Can you identify this folding knife?

Picked up a new folding knife second-hand, but the guy who sold it to me (at Rock & Snow Annex in New Paltz) knew nothing about it. Any chance one of you can identify it? I'm not even sure if it's mass-produced or a one-off. Thanks!!!

How much did you pay for it, if you don't mind me asking.

Eplumer400 wrote:

How much did you pay for it, if you don't mind me asking.

I was hoping not to answer that until after I'd figured out if I just totally overpaid for a crappy knife, but since you asked... $120. The build quality appears to be excellent, but only time will tell whether it'll hold up.

just out of curiosity, what do you do with that knife? i always wonder what people do with super expensive knives, that i cant do with my $20 knife. i mean it slices through webbing, cord and sausage just fine and has no durability issues.

Nice knife... hand made all around. Nice ladder demascus pattern too.

Literally nothing you can't do with your $20 knife... But you're touching on a much bigger question that probably applied to just about all of my life choices (and I suspect I'm not alone)... What do I do with the latest high-tech biner that I couldn't do with an old bootied oval? What do I do with my car that I couldn't do with a $1,000 civic? What do I do with a $5 coffee that I can't do with a $1 cup? Not much, really. 

But, I carry a pocket knife most of the time, and I appreciate one that's well built, has smooth one-handed opening, holds an edge, and will last some years. I use crappy knives for all sorts of things (I keep a $20 Petzl knife on my trad harness most of the time), but they don't last long. Granted, I'm not saying fancy knives are a good investment. I could treat crappy knives as disposable and still spend less. 

Thats a beautiful knife.  I love the attention to detail.

Jake wander wrote:

i always wonder what people do with super expensive knives, that i cant do with my $20 knife.

A nice folding knife will hold an edge longer, won't rust, the hinge will stay tight and the action smooth, it shouldn't have any play in the blade, it'll have nice feel in your hand. However, none of that shit actually matters. In fact depending on the steel used for the blade, oftentimes expensive knives will be harder to sharpen.

Mark Berenblum wrote:

What do I do with my car that I couldn't do with a $1,000 civic? 

Well, you can do a lot of things with other cars that a $1000 civic can't.

Vaughn wrote:

Thats a beautiful knife.  I love the attention to detail.

A nice folding knife will hold an edge longer, won't rust, the hinge will stay tight and the action smooth, it shouldn't have any play in the blade, it'll have nice feel in your hand. However, none of that shit actually matters. In fact depending on the steel used for the blade, oftentimes expensive knives will be harder to sharpen.

Yeah. I for sure understand that with most products, you get what you pay for to a certain extent. after that point though, youre just paying for extras. is a new honda CVR more reliable and able to hold more gear/pull something small which you couldnt do/trust with a $1000 civic? probably.  but do you gain much other than looking cool if you buy a lexus small SUV? probably not. 

in the end though, i wasnt trying to call out the OP and the fact that he carries a knife on a daily basis answered my question. if i were using my knife for more than cutting a few rap slings a few times a year and cutting up some food in the backcountry, id probably buy an expensive (or at least more expensive) knife too. 

The build reminds me of an old Barlow knife. I would start digging there.

I know you guys aren't busting on my $1000 civic

Looks like an Umcebo mark III

Tyman wrote:

Looks like an Umcebo mark III

Different blade style, but looks like the same South African company http://www.kappetijnknives.com/pg/12150/new-knife-designs-in-process.  Very nicely done.

Retail is about $139, so you got a decent deal. 

Yeah yeah Skibo, I know it's not the exact knife but the similarities lead me to believe it's from the same maker

That looks like a custom knife. $120 for a Damascus blade, even if it is mass produced, is a deal. Can you take some more close up images? Typically mass produced knives have markings so if yours doesn't you probably have a piece from a custom maker. A custom Damascus knife will normally run you significantly more than you paid. 

There's a custom knife maker from MT that frequents this site, maybe he'll see the thread and weigh in. 

Thank you all for the replies. I've looked into the various leads, and would say that Tyman appears to be spot-on. I can't seem to get the Kappetijn site to open, but the google image results look like it's exactly the same knife as the Umcebo Mark III. At minimum, the similarities include the shape of the bolsters, the hole patterns, the small black allen screws used for assembly, the thumb post, the sheath style. The blade shape is different, and mine looks a little less perfect than the Umcebos (the filing pattern on the liner is more irregular than the Umcebos and was definitely done by hand with a file), but they are otherwise incredibly similar. I'd guess that if it's not a Umcebo Mark III, it's either a copy or both my knife and the Umcebo are copies of another knife.

And Tyman, not knocking on anyone's Civic! I'm knocking my own consumerism.

Ray - I'll post some photos of the blade a bit later. 

Thanks again for the input... I'm always amazed by the collective knowledge lurking in this forum.

It's one of those things where if you paid what you thought it was worth it isn't a waste of money. It looks like a very well made knife, and $120 isn't bad for something that will hold up as a regular pocketknife for years to come. A knife like that is one you pass off to your kids one day.