Shopping For a CRK Folder

V

VorpelSword

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Dec 27, 2007
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Christmas is coming:

I am exploring substantial pocket folders as a gift.

My question today is about Chris Reve Folders: I have not had the opportunity to hold Any of them.

So, which model is a largish and substantial knife?
 
I guess you can say Christmas is coming, in a manner of speaking...
The size would be in the name, for example, Large Sebenza, even the small is quite large
 
Oh boy oh boy!;)

While all of the large folders are full sized knifes, the Umnumzaan is the only one I would even think about calling largish and substantial.

With that said it is still quite svelte along with them all. CRK knives are known for their smooth minimalist lines and style and the all carry smaller than they actually are.

sounds like you should start at the Umnumzaan before moving on to the inkosi.

Enjoy your journey, it’s fun and expensive
 
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I really like the knives with inlays on the handles to me it really helps fill the hand. I have a 21, 31 and an Inkosi and the 31 seems to spend the most time in my pocket. I have hand ones without the inlays but they never stayed in the collection. Good luck in your search
 
You'll have to forgive our friend Kettleman Kettleman . He's got CRKMS (Chris Reeve Knives Multiplication Sickness). Ask him to recommend one knife and he'll give you at least two.

If you're looking for one "substantial " CRK, I'd vote for the Inkosi. It seems to enjoy a broader appeal than the Umnumzaan and may be more user friendly.
 
Modernflame said:
You'll have to forgive our friend Kettleman Kettleman . He's got CRKMS (Chris Reeve Knives Multiplication Sickness). Ask him to recommend one knife and he'll give you at least two.

If you're looking for one "substantial " CRK, I'd vote for the Inkosi. It seems to enjoy a broader appeal than the Umnumzaan and may be more user friendly.
Click to expand...
^^^^^^
Hes not wrong about any of that.
 
I was between the large Inkosi and Zaan when I was handing them at Spark's shop a few years ago. I found the Inkosi much easier to manipulate and I wasn't a huge fan of the Zaan using rubber washers as buffers.

I carried my large Inkosi daily until I bought a Spartan SHF that is even more of a substantial tank. That said, the CRK is a lot tighter on fit and finish. If you made me choose which one to keep, I would keep the Inkosi. If you made me choose which one to pry off a car door, the Spartan SHF.

99% of what you will do "hard use" with a folder can be handled by the Inkosi. The CRK knives really are a fantastic design of high fit that are designed to be used hard despite their price tag.
 
For me the Umnumzaan feels more substantial in the hand, but the large 31 is more comfortable.
Also, on my older Zaan, there's less exposed surface to disengage the lock as compared to the 31. I don't know if they fixed that on the new gen Zaans.

They're both great knives, not overly big and carry well, in actual use they feel more than adequate.
If all my large titanium folders disappeared and I was left with either CRK, I'd be ok.

crk3.jpg
 
I have no personal experience with the Umnumzaan, but when I think of the ideal "working" CRK it's a large Inkosi with an Insingo blade and plain handles.

i-MSqcjn7-L.jpg
 
None of the full-size CRK's (or large to use their nomenclature) are diminutive; but the Zaan is pretty substantial. That said, put me down for the Inkosi as well.

Christmas is "coming" - holy cow you plan early!
 
Probably not helpful and I don't have any personal experience. But I've seen lots of complaints about thumb stud location and efficacy on certain models. May be worth looking into with some of these lucky dogs that have them in hand.
 
In many ways the Large Inkosi is arguably the "best" folder made. The ability to tune the pivot easily while maintaining centering is wonderful. I guess the Umnumzaan also does this too, but I think the Inkosi will be favorable to a broader audience (although I actually prefer the Zaan). And the Large Inkosi has a substantially more robust tip, which is where a big percentage of user damage occurs. For this reason I've often thought about taking a Tanto Zaan and re-profiling the blade similar to a Spydie Vallotton at the tip.
C149G_L.jpg


UMN_2_34ad559e-6e81-4b2a-91c9-326bd539066c_800x.jpg
 
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This is the place to spend a few hours reading and looking (there's also a marketplace subforum):

Chris Reeve Knives

Maker of such knives as the Sebenza, Mnandi, Umnumzaan, and fixed-blade knives for the Quiet Professional. Products from Chris Reeve Knives are the epitome of high quality and attention to detail. Visit their website at: http://www.chrisreeve.com
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

Edit: And this is where the thread has been moved to...
 
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IMHO...you can't go wrong with a Large 31 Sebenza, Umnumzaan, or Inkosi.

(It may be dependent upon the manual dexterity of the recipient, their intended use, and willingness to practice with it... the Inkosi, in my opinion, is the easiest to manipulate, the Umnumzaans require the most practice. That said I like 'em all and would be hard put to shed any of them.)
 
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