Okapi Knives?

G

GroovyMr1337

Joined
Feb 21, 2007
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I was thinking about ordering the small Okapi folder form Ragweed Forge the other day, but I got an opinion on it that said that if they were what he thought they were they were total crap. However, I have heard some good things about them too, and I would like to know your opinions on Okapi knives, for EDC and bushcraft.

What would other good knives be, under $20, for a knife I don't really have to worry about. I was thinking Opinel, but I am not a big fan of the wood swelling issue. What do you think?
 
I don't have any experience with them, so can't comment. But, there are a ton of fairly good knives on the market that fall under $20.00. If you watch ebay, there are a lot of name brand folders that sell for under you limit. Sometimes, even a lockblade SAK from Victorinox will go for around $15.00 shipped. At least, that's what I paid new, for the one shown awhile back.

Some of the CRKT folders can be had for under $20.00. Same with a few of the Kershaw blades. It just takes some looking and patience.

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BY Okapi, I believe you are referring to the traditional South African made knives. I'm not sure exactly model you purchased. I own a 3.75" model. It's a decent money for the less than $10 that I paid for it, but the blade really needs to be worked over. From the factory the edge is reminiscent of a butter knife. The other factor that ios different is the lock. It can be a little difficult to disengage. On the positive side, the lock is very positive and it is a gear like mechanism that can hold the blade at a variety of partially opened positions.

Okapi also has their name on some Portugese made knives and some South African made domestic knives. I have a couple of more modern traditional Okapis coming, so I'll let you know how those are doing when I recieve them.
 
My Okapi knife is a bit crude in details but the fit is tight. I ordered mine from Ragweed Forge and had them put an edge on it for a couple of dollars extra.

I do think the Opinels are a better deal for the money. Better steel, more finely finished, and a wider variety of sizes. The swelling wood is an issue that's overhyped and/or easy to fix. Working outdoors in the Arkansas humidity, soaked through with sweat and rain, I never had an Opinel that absolutely refused to open - they did get a little tight though. In the Southwest it's never been an issue at all.

Heck, for the price buy one of each and tell us which you like the best. :)

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
I have two from Ragweed Forge. The large ring lock and the small sheepsfoot bladed "sailor's" model. They're both fine. They come needing to have an edge put on. Construction is crude but functional. The backspring on the sailor's knife is decent, better than some higher end slipjoints, and has a half stop. The ringlock model is rather large for a folder, but pockets surprisingly easy. Blades are plain carbon steel, seem intended to have a chisel grind, take and hold a good edge. I sharpened both with some sandpaper on a mousepad.

As I said, construction is crude but functional. I've heard an account that one blade made contact with the pin, but this isn't a problem with mine. The blade does make contact with the wooden handle when closed. But it doesn't seem to affect performance. The wooden handles are supposed to be pressed into shape, IIRC. I don't know what the manufacturing procedure is, but they seem reasonably sturdy.

The ringlock can be tricky to disengage. Be smart and close it the way Ragnar shows on his site.

I find the ringlock knife seems to draw positive attention from people. It's Old Country looks are somewhat attractive. I generally prefer to carry the Sailor's knife, though. I think they're fine, especially for the price, with lots of character and practical advantages.

There are plenty of under $20 folders that are also great. Hard to go wrong with a SAK. Byrd knives are good lockbacks starting around that price. Some good sodbusters could be found in that range, too, from Case, Boker, Kissing Crane. I've even found the inexpensive Rough Rider line of mostly slipjoints to be pretty good and inexpensive enough to not break your heart if lost or dropped overboard.
 
for a folder plenty of the vic saks can be had for right around the 20 dollar range. Opinels are great knives with factory sharp edges carbon steel and conex grind.. (pretty hard to beat) for a small fixed blade the ag russell woodswalker (2&1/12 inch blade) can be had with a leather pocket sheath for 20 bucks ...this is an outstanding little knife razor sharp flat grind aus-8 steel....I have no experience with okapi...good luck
 
As a totally biased opinion , Id say Okapi are OK , for the money spent .
I use an Okapi 907e ( lock knife with the ring pull release ) daily , they are tougher than a lot of others , with a stronger blade than the Opinel .

It is possible to modify them some to make them into a knife that you can flick the blade out with one hand , tho I havent done it , I have heard of it being done regularly in South Africa by the more criminally minded folks .

