French regional knives...

Âchillepattada said:
waynorth waynorth , Charlie , Fontenille et Pataud created a few knives based on traditional/regional shapes but added a locking system. This one is an "Alpin" ( knife from the Alpes ) with a lock-back. It's also why you can see a similarity with the Opinel which comes from the same area.
Mount St Bernard is a mount of the Alpes range.

Here is the original one. Of course like most of the regional knives they are made in Thiers :D

capture-d-e-cran-...09.42.06-56bbde1.png


Â
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Jolipapa said:
JM said it all. :thumbsup:
It is also called Montagnard (moutaineer) or Savoyard.
Rivière-Caburol said to be the creator took a patent for different names: Alpin (1905), Véritable Alpin (1905), Alpin Coupe Toujours (1909), Alpinox (1931) and Alpin Raz (1956). At the beginning of XXth cent. Guionin named her Alpiniste (with "7" on the blade) but the pattern was also made byTournihac, Sanajust-Girard, Brossard-Daché (Thiers) and for Manufrance.
On the Italian side of the Alpes (Piémont) there's a close relative, the Marietti, with a virole à la Opinel.
View attachment 1226034
The little barrel is reminiscent of the legend of the liquor barrel the St Bernard hounds wear around the neck when retrieving people buried in the avalanches.
Dirty minds say it was in fact for the rescuers after they found the corpses.
stbernard.jpg

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Jolipapa said:
The briar has darkened with age, also because it falled in the water.View attachment 1226069
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Thanks for the information and pictures, Â and JP!!
Nice aging Laguiole, JP!!
 
Prester John said:
The Opinel and the Douk-Douk arrived today:
F3pEVuk.jpg

Are they considered "regional" knives, like the Laguiole?
Click to expand...

Nice trio there! The Opinel I'm not so sure about, but the Douk Douk is actually famous for being a knife of export and received wide acclaim for it's naturally good looks and inexpensive price. It didn't hurt that the name and backstory are a part of a very good marketing strategy. One interesting thing I did read about the knife is that while it achieved fame in many countries, for a long time most French people had no idea of its existence.

Here's what's on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douk-Douk

Hopefully it's okay to post that link here and if not, my apologies. There is much more information if you care to search..... Also, Cognet actually makes a little hand carved Douk Douk pendant. Pretty neat, but it isn't cheap!

Not my image:
 
draggat said:
Nice trio there! The Opinel I'm not so sure about, but the Douk Douk is actually famous for being a knife of export and received wide acclaim for it's naturally good looks and inexpensive price. It didn't hurt that the name and backstory are a part of a very good marketing strategy. One interesting thing I did read about the knife is that while it achieved fame in many countries, for a long time most French people had no idea of its existence.

Here's what's on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douk-Douk

Hopefully it's okay to post that link here and if not, my apologies. There is much more information if you care to search..... Also, Cognet actually makes a little hand carved Douk Douk pendant. Pretty neat, but it isn't cheap!

Not my image:
Click to expand...
Très intéressant! Merci.
 
draggat said:
Nice trio there! The Opinel I'm not so sure about, but the Douk Douk is actually famous for being a knife of export and received wide acclaim for it's naturally good looks and inexpensive price. It didn't hurt that the name and backstory are a part of a very good marketing strategy. One interesting thing I did read about the knife is that while it achieved fame in many countries, for a long time most French people had no idea of its existence.

Here's what's on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douk-Douk

Hopefully it's okay to post that link here and if not, my apologies. There is much more information if you care to search..... Also, Cognet actually makes a little hand carved Douk Douk pendant. Pretty neat, but it isn't cheap!

Not my image:
Click to expand...
This is where Wikipedia shows his limits.
Please read the "war" paragraph with a grain of salt... to be politically correct this is an urban legend. (a variant is that it was prohibited for sale during the "events" as it was called then) :rolleyes:
- see P. Cognet's answer to a question about his use by French soldiers : the Croix du sud; Saharien; Baraka; Tiki; R D A; Lion; Ed Dib all sold well in great numbers in Algeria and all North Africa. No mention made of any ban of any sort. Further, the RDA was introduced in 1957, the Ed Dib in 1960 (Algerian war spread from 1954 to 1962...)
https://laguerreenindochine.forumactif.org/t103-douk-douk-el-baraka-et-autres)
The Douk was intended for the Oceania, but was more successful in North-Africa and AEF/AOF, baraka has no link with any religion, it is North-African French (Pied-Noir) slang meaning luck (vs bad luck/death). :( :)
18455723.jpg


edit :
douk_d10.jpg

240945IMGP3647.jpg

 
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Jolipapa said:
This is where Wikipedia shows his limits.
Please read the "war" paragraph with a grain of salt... to be politically correct this is an urban legend. (a variant is that it was prohibited for sale during the "events" as it was called then) :rolleyes:
- see P. Cognet's answer to a question about his use by French soldiers : the Croix du sud; Saharien; Baraka; Tiki; R D A; Lion; Ed Dib all sold well in great numbers in Algeria and all North Africa. No mention made of any ban of any sort. Further, the RDA was introduced in 1957, the Ed Dib in 1960 (Algerian war spread from 1954 to 1962...)
https://laguerreenindochine.forumactif.org/t103-douk-douk-el-baraka-et-autres)
The Douk was intended for the Oceania, but was more successful in North-Africa and AEF/AOF, baraka has no link with any religion, it is North-African French (Pied-Noir) slang meaning luck (vs bad luck/death). :( :)
18455723.jpg


edit :
douk_d10.jpg

240945IMGP3647.jpg
Click to expand...

So much misinformation and unwittingly spread! :oops:

Thanks for your post!

I'll take #880 please!:D
 
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