due to its considerable weight and intimidating size. Just not the kind of knife you would take out in front of other people. There's nothing the large does that the small can't do, and in Illinois we have a 3" knife law (though the small Sebenza and Impinda cheat that limit slightly.) Of the three smaller CRKs I would never part with any of them. I once owned an Impinda that I sold and later regretted so much that I finally bought another one. You can't compare an Impinda with any other CRK; it's a slipjoint. Oh yeah, probably should mention, like all other slipjoints the Impinda has zero fiddle factor. I love my GECs, but the Impinda is my favorite slip joint. The Impinda's blade shape and comfort in the hand are superior to any other CRK. This is an excellent review thread, Slice. It tells everything that a potential Impinda owner would want to know before spending the money. The website price is now $500 and the wait time is about four years. Still worth the $325 I paid.
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You're right, I probably should have mentioned fidget factor. To be totally honest, I do not really fidget with my knives at all. If I want to do something with my hands, I just find something of value to do with them. I get that not everyone is like me though, but that is why it wasn't even included in the post. My pocket knives are tools that I use for work, or tasks around the house.

I totally agree about the hand comfort. I do think that has a lot to do with Harsey being a part of the design. If you've ever held a spartan, or one of his fixed blade designs, you will know that it locks you in and the shape is great. CRK then does it's thing and rounds all the hard edges and makes it perfect. So basically you have an ergonomic mastermind working with perhaps the top knife manufacturer in terms of fit and finish.

I don't think the Impinda is going to be successful in the short term, but I do think it will be in the long term. I feel bad for Tim, because it is simply a great design. It may have to be changed a decent amount before it hits the same level of fame as the Sebenza. I love the Impinda, and I think it is personally a good idea to give the option for a CRK in areas where laws may be an issue. In fact, starting this process now can cover CRK's collective ass in case locking knives ever become illegal globally in the far future. Also, Impinda are going to probably outlast most CRK in general. The slipjoint mechanism is known to last for hundreds of years, and proven to do so. Not to mention, the S35VN is treated to the same hardness as the backspring which is also made out of S35VN. I think in 50 years when people have Impindas that work better than new, everyone will want one, or it will at the very least be a highly sought after slip joint knife.
 
ddallam said:
Colorado law is 3.5" maximum:

www.akti.org

Colorado Knife Laws | American Knife and Tool Institute

Any non-ballistic knife with a blade not exceeding 3 ½ inches is lawful to carry, whether concealed or openly, including on school grounds. A knife with a blade exceeding 3 ½ inches may not be carried…
www.akti.org www.akti.org
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That's what I thought, a lot of people I've talked to have different ideas of what the knife law is in Denver. Even some cops from what I've heard. Good to know the Para 2 can go anywhere in Colorado, seems fitting.
 
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