I deal in Okapi tho , so fair warning , my opinion of the knife , tho formed largely because I have been using them daily since the 70s till now pretty much , is also influenced by the service of the manufacturers , they are great people .

just my $0.10
 
I really like the Okapi's. At the price they go for I didn't expect it to come already sharp, and it didn't. Opinel's are better steel but I like the old stile of the Okapi's.
 
Lots of good folders for under 20 bucks. The Okapi was somewhat disapointing for me. Functional, and cheap though, so not too much. Mine came sharp from Ragnar. I wouldn't recommend them though.

Everyone has said Opinel, which I do recommend, good steel and convex. If you're worried about the wood swelling issue, then its an easy fun project to prevent that.

Another gem for cheap is the Kissing Krane Sodbuster. I got mine from SMKW for 6 bucks. I did a couple minutes sanding on the walnut handle, and used a scotchbrite pad to get rid of the blade etch. The handles are walnut, and after a quick treatment with Watco's Danish Oil. Beautiful knife. Good solingen steel too.

Check it out.

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I'm not really adding anything new as most of the above posters cover the issues pretty well - the Okapis are ok but basic - they are usually blunt and some have asymetrical edge grinds that are a bit funny to sharpen til you get used to them. I prefer the non lockers as I find the ring lock awkward to use. I have a few Okapi butcher knives as well and they too are basic but functional. The only Okapi I really like is the 20 inch machete - it is one of the better machetes on the market.

I much prefer the Opinel in carbon or stainless and it is easy to strip them down, remove some wood and seal the wood so they don't bind. I live in the tropics and have no problems with mine after they are treated. The Opinels are thinner and probably won't stand as much abuse as the Okapi but I am not really hard on knives, especially folders so it doesn't bother me much.

Unless you are really pushed for funds why not buy both?
 
Fiddleback said:
Lots of good folders for under 20 bucks. The Okapi was somewhat disapointing for me. Functional, and cheap though, so not too much. Mine came sharp from Ragnar. I wouldn't recommend them though.

Everyone has said Opinel, which I do recommend, good steel and convex. If you're worried about the wood swelling issue, then its an easy fun project to prevent that.

Another gem for cheap is the Kissing Krane Sodbuster. I got mine from SMKW for 6 bucks. I did a couple minutes sanding on the walnut handle, and used a scotchbrite pad to get rid of the blade etch. The handles are walnut, and after a quick treatment with Watco's Danish Oil. Beautiful knife. Good solingen steel too.

Check it out.

attachment.php
Click to expand...

I recently acquired one of those. Great knives right out of the box.
 
The reason I was going to get a Okapi is because I am already making an order from Ragweed Forge, and I figured I would throw a knife in there since the shipping is all inclusive. However, from what I have heard about Okapi's I think I will just stick with my SAK for now. Instead, since they are out of sodbuster stock, I think I am going to get the Old Hickory Skinner and do the mod that Fiddleback posted a while ago. Thank you for all your advice.
 
Lemme know if you have any questions during your OH mod project.
 
2manyknives said:
I prefer the non lockers as I find the ring lock awkward to use. I have a few Okapi butcher knives as well and they too are basic but functional. The only Okapi I really like is the 20 inch machete - it is one of the better machetes on the market.
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2manyknives

you have more Okapis than the usual bloke .

I to agree with you about the machete . I like them , they do well in the rainforrest / jungley country here . One of the few knives of the knid I have had loggers come ask for .
 
2manyknives said:
I prefer the non lockers as I find the ring lock awkward to use.
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I have been tempted to try an Okapi for a while now. But that very thing (the placement of the ring lock) has kept me from purchasing.
Lately my purchases have mostly been SAK's, Frosts, Douk-Douk's and Opinels. Seems like Okapi's and sodbusters are the only inexpensive knives i haven't tried.lol.
 
I have one of the large slipjoint models. "locks" open halfway. The blade hits the pin like someone here mentioned, so I have a dent in the middle of my blade all the time. It needs a lot of grinding to put a good edge on it, but it won't take long because the steel works easily.

The positive: Strong backspring, comfortable handle, nice blade shape, low price

The negative: Blade might hit backspring like mine, sometimes a thicker, more filling handle would feel better, handle might not be terribly strong

They're good but I prefer other knives in that price range. A SAK, Byrd, Opinel, Buck, Kershaw, Mora etc.
 
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