- Joined
- Dec 17, 2001
- Messages
- 1,055
I picked up a couple of Canoes recently. I've always been intrigued by this pattern, but didn't own any, so decided to jump in with both feet, as it were. I'm glad I did! I like slim knives, and the Canoe is that; it also rides in the pocket quite well and still provides the utility of two blades.
I wish I could post pictures, but I'm still learning about light, shadow, glare, and producing a decent digital photograph.
Maybe some day.
On to the comparison:
Boker
First up is a Boker "Tree Brand" Tang Stamp series. Made in Solingen Germany, with carbon steel blades, jigged bone scales, brass liners, and nickel bolsters. Main blade has a nice frosted etch to it. Fit and finish are quite nice, with square, true scales, flush spring, and only the slightest roughness along the back of the handle where the spring and liners meet. Pins are nice and level, no blade play.
Only two minor negative observations: One, the scales look a little cheap; nothing wrong with them, just no real character or depth. Almost might as well be jigged Delrin rather than bone. And two, there's a slight gap in one spot between the liner and the spring when viewed from the back.
Queen
The contender is a Queen Canoe, the 1095 carbon steel model with the Queen City tang stamp, currently offered by a popular Queen/S&M/CSC online retailer. This one also has jigged bone scales, brass liners and nickel bolsters. Fit and finish is good as far as the scales-to-handle fit (square & true, no gaps), and the scales are much nicer: The worm-grooved jigging looks really nice on this one, not the squiggly little pattern I've seen on other examples. The main blade has a very nice grind with a fancy little swedge/false edge on the back side of the blade.
However, this one too has two negatives: A spring-to-liner gap, for pretty much the full length of the spring. Wide enough to slide a piece of paper into. And one of the pin heads is positioned right on the edge of a relief in the jigging, making the pin appear a little high on one side.
The Comparison
Both knives have single springs. The Queen's is a little thicker than the Boker's, but the Queen's scales and bolsters are a little thinner so the overall width of the two is about the same. Neither has half-stops (this may be common to the pattern), and neither exhibits the near "over-sprung" feeling of some of the other Queens and S&Ms that I've accumulated -- they both have nice snap, but don't require 25lbs of force to close. The Queen is about 1/8" longer (closed) than the Boker. The Boker has a bit more curve to the handle, which appeals to me. The Boker's pen blade is considerably more narrow (spine to edge) than the one on the Queen. Both knives came sharp from the factory, though neither was hair-popping/push-cutting sharp.
The Queen is "nicer" overall, in that it has a little more heft, and both the bolsters and scales are considerably more beveled and blended than the Boker. The Boker is far from having squared edges, but the Queen has been smoothed such that it has a slicker, more elegant feel in the hand. And the Queen's jigged bone is miles ahead of the Boker's in look, feel and finish.
Overall I like both knives. I'm a little miffed that the $60 Queen wasn't "perfect", though the defects it has are minor enough that I'm not sure it's worth the hassle of returning it. I do think that overall it's a nicer knife, with more attention to detail in the design, though I wish others at the factory had paid a little more attention to detail of the individual unit.
Is the Queen twice (plus) as much knife as the $25 Boker? No. Is it worth the extra money? Only the buyer can make that decision. Both will be doing EDC duty in my own rotation.
-- Sam
I wish I could post pictures, but I'm still learning about light, shadow, glare, and producing a decent digital photograph.
Maybe some day.On to the comparison:
Boker
First up is a Boker "Tree Brand" Tang Stamp series. Made in Solingen Germany, with carbon steel blades, jigged bone scales, brass liners, and nickel bolsters. Main blade has a nice frosted etch to it. Fit and finish are quite nice, with square, true scales, flush spring, and only the slightest roughness along the back of the handle where the spring and liners meet. Pins are nice and level, no blade play.
Only two minor negative observations: One, the scales look a little cheap; nothing wrong with them, just no real character or depth. Almost might as well be jigged Delrin rather than bone. And two, there's a slight gap in one spot between the liner and the spring when viewed from the back.
Queen
The contender is a Queen Canoe, the 1095 carbon steel model with the Queen City tang stamp, currently offered by a popular Queen/S&M/CSC online retailer. This one also has jigged bone scales, brass liners and nickel bolsters. Fit and finish is good as far as the scales-to-handle fit (square & true, no gaps), and the scales are much nicer: The worm-grooved jigging looks really nice on this one, not the squiggly little pattern I've seen on other examples. The main blade has a very nice grind with a fancy little swedge/false edge on the back side of the blade.
However, this one too has two negatives: A spring-to-liner gap, for pretty much the full length of the spring. Wide enough to slide a piece of paper into. And one of the pin heads is positioned right on the edge of a relief in the jigging, making the pin appear a little high on one side.
The Comparison
Both knives have single springs. The Queen's is a little thicker than the Boker's, but the Queen's scales and bolsters are a little thinner so the overall width of the two is about the same. Neither has half-stops (this may be common to the pattern), and neither exhibits the near "over-sprung" feeling of some of the other Queens and S&Ms that I've accumulated -- they both have nice snap, but don't require 25lbs of force to close. The Queen is about 1/8" longer (closed) than the Boker. The Boker has a bit more curve to the handle, which appeals to me. The Boker's pen blade is considerably more narrow (spine to edge) than the one on the Queen. Both knives came sharp from the factory, though neither was hair-popping/push-cutting sharp.
The Queen is "nicer" overall, in that it has a little more heft, and both the bolsters and scales are considerably more beveled and blended than the Boker. The Boker is far from having squared edges, but the Queen has been smoothed such that it has a slicker, more elegant feel in the hand. And the Queen's jigged bone is miles ahead of the Boker's in look, feel and finish.
Overall I like both knives. I'm a little miffed that the $60 Queen wasn't "perfect", though the defects it has are minor enough that I'm not sure it's worth the hassle of returning it. I do think that overall it's a nicer knife, with more attention to detail in the design, though I wish others at the factory had paid a little more attention to detail of the individual unit.
Is the Queen twice (plus) as much knife as the $25 Boker? No. Is it worth the extra money? Only the buyer can make that decision. Both will be doing EDC duty in my own rotation.
-- Sam
