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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Applegate-Fairbairn
- Thread starter jrc123
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2005
- Messages
- 2,938
Gerber is going down hill. Get the benchmade. Its a nice knife but gerber sint what it used to be.
I picked up an Applegate Fairbairn Mini-Covert a few years back. It's a decent little folder. There's no blade play or anything. Theclip is offset so it conceals pretty good. the zytel handles are very grippy but not harsh.
There are a couple things I don't like though. There's no indent or anything allowing access to the liner-lock, so you have to smash your thumb up against the serrations on the liner to unlock the blade. The detent also holds onto the blade really strong when it's closed. These problems coupled with the crosshatched thumbstud make it a little hard on the thumb to open and close. I took mine apart, bend the lock back a little so it wasn't so stiff, and oiled the pivot. It's a little better now.
But overall it's a pretty decent knife that I'm not afraid to use hard.
There are a couple things I don't like though. There's no indent or anything allowing access to the liner-lock, so you have to smash your thumb up against the serrations on the liner to unlock the blade. The detent also holds onto the blade really strong when it's closed. These problems coupled with the crosshatched thumbstud make it a little hard on the thumb to open and close. I took mine apart, bend the lock back a little so it wasn't so stiff, and oiled the pivot. It's a little better now.
But overall it's a pretty decent knife that I'm not afraid to use hard.
Cougar Allen
Buccaneer (ret.)
- Joined
- Oct 9, 1998
- Messages
- 75,481
I merged the threads.
Cougar Allen
Buccaneer (ret.)
- Joined
- Oct 9, 1998
- Messages
- 75,481
I merged another thread. 
jrc123, when you have something to add just click the "reply" button at the bottom of the thread. Don't start a new thread unless you want to talk about something different.
jrc123, when you have something to add just click the "reply" button at the bottom of the thread. Don't start a new thread unless you want to talk about something different.
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2005
- Messages
- 5,171
I thought it a better representative of the genre than many.
I have heard the handle has cracking issues, but the one I briefly had seemed to have zytel type material handles which are usually pretty robust. Also, the edge was sharp (with a dull upper false edge).
Seemed sturdy enough.
I have heard the handle has cracking issues, but the one I briefly had seemed to have zytel type material handles which are usually pretty robust. Also, the edge was sharp (with a dull upper false edge).
Seemed sturdy enough.
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2003
- Messages
- 1,321
I don´t have a AF Boker and all i can tell is from the book, mentioned above and from one "test" in the german knife magazin. Summary: As a dagger it breaks easily, compared to some utility blades.
I would have no idea, what to do with a dagger´, exept stabbing. But since stabbing is not the main job for my knives, daggers are just out of my sight.
If you don´t find much about the Presidio, search again. There is not much bad about it. Surely some like it, some not. I love it. This serie was my edc since the last 1.5 years. The handle is great and not that pants - eating as oftenly said. Mine held up well.
I changed the blade for a custom made, but that is just me. There is nothing to say against Benchmades 154CM, compared to blades of the same steel from other manufacturers.
If weight is an issue, try before buy! The Mini version might be an option.
I would have no idea, what to do with a dagger´, exept stabbing. But since stabbing is not the main job for my knives, daggers are just out of my sight.
If you don´t find much about the Presidio, search again. There is not much bad about it. Surely some like it, some not. I love it. This serie was my edc since the last 1.5 years. The handle is great and not that pants - eating as oftenly said. Mine held up well.
I changed the blade for a custom made, but that is just me. There is nothing to say against Benchmades 154CM, compared to blades of the same steel from other manufacturers.
If weight is an issue, try before buy! The Mini version might be an option.
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2000
- Messages
- 1,667
One of the forumites said that the edges were not sharp and you could not cut anything with it.
I have 2 of the large models, 1 with serrations and 1 without serrations. I also have the boot knife in the dagger shape.
All 3 of my models are extremly sharp and can be used as more then a stabbing dagger, in fact there was an article in Tactical Knives a ways back that showed them being used in the woods as survival knives and they put up a pretty good show at it. Think about it, you dull one edge and have a second one to keep going.
