Odd Two-blade Friction Folder

[Jack Black]

I picked this strange two-bladed friction folder up in Leeds market today. It’s so crudely made that at first I thought it was a homemade one–off, but it does have a mark on the wooden handle, even though I can’t actually read what it says. It’s a pretty big folder, with two blades, a hawkbill with a serrated edge, and a clip. They’re made from stock so thin I’d need a micrometre to accurately measure its thickness, but this has clearly been a well-used knife, and it’s still quite sharp. If it only had one blade, the handle would be pretty comfortable, but the twin blades make it hard to grip, particularly with the hawkbill folded. It’s also difficult, if not impossible, to open the clip without first opening the hawkbill. This is a strange, crude knife, but it has clearly been somebody’s user, no doubt somebody with little money in a country without a tradition of fine cutlery. I’d love to know more about it.

 

[mike Berkovitch]

Never seen something like that. The blade are so thin and the handle is so crude. I a thinking of homemade by someone to fit his exact needs, or maybe a village smith made it to order, definitely a user of someone with huge hand. It might be eastern Europe something with the construction reminds me a local Polish or Hungarian knife I saw long time ago but that one had single drop point blade. Interesting.
Mike

 

[scruffuk]

That is quite something Jack.

I can see why you picked it up, its certainly very unique.

The serrated edge on the bill reminds me of the Japanese vegetable harvesting kama (sickle)....of which I have one.....sowewhere.....

 

[shootz]

I'm betting carpet knife

 

[Jack Black]

That is quite something Jack.

I can see why you picked it up, its certainly very unique.

The serrated edge on the bill reminds me of the Japanese vegetable harvesting kama (sickle)....of which I have one.....sowewhere.....

The serrations are actually very well done, and it's sharp. Certainly a strange piece.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

It's gotta be eastern European...

In any case, that is one odd knife. I would have snapped it up too. I bet that thin stock makes for some seriously slicy cutting, but I'd bet that it was done that way more as a financial (or availability) concession than for performance. Could be wrong though.

Looking forward to hearing what people have to say about it. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Jack Black]

It's gotta be eastern European...

In any case, that is one odd knife. I would have snapped it up too. I bet that thin stock makes for some seriously slicy cutting, but I'd bet that it was done that way more as a financial (or availability) concession than for performance. Could be wrong though.

Looking forward to hearing what people have to say about it. Thanks for sharing it.

I wish I could make out the name. It doesn't look like cyrillic lettering though. I think it'll be one heck of a slicer, but I agree that the thin stock was almost certainly used to keep costs low.

Maybe there are similiar single-bladed knives and this is the De Luxe model!

 

[Jack Black]

It doesn't look like cyrillic lettering though.

Maybe I'm wrong about that.

 

[ptradeco]

I have no clue about the knife other than I like it! Wish the stock were a bit thicker but it would get plenty of action in my garden. When you tire of it Jack just.....well, you know the rest!

 

[Jack Black]

I have no clue about the knife other than I like it! Wish the stock were a bit thicker but it would get plenty of action in my garden. When you tire of it Jack just.....well, you know the rest!

I'll keep it in mind Brad

 

[Gevonovich]

Looks like a tool made for the harvesting fruits and vegetables. Probably a cabbage and lettuce tool. Very interesting handle shape and certainly holds a clue.

 

[TLARbb]

I've not ever seen anything like this. I'm not sure it is particularly comfortable to use as a two blade knife. I'm kind of thinking that it is a fruit or vegetable harvesting knife. The serrations/teeth are designed for pull cutting so that thick blade stock would not be needed. Looks like it would work well for that application, but not sure why it has a clip blade on it as well; the closed hawkbill would be a hot spot for using it with that blade.

Ed J

 

[Jack Black]

I've not ever seen anything like this. I'm not sure it is particularly comfortable to use as a two blade knife. I'm kind of thinking that it is a fruit or vegetable harvesting knife. The serrations/teeth are designed for pull cutting so that thick blade stock would not be needed. Looks like it would work well for that application, but not sure why it has a clip blade on it as well; the closed hawkbill would be a hot spot for using it with that blade.

Ed J

Definitely Ed, while the clip doesn't get in the way TOO much when using the hawkbill, the reverse isn't true at all, and yet the clip blade has clearly seen a good deal of use.

 

[jackknife]

Wow, just bizarre enough to be very interesting!

I agree with the others that this was some sort of harvest knife. Produce? Horticulture use? Why else a serrated hawkbill?

Carl.

 

[whetrock]

I don't really have anything constructive to add, but that thing is very economical in it's appearance, and I'd think it'd be from a very underdeveloped, part of the world, but maybe (as others have stated) it's just something that was sold in an agriculture type, tool company along side machetes, hoes, and pruners. I dunno, but I'd hate to think that was my only piece of pocket cutlery, makes you appreciate what you've got. I would have purchased it too, for kicks. I'm not for certain, the likelihood of being able to make serrations like that by hand, looks factory made to my eye, but that's not saying too terrible much.

 

[jackknife]

I dunno, but I'd hate to think that was my only piece of pocket cutlery, makes you appreciate what you've got.

Maybe it's from someplace where they were even glad to have that!

 

[Berkley]

After deciding that the lettering is in the Greek alphabet, I did a little creative Googling and came up with this LINK, which appears to be a more refined relative of your very interesting knife. Google translates some of the text as "POCKET GREEK - KRITIKOS KNIFE - FOLDING KNIFE GARDEN TOOLS Grafting Manufactured in Crete".

 

[Curtis_Lowe]

I wish I could make out the name. It doesn't look like cyrillic lettering though. I think it'll be one heck of a slicer, but I agree that the thin stock was almost certainly used to keep costs low.

Maybe there are similiar single-bladed knives and this is the De Luxe model!

The letters are Greek. So, its not quite Cyrillic. It says ΑΝΟΞΕΙΔΩΤΟ which means stainless. I thought the Ξ was an E for a while, but the way it wore off didn't make sense for it to be an E. Anyways, long story short, it took a lot of squinting at the pictures to figure it out.

 

[sitflyer]

I keep looking at this and thinking outside the box, if you grasp the knife with the thumb and forefinger pinching the Hawkbill blade with the clip open, how does it feel in hand then? Dont think of wrapping your grip around that monstrous arc. An interesting find Jack! You do have a knack for finding some interesting examples of cutlery:thumbup:

 

[Omega Leather Works]

I keep looking at this and thinking outside the box, if you grasp the knife with the thumb and forefinger pinching the Hawkbill blade with the clip open, how does it feel in hand then? Dont think of wrapping your grip around that monstrous arc. An interesting find Jack! You do have a knack for finding some interesting examples of cutlery:thumbup:

Thinking outside the box?

How does it feel with BOTH blades open?