The Douk Douk is an old school folding knife with a colorful history. It is very slim and carries well. This knife is non locking so care must be taken to avoid injury.
A knife doesn't need a lock, the douk douk was used in the Algerian independence war by both the French foreign legion and the Algerian rebels. It was one of the most feared weapons during that war, used as both a weapon and a tool of torture to cut of noses ears and genitals. The douk douk was sometimes modified to a virtual fixed blade by hammering the metal behind the blade pivot shut. The douk douk is said to be honed to such sharpness, the Algerians used them to shave instead of a razor.
No thanks lad, I love to share info :) I'm very sad I don't own a douk douk yet but I'm saving up for some traditional knives. The otter messer anker messer, 2 medium size douk douk's, 1 small douk douk and a large douk douk squirrel. What can I say? I love traditional knives and their history. A anker messer has being carried by my grandfathers father in his workshop for a long time and it's still in my grandfathers collection and in great shape!!
I had one of these as a child, I can remember the pattern on the blade and figure on the handle and bashing it with a brick to turn it into a lock knife. Wished I hadn't lost that! The reason you pay the same amount for this knife as you do a SAK is because this knife has buckets of character and lets be honest, it's an old world pre health and safety battler and that is quite appealing these days.
in the middle east they used to cost about 3.00. alot of Legionnaires’ carried them in there boots. people would flaten the handle and use then as ketchen knives.about the sparks, a stainless blade will spark a ferro rod but not a pice of flint. i love douks but like you said they are just to costly for what your geting. it's the same with okipa and openial
Thanks for pointing out that a stainless knife won't spark with a flint but only with the ferro rod. $3 dollars is cheap and nice! I think one reason for the higher price of the Douk Douk and other items in the US is dollar's weakening especially during our present recession.
Oh, I see. I looked at my Douk-Douk again and you are right my knife does favor staying slightly left when closed. But it does not touch the side of the handle at all and sometimes is centered when I close it. Maybe this is not a defect after all but just "side affect" of part of the design. It is an inexpensive knife so I don't count this as a negative. It is just the way it is. Have a great day.
NEVER issued by the French military...this is an urban myth. Was often carried by French & Algerians because of it's low cost ( in 2018 less than $20.00 USD) & blade steel quality, which was capable of being sharpened so as to be used as a straight razor. A classic knife, to be collected along with SAK's, Opinel, Mam, etc.
During my research I found the $25 USD price the cheapest (with free shipping). Wow! Crazy Nooga I need to buy more Douk Douk knives for a group trip. Who in the United States sells them for that $14 - $15 USD price? Please post your reply here right away for me and other commenters wanting them at that price. Thanks in advance friend.
maybe your "free postage" is inflating their price. but also im not in north america. also cognet is a small small family company in france. they dont have any hichtech machines when they make these knives. so they can never compete with victorinox , considering coperate tax in fance is many times higher than swizerland alone.. not counting other factors.
Crazy Noonga Oh, I see. So $14 to $15 USD is the price for you in France and not in N. America. Sorry you misunderstood; $25 USD is the price for the American market since that is my main audience. In the USA we can not get the Douk Douk for less.
I'm not sure about how big the original Douk Douks were. The one in the video is the large model you can buy these days. I know there's a smaller version. Sorry I couldn't be of better help to you.
You need carbon steel for flint & steel. A ferro rod doesn't care. Do you or anyone know where I can get one of these in stainless? I've checked but no luck so far and I'm told the company does make them. They have laws against blade length in England as well as does Louisiana: less than 3 inches. In England it may be less than that.
Good question about the stainless steel version. *I have no idea where you can get one* but if it is this hard to find (meaning it's fare) you are going to spend much more for it than a better knife.
Below 3 inches for EDC, in UK, if you have a reason to have the knife it might be above 6 or 8 inches is illegal, you still can't wave it about in a city centre or carry a lock knife and there's some weird law about zombie knives. You can get full sized Douk Douks and Mercators from Heinnie Haynes in the UK, they have brilliant service and I've heard their shipping costs to the States are very reasonable.
Your use is a testament to this knife as being a good one. If Douk Douk were $10 dollars each I would be their poster boy and would own ten or twenty. But it's a shame they are priced the same as the Swiss Army Knife and other capable competition. That's a losing battle.
how true at the price of an Opinel it is a fine knife,however at $25 you are in range of something like a Case Sodbuster which is a far superior knife.
A knife doesn't need a lock, the douk douk was used in the Algerian independence war by both the French foreign legion and the Algerian rebels. It was one of the most feared weapons during that war, used as both a weapon and a tool of torture to cut of noses ears and genitals. The douk douk was sometimes modified to a virtual fixed blade by hammering the metal behind the blade pivot shut.
The douk douk is said to be honed to such sharpness, the Algerians used them to shave instead of a razor.
Thanks for the info. Interesting research.
