Okapi Knife and ToolKO197940 Biltong Pocket Knife

Really really light use knife. It's very light, you can barely feel it in your pocket. All kinds of blade play and the handles seem glued together. The carbon steel blade seems to take a good edge and it's very thin so I'm sure its a descent slicer. It is what it is, a very simple knife with a very simple lock. It wouldn't make a bad knife for opening packages and maybe cutting up an apple or something.

I hope I have the Afrikaans translation of my title correct, but if not, blame Google. I bought this knife to add to the international section of my collection. It's not a premium knife by any means but it's a solid working knife with a unique and distinctive design and a long history of popularity in South Africa. The price reflects a product that you can work to bits and easily afford a replacement. I don't know why any maker uses the lockback mechanism. I think they are awkward to use, but they are a lot better than the clasp locks used on other Okapi knives. I get that they add to the historical authenticity of the knife but time has moved on and new and much better locking mechanisms have been developed. Appreciate the cherry wood handle and the name. "Biltong" is the South African version of jerky, but traditionally is made from bush meat (Any critter you can hunt down and kill in the wild). It has a cult following in some places but I prefer good old American jerky -- a lot more flavor. Bottom line on this knife is that I would never buy it if I were looking for just one working knife, but as part of a collection it's great...and very affordable.

Unlike the Okapi ratchet I ordered at the same time, this is a cool and useful pocket knife. The external back spring and wooden handle give it an unusual appearance, the same kind of rustic look as the more familiar ratchet knife. The blade has good snap, with no play in either direction.The grind is asymmetrical, with a full flat grind on the presentation side, and a high saber grind on the pile side, with a funky plunge line that probably should come closer to the pivot, at least as far back as the sharpening notch. What the hey, the knife is made in South Africa, likely in a cottage industry setting, and looks it. Part of the charm. The edge needed some work, but didn't take too long to put a decent working edge on it.The sheepsfoot blade is a shape I find useful for everyday carry. It is particularly good at cutting plastic bubble packs and spreading peanut butter, and performs all the typical EDC tasks satisfactorily.You may have to massage this knife to get it where you want it, but the price is hard to beat at under ten bucks.I am a big fan of Opinel, too, but if you want a biggish sheepfoot blade in this price range, your choices are the Okapi, the MAM Tipica, or you have to reshape the blade of your Opinel. (There is no doubt something i have overlooked here.) If you want to pocket-carry an Opinel, you are probably going to want to trim the flared pommel and flatten the sides of the handle. Otherwise, even a No 6 is a bit of a lump in the pocket.My modified Opinel 6 is one of my favorite carries, but I find the Biltong competing for pocket space. I have carried the MAM, too. It has an even bigger blade, but the Okapi carries more style points.Update: I am still carrying the Biltong a lot. If it interests you, I recommend buying it from Baryonyx company, for two reasons. First, if you spend a couple bucks more, he will put an excellent edge on it for you. My sharpener-fu is weak, and I have never been able to get mine as sharp as my backup from Baryonyx. Second, he inspects his knives, and won’t send you one that is really badly put together. Quality control from the factory is dodgy. In addition to a lot of work on the edge, I had to sand the handle to get the edges to match up. You can avoid all this by buying from Baryonyx.

Ok..where to start..this is a cheap knife.. nota inexpensive knife but just Cheap! ..cheap and a trash knife as well..I bought this knife to compare with a Opinel and the opinel is 1000 0/0 better knife..so where to begin..handles are misaligned a sanding would have fixed that..deep cut marks in handle..wood should have been rejected..on back metal spring. Scratches so deep looks like someone rubbed it on concrete..pivot pin is pennd from outside ..nothing unusual there ..but one side the pin is not flattened properly and can feel sharp edge on it With finger evertime.blade semi sharp.. Not bad on that.But those grinder marks!! Marks cut into the blade are just bad.. With only a half attempt at buffing them out.obviously no quality control exist.. So with all this..I hate to say it..But there is NOTHING about this knife I like .so I cannot recommend to anyone..want a wood handle knife ? Buy a opinel or look at a MAM knife.. Otherwise save your cash.this is not a knife for you

I like this knife. I put it in the same category as the douk douk or the Japanese flip knife. For the price you can’t expect much. I spent some time sanding the slot to prevent splinters.

Came exactly as described, plus a little.Sort of those rare moments when you get more than what you pay for.Simple slip joint design and tight back spring is crisp and secure, steel holds razor edge, although it came sufficiently sharpened.Nothing fancy, but feels cultured and unique, 5/5 would 100% recommend and buy again.

I like the knife for the novelty, but dollar for dollar, I prefer the Opinel. The build quality is somewhat rough and the handle appears to be two pieces of wood glued together down the center.

Great add to my colection