The boot knife is wicked, one side is double ground and the other side is concave from edge to edge and very sharp.
FWIW
Ciao
BTW, I stopped buying Boker knives sometime ago due to poor quality control and will probably never buy another Boker. The ones I have a several years old now.
I have 2 of the large models, 1 with serrations and 1 without serrations. I also have the boot knife in the dagger shape.
All 3 of my models are extremly sharp and can be used as more then a stabbing dagger, in fact there was an article in Tactical Knives a ways back that showed them being used in the woods as survival knives and they put up a pretty good show at it. Think about it, you dull one edge and have a second one to keep going.
The boot knife is wicked, one side is double ground and the other side is concave from edge to edge and very sharp.
FWIW
Ciao
BTW, I stopped buying Boker knives sometime ago due to poor quality control and will probably never buy another Boker. The ones I have a several years old now.
muzzleup said:One of the forumites said that the edges were not sharp and you could not cut anything with it.
I have 2 of the large models, 1 with serrations and 1 without serrations. I also have the boot knife in the dagger shape.
All 3 of my models are extremly sharp and can be used as more then a stabbing dagger, in fact there was an article in Tactical Knives a ways back that showed them being used in the woods as survival knives and they put up a pretty good show at it. Think about it, you dull one edge and have a second one to keep going.
The boot knife is wicked, one side is double ground and the other side is concave from edge to edge and very sharp.
FWIW
Ciao
BTW, I stopped buying Boker knives sometime ago due to poor quality control and will probably never buy another Boker. The ones I have a several years old now.
Were they originals or repros? The one I had looked wicked but there wasnt even a grind on it. It was 70s production.
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2000
- Messages
- 1,667
I really don't know what you mean by "original" or "Repo".
I got mine when they first came out in the wholsalers catalog (at the time I was a gun/knife dealer).
The ones I have are not WWII vitage if that is what you mean but they are originals offered to the retail market when they first came out to the wholsalers.
Mine are marked on the choil "Boker Solingen" on one side and "Germany 440C" on the other side.
I have 2 of the Gerber folding models of the same blade and the small one has "first production run" on the blade. Both the large and small one are rock solid. They open fast and lock tight.
Hope this helps.
Ciao
Ron
I got mine when they first came out in the wholsalers catalog (at the time I was a gun/knife dealer).
The ones I have are not WWII vitage if that is what you mean but they are originals offered to the retail market when they first came out to the wholsalers.
Mine are marked on the choil "Boker Solingen" on one side and "Germany 440C" on the other side.
I have 2 of the Gerber folding models of the same blade and the small one has "first production run" on the blade. Both the large and small one are rock solid. They open fast and lock tight.
Hope this helps.
Ciao
Ron
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2004
- Messages
- 14,031
The A/F design is fine, I wouldn't use one as a utility knife though. The blade is just is not strong enough for that type of work.
The Boker models cost almost as much as a Blackjack Knives model on Epray. I would go with a Blackjack model (another one) if I wanted a A/F knife.
The Boker models cost almost as much as a Blackjack Knives model on Epray. I would go with a Blackjack model (another one) if I wanted a A/F knife.
I have an Al Mar A-F with green plastic handle (bought in the mid '90s), and a Boker A-F with a half top-edge, and the Boker seems like a pretty good, solid knife. I don't know anything about the Benchmade.
In my opinion, though, the A-F knives were designed with a specific purpose, so quality/toughness is kind of a moot point in these knives, since they're rarely used for using-knife tasks, such as cutting stuff, if at all...
In my opinion, though, the A-F knives were designed with a specific purpose, so quality/toughness is kind of a moot point in these knives, since they're rarely used for using-knife tasks, such as cutting stuff, if at all...
You don't suppose that the late Colonel had for the slightest moment pondered on other "practical uses" for other than what it was designed for?
-http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0873647351.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg-
BTW, Cliff has a review on the Boker AF, if you didn't already know by now
-http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/applegate_boker.html-
-http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0873647351.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg-
BTW, Cliff has a review on the Boker AF, if you didn't already know by now
-http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/applegate_boker.html-