Nick: “I like when makers try something new” Also Nick: “I hate it when they don’t do it exactly like everyone else”

So funny, my favorite aspect of the knife is the aesthetics. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

For what it's worth, this has been out for a long time, but a lot of folks have been asking for this video, so here you go!

I can't unsee the O.O from the lanyard hole 😂😂😂

Aside from the inexplicable blade length (for our UK friends) and the world’s dumbest pocket clip, this knife has really grown on me. The design is clean and sleek, the handle melts in my hand, and the substantive and beautiful blade meets most of my needs around the office and around the campfire. This knife is just like my wife; the more time we spend together, the more I respect and appreciate her.

Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been looking (grailing actually) for something from Reeve’s knives. But only tend to buy locally, both to support local business and so I can handle the knife I’m buying. Sadly haven’t been able to get anything here yet. But supper glad you shared this so I can avoid biting on a ‘deal’ or something. Thanks.

Very thoughtful, thorough review. Appreciate that Nick pulls no punches. Even if you don't agree with some of his viewpoints, Nick helps you decide on a knife without handling it, which is extremely helpful. And he's consistent in his format: Great/Good/Bad/Ugly. Kudos, Nick.

I keep saying it.....why would CRK take an inherently ambidextrous knife and make it right handed by means of a non-reversible pocket clip.

Such a nice looking knife, love the butt end on that handle. Great vid 🤙🏻

You're awfully critical of this Kizer, Nick.

I really love my Impinda. I have Hulk hands and it fits nicely. I did swap the clip for a Small Sebenza clip. I've never had it try to close on me, but I also grew up using slip joints. It's plain, but for me there's a certain elegance in that. Plus Chris Reeve titanium ages really nicely. I like to think of it as gentleman carry for large gentlemen. When I'm carrying it I usually have a small locking knife or fixed blade neck knife as a secondary.

So glad I got the Arno Bernard Rinkhals instead. It basically is a slip joint mnandi and it is spectacular, the action and grind are perfect.

There are no bad products, only bad prices. This has a bad price.

I know that the sebenza has too much hype and the price is too high these days, but the design of the large inlay models are some of the most beautiful knife designs to me. Something about that blade shape and the way the handle slightly tapers towards the middle, that insane satin hollow grind, I just freaking love it. Not the most fidgety knife but I'd never sell my wood 31.

I really like the "idea" of the Impinda, a Bill Harsey designed slipjoint, with an innovative system that makes it easier to open than close... But from all I've heard it seems like it just missed the mark, I hope there will be a V2. I understand the comment about the Hinderer Slippy, but once mine broke-in, it became one of my favorite knives

This knife looks 99% similar to a whole lot of other knives that are barely distinguishable from each other. ... Why do so many knife companies make so many boring, same-y knives?

Hey nick quick question here. I’m trying to disassemble my qsp puffin but the pivot is really tight what do you do in those situations? Also what do you do if there’s a strip screw on a knife ? How do you remove it

I love nice slip joints. I have the Isham blackstar and I love it. I feel like I'd love this as well.

I’m glad you called them out on the length. Just like with the Medford Gentleman Jack, I see absolutely no point in a slipjoint that isn’t legal in the UK, especially when it/they could so easily have been. Both companies have left money on the table, mine at least, due to this choice.

Well, I'm relieved to finally see a knife that I don't need to add to my wish list right away. lol

I find most Chris Reeves knives to be kind of boring hunks of titanium so it is amusing to see this one getting called out specifically but it definitely isn't inspiring.

I like Chris Reeve's knives but the price point is a bad joke. For what the knife represents and what materials were used, the knife should cost a maximum of $250 and that already includes $50 for the name. I have many EDC folding knives and I don't base my ratings on price. I can only agree with Richard DiMeo here. A Reel Steel Luna costs about $100 and has better usability and design. Better steels and handle materials are also available for this affordable knife.

i love the design. very simple, not too flashy like most knives today. problem with flashy knives for me is that when i get them i end up not wanting to carry them cause they too pretty and will end up sitting in my knife case just like my current Sebenza’s do. lol. i plan on buying one of these when they become available again and it will definitely become a EDC.

