- Joined
- Sep 27, 2014
- Messages
- 322
So I posted part of this as a comment in another thread, but I thought I'd come over here and do a review. I have expanded on some things and added others.
I've owned my Nyala for just shy of 6 months now. I bought it brand new in box from a fellow forum member, and in that time, I have carried it pretty much every day at work. I use it at work, I use it for EDC tasks around the home and I use it extensively in the kitchen. I also use it for practicing bushcraft stuff.
Gripes:
#1. Jimping
I just don't understand the choice of jimping there. It's far too large. It's not sharp and it basically serves no purpose other than to be uncomfortable for the thumb. Even when wearing thick gloves, it doesn't give me much of a grip. I would much rather they stick with the jimping one finds on the Sebenza 21. It's great; Sharp and sticky, it always seems to grab my fingers and hold them. The jimping on this knife does none of that. It's disappointing.
#2. The handle
The grooved Micarta doesn't do it for me. It gets a bit uncomfortable when you're really bearing down on the knife. It's not too sharp, and it's broken in a bit over time, but I still wish it was made out of wood. For me, a smooth wood, bone or Ivory handle is always supremely comfortable. I don't like Micarta, but I knew this when I purchased the knife. Nevertheless, smooth Micarta handles have their place. And if CRK insisted on doing a Micarta handle, I do not see any reason for the design CRK have incorporated here. The grip it offers isn't anything special, and I think smoothly sanded Micarta scales would have been a good choice here.
#3. Edge geometry and heat treat
This is the big one. If I could go back in time, this right here would be the one thing that would dissuade me from buying the knife. To start with, the edge came ridiculously sharp. Too sharp for my tastes. I haven't measured the angle but in my opinion it's just too fragile. That being said, I have horsed on a few knives with an even steeper blade geometry (Spyderco Mule Teams in several steels come to mind), and despite the angle making me nervous, they performed flawlessly and didn't chip.
This is where the Nyala has failed, miserably and repeatedly. I have had the factory edge roll/chip several times. The first time I used the knife in the kitchen, the edge rolled when cutting carrots on a plastic cutting board. That's just flat out unacceptable. It has happened several times since in the kitchen and when doing bushcraft work. I hate to bring up J Davis because of his colorful past in the knife community, but for all of the nasty things he ended up doing, I think he was right about CRK knives being hit or miss with their heat treat. For the record, I have not had any of these issues with my Sebenzas. I will probably have to end up re profiling the knife to a slightly more obtuse angle.
Glories
#1. Size
For me, this knife is basically the ideal size for an EDC fixed blade. It's hefty enough that I can horse it a bit if I feel the need, and not worry about anything breaking or snapping (the edge not withstanding, see gripes).
#2. The grind
As usual when it comes to CRK, the hollow grind is executed flawlessly. It's a bit higher than you'll find on a Sebenza 21, and I like that. It gets nice a thin behind the edge, but the stock itself is quite thick. In my opinion, the stock thickness is more than acceptable when considering the execution of the grind.
#3. Blade design
I really like CRK's take on the classic drop point. The Nyala has a nice swedge, and the tip is very robust and sharp. It might not be the ideal knife for skinning due to the point, but the belly is very well executed, and I find myself using it for the majority of my work. It flows exceedingly well with the slicing motions I use when processing food and making feather sticks, etc.
#4. The sheath
The sheath is leather job by Gfeller Casemakers with the Chris Reeve "R" stamped on the front. It's treated to be water resistant and rides nice and low on the belt. I like that. One thing I can't stand when carrying fixed blades is having the handle digging into my ribs. It'll take a pretty thick belt, and I think the only time you're going to have a problem is if you wear a big rigger's belt.
Conclusion
So, would I recommend this knife? Maybe. It depends on what you want to use it for. I think that if CRK gets the heat treat right, the knife is a really good find. At just over $230.00, I think it's a steal, especially when you consider the fact that you are paying in part for the Chris Reeve Knives brand. And it's possible that my knife came from a soft batch of steel. It's an older model without the "Idaho Made" logo, which leads me to believe that it was made in the earlier batches of Nyalas that were produced. But I can't confirm that.
In addition, every CRK knife is accompanied by the ironclad CRK warranty. I have no doubt that if I complained to Chris Reeve's customer service folks about this knife, they'd set me up right. But I carry the knife too often, and I don't want to send it off to Idaho for a month or more.
Ultimately, I think I am going to end up replacing this knife with a fixed blade knife of similar caliber. But whatever I do end up buying is probably going to be in 3V, and have wood handle scales and a convex grind.
That's my review, I don't have photos of the edge right now but I will take some tomorrow when the light's better so you can see the rolling and chipping I was talking about. I hope you enjoyed and I hope I didn't open up a huge can of worms regarding the CRK heat treat.
