Any info on this Boker Rosewood penknife?

[Gurdygurds]

Hey all. I've recently become interested in picking up either a peanut or penknife style traditional knife and came across this Boker. Does anyone have experience with this knife? Traditional are completely new to me so other than Case I haven't heard much about these other brands. Also is handle material just a preference or is a bone handle preferable to a wood handle? I'm drawn to the wooden scales personally. Also below is a picture of a Robeson pocketeze that my dad gave me not too long ago that I've been trying to clean up. Main blade has no real snap anymore unfortunately even after a soapy back and a good cleaning with wd40. Thanks in advance!
81J4TNnFj1L._SL1500_ by Six Pound Cat, on Flickrimage by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr

 

[supratentorial]

Wood is much easier to work with and can sometimes be cheaper. I think that's why a lot of companies like to use wood. There are some very pretty exotic woods that will be more costly. One drawback to wood is that it can warp from exposure to water. Wood covers can last a very long time. I have 100 year old knives with ebony or cocobolo covers that are still in excellent condition. I've owned Boker knives but not that particular knife. Since it says "Solingen" it is made in Germany but some of their knives are imported from Asia now. I've only owned a few of their modern Solingen-made knives (the Boker brand has a long history) but they've all been of good quality. I use some vintage Bokers.

That Robeson is cool. They made quality knives. The pocketeze knives had sunk joints. Your knife has celluloid covers which will eventually (if it hasn't yet) decompose and produce an acid that will corrode metal. It's best not to store it near other knives.

 

[Gurdygurds]

Thanks for the response supra. The other knife I'm considering is this Case peanut with wood handles. I believe it's from the early 90s. Do you think they're of similar quality? The Case is definitely cheaper so I may go that route just to see how I like it. Thanks again!
s-l1600 by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr

Wood is much easier to work with and can sometimes be cheaper. I think that's why a lot of companies like to use wood. There are some very pretty exotic woods that will be more costly. One drawback to wood is that it can warp from exposure to water. Wood covers can last a very long time. I have 100 year old knives with ebony or cocobolo covers that are still in excellent condition. I've owned Boker knives but not that particular knife. Since it says "Solingen" it is made in Germany but some of their knives are imported from Asia now. I've only owned a few of their modern Solingen-made knives (the Boker brand has a long history) but they've all been of good quality. I use some vintage Bokers.

That Robeson is cool. They made quality knives. The pocketeze knives had sunk joints. Your knife has celluloid covers which will eventually (if it hasn't yet) decompose and produce an acid that will corrode metal. It's best not to store it near other knives.

 

[supratentorial]

Case was under ownership of Parker at the time that knife was made. They were also on their way to bankruptcy at that time. I won't go into the details here. There's a lot of information and misinformation on the web about what happened. I recommend reading Bernard_Levine's comments in the Identification section of Bladeforums if you want to know more about Parker's ownership of Case.

I'm a fan of Case but I usually don't buy their knives from the late 80s to mid 90s.... actually, I usually avoid the late 70s and early 80s as well. There are lots of folks who do like the knives from that time period. There are plenty of different opinions. I would recommend buying a peanut pattern knife that was made by Case more recently. Alternatively, you might also be able to find one from the early 1970s or earlier that's still in good condition. The early 70s and older Case knives are a real treat.

I took a quick look online and Case is currently using Sycamore and Curly Maple woods. You might check them out.

 

[knarfeng]

According to a search for "Boker 8288I", that Boker has carbon steel blades and rosewood covers. Boker does carbon steel well and rosewood is one of the more robust varieties of wood. I have a couple of Boker knives of recent vintage and have been happy with them.

 

[mtangent]

I have a Boker copperhead made in Solingen. It has the same shield, & SS blades. It is very good SS, & the knife is structurally well made.
The shield fell out.
It was a plastic shield, glued, not pinned. There was a hole for pinning, but that is probably an anachronism from when metal shields were used.
Otherwise, it is excellent.

 

[Gurdygurds]

Thank you guys for the input, warnings, and first hand experiences. I'm going to do a bit more research and we will see what I end up with. If anyone has first hand experience with the Boker 82881, (which I'm assuming is the new version of the popular 240 from what I've been reading) I'd love to hear it. It's a beautiful knife.

