Douk-Douk Question

Fred Perrin's Vendedouk is , IMO, a fantastic knife. Stabby, stabby but a very successful combination of the Corsican Vendetta and the Douk-Douk. And yes, the bigger sizes don't actually need the bail. I like your patina : you managed to almost match the gun blue of the Tiki. Nice !
 
That patina on carbon steel as you probably know isn't very solid. It's changing after any contact with fruits or other sour food. Also it wipes off after cutting cardboard. But it's easy to refresh. 30 secs in ferric chloride and again it's dark.

I don't have Tiki, it's small El Baraka with Berberian Star of Maghreb on handle.
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Hey, hey, looky, looky, I found some stuff to highlight the current offering. Sorry, it's in French. I didn't find a way to insert text in .jpg. If you are interested in some special part just send me a highlighted PDF and I will send you back the translation. Do it.
L2AZe0t.jpg


And some pictures of current (or not so current) knives (borrowed from a collector's site where he asks for pictures of any existing Douk-Douks). Definitely not complete, but some nice ones :
yLwJkpZ.jpg


RFdXm6L.jpg


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O ourgon : I don't care much for patina. I may leave it there, as it comes from use, but for knives in daily use I usually go all rabid with rust eraser, polish and oil to restore a clean, shiny blade. Better looking (just IMO) and definitely easier to keep clean.
 
Good thread!! I'm getting into these Euro knives too. DD on my list. I would also suggest that you look at the MAM Titanium Blade series that was recently introduced. I just got one and it's awesome. Old Bear too. Black Kat!!
 
Jon Slim said:
Hi all,

This is my first post; Been a member for a little bit but haven’t felt like I’ve had much to say until I saw this thread.

Op I have gone down a similar path to you trying to find ‘historic’ knives. I haven’t picked up a Douk Douk yet but have a couple of other suggestions you may be interested in.

1. Any Opinel in the size of your preference (no.7 really does it for me)
2. Svord Peasant knife
3. Mam cutlery
4. Mercator k55k (already mentioned but I really enjoy mine)
5. Victorinox SAK

It’s hard to think of them in the same way as Opinel etc but they have been around a good long time and think they qualify. Also, they are great. I love my huntsman.

There is a lot of variety with the Mam knives but I was excited to find a sheepsfoot in the medium size at a good price but unfortunately the quality was atrocious and developed severe side to side blade wobble pretty quickly, tapping the pivot down only helped temporarily. Hopefully just a lemon.

I feel like I’ve forgotten one or two options but hopefully that gives you a bit of good for thought.

Thanks

Sorry just edited as I noticed you already have an Opinel.
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This is a pretty good start. I don’t think there is a definitive list of these knives. Others that I have found include:

Sodbuster or “hippekniep” from Case, GEC, Maserin, and a lot other makers. Almost every country in Europe has at least one version of this farmer’s working knife.

Antonini. Their Old Bear is an Opinel homage with an interesting twist on the lock ring.

Higonokami. A folded steel handle from Japan, a friction folder with a hand-forged laminated blade.

Aitor. Spanish slipjoints. Actually, there are quite a few Spanish makes about. Pallares de Solsona is another that I have. Joker is favored by quite a few members.

For fixed blades, look at Mora, Hultafors, Marttiini from Scandinavia, Ontario Old Hickory and Russell Green River from the USA.

Okapi ratchet knives and slipjoints from South Africa.

Look in the Traditional subforum for a lot more information about these knives. Here is one thread that contains an interesting discussion about Douk-Douk and Opinel.

A good source is Baryonyx Knife Works, a supporting vendor for this forum (Forty-two Blades). He has a wide array of relatively inexpensive, high-value working knives, many of them classic designs.
 
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Just expanding a bit on what Henry Beige suggested with his Scandinavian makers.. Helle and Strømeng.
Gotta support your local team.
 
FortyTwoBlades FortyTwoBlades : I have just stumbled on what I was actually searching for : a history of the Douk-Douk patterns. Hell, I had no idea they would be so diverse. For your enjoyment, here comes a gaggle of screen shots (and there is more because Cognet produced a lot on commission). Whatever, for the Douk-Douk obsessed only (and I will pour myself another rum why this stuff is loading. Hard work, I tell ya...). Don't fret about the French text, just highlight the text that interests you and I will send you a translation on the fly (PM). :
AxQqQ87.jpg

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d6Q9w4z.jpg

DKk8lq7.jpg

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smOp9M3.jpg

HNJRC8Z.jpg

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mgAAhpd.jpg

bV8vEqq.jpg
 
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Mitch Taldison said:
Hi! First time post! :)

I am interested in the classic Douk-Douk French made knife and see it comes in a few colors now, black, all silver, carbon blade, stainless blade, etc. etc.

So what one is most close to the classics? Did the old ones from years past have black handles? Silver? I assume the blade steel was carbon?

