AFAustin
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2004
- Messages
- 2,489
I have been very much enjoying a couple of Mokis recently, and truth be told, they're owls, not fish: Blakiston's Fish Owls, to be exact. So, my title should probably be about owls, but I thought fish was catchier, so please indulge me in a little artistic license.
I had owned a couple of Moki made knives in the past, namely an Al Mar Hawk in cocobolo and a Spyderco Caly 3 (G10 VG10 model). The famous Moki quality was obvious in those two, so when I got a chance to acquire a couple more from fellow BF member and all round great knife guy, klineh (Jon), I took the plunge. I sold one but kept the other, the large version Blakiston's Fish Owl, because it really appealed to me with its sleek and simple lines, its extreme light weight (linerless micarta scales), and its wonderful Moki fit and finish. Then, a few weeks ago, I stumbled on a deal on the smaller version of the same knife. (Mokis aren't inexpensive, by any means, but the Fish Owls are about their most affordable models, which appeals very much to a dedicated bargain hunter like me.) I talked myself into it with the justification that, after a good comparison, I would sell one or the other of the knives. Well, so far I haven't been able to part with either!
One thing that I kept wondering about, though, was how in the world Moki came up with the name "Blakiston's Fish Owl"? I found an e-mail address for Moki and sent them that very question. To my delight, a short time later I received an extremely courteous and very detailed reply. It said that the Japanese name for this owl is Shimafukurou, it is found in the Hokkaido area, and only a couple of hundred still exist. These are very special owls in Japan, and very revered. The knife was named Shimafukurou and at first intended only for sale in Japan. When it became a success in the domestic market, it was decided to market it overseas as well, but Moki wanted to translate the name as accurately as possible. The English name is derived from the English naturalist who collected the first specimen in Hokkaido in 1883, Thomas Blakiston.
The Shimafukurou really is a magnificent creature, and rather than stepping on some copyrights by posting them here, let me just provide links to a couple of great pics: http://www.surfbirds.com/media/Photos/april04screen.jpg and http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/9A/9AC...ation.Large/Blakistons-fish-owl-in-flight.jpg
Well, on to the knives, starting with the Tale of the Tape. The larger Fish owl is 4" closed, with a 3" blade (2 5/8" cutting edge). It weighs a mere 1.6 oz. (46 g). The smaller model is 3 3/8" closed, with a 2 1/2" blade (2 3/16" cutting edge). This one barely tips the scales at all at a featherweight 1.1 oz. (31 g).
The build quality on both is superb. The blade on the larger one is perfectly centered, and on the smaller just a hair off. Open, the blade meets the spring so perfectly that the eye can barely detect the transition. Both lock up rock solid with zero blade play.
The blade shape differs a bit on the two models, with the larger one having a longer and slimmer point and the smaller one having a more pronounced belly. The smooth micarta scales provide a very comfortable grip. I have a special fondness for folders between 3 1/8" and 3 1/2" closed, because they are compact and pocketable, but just large enough (for me) to have at least a partial 4-finger grip. While the larger Fish Owl is obviously more hand filling, the smaller Moki provides enough room for the pinkie to grab hold.
Large:
Small:
The steel is AUS-8, which suits me very well. I know it is one of the "older, softer" stainless steels, but I like it for its ease of sharpening and ability to take a very fine edge. The Moki AUS-8 performs beautifully, and given Moki's attention to quality, I would imagine the heat treat is very good. Both of these knives came with excellent edge grinds from the factory, and very sharp, with only a minor touch-up needed to get a great edge.
So, there you have it---two great knives, a great knife company, an interesting back story on the name, and even an affordable price. For anyone thinking of trying out a Moki, the Blakiston's Fish Owl might be a good place to start.
Thanks for reading and looking!
Andrew
I had owned a couple of Moki made knives in the past, namely an Al Mar Hawk in cocobolo and a Spyderco Caly 3 (G10 VG10 model). The famous Moki quality was obvious in those two, so when I got a chance to acquire a couple more from fellow BF member and all round great knife guy, klineh (Jon), I took the plunge. I sold one but kept the other, the large version Blakiston's Fish Owl, because it really appealed to me with its sleek and simple lines, its extreme light weight (linerless micarta scales), and its wonderful Moki fit and finish. Then, a few weeks ago, I stumbled on a deal on the smaller version of the same knife. (Mokis aren't inexpensive, by any means, but the Fish Owls are about their most affordable models, which appeals very much to a dedicated bargain hunter like me.) I talked myself into it with the justification that, after a good comparison, I would sell one or the other of the knives. Well, so far I haven't been able to part with either!
One thing that I kept wondering about, though, was how in the world Moki came up with the name "Blakiston's Fish Owl"? I found an e-mail address for Moki and sent them that very question. To my delight, a short time later I received an extremely courteous and very detailed reply. It said that the Japanese name for this owl is Shimafukurou, it is found in the Hokkaido area, and only a couple of hundred still exist. These are very special owls in Japan, and very revered. The knife was named Shimafukurou and at first intended only for sale in Japan. When it became a success in the domestic market, it was decided to market it overseas as well, but Moki wanted to translate the name as accurately as possible. The English name is derived from the English naturalist who collected the first specimen in Hokkaido in 1883, Thomas Blakiston.
The Shimafukurou really is a magnificent creature, and rather than stepping on some copyrights by posting them here, let me just provide links to a couple of great pics: http://www.surfbirds.com/media/Photos/april04screen.jpg and http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/9A/9AC...ation.Large/Blakistons-fish-owl-in-flight.jpg
Well, on to the knives, starting with the Tale of the Tape. The larger Fish owl is 4" closed, with a 3" blade (2 5/8" cutting edge). It weighs a mere 1.6 oz. (46 g). The smaller model is 3 3/8" closed, with a 2 1/2" blade (2 3/16" cutting edge). This one barely tips the scales at all at a featherweight 1.1 oz. (31 g).
The build quality on both is superb. The blade on the larger one is perfectly centered, and on the smaller just a hair off. Open, the blade meets the spring so perfectly that the eye can barely detect the transition. Both lock up rock solid with zero blade play.
The blade shape differs a bit on the two models, with the larger one having a longer and slimmer point and the smaller one having a more pronounced belly. The smooth micarta scales provide a very comfortable grip. I have a special fondness for folders between 3 1/8" and 3 1/2" closed, because they are compact and pocketable, but just large enough (for me) to have at least a partial 4-finger grip. While the larger Fish Owl is obviously more hand filling, the smaller Moki provides enough room for the pinkie to grab hold.
Large:
Small:
The steel is AUS-8, which suits me very well. I know it is one of the "older, softer" stainless steels, but I like it for its ease of sharpening and ability to take a very fine edge. The Moki AUS-8 performs beautifully, and given Moki's attention to quality, I would imagine the heat treat is very good. Both of these knives came with excellent edge grinds from the factory, and very sharp, with only a minor touch-up needed to get a great edge.
So, there you have it---two great knives, a great knife company, an interesting back story on the name, and even an affordable price. For anyone thinking of trying out a Moki, the Blakiston's Fish Owl might be a good place to start.
Thanks for reading and looking!
Andrew
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