Sebenza 25 or large inkosi? Help please

Michael Coulon

Michael Coulon

Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Messages
190
I have a lot of knives, most recently my nirvana and a benchmade anthem., i have a dozen or so spydercos and a dozen or so zt's a couple ferrum forge knives, i have an adv butcher a few protechs a rike knife, two striders, a couple we knives, a few kizers a lionsteel and a couple benchmade. I like to consider myself far from a newb in regards to knife collecting and knife ownership and maintenance etc.

I've never owned a chris Reeves knife and I have no doubt about overall quality and fit and finish concerning chris Reeves knives. I know most would recommend getting a sebenza 21 to start but the sebenza 25/large inkosi just appeal to me much more. I know the differences between the two on paper (larger bushings and grease pockets, canted pocket clip, larger chamfering on frame, and the floating stand off near the pivot) I'm just looking to seek insight from some more experienced members and people who've owned both of those knives and the pros and cons of each aside from what I can read on paper. Going from what I've read and seen online I'm tempted to side more towards a sebenza 25 but not having actually handled either in my hand I feel it would be worth it to seek the knowledge of fellow knife owners more experience than myself.

Now this is my first post on blade forums and I'm not entirely sure I even posted it in the right place so apologies if I didnt. Any help provided would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also going to be ordering a star tac umnumzaan within the week but I'm beyond convinced on whether or not ill actually be ordering that knife lol I just need help deciding between a large inkosi or a sebenza 25.

Thanks a bunch blade forums :)
 
I have a small 21, a 25, and a small Inkosi. Of the 3 the Inkosi is my favorite. It just seems more refined than the others. If it was me I'd go with the Large Inkosi.
 
YUP wrong forum should be in Chris Reeve Knives forum.

As far as 25 vs Inkosi honestly you would not be able to tell the difference if you were blindfolded and had both in your hands. The changes are not that noticeable besides the pocket clip and stop pin. There is a bit of difference in the hand grooves and lanyard grove but again not noticeable unless you were looking or them.
 
Mostly I just kind of don't like the floating standoff on the inkosi. Aesthetically or structurally. I feel like it puts added stresses and tensions on the pivot. On the sebenza 25 that standoff is press fitted and threaded making a fixed point of tension and tolerance throughout the frame instead of it being placed solely on the pivot and the stand off at the bottom of the frame if that makes any sense.

And apologies for posting in the wrong forum, i had a feeling I was but wasn't too sure this is my first post
 
The biggest difference that people like about the Inkosi is the angled pocket clip. That was a big complaint about the 25, is that the pocket clip created a hot spot/ uncomfortable for the user. Personally, it has never bothered me. There is some milling differences between the two, the washers are different. The 25 has a washer that has a tab on it, so, you have to be careful with it. The 25 has a flat spot on the blade stop that has to be positioned correctly or else the blade won't close.
I don't think the Inkosi has that issue. I haven't taken the Inkosi apart yet. The Inkosi has more linear micarta than the 25.
Here's some pics to show the difference. To be fair, they both are micarta inlays, the black being the 25.



 
Michael Coulon said:
Mostly I just kind of don't like the floating standoff on the inkosi. Aesthetically or structurally. I feel like it puts added stresses and tensions on the pivot. On the sebenza 25 that standoff is press fitted and threaded making a fixed point of tension and tolerance throughout the frame instead of it being placed solely on the pivot and the stand off at the bottom of the frame if that makes any sense.

And apologies for posting in the wrong forum, i had a feeling I was but wasn't too sure this is my first post
Click to expand...

I don't think the lack of a stop pin creates undue stress on the pivot. Remember, the Umnumzaan has the same two points/screws and I've never read where there has ever been any issues with the Umnumzaan, it's been around since 08.
 
I had planned on getting a Starbenza25, but never got around to it. I still might, at some point...but I'm more likely to grab an Inkosi, primarily because of the soon to be available insingo blade
 
I 100% for sure know I'm getting the Wilson tactical umnumzaan, i like the starburst pattern much better and really like and want a zaan. And I think I'm probly gonna end up going with the large inkosi. Does anyone know if on the newer production runs if they've fixed the bushings? Referring to the grease pockets that stick above the blade tang when the blade is closed. Just seems like it'd be a pocket lint magnet. I think I remember seeing a disassembly video and it looked like the grease pockets on the top weren't so large and wouldn't be exposed when the blade is closed
 
They fixed it. The grease pocket is no longer exposed when the blade is closed. They fixed it a while ago.
 
Pretty knowledgeable for your first post. You know more about CRK than I do, and I've owned maybe 30 Sebbies and Zaans.
I'm carrying a Zaan, but love my large Classic Sebbies also.
 
Thanks guys :) I just joined blade forums maybe a month ago, idk why I waited this long to do so since I've been collecting knives for five or six years or so and I'm always reading posts and checking the knife exchange, better late than never I suppose lol but I'm def not a newb and my collection is pretty big but I have no chris Reeves knives and it's definitely time to scratch that itch
 
I've tried to decide which design I prefer -- my 25 or my Inkosi -- and I just can't.
 
I'd probably go with the Inkosi just because the clip doesn't sit on the lockbar. My one real complaint about my 21 is that opening it is kind of finicky because it's too easy to put pressure on the clip and thereby add detent pressure, and the Inkosi avoids that.
 
The one thing I don't like on the inkosi is the added chamfering on the back of the scales, it gives it more of an hourglass shape and on the 25 it's a little more straight across
 
Michael Coulon said:
The one thing I don't like on the inkosi is the added chamfering on the back of the scales, it gives it more of an hourglass shape and on the 25 it's a little more straight across
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're slowly talking yourself into a 25 ;).
I've got two large Inkosi's because I wanted the natural and red micarta. I've got 9 25's
If that helps you any. :cool:
 
Ajack60 said:
Sounds like you're slowly talking yourself into a 25 ;).
I've got two large Inkosi's because I wanted the natural and red micarta. I've got 9 25's
If that helps you any. :cool:
Click to expand...
Which do you like better? Sounds like you like the 25 better as well lol also I was thinking that the inkosi isn't going anywhere while the 25's are discontinued so I feel like I should probly jump on that while I can lol
 
Hey Michael & welcome!!
I was in your shoes up to last week! Have a pretty sizable collection, but no CRK.
Took care of that in a big way!!
Got my first 2 last week, CF 25 and a large tanto 21.....both literally blew me away!
Enjoy whichever you decide on!
Joe
 
I have a large 25 PL Jane and a large Inkosi natural Micarta. As others have noted, there's not a huge difference between the two models. Essentially, the Inkosi is the updated and improved replacement for the discontinued 25.

I don't in anyway dislike my 25, but if I had to chose one I'd go with the Inkosi. Among the various aforementioned improvements the most striking to me is the floating stop pin. Inasmuch as both knives feature adjustable pivots, it just makes sense to me that the stop pin screw need not be adjusted along with the pivot.
 
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