I’m assembling a small collection of classic knives from around the world, and want a Douk-Douk that resembles the ones from the olden times. :)

Thanks, bye!! :)
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Hey, Mitch
I left you a message on your profile page.
 
Henry Beige said:
To the OP, I would be interested to hear what other classic knives you have added to your collection. This thread prompts me to pull my own Douk-Douk off the shelf, where it has sat pretty much unmolested since I bought it a few years ago in the course of an investigation similar to yours.

I got the Mercator at about the same time. It struck me then how two knives, apparently so similar, could feel so different in hand. The Douk-Douk has to be one of the most uncomfortable knives I have ever held. The raw edges of the folded steel handle dig into my hand with anything but a pinch grip. The sharp spine of the Douk-Douk combined with the stiff spring, make it uncomfortable to close.

In contrast, the Mercator is not at all uncomfortable. As a result, the Mercator gets some pocket time, while the Douk-Douk sits. It’s too bad, because the Douk-Douk has hipster cachet out the wazoo. Not that anyone around here would notice.
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Totally agree, beautifully put.

Rykjeklut said:
I'd say this is a fitting place to share.
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Well, there was the whole issue of using the image and name of a monstrous supernatural being, strictly taboo. That did not go down very well with the target market. That didn’t stop it from becoming the iconic item that we are still taking about on the new-fangled interwebs.
 
The original "logo" (the sorcerer) was chosen by Gaspard Cognet (the original designer) out of an illustrated dictionary. It's safe to say that he had no idea what this symbolic entity meant for the natives. These were the natives of Melanesia, first target market of the Douk-Douk (all hail the French colonial empire...). The success was so,so to say the least. Actually, it was a total miss. The natives didn't like it at all. Then (thanks to the French colonial empire...) the knife got available in North Africa and it was a smashing hit ! It was dirt cheap and the Berbers and Arabs were very able to recognize the high quality carbon steel blade (yes, it is, and still is...). From there, the Douk-Douk spread out through all Africa (all hail the French colonial empire, yes, army was a very important vector of distribution of this knife). Army was also the vector (and returning pioneers) who brought back the knife to France with decolonization. It was little known until then in France. It started out as a basic trade knife (like the butcher blades sold by the pound to America by the Sheffield cutlers in 17th century) and it turned out to be a very likeable pocket knife (and very French !) in the end. Short version, I know, but I already went over the top with pictures, so there's that.
 
The 800 is indeed an interesting knife. I hadn't seen it with the Turkish clip before. Wish they'd do a modern run of them.

For those in the States, Okapi made a copy of the spear point that might be easier to find, as an importer brought in a few batches a while ago -

knives.jpg
.

s-l300.jpg
.
 
Henry Beige said:
This is a pretty good start. I don’t think there is a definitive list of these knives. Others that I have found include:

Sodbuster or “hippekniep” from Case, GEC, Maserin, and a lot other makers. Almost every country in Europe has at least one version of this farmer’s working knife.

Antonini. Their Old Bear is an Opinel homage with an interesting twist on the lock ring.

Higonokami. A folded steel handle from Japan, a friction folder with a hand-forged laminated blade.

Aitor. Spanish slipjoints. Actually, there are quite a few Spanish makes about. Pallares de Solsona is another that I have. Joker is favored by quite a few members.

For fixed blades, look at Mora, Hultafors, Marttiini from Scandinavia, Ontario Old Hickory and Russell Green River from the USA.

Okapi ratchet knives and slipjoints from South Africa.

Look in the Traditional subforum for a lot more information about these knives. Here is one thread that contains an interesting discussion about Douk-Douk and Opinel.

A good source is Baryonyx Knife Works, a supporting vendor for this forum (Forty-two Blades). He has a wide array of relatively inexpensive, high-value working knives, many of them classic designs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for adding that, lots of great info there. Cheers!
 
Wow thanks so much guys!! I am learning so much about the Douk-Douks!!

Does anyone know the blade profile angle on these knives? I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker today and am hoping the degree to the rods will be compatible.
 
I couldn't tell you the angle for sure. But I can tell, from what I see, that a rather obtuse angle was chosen because the blade is thin (not as thin as an Opinel but pretty close. So, I'd say if you have a 20° dps angle on your sharpening system, you could start there. My choice would be 17,5° (because my sharpening system is geared like that) but I wouldn't go too accute (10° / 12,5°). You'll get a razor, which is fine, but the edge won't hold up long in EDC use. I experienced that even 15° dps was a bit much for general use. It's fun to slice hanging paper but that's about it. On kitchen knives with paper thin blades, although a bit harder set than the Douk-Douk (core of Hitachi white / shirogami steel at 61 HRC), 20° dps slices just as fine as 10° dps and I sharpen only every two or three weeks. As the Douk is a tad softer, there's one more reason to go 17,5° or 20° dps.
 
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