Home / Knives / Chris Reeve Knives Upgrades the Mnandi for the New Year

Chris Reeve Knives Upgrades the Mnandi for the New Year

January 4, 2021

It’s January 2021, and you know what that means: even though, sadly, SHOT Show has been canceled this year, manufacturers have begun rolling out their new for 2021 models. Chris Reeve Knives is one of the first out of the gate with a revised Mnandi sporting a new opening method and steel.

For lots of would-be owners of the Mnandi, the biggest change may be this new opening method. Previous Mnandis can be divided into two major variations: older models with a sharp cutout that made one-hand opening easier, and new Mnandis with a softer cutout, optimized for two-hand opening. The 2021 Mnandi models have an actual, through-the-blade hole cut into them, which should make both two-hand, pinch style opening and modern folder one-hand opening easier.

The other major upgrade is the blade steel. The 2021 Mnandi is the first CRK knife to feature S45VN, the latest version of a steel that Chris Reeve himself originally helped develop. S45VN started appearing on production knives last year, and no doubt many were wondering when the steel would make its way into the CRK lineup.

The 2021 Mnandi’s default finish is now a combination of satin and bead-blasted surfaces. Other elements, like the shape of the onlays and the sculpted titanium pocket clip, remain the same. Another interesting point is that, now that even the Sebenza has migrated to the ceramic ball frame lock interface, the 2021 Mnandi is the last CRK folder to retain the classic, full titanium lock interface.

CRK says that starting this month, all future Mnandis will be produced according to the 2021 specification.

Knife in Featured Image: Chris Reeve Knives Mnandi

Related Items