Hey nick, can you do a review on the manly knives wasp? It’s a unique knife and i think it deserves some more exposure and i would love to see your take on it.

I would love to hear your opinion on the MKM Fara, it's a nice modern traditional that you might enjoy

Dicoria HJ110 - titanium scales, S35VN clip point with 3" cutting edge, slipjoint, beaytifully made, lovely action. Around $60 on Ali. Oh dear.

Great video...Nice knife.

"The Sebenza company", laughs in Umnumzaan...

You should really take a look at the Lionsteel Thrill in Titanium

Where is your local store that you saw the other impinda? Is like to check out a knife store while in San Diego

Very honest review about a knife that isn‘t really worth the money CRK is asking for. Even the Hinderer Slippy is noticeably cheaper but has still more to offer than the CRK Impinda (Hinderer design, convertible from two to one-hand opening), And the Slippy isn‘t a cheap knife by any means.

Nick, although you are a very successful reviewer of products, I think it would be great of your knife reviews moved beyond aspects of design. After all, knives are tools, and how well they function as tools seems like a very relevant topic. People considering whether to purchase a particular knife would appreciate cutting tests, imho...

I’ll just keep my Lionsteel Thrill + $300 in my pocket, thnx.

S35VN steel on $400+ knife is a knee slapper! Maybe there just wasn’t enough Maxamet, M390, K390 or M4 available. Also, Nick’s take on blade length is so accurate, Reeve’s product development team should go back to their corner and insult each other.

Who the hell is going to pay over $400 for a plain looking slip joint that frankly looks like it is unfinished. The pivot just looks silly. Looks like a knife that someone interning at CRK made over summer break. Disclaimer: i own an old Sebenza 21 with custom carbon fiber inlay so I'm not a CRK hater. I love that one.

I have to agree. i left my sebenza in my home country and ordered an impinda, and while i like it i feel massively overwhelmed and wish i'd bought a small sebenza or mnandi again.

How much!

This knife is very similar to Real Steel Luna, they've just changed the handle shape a little. Only bigger I'm guessing.

I think I’d settle for a Spartan Harsey at that price. $450 is nuts!

Mnandi is hard to beat, period. Great, vault-like, lock up is addictive and the satisfying "clink" of closing it up is fantastic. On top of these factors, it is CUTTING machine. So good.

I just ordered a mnandi from my local dealer for my grandad. I'd like to try a impinda but it's alot of money to not be in love with and not handle in person.

Honestly, had CRK swapped locking mechanisms on the Impinda and the Mnandi while keeping each respective designs, then I would’ve freaking loved to get one.

Bill Harsey design are usually imediately recognizable ( e.g. Gerber Harsey Air Ranger - still one of my favorite knife designs) Nothing about the Impinda says Harsey or Reeve except the price.

Solid points. I’ve never understood the fanfare for this model. I’m a CRK collector with about 25 of their knives including Sebenzas, Umnumzaans, Ti-Lock, and various fixed blades. I bought this one despite it lighting no fire within me because I wanted to compare it to the Hinderer XM Slippy and some other modern slip joints I had acquired. I still have it but I’ve never even carried it because every time I pull it out of the box it just bores me. I see no reason to carry it over a small Sebenza or any other knife I have. I think the XM Slippy is a much better option. I too hate the clip. They should have looked at the Grimsmo Norseman clip if they wanted to do a nice, useable machined clip. I might just have a dislike for Harsey designs. I’m also not overly impressed with the CRK Pro Solider & Green Beret I own. I would probably like this more if it was smaller, had a better clip, and had micarta inlays like the Sebenza 31. I got mine through a military discount via Monkey Edge and would not pay retail for one. I think even the discount price was too much.

For UK EDC a legal knife needs a sharpened blade length of 3" (76.2mm) or less. So as long as that sharpening choil is long enough it may be legal here. Not that I want one. There are loads of nicer looking slipjoints for less than half the price, especially from Italian makers like MKM, Viper and Lionsteel.

Talk about having to fabricate issues. The half stop on slip joints was never a designed part of the action. It was a issue that had to be there before cnc precision to ensure strong locking. It was the marketed as a safety feature.

I took one look at the price and hard passed too. It looks all fine and dandy, but I'm not parting with that kind of money for this.

