7 Pocket Knife by Nagao Seisakusho, Parkerized Black Satin Finish

Really nice knife with character for the price. I've attached some pics on a ruled mat for scale (the lines are inches), and I tried to capture some details. Mine came in the yellow gift box as pictured (order fulfilled by Amazon on Jan 11, 2016). The blade is obviously hand made. It's thick and substantial, and rough and blackened on the back. Blade came heavily oiled, and I plan on keeping it clean and oiled, since this style of carbon steel will rust. It came respectably sharp, but not razor sharp; it seems relatively easy to sharpen (sharpened using one of those new fangled diamond stones). The edge has a slight (barely perceptible) wave to it, but it's perfectly smooth (whoever sharpened it did a careful job). The brass handle rivet provides ample resistance, but I've heard that it loosens over time, which I will address when it happens using a hammer. I got the black handle, which appears to be brass with a nickel plating, and some kind of oxidation treatment or something to blacken the outside of the nickel plating. I expect the black will rub down to silvery nickel in places, which will add to the character IMHO. When you close it, if you push it all the way in the blade edge WILL hit the back of the case. So, when you close this knife, you HAVE to do it with care, or you will chip the blade edge. Thoughtful care and mantainence is a necessity with this knife, all around, or you will quickly end up with a rusty jagged piece of junk. Treat it gently, wipe after using, rub it regularly with mineral oil, and hammer the rivet when it gets loose, and you'll have a very nice and unique tool for years to come. I plan on carrying this in my pocket for random everyday tasks. Also, I occasionally carve violin bridges, and this might be useful for some parts of that task. It's made to be an easy-to-carry tool for general light tasks and crafts. If you want something convenient with no mantainence that you use to pry and hack and saw at stuff, buy something else. UPDATE: I've had this for a while, now, carry it in my backpack every day. Still in great shape. Keeping it sharp is not a problem. Super useful little tool. And, it's held up and kept in good shape way better than I had originally anticipated.

I've been looking at a higonokami for a long time, and finally decided to pull the trigger and buy one. I wasn't sure if it would have a place in my daily routine, or if it would end up as just more clutter in my collection of knives. I'm quite glad that I did so, because this little blade is really nice. First, realize that a higo is a friction folder. There is no safe locking mechanism on the blade. Right now the bent brass scales are tight enough to keep the blade secure when the knife is folded up, but I don't have much confidence that this will continue to be the case over time. That being said, I am not carrying this knife in my pocket or in the bottom of a bag where an accidental opening could be catastrophic. I have read that these types of knives were traditionally used by school children in Japan to sharpen pencils. That is a job that this knife is more than capable of. The blade comes extremely sharp, and the back of it is quite thick and sturdy. The tanto-esque point is also quite sturdy. The knife is quite obviously hand made, and made well at that. For the money, this is one of the top "peasant" knives that one could buy. Compared to my Opinel no 8, the higonokami has a shorter blade, but the blade is much thicker and stronger. The higo could be used to pry things that would bend the blade of the Opinel over on itself. The only downside to the knife is that it has no locking mechanism. The Opinel at least has the ring lock that makes it somewhat safe to use, but the higo is just a sharp blade on a hinge. That might limit its usefulness (unless you don't mind losing the occasional finger), but it still doesn't prevent me from giving this knife five stars. Treat it with the same respect that you would a straight razor, but abuse it like you would any peasant knife. It is an all around fun blade, and I'm glad to have it in my collection. If for no other reason than the look on people's faces when I pull it out to sharpen my pencils in public. A higonokami is by far the best pencil sharpener for the money ever made.

Update after 2 years: it has developed a great patina thanks to the saltwater San Diego air, no rust to speak of, and I don’t oil it. It’s still my backup edc knife, still have the Delica Wave too :) the blade is easy to keep sharp, I don’t use it often but don’t think I’ve actually done anything more than hone or strop it in 2 years, and oh boy is it sharp. It seems the price has gone up 3 dollars. Inflation’s a bitch. Still an unusually great item for under $20. Original review: This is a somewhat crude, simple tool, but it is beautiful to look at and the blade on mine at least was shaving sharp out of the box. I'd categorize it as a gentleman's knife, if you want the coolest cigar cutter on the block, this would definitely be it. The size of this one is perfect for me, just under 3 inch blade. My every day carry knife is a spider co-Delica wave, this would pretty much be the antithesis of that knife (other than the identical blade length and Japanese manufacture). Opens slowly, no lock, inconsistencies and character marks, all metal, ancient engineering. Will this replace my Delica as my every day carry? Heck no. But for times when the Delica might be too bulky, this will be the one. And you simply can't get a cooler gift for this price. I don't think you can get a cooler anything for this price.

Its cheaper than what you are expecting and probably the most simple folding pocket knife there is... i was extremely disappointed when it arrived fairly dull out of the bag and many reviews stated it was scary sharp. However, i reprofiled the egde freehand, on a diamond hone (thats what i had handy, im sure with this steel that any type of sharpening stone would work) for about 15-20 minutes. Then gave it a go-over on a 3000-ish grit trizact sheet, and this thing got SHARP! Im sure if you have a sharpening device that holds even and correct angles, this knife would get SCARY sharp. The blade steel is rough on the spine, and it almost looks like its 2 steels with one folded around the other... but its so rough, its hard to tell, and for the price, id doubt that it is. It seems pretty good, hasnt gotten dull in day-to-day use over the past few weeks. I use it mainly to open boxes, bags, packages, etc... but i havent really pushed the blade to see its edge holding abilities. Its got no lock on the blade, so unless an emergency happens, im never going to use this knife under any kind of heavy use. Do Not purchase this expecting something more than what this is... a simple designed, good carbon steel, inexpensive folder for light tasks. It is NOT tacticool, heavy duty, stainless, or cutting edge tech. Overall, its well made for what it is, and i would probably buy it again, but with less high hopes of what i was getting.

I've read a lot about these and finally took the plunge. But it was a no-brainer considering it was only 12-bucks. First off - the question everyone seems to ask is - is this authentic? My answer would be - "It's $12 and has Kanji on it." I'm no knife snob - but, to me, that's a good deal for something that looks so cool. The blade is nice and sharp. It does all the things that one would demand from a knife... cuts through Amazon box tape, plastic padded envelopes, paracord string, fishing line, and even apples and carrots. It's got a pointy end that can scratch wood and do pokey stuff. Easy to carry and tight closure. This makes it good for carrying in your bag or pocket. But - not good if you like to fidget with your knife - OR if you need it to open quickly with one hand. No screwdriver, pliers, wine bottle opener, fish hook threader, USB drive, magnifying glass, phone power bank, car tire gauge, gun sight adjuster, etc --- this is just a good, honest folding knife. And (I like to think) it's made by hard-working people that put pride in their work. Enjoy!

It is a fun knife! Pros: Small, sharp out the box, no fuss, just knife Cons: Tip broke off after 1 week of use, no longer sharp after only using it on boxes and plastic zip ties Biggest pro: Style- Thing looks good Biggest Con: It takes two hands to open a really small knife.

Really happy with this knife for being so basic it is an Awesome knife!!!

I purchased this as a nostalgia piece for my daughter, who is a huge fan of the studio Ghibli movies. There are knives that are much more comfortable to hold, or more refined, but this had the exact nostalgic value I was looking for. From what I could tell, it is authentic and made in the original factory, although I can't prove this definitively.