Mercator K55 Cat knife

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Adam in NYC
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Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 11:09 am

Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by Adam in NYC »

Hi everyone, I'm getting this Mercator K55 Cat knife. It's at least 20 yrs old & I'm wondering how it compares to the modern version with the black painted handle. Any info on this knife will be greatly appreciated esp. the kind of steel used & how it compares to modern ones. :)
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Brown Mule
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Post by Brown Mule »

I have one that is that old. I sure hope you did't pay over 20.00 for it. They are a great slim knife but, have softer steel & really don't cut all that well. Kind of the same temper as the old KeenKutters used...not great but, not bad either! I preffer Opinel, Okapi, and Douk Douk knives instead of the K55 Black Cat. JMHO. P.S. I forgot to add that the current Black Cats are manufactured by Otter of Germany now & I have no clue as to their quality as compared to Mercater.
alabama
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by alabama »

they are the same quality and manufacturer--I use to buy these from Matthews cutlery-Decatur Ga. in the 80s--his description said they were issued to german troops as utility knives from before WW2 to 80s possibly longer...otter is trademark...of Berns bros. c1840 to present...I have an old unpainted one and 2 new black ones...carried one for years because it worked and fit like a comb in my back pocket...possibly other manufacturers during war years...they have made stainless and carbon ones lately....carbon is original and better...
eveled
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by eveled »

I have a modern black carbon steel one. It took a nice edge. I’ve used it some and it’s a wicked slicer. Great for veggie prep work. I’ve not had to resharpen it.
TnqCmdr74_78
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by TnqCmdr74_78 »

Hello Alabama and Eveled !
I’ve carried the K55 for decades as my best utilitarian knife. I’ve had both thevstainless and carbon blades - prefer the carbon as I sharpen that blade maybe 4 times a month for a scalpel like edge. I made the mistake of ‘dropping’ my Kay in a bare instep (wearing sandals) and the sharpness cut the bejeebus out of my instep without feeling it ! YIKES ! That’s why in my pics you can see the ‘friction marks’ I cut into the spine and on the release lever. It adds to better handling (so it doesn’t slip out of my hand again), and for just a little bit better control with my index finger as I guide the blade while cutting delicate projects. I love LOVE these knives ! Also, in the pics, you can see where I’ve used the bale so much with a 6” fob attached that it has worn out the peened-over edge which eventually will come loose to the point of working out of the scale(?). Anyway, just thought I’d share ... how about you guys, doncha just love these thin lil cutters?
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OSCAR
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by OSCAR »

I have several of these I prefer carbon but I purchased one with stainless blade, and stainless handle. I like all of them. Great knives and reasonable prices.
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samb1955
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by samb1955 »

I like your mods on it
knife7knut
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by knife7knut »

I have a miniature version,
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Robo
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by Robo »

Adam in NYC wrote:Hi everyone, I'm getting this Mercator K55 Cat knife. It's at least 20 yrs old & I'm wondering how it compares to the modern version with the black painted handle. Any info on this knife will be greatly appreciated esp. the kind of steel used & how it compares to modern ones. :)
I just sold these two K-55-Ks on The Bay. They were a popular street knife in NYC in the 1970s. I remember the first time I saw one I was on the school bus and this older kid was showing it off to his friends. I tended to be on the shy side but the moment I saw it I jumped up and asked him if I could see it. Of course he said "No!" and I sat back down. But I knew a cool knife when I saw one! Flash forward 5 years or so, I'd skip high-school and sit at home reading Hemingway and Vardis Fisher and Joeseph Wambaugh novels til my friends got home. In some throw-away crime drama I was reading a kid pulled a "K-55" on a cop and I put that knife with the one I saw on the bus years earlier together and have been intrigued ever since.

The two I sold differ in years, the more beat up one is the oldest and the construction is just a little higher gauge than the shiney black one (see thickness of the locking mechanism in pic). I believe a red plastic-like spacer is indicitive of the older ones (See pic). The Shiney black one is just a little higher gauge than the new ones I've bought or sold or gave away or lost since the advent of the "World Wide Interweb" when finding them-- for me anyway--went from impossible to easy as hell. If you are into these simple old patterned knives with mystique then I too would highly recomend the Douk-Douk. Lots of mystique, super construction, lots of mod possibilities (see the one I browned ten years ago and it's still holding up), great EDC.
Thanks for the post--hope you dig your "K-55"
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New_Windsor_NY
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by New_Windsor_NY »

Back in the 1980's, I found a Mercator pocket knife under a house I was working on. That was my very first, all metal pocket knife that I owned. I made it one of my daily carry knives because, although it was beat to hell, it kept an edge. Some years later I decided to sell it and I did sell it, just prior to joining AAPK. After some time, I began to miss it. I recently decided to replace it and I did, with the Mercator pictured below. For what I paid, I have no complaints. It will be added to my daily carry rotation.
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cody6268
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Re: Mercator K55 Cat knife

Post by cody6268 »

I have a bit smaller slipjoint version that is marked "KAUFMANN"; with advertising for a rope company. I suspect it was probably made in the 1950s; but it seems they brought it back under Otter Messer; as since it has less than a three-inch blade and is non-locking, it is UK legal. I am, eventually buying the bigger, locking version.

They are dead simple, and they are tough. They carry well because they are slim and lightweight. They aren't as simple as the four-part Queen Big Chiefs (since those have just one pin), but still remarkably simple. They will last forever if taken care of, and don't cost a huge amount of money to buy one. I prefer the metal-handled type knives with backsprings (I don't like Opinel wood handles, I don't view the Japanese Higos as safe due to being friction folders); like the Mercator and Douk Douk.
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