MAM knife from Portugal: A $10 diamond

I just picked up my first MAM knife from Portugal and it is very quickly impressing me. Light, sharp, stainless, low cost. A great knife for EDC on a tight budget.

[@sherwinpalacio3227]

It depends on preference.i have experience on liner locks,not reliable but the locking mechanism on the Opinel is solid.The best locking system on a budget folder.

[@rottenapple6109]

Great budget knife. A word of caution though: MAM makes a series of knives without the liner-lock. The pull on those is super light and there are no intermediate stops on those particular knives. As a result, an inexperienced user (like me) could easily get a nasty cut (I did) if/when the knife folds up during use. I recommend buying the knives that Red Scorpion shows here: they have that tab on the underside which is the lock release. Peace out, friends! Have a great day!

[@tjsogmc]

Good point, but remember it wasn't that long ago that NO folding knife had any kind of lock. It was up to the owner to respect the blade and use proper technique. We've gotten spoiled in our modern age :)

[@DougieFrank]

Good to know. Thanks

[@theWZZA]

You can tighten up the pivot pin by peening one end with a hammer or punch, while resting the other end on a steel surface, like a second hammer.

[@alfilo5802]

Me compre una MAM en Vilaformoso (Portugal), me costó 3€, La verdad, me resultó demasiado básica, pero era la única que tenían en la tienda, Por ese precio no se puede pedir más. He Tratado de conseguir las Torrao y las Martins, Espero muy pronto hacerme con algún trabajo de estas marcas, tengo entendido que son de muy buena calidad. Gracias por el video compañero, Un abrazo, Y Por supuesto también para todos los subscriptores. 🍁

[@SwissNoobWatches]

Mam portugal..Opinel francia y Old bear italia

[@SwissNoobWatches]

En usa valen dev$10 dlls a $25 las mam

[@alfilo5802]

Me haré con varias MAM, Un abrazo compañero🍁

[@goodboi4939]

I’ll have to look into getting one. Always love a budget friendly folder, my recent is the inox opinel no9. Another one of my favorites is the svord peasant friction folder knife as well as the Case and Schrade Sodbusters.

[@Pablito46]

1:35 "It's secure." Audible rattling follows.

[@goodboi4939]

Just peen the pivot/pin and bolster a bit. Did the trick for my Higonokami

[@kerestecioglu]

I have mam and it’s rattling. Doesn’t feel very secure

[@DougieFrank]

Great review - many thanks for this. Im considering buying my 1st MAM, & probably will based on your review. I know Opinals are well regarded & widely likes, but like you I also dont like their round handle & bolster.

[@tonyduque2143]

Good review. I have the 2043 with the sheepsfoot blade and I love it.

[@theWZZA]

I have the friction folder version of the spear point. It's pretty good! Can't do much better for $10 in 2022!

[@tm2bow653]

The Opinel's blade shape is complicated. I don't like it. The Mam's one is better. Thanks for the video.

[@erikramaekers63]

The Sandvik steel 12c27 is much better than the soft 420

[@LuisSilva-xm8qm]

As portuguese thank you so much

[@tjsogmc]

You're welcome! I've been into knives for 40 years and never heard of MAM until I picked up this one. I still like it as much as when I made the video. It seems to be spending more time in my pocket than my Mercator! I don't know why they aren't more popular in the US- they are really good low cost knives.

[@LuisSilva-xm8qm]

Red Scorpion 6 you can find better knives in Portugal from the same brand but it's the portuguese curse we do not sell out goods abroad very much however we have got very good stuff and very cheap as well... Are you American?

[@garethbaus5471]

I am more of an opinel guy, but this looks like decent knife.

[@tjsogmc]

It's a decent knife for the price. I still have it and use it often for light duty cutting. I don't expect it will hold up in a survival situation. I like to carry it when I am around "civilians " because I can take it out and use it without freaking anybody out ;)

[@trampcrymes]

The vostok Amphibia is a great watch as well.

[@josephbingham1255]

I prefer the Opinel. Stage one. In closed position the wood portion of the Opinel functions as a formidable Yawara stick - especially the narrow ended early type. Stage two - if necessary a single handed quick flip open knife. Disadvantage is the weak locking ring needs to be held tightly - with the thumb in the wide section during combat to prevent closure upon the fingers.

[@sasavujienovic1299]

THIS IS only a knife opinel too.

[@sasavujienovic1299]

I Buy OPINEL FOR ME THE BEST

[@jeanninetartanpion9446]

A linerlock on the Opinel?

[@theWZZA]

He should have said ring lock

[@SwissNoobWatches]

Opinel is much better...Old Bear overated only has one sharp..Opinel Wins Quality and fit ..mam basic

[@kelemenpalgyorgy]

It's more like Antonini cartagione

[@ogivecrush]

Every Western European nation has at least one, and sometimes many, industrial products which have attained great renown, with the exception of Portugal......if this is a standard example of craftsmanship from that country, I can certainly see why. I just bought one of these and to me it's pretty rubbishy. As someone I used to know would describe it, it's "wookity." Side-to-side blade play. Vertical blade play. A locking mechanism which I can only call "cheesy." I bought it because this- and some other reviews- gave me to believe it would be a good value. Pish posh. I've seen Chinese knives being sold out of a plastic tub on a convenience store counter that were better than this at half the price. I have an Opinel which I bought new 40 years ago and have used pretty hard and it's still rock-solid....even at its advanced age it's better than my new MAM, and they are still available today for about the same price as the MAM. I really enjoy obscure knives, and I love getting a good value for a good price.......but IMO these knives are obscure for a good reason, and not at all a good value.

[@tjsogmc]

Opinel #8 sells for $17 or $18, that is 65% higher price than the MAM, so I disagree that they are in the same price category. As for the rest, I value your opinion, but remember the MAM knife is $10. I won't have the fit and finish of higher priced knives. I am still using mine just about every day and even with the slight blade wobble and liner lock, it hasn't failed to do every task I have asked of it. Consider also it's a light duty knife, so batoning wood and field crafting with it is out of the question. I have a drawer full of knives I don't really like but other people do, the Opinel being one of them. I don't like the way it feels like a roll of quarters in my pocket, and I don't care for the Virobloc safety ring. But other people rave about it as being the best knife since the invention of sharp objects. It's still a knife, and it will cut if I need it to. I just don't care for it. Truth be told, we all buy something we end up not caring for, but for $10 MAM knife, it's not that big of a deal.

[@ogivecrush]

Not to be a contrarian but the No. 8 can be had for $13.79 shipped from Amazon......but to be honest it is not one of my current favorites despite the fact I have owned one for so long. They're solid but have their downsides....Right now mine is difficult to open due to the wood swelling in the humidity.....so it goes. No, actually the MAM isn't TERRIBLE, but I'd been seeing good reviews- yours being one- and I was perhaps unrealistic in my expectations. I agree it's OK for opening things and basic light tasks....I DO like the blade shape a lot........anyway, chacun à son goût.

[@mc1996]

Do you realize this is selled for 3 to 5€ around here? Its a use blade, not a fancy show of knife... The blade play must be a issue of your, its not common at all. They are on the market since 1870 for some reason.

[@theWZZA]

I have an order for a friction-only model, because wood swelling and high stress may cause the liner lock to stop working. Opinel probably has better workmanship, but that doesn't mean MAM is undesirable.