I have felt the same way since its release. I dont see $450. I have owned both Large and Small Sebenza's and can justify the price points on those, but this being more expensive than a small Sebenza? Doesn't make sense. Its a fine looking knife, and I think at $300 it would have been a better option for a slip joint. I just dont get how so many people sing its praises given what you get for the money.

I love my Impinda!

I live in the U.K. and have over 200 slipjoints, plus a fair collection of other knives, including 2 Sebenza 31s and a Mnandi. I dislike half stops, prefer pins, and am a bit ambivalent about a precise 3” limit, but, in the end, I agree entirely with your final conclusion... this knife is a miss! Dull as ditchwater, lacking in CR style, no cover/inlay options, thick blade stock and just over 3” does, even given what I said above, just show how little thought appears (at least) to have gone in to it. And then, the price!

Begg clips are the best tbh.

Over 3" blade is a deal breaker. BTW my favorite slipjoints are Three Rivers Nomad, Spyderco Roadie and my 1968 Cub Scout knife.

To be fair, unless it's been tightened up, the letter of the law in the UK says 'cutting edge' when it talks about 3 inches or less. If you bring your rule right up to the front of the sharpening choil there it looks like you might just be in. Would I be prepared to pay out in order to fight this in court though? No, most certainly not. I wouldn't even bother trying to argue it with a police officer. But then I'm just British Uncle Randy carrying my Esee around the farm every day at work, the last time I saw a police officer was more than a year ago. Keep it up Nicholas!

Damn I love this knife...though I was lucky getting it für around 360 with a 20% dicount code. 450 would really be a bit harsh.

Plain just means wide open for customization. Crazy anno, engraved, orange peel, whatever.

I know we will make this knife 3 inches ...... and 2mm I in London, took that personally.

I watched the bad and ugly with a sense of Impinda-ing doom.

I’ve been really interested in this, and I’m not a slipjoint guy. I have a Walmart slipjoint, and a civivi fracture. I buy my uncles case trappers for Christmas. That’s my slip joint experience. However, I really like the fracture and I kind of like the feel of the modern slipjoints. But! It is a Chris reeve not designed by Chris reeve.

You gotta be kidding,but I'm fixin to shell out 340 for that benchmade autofact as soon as it comes out,so I guess I don't have much room to talk

Nick, Your chanel/reviews are one of the few that I look to BEFORE I purchase a knife. So, as much as I'd like to disagree with your review here I can not, as you pretty much nailed the Impinda on all points but one. The one item I have to mention to you about the market that Chris Reeve must have been looking to was the UK marketplace. Although the blade is length is 3.13 inches long, which you would think is just outside UK blade length laws, it is in fact the cutting edge which is suppose to be measured NOT the blade length itself which needs to be 3 inches or less, and in this cade the Impinda does meet the rules as it's cutting edge is exactly 3 inches. Saying that NOT all those who inforce the law, know all the law, so it would have been better for Chris Reeve to have limited the blade length to 3 inches with a cutting edge of say 2.87 inches, there by eliminating authorities questionable decisions. Keep the reviews coming. 👍

If somehow this come with a lock like the buck 110, I will love it...

Went exactly as I thought it would

Chris Reeve seems determined not to make the things I wish they'd make.

I'll stick with my Mnandi but thanks for sharing 👍

How much better than the Luna is this to cost 8 times more? It's crazy to have a slip joint with more than 3 inches. The whole point being the European market where that would be appreciated. I might be a cheapskate but I will say that the Mnandi is absolutely a gem.

You can forgive a knife a lot of things if you like the way it Looks, but not at these prices, this thing is way to expensive, and sorry i have to say it that goes for all Cris Reeve knifes especialy abroad.

18:33 nice catch there, Nick. You almost offended me...

I have one, I like it but it’s nothing special. Very overpriced and that is the biggest problem with it. It’s part of my CRK collection and a keeper for life but it’s not a knife I reach for very often. I would have liked a finger choil on this model and some micarta scales.

