I literally just received this pattern today in the mail in brass with a pocket clip. This was hot on the heels of the El Baraka (Douk Douk), which I also love. I am astounded at the quality. I don’t know if the extra cost for the brass is accompanied by extra workmanship (probably not), but this knife has just blown me away. I love the Douk Douk, but this has taken the cake for me. The finish is really there. Polished, rounded edges; outstanding satin finish (in brass); and the blade spine is not as fiercely sharp as the Douk. I love the history of this knife. But, modern versus traditional debate aside, this piece has stand alone modern utility: it’s incredibly thin, lightweight, and features tool steel. No modern folder can match the Mercator in the first two aspects. Very few use tool steel. The blade is thin, like an Opinel. A thin blade has much more everyday utility than a 4mm slab of supersteel. The handle is especially thin. It’s among the lightest knife for its size (bar Opinel, which is too fat-handled to pocket). If you get the one with the pocket clip, this holds its own with any modern folder. And, honestly, when i’m cutting an apple for lunch, preparing a fish on a camping trip or pruning bushes in the yard, I neither need the S30V steel, nor assisted opening to accomplish that. My left hand doesn’t have to feel left out when it pulls open the blade… The good ‘ol carbon will never chip and can be sharpened on the bottom of a ceramic mug (i attest to it). Timless materials and craftsmanship have value even in a digital, super steel age. The simple elegance of the Mercator, still handmade in Solingen, is no exception. Sign me up for traditional!
