German made Okapi

[trail]

Here's a strange one. This Okapi was made in Germany, so that puts it 1987 or earlier. In 1987 Okapi moved to South Africa where they produce knives to this day. My Okapi is 4 3/4 inches long closed and has the cheapest looking handles I have ever seen - molded plastic is as good a description as I can give. On the other hand, it's got the strongest snap of any knife I have ever owned - I have to open it with a pair of pliers. I'm glad to have it in my collection, if just to get it out now and then and marvel at the things people come up with.

[Bob W.]

I've got a couple of the older German-made Okapi knives made with stamped steel handles, some were coated in a rubber. Interesting stuff, but...

...the South African-made Okapi I have are better made than those old German ones.

[Froggyedge]

Interesting knives with an interesting history..!
Are the present day Okapis made mostly for domestic use or export?

[trail]

World Knives always has a selection of them for sale. Bob, I wondered about the quality of the South African knives. My guess is that due to the turmoil and economic difficulties all over Africa, the exchange rate is very favorable and it might be an opportunity to buy some cheap, good knives. Also for an international knife collector, the chance to buy something from an exotic country not known for knife production is too strong to pass up. I think I just talked myself into ordering some...

[Bob W.]

It's my understanding that the German-made knives were made primarily for export to Africa. The quality is ultra-low. I've never felt such flimsy, wobbly construction.

Now that they're actually made in Africa the quality is decent. Very low-end materials and rather crude construction, but priced accordingly. They are exported all over the world, but are they most popular in Africa? I don't know.

My South African made Okapi is one with the ring pull, as seen here:

http://artknives.com/Production_Knives/ ... nives.html