Stamped sheetmetal handles; Kats, Douks, etal

Ripper

Ripper

Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Messages
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How many out there are fans of stamped sheetmetal handled knives such as the Mercator Kat 55 and M.C.Cognet Douk Douk?
I find that they carry very well and are great cutting tools. Here are three of my favorites:
Top to bottom - Kat, Mini Douk Douk, and a older Vally Forge
azja07.jpg

This is the first Douk Douk mini I've had (thanks Artemis-Cutlery; 5 days from order to receipt, Portugal to Calif. :thumbup: ) and it will replace the VF for carry. It's about 6.25" oal
b3labn.jpg

"Mini" is a misnomer on my part. Here it is compared to a small Sebenza.

My next purchase will be one of the Higono-kami.
Does anyone have experience with these that could compare them to either the Kat or the Douk Douk? Thanks!

Regards,
Greg
 
(A slightly smaller picture would make it possible to read without scrolling sideways.)
 
Sorry about that. I didn't have that problem with my browser and resolution settings. Hopefully it's better now.
Regards,
Greg
 
Much better. :D

I like the Douk-Douks myself. I keep a medium handy, and I have a small L'Ecureuil. I remember having a Mercator when I was in high school. I can't remember where I got it, but I can still see all that rust when I got careless cleaning it one time.

The Douk-Douk is extremely sharp, and easy to keep that way.
 
I have a Marcator as EDC. Nice sturdy light knife with a good lock. I can't get it as sharp as my opinels but it seems to be much stronger.
There are 2 Mercator models, the big one with the lock and a smaller slipjoint.
Hard to beat at that price!
 
I carried Mercators for years. I reground the lock release to make it smaller and lower--so that it was harder to release accidently. I also ground a clip point on them. They were remarkably durable for their size. I often threw mine when I was bored. The thing that surprised me the most was how comfortable the handle was. They look like they should cut into your hand, but they don't.
 
Ripper said:
My next purchase will be one of the Higono-kami.
Does anyone have experience with these that could compare them to either the Kat or the Douk Douk? Thanks!

Regards,
Greg
Click to expand...
Nohz (vassili) wrote a review of sorts, and they are available stateside from Lee Valley tools. I'm still looking to get mine.
 
I have a K55K and it is nowhere close to an Opinel in cutting. I might have a badly tempered one though. It is a great carry knife being a very slim profile.
 
Ripper said:
My next purchase will be one of the Higono-kami.
Does anyone have experience with these that could compare them to either the Kat or the Douk Douk? Thanks!

Regards,
Greg
Click to expand...

I have one and it is great, it takes a great edge and holds it. The only thing wrong with it is that the opening lever gets in the way when closed. Other than that, great knife.
 
Can't give you a comparison, but I do have "sort of the same" Higono-kami. I got a couple from Lee Valley Tools (www.leevalley.com). Looks like the top one in the link. Box was purple with white stripes. Lee Valley calls them the Japanese Carpenter's Knife (Part # 06D07.01 ). Brass was finished very well, but blade was a little rough :) Overall construction was not that great, but then again, they were probably designed to be used hard. Laminated steel blade, and sharp as the dickens. I got mine for about $20.CDN each. Haven't used mine very much, so I can't give much info on edge retention, etc. They are kinda neat, and a nice departure for collecting a bit away from my production folders.

Hope this helps - gord
 
Dijos, kamkazmoto and gord,
Thank you for the info on the Higono-kami; very helpful.
Regards,
Greg
 
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