Your newest addition:traditionals of course!

I had been looking for these new Okapis, and never would have found them had oldmanwilly oldmanwilly not posted about his, then told me where he got them. Jim Green boots - go figure. I had never heard of them, nor would have thought to look there if I had.
StiVHma.jpeg


As I posted elsewhere, the first two they sent me were lost or stolen in the mail. I was dreading filing a claim with the post office, but the seller answered me right back when I told him what had happened, and said he would send replacements immediately, and follow up with the post office himself :D:thumbsup::thumbsup:. The knives arrived safely today.
 
The Okapi brand has changed hands a few times the past few years, I think. Okapi South Africa was bought out by Lasher Tools (also South African), and I’m not sure who owns them now. Whoever it is, they have modernized the styling a little, while still keeping it familiar.

I don’t remember what the grind looked like on the first Okapi I got in 1990, but when I started buying them again in 2016 or so the grinds were pretty irregular, unfinished spines, very thick at the tip, and sometimes requiring significant re-profiling. They improved for a while, then when Lasher bought them they got even better, though they switched to all stainless. The blade grinds are very nice on this new batch, ground only on one side like the originals, except even the secondary bevel is only on one side - the presentation side is completely flat.

Here are some comparison shots, in order of older to newer, older on top:
s93x6vs.jpeg

8jHRFFm.jpeg

tHB64vk.jpeg

IdhH95y.jpeg
 
Just Tom. said:
The Okapi brand has changed hands a few times the past few years, I think. Okapi South Africa was bought out by Lasher Tools (also South African), and I’m not sure who owns them now. Whoever it is, they have modernized the styling a little, while still keeping it familiar.

I don’t remember what the grind looked like on the first Okapi I got in 1990, but when I started buying them again in 2016 or so the grinds were pretty irregular, unfinished spines, very thick at the tip, and sometimes requiring significant re-profiling. They improved for a while, then when Lasher bought them they got even better, though they switched to all stainless. The blade grinds are very nice on this new batch, ground only on one side like the originals, except even the secondary bevel is only on one side - the presentation side is completely flat.

Here are some comparison shots, in order of older to newer, older on top:
s93x6vs.jpeg

8jHRFFm.jpeg

tHB64vk.jpeg

IdhH95y.jpeg
Click to expand...
Excellent!! I'm glad yours finally arrived. I've been carrying one of mine each day since they arrived and I'm getting pretty well used to them.

Great comparison with prior models!
 
Centermass said:
A nice A. Wright & Son barlow from @Blasted Hill Knives arrived today. The pull is no joke!

View attachment 2956744
Click to expand...
They are pretty nice folders but are infamous for their strong back spring.
One option that might help a little would be to grind another nail nick closer to the point, that would make a mechanical advantage when opening the blade.
G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
They are pretty nice folders but are infamous for their strong back spring.
One option that might help a little would be to grind another nail nick closer to the point, that would make a mechanical advantage when opening the blade.
G2
Click to expand...
That might work. However to me two pulls on the same side of one blade looks funky. (a deal murderer for me, to be honest.)
Would converting the nail nick to a long pull, or since it is a solo blade grinding a nail nick closer to the tip, or a long pull on the pile side of the blade be an viable option?

Another possibility is to file a slight radius on the leading edge/corner of the tang when the blade is open.
I've done that to one of my knives (an offshore 885UH) that had a pull of around a "8" to "8.7", getting the pull down to a "6.5" to "7", using a square diamond jeweler's file narrowś enough not to scratch the liners too bad.
Since it only affects the one corner, it does not change the spring's being flush, proud, or sunken when the blade is open, closed, or if applicable, at half stop.
A radiused corner starts moving easier than a 90° corner; it does not have to deflect the spring as much when it starts to move/pivot.
 
Aesthetics aside, this isn’t an expensive knife but if it’s so hard to open it can really be a nail breaker, which I have had a few before and a broken/split thumbnail is no fun whatsoever.
But I know what you mean about disrupting the looks of the blade, it’s not for everyone.
Myself I just avoid that line of knives and moved on to something else. The RoseCraft line of knives also have quite a strong back spring.

A friend has an older folder that is a nail breaker and I thought that if I took a dremel with an abrasive disc I could grind the back spring on the inside to lessen the strength of it, but it didn’t seem to affect it very much and was a pain to do.

G2
 
afishhunter said:
Another possibility is to file a slight radius on the leading edge/corner of the tang when the blade is open.
I've done that to one of my knives (an offshore 885UH) that had a pull of around a "8" to "8.7", getting the pull down to a "6.5" to "7", using a square diamond jeweler's file narrowś enough not to scratch the liners too bad.
Since it only affects the one corner, it does not change the spring's being flush, proud, or sunken when the blade is open, closed, or if applicable, at half stop.
A radiused corner starts moving easier than a 90° corner; it does not have to deflect the spring as much when it starts to move/pivot.
Click to expand...
Seemed to help on my Wright.
 
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