 

[lutejones]

I had one for some time, but then we made a time capsule for a friend's kid to be open when he comes to age and I put it there as his first knife.
I remember it as a great urban pen gentleman style knife mine was red smooth bone and stainless steel, great quality all around, was one of my most carried at the time
I know pics or it didn't happened

One last thing, I've come to believe that boker steels(or their heat treatment) perform better with a non polished edge around 600 grit and very little stropping otherwise they lost bite YMMV of course
Mateo

 

[J D Wijbenga]

That is a good looking knife Lutejones! Nice red handle material.

I do not have the Boker but and Old Times of similar style. Great little coin pocket knife!

 

[leghog]

Hey all. I've recently become interested in picking up either a peanut or penknife style traditional knife and came across this Boker. Does anyone have experience with this knife? Traditional are completely new to me so other than Case I haven't heard much about these other brands. Also is handle material just a preference or is a bone handle preferable to a wood handle? I'm drawn to the wooden scales personally. Also below is a picture of a Robeson pocketeze that my dad gave me not too long ago that I've been trying to clean up. Main blade has no real snap anymore unfortunately even after a soapy back and a good cleaning with wd40. Thanks in advance!
81J4TNnFj1L._SL1500_ by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr[/QUOTE]

I carried a red bone 8288SS daily for about ten years. I preferred the stainless steel. It's a very good knife. I'd recommend it.

It was new when I bought it, and you can see how much steel was lost on the clip point after ten years of keeping it sharp.

[img]http://www.fototime.com/%7B9B0018A0-84E3-4568-BF78-A75DE4308C86%7D/origpict/Boker%25208828%2520Pen.jpg

 

[Gurdygurds]

Excellent! Again thanks for the first hand experience. I'm 90% sure I'm going to get this although the yellow delrin Case Peanut in carbon steel has also gotten my attention. I'll keep everyone posted when I finally decide.

I carried a red bone 8288SS daily for about ten years. I preferred the stainless steel. It's a very good knife. I'd recommend it.

It was new when I bought it, and you can see how much steel was lost on the clip point after ten years of keeping it sharp.

 

[Gurdygurds]

Well the Boker arrived and unfortunately the main blade was really poorly aligned. When closing it would smack the inside of the liner and not close fully unless pushed so it went back. Too bad as it was a really nice looking little pen knife. I also went ahead and ordered a yellow peanut which will not be going anywhere. I'm really liking it. Also have a Buck 309 arriving tomorrow to scratch my pen knife itch.

image by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr

 

[knarfeng]

I'm sorry to hear this. Have you contacted the dealer?

 

[supratentorial]

Glad the Case worked out for you :thumbup:

 

[Gurdygurds]

Yes contacted the dealer and swapped the Boker for a Buck 309. A completely different style pen knife obviously but I really like it. Simple and utilitarian. I'm going to bounce back and forth between the Buck and the peanut to see which I like best. If I was forced to choose right now I actually might pick the Buck!

I'm sorry to hear this. Have you contacted the dealer?

 

[knarfeng]

Yes contacted the dealer and swapped the Boker for a Buck 309. A completely different style pen knife obviously but I really like it. Simple and utilitarian. I'm going to bounce back and forth between the Buck and the peanut to see which I like best. If I was forced to choose right now I actually might pick the Buck!

SSHHHH! Don't tell anyone, but I prefer the 309 over the peanut, too.
That clip is almost a Wharncliffe and is almost as adept at starting a cut in the middle of a surface.

 

[Gurdygurds]

Lol. I won't tell anyone and I definitely won't respond and repost your quote! Listen I got a peanut because of all the stories I read in here and it's cult status. I like it. It's a cool knife. I had the disappointment with the Boker and I thought I'll give the 309 a try. Honestly I wasn't expecting to like it. Always thought the angled bolsters looked a bit odd, doesn't have carbon steel blades, and thought it kinda plain looking. But I've been reading some of 300bucks posts and started to see them in a different light. Now that I have one in my hand I'm really pleased with it. Love the size, very solid build, sharp as heck, and it just comes off as a no nonsense good all around tool. I'm curious to see where this little traditional knife experiment takes me. I grew up with SAK classics and have gotten used to having some tools so I'll be pairing these small slip joints with a leatherman micra.

image by Six Pound Cat, on Flickr

SSHHHH! Don't tell anyone, but I prefer the 309 over the peanut, too.
That clip is almost a Wharncliffe and is almost as adept at starting a cut in the middle of a surface.