Greg Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Rather quiet around here lately, so thought I'd toss something into the pot. Just picked up a rather new bit of military kit but still a nice collectable item. A Bundeswehr OH-GAK pocket knife. These are make on contract by Victorinox and replaced the former Victorinox swiss army knife of the German Army they have had since 1961. The OH-GAK stands for One Handed - German Army Knife and was released starting in 2008. The civilian model of these is the Victorinox Trekker which is identical other than scales colour and having the toothpick and tweezers. However it retails for over 2x the cost you can get the OH-GAK for surplus! It is only recently that you can start finding the authentic OH-GAK on the market easily and at fairly cheap prices. Likewise the old 1961 model is out there in bunches and while an odd ball knife is nice to pick up when you see one. I bought this OH-GAK as both a collectors item but also thinking I might use it as my hillwalking knife to carry a good solid locking blade rather than using my leatherman PST which is not locking. I wanted the military version as it has a serrated blade but was bummed it would not have the tweezers and toothpick and these are nice to have for pulling ticks from skin. When I got the knife I thought the one scale had a crack in it (bottom right of photo) - but upon close inspection it turns out an enterprising German soldier cut into the scale to reveal hidden underneath 2 slots for tweezers and a toothpick! So all I need do is pop them in and presto - army issue with civi tools too! Also an excellent knife by all accounts so highly recommended as something you can pick up today for pennies and may gain value in the future - else use it, they are great! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 reminds me of my first item I ever bought ,it was a Mauser pocket knife , think it was made by the same people who made the Swiss army knifes, I remember saving up every week to buy it from the local gun store in Royal exchange square which also had things like live war time Luger's in the front window , changed days 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted October 30, 2013 Author Share Posted October 30, 2013 That is a nice Mauser Kenny. They are the same knife as the Bundeswehr 1961 model but marked Mauser rather than haveing the German eagle on the military edition. The German army contracted both models out. Victorinox, Mauser and Aitor all made the 1961 model. Victorinox and Mil-Tek make the OH-GAK. There probably are a few other makers of each but those are the ones I am aware of. The 1961 model is out in massive quanity now that the Bundeswehr has moved to a knew model. In most cases where you are not being ripped off you can pick up a unissed surplus one for under £10. In both models I'd try to get the Victorinox versions just for the quality. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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