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- Sep 30, 2004
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Lately, I've been paying more attention to folding knives with external springs -- saddle springs, as I've been calling them, since, well.... that's sorta what they look like. It's an age-old mechanism, a design that I see as one step beyond a friction folder. They can be found all over the world, stretching back hundreds of years, and some are still made today. One of the most common, the Okapi ratchet knife, is still produced and widely used in South Africa, and popular all over the continent. The design is traditionally used in Spain as well, with ratcheting navajas of all shapes and sizes being used as tools and weapons for generations upon generations. This type of knife can be a simple working tool, verging on crude, or can be a polished piece of sharp jewelry, like some of the more fancy Spanish examples, and as we have seen a few times in the Sardinian Connection thread. Some use a ring to lift the spring, others use a lever. There are many incarnations and variations, and I'm eager to see all of them!
What I would like to know is, how many of you folks have these, or enjoy them, and may want to share yours?
Here are a few of mine.
Okapi, made in South Africa. Simple working knife, no frills (well.... unless you count the weird stars pressed into the handle).
Large, unmarked folder, very similar to the Okapi. Nothing fancy, just a good working knife. (And huge!) The fellow from whom I bought it thinks it's from the 1800s.
Punta de espada, made by Martinez of Albacete, Spain
I have another large ratcheting navaja, in a similar style to that Martinez, that I will post later, once I can take a decent photograph of it.
Also, here are a couple ring lock knives that do *not* have an external saddle spring, so I suppose they're cousins.
Joker, also made in Spain.
Campolin switch, an Italian remake of a French knife.
So, who's got ring pull or saddle spring knives? Please share!
What I would like to know is, how many of you folks have these, or enjoy them, and may want to share yours?
Here are a few of mine.
Okapi, made in South Africa. Simple working knife, no frills (well.... unless you count the weird stars pressed into the handle).
Large, unmarked folder, very similar to the Okapi. Nothing fancy, just a good working knife. (And huge!) The fellow from whom I bought it thinks it's from the 1800s.
Punta de espada, made by Martinez of Albacete, Spain
I have another large ratcheting navaja, in a similar style to that Martinez, that I will post later, once I can take a decent photograph of it.
Also, here are a couple ring lock knives that do *not* have an external saddle spring, so I suppose they're cousins.
Joker, also made in Spain.
Campolin switch, an Italian remake of a French knife.
So, who's got ring pull or saddle spring knives? Please share!
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