I've owned my Nyala for just shy of 6 months now. I bought it brand new in box from a fellow forum member, and in that time, I have carried it pretty much every day at work. I use it at work, I use it for EDC tasks around the home and I use it extensively in the kitchen. I also use it for practicing bushcraft stuff.
Gripes:
#1. Jimping
I just don't understand the choice of jimping there. It's far too large. It's not sharp and it basically serves no purpose other than to be uncomfortable for the thumb. Even when wearing thick gloves, it doesn't give me much of a grip. I would much rather they stick with the jimping one finds on the Sebenza 21. It's great; Sharp and sticky, it always seems to grab my fingers and hold them. The jimping on this knife does none of that. It's disappointing.
#2. The handle
The grooved Micarta doesn't do it for me. It gets a bit uncomfortable when you're really bearing down on the knife. It's not too sharp, and it's broken in a bit over time, but I still wish it was made out of wood. For me, a smooth wood, bone or Ivory handle is always supremely comfortable. I don't like Micarta, but I knew this when I purchased the knife. Nevertheless, smooth Micarta handles have their place. And if CRK insisted on doing a Micarta handle, I do not see any reason for the design CRK have incorporated here. The grip it offers isn't anything special, and I think smoothly sanded Micarta scales would have been a good choice here.
#3. Edge geometry and heat treat
This is the big one. If I could go back in time, this right here would be the one thing that would dissuade me from buying the knife. To start with, the edge came ridiculously sharp. Too sharp for my tastes. I haven't measured the angle but in my opinion it's just too fragile. That being said, I have horsed on a few knives with an even steeper blade geometry (Spyderco Mule Teams in several steels come to mind), and despite the angle making me nervous, they performed flawlessly and didn't chip.
This is where the Nyala has failed, miserably and repeatedly. I have had the factory edge roll/chip several times. The first time I used the knife in the kitchen, the edge rolled when cutting carrots on a plastic cutting board. That's just flat out unacceptable. It has happened several times since in the kitchen and when doing bushcraft work. I hate to bring up J Davis because of his colorful past in the knife community, but for all of the nasty things he ended up doing, I think he was right about CRK knives being hit or miss with their heat treat. For the record, I have not had any of these issues with my Sebenzas. I will probably have to end up re profiling the knife to a slightly more obtuse angle.
Glories
#1. Size
For me, this knife is basically the ideal size for an EDC fixed blade. It's hefty enough that I can horse it a bit if I feel the need, and not worry about anything breaking or snapping (the edge not withstanding, see gripes).
#2. The grind
As usual when it comes to CRK, the hollow grind is executed flawlessly. It's a bit higher than you'll find on a Sebenza 21, and I like that. It gets nice a thin behind the edge, but the stock itself is quite thick. In my opinion, the stock thickness is more than acceptable when considering the execution of the grind.
#3. Blade design
I really like CRK's take on the classic drop point. The Nyala has a nice swedge, and the tip is very robust and sharp. It might not be the ideal knife for skinning due to the point, but the belly is very well executed, and I find myself using it for the majority of my work. It flows exceedingly well with the slicing motions I use when processing food and making feather sticks, etc.
#4. The sheath
The sheath is leather job by Gfeller Casemakers with the Chris Reeve "R" stamped on the front. It's treated to be water resistant and rides nice and low on the belt. I like that. One thing I can't stand when carrying fixed blades is having the handle digging into my ribs. It'll take a pretty thick belt, and I think the only time you're going to have a problem is if you wear a big rigger's belt.
Conclusion
So, would I recommend this knife? Maybe. It depends on what you want to use it for. I think that if CRK gets the heat treat right, the knife is a really good find. At just over $230.00, I think it's a steal, especially when you consider the fact that you are paying in part for the Chris Reeve Knives brand. And it's possible that my knife came from a soft batch of steel. It's an older model without the "Idaho Made" logo, which leads me to believe that it was made in the earlier batches of Nyalas that were produced. But I can't confirm that.
In addition, every CRK knife is accompanied by the ironclad CRK warranty. I have no doubt that if I complained to Chris Reeve's customer service folks about this knife, they'd set me up right. But I carry the knife too often, and I don't want to send it off to Idaho for a month or more.
Ultimately, I think I am going to end up replacing this knife with a fixed blade knife of similar caliber. But whatever I do end up buying is probably going to be in 3V, and have wood handle scales and a convex grind.
That's my review, I don't have photos of the edge right now but I will take some tomorrow when the light's better so you can see the rolling and chipping I was talking about. I hope you enjoyed and I hope I didn't open up a huge can of worms regarding the CRK heat treat.
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