Since 1840, OTTER-Messer has been making high-quality knives in Solingen, Germany. OTTER-Messer translates to "Otter Knives," inspired by the otters who call the water near the factory their home. Their traditional knife-making process means a focus on quality, as every knife is ground, stropped, and polished by hand. Simple, beautiful, and traditional, an Otter-Messer knife is a great way to change up your EDC, with the Small Hippekniep 140 a way to add class and a hint of traditionalism to your EDC.
OTTER-Messer's Small Hippekniep Klein 140 Knife is a non-locking, slip-joint pocket knife. Using two hands to open, it's designed for day-to-day work and basic EDC tasks. A job that uses a knife often can find that the blade can loosen, so a sturdier solution was developed. The bolt holding the blade in position has a large semi-circular rivet in a broad brass casing. When needed, the rivet can simply be hammered in deeper if the blade begins to loosen after extensive use.
The carbon steel C75 blade consists of almost pure iron and only a small share (0.5 - 1.4%) of carbon, resulting in a very high level of hardness. In order to give steel strength and flexibility, it is processed a second time and tempered at a lower temperature. Carbon steel knife blades will also develop a patina as you use the knife, which adds to the character and uniqueness, as no two will look alike, and adds additional rust protection to the steel.
The handle is a made out of grenadilla wood, which comes from the Dalbergia Melanoxylon tree, part of the legume family. This tree's home is in the dry savannah regions of the Sahel zone in the Northern region of South Africa. This hard wood is brown-black to black-violet in color and is one of the densest and hardest woods in the world. It has a relatively fine pores and therefore feels smooth and comfortable in your hands.
The Hippekniep comes in two sizes:
- Small Hippekniep 140 (Current Product)
- Large Hippekniep 142