No thanks lad, I love to share info :)
I'm very sad I don't own a douk douk yet but I'm saving up for some traditional knives. The otter messer anker messer, 2 medium size douk douk's, 1 small douk douk and a large douk douk squirrel.
What can I say? I love traditional knives and their history.
A anker messer has being carried by my grandfathers father in his workshop for a long time and it's still in my grandfathers collection and in great shape!!
Again, carried by many but NEVER issued by the French military. This myth should be removed from the knife collector's lexicon.
I had one of these as a child, I can remember the pattern on the blade and figure on the handle and bashing it with a brick to turn it into a lock knife. Wished I hadn't lost that! The reason you pay the same amount for this knife as you do a SAK is because this knife has buckets of character and lets be honest, it's an old world pre health and safety battler and that is quite appealing these days.
each douk douk is hand made , in the family workshop of the late creator of the model , that may have some influence on the price :-)
in the middle east they used to cost about 3.00. alot of Legionnaires’ carried them in there boots. people would flaten the handle and use then as ketchen knives.about the sparks, a stainless blade will spark a ferro rod but not a pice of flint. i love douks but like you said they are just to costly for what your geting. it's the same with okipa and openial
I carry one of these for some time, cuts very well, easy to sharpen, not the most ergonomic in extended use though.
Thanks for pointing out that a stainless knife won't spark with a flint but only with the ferro rod. $3 dollars is cheap and nice! I think one reason for the higher price of the Douk Douk and other items in the US is dollar's weakening especially during our present recession.
It's not paint, it's blackened with a forge process.
It's the average large sized one with a razor-sharp hollow-ground XC70 carbon steel blade (I sharpened it). Definitely not the small one.
Oh, I see. I looked at my Douk-Douk again and you are right my knife does favor staying slightly left when closed.
But it does not touch the side of the handle at all and sometimes is centered when I close it.
Maybe this is not a defect after all but just "side affect" of part of the design.
It is an inexpensive knife so I don't count this as a negative. It is just the way it is.
Have a great day.
NEVER issued by the French military...this is an urban myth. Was often carried by French & Algerians because of it's low cost ( in 2018 less than $20.00 USD) & blade steel quality, which was capable of being sharpened so as to be used as a straight razor. A classic knife, to be collected along with SAK's, Opinel, Mam, etc.
14-15$ is a normaly price for the douk douk in this size.
During my research I found the $25 USD price the cheapest (with free shipping).
Wow! Crazy Nooga I need to buy more Douk Douk knives for a group trip.
Who in the United States sells them for that $14 - $15 USD price?
Please post your reply here right away for me and other commenters wanting them at that price.
Thanks in advance friend.
maybe your "free postage" is inflating their price.
but also im not in north america. also cognet is a small small family company in france. they dont have any hichtech machines when they make these knives. so they can never compete with victorinox , considering coperate tax in fance is many times higher than swizerland alone.. not counting other factors.
Crazy Noonga Oh, I see. So $14 to $15 USD is the price for you in France and not in N. America.
Sorry you misunderstood; $25 USD is the price for the American market since that is my main audience.
In the USA we can not get the Douk Douk for less.
Price in 2018 in Canada is $25.00 CDN (about $20.00 USD). Check Lee Valley Tools.
Great review man
Thanks, I keep this knife in my pack at work. It's a good blade.
Enjoy your day.
Are you buying them locally?
No side to side play at all. Yours is probably out of spec. You should return it IMO.
how big were the originals...were they the 3.5" blades, or the small one such as in this video
I'm not sure about how big the original Douk Douks were. The one in the video is the large model you can buy these days. I know there's a smaller version.
Sorry I couldn't be of better help to you.
The medium version (4 1/4" closed) is the original version
You need carbon steel for flint & steel. A ferro rod doesn't care. Do you or anyone know where I can get one of these in stainless? I've checked but no luck so far and I'm told the company does make them.
They have laws against blade length in England as well as does Louisiana: less than 3 inches. In England it may be less than that.
Good question about the stainless steel version. *I have no idea where you can get one* but if it is this hard to find (meaning it's fare) you are going to spend much more for it than a better knife.
Below 3 inches for EDC, in UK, if you have a reason to have the knife it might be above 6 or 8 inches is illegal, you still can't wave it about in a city centre or carry a lock knife and there's some weird law about zombie knives. You can get full sized Douk Douks and Mercators from Heinnie Haynes in the UK, they have brilliant service and I've heard their shipping costs to the States are very reasonable.
Not made in stainless.
What size your version? The large or small version?
Your use is a testament to this knife as being a good one. If Douk Douk were $10 dollars each I would be their poster boy and would own ten or twenty. But it's a shame they are priced the same as the Swiss Army Knife and other capable competition. That's a losing battle.
how true at the price of an Opinel it is a fine knife,however at $25 you are in range of something like a Case Sodbuster which is a far superior knife.
similar to k55k ?
Yes, but without the locking blade.