Best German Made Knives

NirreBosse said:
Vintage, green box pumas. As good as production can be. Good materials and workmanship in details, design into the small details. I highly rekomend slipjoints like prospector, Puma jr & Puma sr, bantam, pony. I only got 2 of the prospectors myself but man are they good knifes.

Bosse
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Totally agree. The 60's, 70's, & early 80's green and yellow box Puma's were some of the best production knives ever made. Fit and finish was flawless and the stag used on their vintage knives was top of the line Sambar Stag. Sadly, the stuff they've produced since the company sold in the mid-80's is a disgrace compared to the fine cutlery they once made.
 
chanwahyaoh said:
This is way off topic...but I couldn't resist :):

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"It's made in Germany so it must be good." :o

But as quite a few other people have said, check out Boker.
 
I can't wait for Spyderco to release the production Leaf Storm. :cool:
 
I just picked up a Böker, Arbolito Barlow w/ carbon steel blades. It's nothing like the fit and finish of a German assembled Böker but for $11 I'm not complaining. The edge grind isn't perfect but it's sharp. The fit is good but the finish is pretty rough. My only real gripe is the bladespring tightness, easily a 10 for tight. Since it's destined to be a user maybe it will smooth out after a while.
 
These are some of my German made stag hunting knives (except for the KOA set).
Some are like new, but I haven't bought a "new" new German knife for decades.
The overall fit and finish and the quality of the stag has seriously declined lately.
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Linder and Boker. I have a Linder Crocodile Hunter, great knife for those who like 'em big. I have a Boker lockback in Cronidur 30 steel, a gentleman's pocket knife, great quality. I think Linder still makes most of its stuff in Germany. With Boker, you have to be careful because a lot of their knives are made in Communist China. Only the ones with the tree logo are made in Germany. Whatever you go with, do as much research as you can before buying. Info on European brand knives is often limited. Compare prices, between models as well as between dealers, and don't overpay. These imports can sometimes have huge price disparities across dealers.
 
As a German I'd mention five companies:

Linder: They are well known as one of the biggest knife importers in Germany. They also produce fixed outdoor knives. They are usually regarded as being high quality but very oldschool.

Eickhorn: The producer of emergency and military knives in Germany. The ABW II rescue knife was developed by a first responder / firefighter. They also have some heavy folders like the Secutor that were developed by Dietmar Pohl - the knife designer that later started Pohl Force, a German company who's knives are produced by Lionsteel in Italy. They don't have fancy or light weight knives and everything seems a bit outdated but the quality is good. Be careful though, they also have some Chinese made cheap lines that aren't that good. If you like heavy modern knives and don't need PM steel - take a look!

Hartkopf: You are looking for a traditional German knife? Buy a Hartkopf! It still is a tiny family owned and run knife company. If you are interested here is a documentation from German national TV about them (please note: the documentation was recorded recently - they really work like 50-100 years ago!).

Herder: Robert Herder Windmühlenmesser (wind mill knives). I won't mention other kitchen knife companies as a lot of the other German brands are well known but I don't think Windmühlenmesser are known that well abroad and that's a shame IMO. All their knives feature the Solinger Dünnschliff - an exceptional thin blade. They are razor sharp and cut like the devil. They also are very affordable and still last a life time!

Böker: Everybody knows Böker. For me it is a love / hate relationship. IMO they are one of the most innovative companies in the world and I appreciate it that they produce German legal versions (they call them "42" versions) of a lot of their knives. However, they don't really have a good quality standard that is kept beyond a single model:
They state that Magnum knives are their entry line and that's right. Most of the Magnum knives are really bad quality. Then there is "Böker Manufactur" built in Germany by hand and as one might guess these knives are usually of good quality. However, the most interesting knives are in the "Böker Plus" line. These knives are built from good materials but in China and sadly you will have to read through some user reviews before you should consider buying. There are knives of this line that are really good and will be a good EDC for years and then there are others that just suck to a level where you could get a better knife in one of these Chinese shops for a fraction of the price.
 
I'm going to disagree with most people who suggest Böker. The last few Böker knives I ordered all had issues with fit and finish. I hear I'm not the only one. Buying Böker knives has been a QC lottery for the last few years. (However, older Böker knives are a different story, so do look into that). A lot of Böker knives aren't actually made in Germany, so watch out for that as well.

All in all, If you are looking for some of that fabled German engineering and quality, I don't think modern Böker is a good start.

(I'm sorry to say, because I used to really like them, and some of their designs are really interesting).
 
Yes. I sold all but one Böker knife and I kept that one because nobody bought it. ;)

Having said that I must admit that all knives from the "Böker Manufaktur" line (= made in Germany) I saw were of really good quality and had no qc issues whatsoever. Sadly, the "Böker Manufaktur" knives aren't that appealing to me. It's mostly rather bulky gentlemen folders or old school knives or knives with too thick blades or strange blade forms. Also there aren't special legal versions for the German market. Last but not least the knives of this line that I like are rather pricy. The only sub €200 knife I actually like is the KMP22.

tl;dr: IMO the Böker Manufaktur (NOT Magnum, NOT Böker Plus) knives are actually of good quality. They are pricey though.
 
Lodd said:
I'm going to disagree with most people who suggest Böker. The last few Böker knives I ordered all had issues with fit and finish. I hear I'm not the only one. Buying Böker knives has been a QC lottery for the last few years. (However, older Böker knives are a different story, so do look into that). A lot of Böker knives aren't actually made in Germany, so watch out for that as well.

All in all, If you are looking for some of that fabled German engineering and quality, I don't think modern Böker is a good start.

(I'm sorry to say, because I used to really like them, and some of their designs are really interesting).
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Were those last few Boker knives you bought made in Solingen Germany? I'd like to know because I might buy another Boker or two. But if even the ones made in Germany have quality control trouble, then maybe I'll pass on them.
 
NicoColt1911 said:
Yes. I sold all but one Böker knife and I kept that one because nobody bought it. ;)

Having said that I must admit that all knives from the "Böker Manufaktur" line (= made in Germany) I saw were of really good quality and had no qc issues whatsoever. Sadly, the "Böker Manufaktur" knives aren't that appealing to me. It's mostly rather bulky gentlemen folders or old school knives or knives with too thick blades or strange blade forms. Also there aren't special legal versions for the German market. Last but not least the knives of this line that I like are rather pricy. The only sub €200 knife I actually like is the KMP22.

tl;dr: IMO the Böker Manufaktur (NOT Magnum, NOT Böker Plus) knives are actually of good quality. They are pricey though.
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Pricey? Yes, definitely, I agree.
 
Their kitchen knives used to be top of the line, not among knife nuts maybe but the best ones you could find at a big box store were wusthof and hoenckels, made in solingen.
The same question the op asked could also be said of Sheffield, England, which prior to Solingen was the king of blades. Before that, Maniango, Italy.
 
GrReaper said:
Were those last few Boker knives you bought made in Solingen Germany? I'd like to know because I might buy another Boker or two. But if even the ones made in Germany have quality control trouble, then maybe I'll pass on them.
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Most of them weren't made Germany, but a few were. QC in Germany appears to be at a higher level, but caution still applies imho.
 
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