Excuse me, MAM? I’m in love…

[lonestar1979]

I have 5,6 Opinels and 3 Mam knives,like opinels,but Mam knives cut better,period.Theyre made of thinner stock ,are thinner behind edge from factory,and I think the 420 steel is a point or two higher on rockwell scale,so it holds edge little better,still easy to sharpen .Excellent knives for money,especially for cutting food.

 

[scdub]

my opinel is a slightly higher end model, using padouk wood... but the lock never rattles & was never loose, it's actually rather tight

Huh. Now I’m wondering if there’s an easy fix to tighten up my wife’s Opinel…

I could pop off the collar and squeeze it together a bit I suppose.

If anyone has any advice/experience with this please let me know.

 

[dirc]

How to tighten lock on Opinel no8 garden knife?

I like this opinel no8 garden knife but the lock is really loose and turns around really easy thus unlocking knife easily.Is there a way to tighten it?The worst thing is you think knife is locked but isnt.Otherwise is a very good knife and excellent cutter.Should i take off the ring and use it...

www.bladeforums.com

 

[Henry Beige]

Several years ago, I enjoyed a brief flirtation with MAM knives, and carried the locking sheepsfoot for a while. I have also tried Antonini, and a couple of Jokers with Opinel-ish locking collars. None of them has dislodged Opinel from my pocket. The main reason is carbon steel, which seems to be available on only the beechwood Opinels, and on none of the other brands.

MAM, along with Antonini and Joker, do get one thing right. Their handles are flattened on the sides so they ride more comfortably in e rthe pocket. I have used Opinels for 45 years, but never liked them in my pocket because of the big lump they made, especially the flared pommel, but also the round barrel handles. It never occurred to me to modify the handles until I got here and saw how easy it is.

The Virobloc is not at all annoying to me. It is simple and elegant, and works about as well as it has to. If it is too tight, you can open up the ring with an appropriate tool. (I don’t know if you can use the snap-ring pliers you used to get it off, but if not, you’ll find something.) if it is too loose, a pair of channel locks or Knipex pliers will work or maybe you can just shut a drawer on it.

 

[scdub]

How to tighten lock on Opinel no8 garden knife?

I like this opinel no8 garden knife but the lock is really loose and turns around really easy thus unlocking knife easily.Is there a way to tighten it?The worst thing is you think knife is locked but isnt.Otherwise is a very good knife and excellent cutter.Should i take off the ring and use it...

www.bladeforums.com

Thanks! I didn’t think of swelling the wood at the pivot with some tung oil - will try that first and then considering taking off the ring…

 

[scdub]

Several years ago, I enjoyed a brief flirtation with MAM knives, and carried the locking sheepsfoot for a while. I have also tried Antonini, and a couple of Jokers with Opinel-ish locking collars. None of them has dislodged Opinel from my pocket. The main reason is carbon steel, which seems to be available on only the beechwood Opinels, and on none of the other brands.

MAM, along with Antonini and Joker, do get one thing right. Their handles are flattened on the sides so they ride more comfortably in e rthe pocket. I have used Opinels for 45 years, but never liked them in my pocket because of the big lump they made, especially the flared pommel, but also the round barrel handles. It never occurred to me to modify the handles until I got here and saw how easy it is.

The Virobloc is not at all annoying to me. It is simple and elegant, and works about as well as it has to. If it is too tight, you can open up the ring with an appropriate tool. (I don’t know if you can use the snap-ring pliers you used to get it off, but if not, you’ll find something.) if it is too loose, a pair of channel locks or Knipex pliers will work or maybe you can just shut a drawer on it.

Or perhaps the drawer treatment.

 

[AgentSteel]

I just watched a YouTube video about one of these and they look very nice. Have you compared the lock to an Opinel?

I dislike the Opinel lock because it rattles and is so loose that it will unlock by itself while being used.

The video I saw made it seem like the Jose Da Cruz lock is tighter - can you confirm?

The lock is tight on mine. Also I don't experience lock problems with my Opinels so far.

As for edge retention, again I personally don't see much difference with all these knives since I use them in the worst environment... a ceramic food plate

You mileage will vary

 

[Henry Beige]

I just watched a YouTube video about one of these and they look very nice. Have you compared the lock to an Opinel?

I dislike the Opinel lock because it rattles and is so loose that it will unlock by itself while being used.

WasThe video I saw made it seem like the Jose Da Cruz lock is tighter - can you confirm?

Out of more than a dozen Opinels, only one came with a loose lock. It was an easy fix with a pair of pliers. I can’t say that any of my Antoninis or MAMs cut any better than my Opinels. They all have appealing features, and for the most part can be carried without any further work. The Opinels are pretty much fine just as they are, but I need to mess with my Opinels a bit before I will put one in my pocket.

Search back in this forum, both in General and in Traditionals, to find quite a bit written about these knives, answering most of your questions and some you will probably think of on your own in due course.

 

[Bob Denman]

SC,
I think I'm falling in love: does your Mam have a sister?

 

[scdub]

Just a quick update.

I still love this knife and while the belly dulls pretty quickly using it on compressed bamboo plates, it’s very easy to resharpen using a couple of very fine little chert stones that I keep where the knife lives on a side table next to the couch.


I like the knife enough that today I made a quick slip-cover from deer skin (rough side out) to keep it from accidentally sliding out of my pocket and/or getting scuffed by keys. It isn’t exactly beautiful but works/fits well.

 

[Sibyrnes]

Very nice!

 

[cbach8tw]

Use mine often, almost forget it is in my pocket when I EDC it.

 

[eisman]

This was designed as a pocket knife to use at eating establishments. Apparently the head of the knife company got tired of lousy cutting knives when he went out on the town. I picked this up at the Soligen show earlier this year. I keep it on my desk at work. Comes in handy.