Made in South Africa
Okapi is a pocket knife and hand-tools manufacturing company based on the North-East coast of South Africa. The factory is in the small industrial village of Isithebe just North of the city of Durban. The products have been specially designed and manufactured in order to withstand the harshest conditions in Africa. The range of products are made from only the highest quality carbon steel that is hardened and tempered to ensure the maximum durability and maximum customer satisfaction. The Okapi knife is a working knife designed to be highly robust, practical and equally affordable all the while remaining faithful to its rich 112-year-old heritage.
Okapi knives can be found throughout Africa and the Middle East as the most commonly carried pocket knife. Whether an Okapi knife is needed for everyday tasks or to clean wild game, the 1055 high carbon steel blades are up to the challenge from one end the continent to the other. The stabilized cherry handle, stainless steel stirrup and back-strap, and sloping shape give the Okapi knives their distinctive look, recognizable by collectors around the world. Though initially just designed to be a great EDC knife, the Okapi pocket knife has developed a well-documented bad boy knife reputation in Africa and select parts of the world. Though the Okapi knife has been imitated by not truly replicated, here is your chance to own an original.
Okapi has a rich history dating back over a 100 years to Solingen, Germany. It was there that the first Okapi knives were produced for the German colonies throughout Africa. The “Okapi” knife takes it’s name from the beautiful and endangered giraffe-like animal found in the North-Eastern forests of the old Belgium Congo colonies of the day.
In the late eighties, Okapi South Africa purchased the trademark and tooling and began manufacturing the knives in South Africa. Since then the Okapi knives have been made in the very same factory according to the very same design and heritage as those of old. Although sometimes better known for its more nefarious reputation, the Okapi knife is a working knife designed to be highly robust, practical and equally affordable
Although the knives have not changed in over a century, the company has. Today, Okapi is a proud division of Southey Holdings, one of South Africa’s largest privately owned industrial companies. Okapi manufactures and distributes a wide range of hand tools and cutting solutions for the agricultural, industrial, forestry and construction industries as well as for trade professionals and home DIY use.
With a large manufacturing facility and year’s of technical experience, Okapi is one of the leading manufacturers of it’s kind in Southern Africa. These products include; pocket knives, butcher knives, machetes, cane knives, garden tools, wheel-barrows, bow saws, hack saws, circular saws, abrasives, fire-fighting tools and scaffolding.