Boker Epicenter VG-10 Titanium

[GrinderMcgee]

Just found this knife the other day by chance. Shame on Blade forums for not giving Boker the love it deserves There are knives in the Boker line which are great additions to any knife collection at competitive prices. Blades like the Todd Rexford Epicenter give average Joes like myself exotic(ish) materials, tough construction, and clean finishing leaving some $$ for other fun stuff.

It was tough to take a good photo without getting major glare or reflection because the hand rubbed finish on this blade is fingerprint showingly impressive! For those who abhor the China mark, the knife itself has NONE marring up the lovely finish and instead the reverse flat is individually serialized! The titanium scales have some kind of blast or similar finish which you might see rubbed off a little where the clip was placed originally tip up. More on the clip later.

The knife has a significant weight in hand (6.8oz) and quite comfortable due to the 3D machining of the scales leaving radius to fill the hand.

Out of the box the edge of the VG-10 blade is polished and sharp, hair and paper shaving. This was much to my delight! I have had a few Bokers from the plus line in the past come not ground well enough to take a really sharp edge without extra work on stones and strops. Nobody likes having to sharpen a $100+ knife right away and I have had a few from various makers arrive this way. Time will tell how well the grind receives resharpening.

Another delight was the ornamental stand off pillars. Adds a little flair to the otherwise plain appearance. The Epicenter radius which constitute the somewhat functional jimping and decoration around the pivot are nice to see as well.

After some initial sharpness testing and approx 100 operations of opening and closing, the lockup is tight all directions. The detent, I suspect, is more tough to overcome than most users like but it does not disturb me. Between the thick titanium frame lock and stiff detent my thumb is pleasingly tender. Centering seems very close and stop pin sits in a little radius in the tang not as pronounced as say, a Cold Steel Triad lock.

As to the pocket clip, the knife comes situated RH tip up. I prefer RH tip down and thankfully the clip can be switched accordingly. Unfortunately, the titanium clip does not share the smoothness and radiused edges that the rest of the surfaces do. The top edge, in this configuration, sticks out and the machined grooves lower on the clip are sharpish as well. This, so far, is my only real criticism of the design. I have admittedly been spoiled on the Spyder clips and more recently, the ZT561 Hinderer clip design. I would love to see the recessed attachment point and deep carry on this knife.

Since it was mentioned, it might interest some of the readers of this review to briefly compare a couple other popular options in the beefy, folding, titanium frame lock category. Most notably the ZT 560 and ZT 300 series. I may add some pictures later for further visual reference.

I find the Boker carries more comfortably in the pocket for me considering the weight, even with the clumsy clip, and definitely has a more point control oriented blade profile, with a very low friction finish for slicing duties. This said, the Kershaw knives have more refined fitment, operation, and extra features (KVT opening, flipper, 4 way clip, texturing, lockbar stabilizer). Bells and whistles aside, so far, the Epicenter seems a competitive option for about half the price.

I hope this answers some of the questions for buyers looking for their next purchase in a titanium frame knife. I would love to hear from users of this knife for your experiences and opinions both on the review, and of course, how your Boker Plus Epicenter has performed for you. Positively, or otherwise.



Specs:
Overall Length: 8.31"
Blade Length: 3.62"
Closed Length: 4.81"
Blade Material: VG-10 (Stainless)
Lock System: Frame Lock
Handle Material: Titanium
Clip Material: Titanium
Weight of knife: 6.80 oz.
Manufactured: China
Avg online $: $130 +/- US

I have included a very popular EDC among this community in a couple of the photos for reference, this is not really a comparison.

UGH!

 

[JTC]

Thanks for the closer look! I like that knife a lot.

 

[Badhammer]

My thanks as well. Had just seen this model on one of the online dealer sites and it reminded me of the new Ti-Spine from LionSteel. Did a search and found this thread. After reading your review I'm even more inclined to pick one of these up.

 

[GCG199]

Great production version of a hard-to-find custom.

I really like mine. It has to be adjusted for blade centering every once in a while.

 

[dullone]

I was always led to believe VG-10 was the exclusive domain of Japanese manufactured knives. Was I under a false impression or have things changed?

 

[45Shooter]

Nice review and great pics. I'd heard all about the problems of the first run but your excellent pics seem to confirm that they have been taken care of. I hope so - because mine should be here next week. So if I get a lemon, it's on you. Seriously, though, I'm really looking forward to it. I saw some pics of it with an SR1A - a knife I have and really like - and it was identical in size except obviously much pointier.

 

[like em sharp]

I was always led to believe VG-10 was the exclusive domain of Japanese manufactured knives. Was I under a false impression or have things changed?

You're not wrong. Up until 3-4 years ago it wasn't legal to export unfinished VG-10 steel out of Japan. This has changed, however, as both Boker and Browning have Chinese made knives with VG-10 steel.

As to the original review, well done, nice pictures and thanks. I think the reason that the Epicenter isn't a terribly popular knife is that the first few production runs had some fairly severe QC issues, mostly involving mis-aligned handles.

 

[cutter17]

Excellent review along with great pics. I just received my Epicenter Friday. I agree 100% with your asessment of this knife. In looking at your pictures of the lockup and blade centering they could easily be pictures of mine. Nice to see some consistency in these 2nd generation knives! I did take mine apart to polish the inside of the ti frames, pivot pin, p/b washers, and the blade tang. I did this to further smooth up the opening/closing action of the knife, not that it wasn't good from the factory because it was, it's just that the neuropathy in the tips of the fingers and thumb of my right hand hasn't completely left yet. This is the first thumbstud opening only knife I have bought since July because of that neuropathy in my thumb, so the smoother it is to open, the better. I also put a smidge more bend in the lock bar. Even so, lockup was the same spot on the blade tang as it was before I added more bend.

I think the Epicenter is well worth the $130.00 I paid, and even though I have only had it a couple of days only, it does promise to be a winner I believe.:thumbup:

 

[45Shooter]

Just got mine fifteen minutes ago and am overall pretty pleased. The blade isn't quite centered and there's a smidge less initial lockuo but it's still solid. The blade wouldn't slice paper cleanly ootb but a few minutes of stropping fixed that - must have had a bit of wire edge left after sharpening. I don't like the clip. It was hard to get in and out of pocket until I gave it a stout bend outwards and it's still pretty tight. It feels awfully bulky, though and I'm very aware of it against the palm of my hand. The adjustment wrench isn't right on the pivot end, either. Doesn't fit at all in the pivot - it's way undersized but too large for the spacers. I do love the feel of the knife in hand - except for the clip - and don't feel any sharp edges or hot spots. Lock up is solid all the way around and it unlocks relatively easy. Once stropped, the blade is shaving sharp and I love the shape. Overall, it's quite a bargain for $105.

P.s. And the box it came in is pretty cool.