I tried the Sebenza, Inkosi, Mnandi, and the Impinda. I ended up selling my three Sebenzas 21/31 and my Inkosi and bought two of these Impinda...I kept the Impinda for when I dress up...which is never. :)

I’m in the UK and happier with my Sebenza than id be with this one

Milled clips almost universally suck. When makers go to milled clips on things, looking at you Tactile Turn, the result is a downgrade at best

Slipjoint with a blade over 3" 🙄 Not much use in the UK

This knife makes me sad! Especially at that price range! I would take the proper any day! This knife at 150-200$ makes a tad more sense

We live in a world where we become happy every time we buy something new, but unfortunately that happiness only lasts a moment, but then we just buy something new etc......

Wait, some people think the CRK clip is one of the best clips?... Guess it's just me then, but I dislike it very much. It has a tendency to snag on everything because the ramp is so aggressive.

the "impending" now that is a good knife

I’m confused. I could have sworn you already received this in the past. Who the heck’s review did I watch like a year ago...

Impinda? Hi Pinda, I'm Lodd.

I really want CRK to make a quality slip joint knife but this design appears to be unfinished. I hope they give the concept another go but this one looks like a dud.

It's to small, the small Sebenza is for me a lot to small in my hands. So a Large Version and I buy it 100%. I love the look

Another addition to the Nick Shabazz knife terms dictionary: Slip Jointitude

I kinda disagree about the design. This does have a very "bill harsey" shape.

The traditional slipjoint is a dying species. Most of the models that have been launched during the last five years or so have been so-called "modern traditionals" (the focus here is on "modern“). Anyway, I have seen approaches by four major American manufacturer* (Benchmade, CRK, Hinderer, Spyderco) to develop modern slipjoints and all but one have failed. Spyderco is the one and only to deliver slipjoints that can compete wich the best Europe and China have to offer in this category. In fact, the Spyderco UKPK is for many knife enthusiasts the synonym for the term „modern (traditional) slipjoint“. *I have a TRM Viator. This is a knife for less than half the price of an Impinda but In many aspects it is the kind of blade the CRK model was supposed to be. Unfortunately, the Viator has been discontinued.

I want to love slip joints, but alas.

Feeding the algorithm

There's just no reason I'd get this over a mnandi or even a small version of the other models. And those are just the alternatives by the SAME manufacturer...

Looks like a Sog Twitch.

I feel like this could have been a lot more impressive if it came out several years earlier than it did, but as it stands they're jumping onto a modern slipjoint bandwagon that has a lot of people on it already. Not too long ago a nicely made slipjoint with modern materials would have been impressive but now it seems that every company wants to have a couple models like that and a lot of them are more appealing and/or better value than the Impinda.

I'd guess that CR knives has a loyal following that allows Mr Reeve a fine lifestyle and he feels no need to move outside what he knows "his people" will like. Fair enough and good on him. But yeah, at $450 to get this NZ would be beyond most peoples even slightly rational purchase windows. And I can't see there being much interest in the UK either apart from a few very rich enthusiasts. It's a bit like a Rolex; nice watch but the price just means that most normal people just shake their heads.

To me, it looks like a 50$ knife with 400$ of work put into it. I’m sure the tolerance on the knife is amazing but usually plain means functional and simple, like you say great for work. Idk. I’d pay 100$ maybe 150$, but 450$??? Where’s the mother of pearl or some nice stained wood. The iPhone is also built very well, but it looks super sharp with the frosted back glass too. Just a comparison of high end things.

It’s 3 inch cutting edge to be uk legal .so it mite just be there .

Nick....Take a look at the Real Steel/Poltergeist Works Luna in Titanium..... Same overall shape, well under 3"......0.09" blade stock.....$350 less......you'll be shaking your head even more at the Impinda....

Chris Reeves knife... The Imtaco

I find this knife very compelling. But $450? Nope. (And I’m a CRK fan.).

i will stick to my pena x brocno, 250$, perfect fit and finish and much cheaper

Looks like a buck ranger.

i feel like half the issues with this knife is cause its a harsey design. especially the generic look and blade stock

Never understood the CR hype and honestly their design was average even back in the day but in todays market, its downright uninspired....$450 - yeow!

Sad part is people will be lining up to buy it. Nice to be Chris Reeve.

One brand I will never own. I don’t care for any of them and the prices are offensive.