Fake Okapi knives???

L

lonestar1979

Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
2,585
What is up with these?There is original ones and fake ones.How do you know the difference?Are the fake ones any good?
 
I don't know about all the fakes, but the ones made by Cold Steel (KUDU and ELAND) are pretty good.

kamagong kamagong In answer to your question, Cold Steel.
 
Buy from a reputable dealer. Buying the fakes only leads to more fakes and hurts the real manufacturer.

Posted by stefand 3 years ago:
"No one knows the effects of fakes more than I do.
We are currently fighting a losing battle against fake Okapis from Pakistan and China. It's reached the point where we at okapi have lost so much business to this rubbish, that we are in serious trouble. And I'm not referring to the Cold Steel Kudu.
We're running into fake Okapis that are branded as "Okapi, Made In South Africa", but they are clearly Pakistan Rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

http://www.sablade.com/forums/showt...-and-other-Heartbreak/page2&p=34729#post34729
 
This is disconcerting! :thumbsdown:
Any photos of real vs. fake?
I have a couple of Okapi knives that I enjoy, and I never dreamed they could be anything but genuine. Now I wonder about my innate gullibility.
qqOuOjW.jpg


- GT
 
5K Qs said:
This is disconcerting! :thumbsdown:
Any photos of real vs. fake?
I have a couple of Okapi knives that I enjoy, and I never dreamed they could be anything but genuine. Now I wonder about my innate gullibility.
qqOuOjW.jpg


- GT
Click to expand...

I'm definitely not an Okapi expert but those look real to me.
 
In South Africa the Okapis were something like $2, but the Chinese were making a copy, shipping it to South Africa, and under selling the local made Okapis. John
 
supratentorial said:
I think there were some in the SAblades topic that I linked above but the photos were on photobucket and aren't working now. But I did find... ;) :D
real
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fake
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Jake, that link you provided was interesting, but as you point out, the images fell victim to Photobucket. But thanks for locating some replacement images! :D:thumbsup::thumbsup::D

My knives came from a reputable dealer, so I'm quite convinced of their authenticity.

- GT
 
Theres Chinese or Pakistani copies of Okapi,but i have few originals from S .Africa,and German ones were even better probably!All in all theyre excellent knives for whatever task,roughly made but with little touch and reprofiling perform way better than a lot of so called modern super steel knives.In field you need softer steels that you can touch up on whatever you have on hand.Some pple on amazon call even originals fake but fake ones are from SS And have different grind.They can be used but original Okapi with little work on it are excellent for price and for me more useful than most modern tacticals.
 
lonestar1979 said:
Some pple on amazon call even originals fake but fake ones are from SS And have different grind
Click to expand...
The stainless ones from Pakistan or China also have smooth orange plastic handles. My daughter encountered some in market places in Morocco a few years back. They wouldn't fool most folks, but often get purchased by those needing to get the cheapest thing possible. I don't think anyone imports them directly into the US, although on-line sellers on auction sites turn up with them from time to time.

I am very fond of Okapi South Africa and purchase them as gifts for those who travel with our church to SA to help out. It really goes a longer way for the whole local economy to help people stay employed in an indigenous factory. It has always struck me as odd that Cold Steel sells machetes made by Okapi in SA, but outsourced the Kudu to China. One wonders if these are sold in Africa, in competition with the SA version, or are mostly just sold in the USA. They are quite good as users.
 
Most of my Okapi are quite good, especially the sheepsfoot Biltongs in the lower photo. Those came mostly from Baryonyx, so I have no reason to doubt their provenance. The Biltong is one of my favorite pocket knives.

The ratchet shown on the left of the top photo has been a disappointment. The blade wobbles, and has resisted all my attempts to put a decent edge on it. This one did not come from Baryonyx, who does not list this model on their site. I would try another one if I should come across a vendor I can rely on not to send me a dog.

Despite my difficulties with this knife, it never occurred to me it might not be genuine.0E339529-809B-4D6C-8591-61EF4617691B.jpeg A6412311-8961-4D93-A652-C5B99284B162.jpeg
 
Henry Beige said:
Most of my Okapi are quite good, especially the sheepsfoot Biltongs in the lower photo. Those came mostly from Baryonyx, so I have no reason to doubt their provenance. The Biltong is one of my favorite pocket knives.

The ratchet shown on the left of the top photo has been a disappointment. The blade wobbles, and has resisted all my attempts to put a decent edge on it.
Click to expand...
The knives in photos you show are likely all genuine. The Biltong is the model I get as souvenirs for church members, they are very useful tools. I have tried out one of the Okapi ratchet knives, they are stamped from much thicker stock and as you point out very difficult to get really sharp. The Biltong makes a much better user.
 
okapis are great users and with some major reprofiling get scary sharp and are easy to touchup.Kudu and Eland from cold steel are excellent versions of these knives,maybe even better than originals.Excellent and elegant blades.
 
I got 2 more,okapi gentlemans slipjoint knife is nice little edc knife with decent fit and finish but had to put it to belt sander as grind on it was terrible and impossible to sharpen.The ather ones were not hard to sharpen and they Ll hold decent edge.Kudu and Eland from Cold steel are better and stronger knives for sure but i like rustic look of Okapi
 
The Cold Steel versions use nondescript stainless and plastic handles. To be sure, my Kudu works a lot better than my Okapi ratchet, but I can’t see Keith Richards or Peter Tosh carrying one.

 
mrknife said:
this!
Click to expand...
See below
supratentorial said:
Buy from a reputable dealer. Buying the fakes only leads to more fakes and hurts the real manufacturer.

Posted by stefand 3 years ago:
"No one knows the effects of fakes more than I do.
We are currently fighting a losing battle against fake Okapis from Pakistan and China. It's reached the point where we at okapi have lost so much business to this rubbish, that we are in serious trouble. And I'm not referring to the Cold Steel Kudu.
We're running into fake Okapis that are branded as "Okapi, Made In South Africa", but they are clearly Pakistan Rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

http://www.sablade.com/forums/showt...-and-other-Heartbreak/page2&p=34729#post34729
Click to expand...
 
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