Damn I don't have all my Okapis with me where I am now, but I have three carbon steel locking ones (the 907 model), one of them is on my desk right now. With this particular one I took the ring off and filed down the hitch or whatever you call it that the ring connects to flush with the spine of the knife so it's more comfortable to use and carry. Doing that makes it slightly more difficult to close, but it's not bad. You close it by using your thumb and index finger to lift up the backspring in a similar way the ring did and then close it. I've also filed in some jimping on the spine. I use this knife a lot for nasty jobs I wouldn't use my other knives on. I have even batoned with it! But only once and don't think it's a good idea. It gets a frightingly sharp edge easily on a simple aluminium oxide stone and leather belt
Also have a smaller folding one, the 1979, slipjoint type knife, and was my favourite edc knife for a decent time. Almost the same size as an Opinel no. 9, but slimmer and easier to carry. Other okapis I have are a 20" machete and a sort of santoku shaped kitchen knife
I enjoy my okapis. They're rough, crude knives, but work and are tougher than you think (but don't jam it in a vise and bend the handle till it breaks, that's just stupid and isn't a proper test). They come with no edge from the factory, but it doesn't take long to give them one. They don't keep their edge very long, but it's 1055 carbon steel afterall (the modern South African ones, not sure about the German ones), but easy to sharpen on anything. Hey lots of people in Africa use Okapis for hard work, so they not all that bad. They're tools afterall
I like Okapis customer service. Last year I wanted the 20" machete but couldn't find one in my area. So I emailed the people at the factory if I could maybe buy one directly from the factory in person. They had no problem with me doing that. They took a 20" machete out of their warehouse and had it ready when I got there. It's a factory in quite a rural area. When I paid in cash, they told me they only sell by the box, and not by single knives or tools, and usually only accept electronic payments, so I'm very grateful they went through the little bit of trouble for me as an individual buying a single machete
Also have a smaller folding one, the 1979, slipjoint type knife, and was my favourite edc knife for a decent time. Almost the same size as an Opinel no. 9, but slimmer and easier to carry. Other okapis I have are a 20" machete and a sort of santoku shaped kitchen knife
I enjoy my okapis. They're rough, crude knives, but work and are tougher than you think (but don't jam it in a vise and bend the handle till it breaks, that's just stupid and isn't a proper test). They come with no edge from the factory, but it doesn't take long to give them one. They don't keep their edge very long, but it's 1055 carbon steel afterall (the modern South African ones, not sure about the German ones), but easy to sharpen on anything. Hey lots of people in Africa use Okapis for hard work, so they not all that bad. They're tools afterall
I like Okapis customer service. Last year I wanted the 20" machete but couldn't find one in my area. So I emailed the people at the factory if I could maybe buy one directly from the factory in person. They had no problem with me doing that. They took a 20" machete out of their warehouse and had it ready when I got there. It's a factory in quite a rural area. When I paid in cash, they told me they only sell by the box, and not by single knives or tools, and usually only accept electronic payments, so I'm very grateful they went through the little bit of trouble for me as an individual buying a single machete
