{"product_id":"otter-mercator-pocket-knife","title":"OTTER Mercator Pocket Knife","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Otter Mercator is a German lockback pocket knife with a 3.25\" blade and a slim black steel handle, finished with a bail and a pocket clip. It comes in two versions: a traditional carbon steel blade or a satin-finish stainless steel blade. Both are made in Solingen, Germany, the city that has been the center of German knifemaking for centuries, and the design has barely changed since the 1860s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShort and Sweet\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOTTER-Messer Mercator lockback with clip\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e4.25\" (10.8 cm) closed with a 3.25\" (8.26 cm) blade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade options:\u003c\/strong\u003e carbon steel (OTT10436) or satin-finish stainless steel (OTT10436R)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNail nick opening\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne-piece folded steel handle with black finish\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLockback with bail and steel pocket clip\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade in Solingen, Germany\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: New\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Mercator: Solingen, 1867\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHeinrich Kaufmann \u0026amp; Söhne developed the Mercator knife in Solingen in 1867. Its best-known model, the K55K, takes its name from Kaufmann, the company's address at Hochstraße 55, and Katze, the German word for the cat logo stamped on the handle. The knife wasn't designed for the military, but German soldiers took to it early on, and some called it the \"Kaiser Wilhelm knife.\" After World War II, American GIs brought Mercators home, where they became known as \"Black Cat\" knives and earned a loyal following. OTTER-Messer, a Solingen cutler founded in 1840, took over Mercator production in 1995 and still builds the knife to the original pattern.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFolded Steel, Two Blade Choices\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe handle is a single sheet of steel folded into a channel, which makes the knife thin, light, and very hard to break. A back spring locks the blade open, and a steel pocket clip and bail give you two ways to carry it. You open the blade with the nail nick, the traditional way. The carbon steel version takes a very sharp edge, sharpens quickly on a stone, and develops a gray patina with use, so wipe it dry and add a drop of oil now and then. The stainless steel version trades a little of that easy sharpening for strong rust resistance and needs almost no upkeep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEveryday Carry the Old Way\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Mercator's thin profile disappears in a front pocket, which is why tradesmen, farmers, and anglers have carried it for generations. Owners use theirs for cutting cord, opening feed sacks and boxes, cleaning fish, and slicing apples or sausage on the trail. Choose stainless if your knife will see saltwater, fish slime, or food prep, or if you want a carry knife you can forget about. Choose carbon if you like a traditional blade that you sharpen yourself and that shows its history over time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"OTTER","offers":[{"title":"Stainless Steel","offer_id":67133242835185,"sku":"67133242835185","price":67.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Carbon Steel","offer_id":67133242867953,"sku":"67133242867953","price":67.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0564\/7043\/8085\/files\/OTT10436FINAl.jpg?v=1791388828","url":"https:\/\/www.americanapipedream.com\/products\/otter-mercator-pocket-knife","provider":"Americana Pipedream Apparel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}