Sturdy Replacement For Mercator K55 "Cat"

R

redtail

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Nov 10, 2004
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103
Like 20,000,000 other people, I have a Mercator K55 “Cat.” I love it, especially its thinness. However, it is not particularly sturdy.

Can anyone recommend a sturdier knife of similar size and shape that has a stainless steel blade and a handle that is no more than ¼ inch thick (about the thickness of a Kershaw Leek, my EDC)? I don’t care if it is a lock back, liner lock, or frame lock. I don’t care about handle material or finish either, as long as the handles are durable. Weight is not a problem. A pocket clip would be good.

I will use the knife and not put it in a display case, so I don’t want to spend more than $75 (actual cost, not list price), and under $50 would be even better.

Thanks
 
Bokar Titanium.

I carried a cat for years and the Bokar is a modern version of it, only with the strengh of a titatium handle. Has a thin flat ground edge that gets scary sharp!
 
Thanks for the help.

The Benchmade looks nice, and might be a possibility down the road, but the blade is shorter than what I want now.

I've been thinking about getting a Spyderco Endura for awhile, and almost certainly will in the near future.

The Boker Titan II looks a whole lot like the Mercator Cat, but far sturdier. The blade is a bit shorter than the Cat, but not by much. Boker's website does not mention a pocket clip, but I can add one myself. I think I've found my replacement.

It's a good thing I just got my wife a Russell Funny Folder (she absolutely loves mine). I might be able to get myself the Boker without too much trouble!
 
I was hurried during my last post so I left out some important details. The first point is that stainless steel blades will not be as tough as the carbon steel blade in your K55 unless they are much thicker or much wider. I suggested the Monachrome because the blade is thicker and wider that the K55, particularly near the point. I'm not sure why you find the length of the Monachrome a question if you are happy with the length of the Boker Titan II. I think that the Monachrome blade is longer (a little over 3") than the Titan II. The N690 alloy of the Monachrome is much better than the 440A of the Boker. I don't think you'll find as much difference in weight as you might expect. Titanium is heavier than you might expect and the stainless steel handle of the Monachrome is skeletonized to reduce weight. You should try and handle them before you pick.

Another amazingly compact knife is the Camillus EDC.
 
Benchmade lists the Monochrome's blade as 3" long, which you correctly point out is about the same as the Titan's 3 1/4" blade. I guess the real difference is the way that the two knives look: I really like the way the Cat looks, and the Titan is quite similar.

I did emphasise in my posting that the replacement knife had to be strong, which makes what you said about the relative strenghts of the blades important.

I'll have to do more research and reevaluate what I'm looking for.

It would be nice to be able to directly compare the various knives, but unfortunately the local knife shop has a very limited selection. Of course, this is why Bladeforums is so helpful.
 
Oops. I just rechecked Boker's website, and I misread the blade lenght for the Titan II- it is just under 3", making it shorter than I want.
 
A. G. Russell One Hand Knives - K87 Versions. The handle is about 3/16" thick.
Regards,
Greg

Edit: I know it's somewhat out of your price range but I don't think you will find a better quality made folder (or at a better price) as thin as this one.
The FeatherLite version costs a lot less, but is about 3/8" thick along the handle. I like mine and it carries well. By the way; neither has a pocket clip, though the Featherlite is available with a Kydex neck sheath (if that matters).
 
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

I now have several more knives on my "to buy" list, whenever I'm done putting money into my '86 MR2 (ha), etc., etc., etc.

As much as I like the Spyerderco Endura and Benchmade Monochrome that were suggested, neither is as close to a Cat as I would like, so I have another idea.

Texas Knife Supply offers a whole lot of pieces parts for making folders. So, I'm going to replace the cheap pin pivot on my Cat with a modern pivot, and add a pocket clip, pivot washers, and a thumb stud. I know drilling and reaming carbon steel is a real pain, but with the right drill bit and enough patience, it can be done without ruining the blade. If my modifications work, I'll post a photo. Wish me luck!
 
I don't know too much about this knife and it's history, however, if you are going to replace parts on your old "Cat", why not just buy a new one? Here's a webpage selling the knife, however it may be a reproduction?? Here's a picture, and a link:

gyby_1832_78881272


Mercator K55

(Edited to add photo)
 
If you want to replace it another place that has them is Atlanta cutlery for a better price. Less then 20 bucks last time I checked.
I have another possibility for a replacement. Camillus had this series called silver sword,stainless ,thin handles and blades. They came in different sizes ranging from a tiny one about the size of the Spyderco ladybug up to one as big(in length) almost as the Buck 112. They had different names for each model like sheriff,marshal,gambler,etc. I have idea what type of styeel was used but remember they were reasonably priced $20-35.
 
Yeah, you're right. I should just buy a new Cat-if I'm going to modify one, it might as well be new and pretty (instead of old and scarred-up like me?).

I like the Camillus Silver Sword series, but the biggest one I found (the medium model) is 3 1/4" closed, making it smaller than I want.
 
I read about the Spyderco Cara Cara in another thread. It doesn't look anything like a Cat, and I can't tell how thick the handle is, but people say it is very sturdy and similar to the Endura, so it will probably do what I want. For $18.71 from New Graham, it's worth a shot. I just ordered one.

Shouldn't there be some sort of sugeon general's warning about this website being dangerous to the wallet?
 
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