I'm more confused than a homeless guy under house arrest.

The top of the crown to axle distance on the old suspension fork is 480mm. Even if my measurements were a little off due to geometry, I measured the hypoteneuse, so let's all it 465-470. Either way, that's a full inch and half shorter than this fork, uncompressed of course. Add sag, and sure, it's probably going to work fine on a 26" wheel.

If it really is just one size of fork, this fork would be horrible on a 29er. I don't think it'd work very well on a 27.5 either. Funny, the reviews have multiple pics of bikes, and they're all bigger than 26.