Boker Haddock, your opinion?

PropThePolecat

PropThePolecat

Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
3,292
Hey guys

Been looking at the Boker Haddock, a Jens Ansø/Boker collaboration based on Ansø's Haddock.

The specs are:

Blade Length: 89mm (3½in)
Blade Material: N690BO stainless steel
Blade Thickness: 5mm (3/16")
Grind: Hollow
Handle Material: G10/Titanium
Lock Type: Frame Lock
Overall Length: 190mm (7½in)
Pocket Clip: Yes, Nonadjustable

Does anybody know what steel it compares to? Ive personally never heard of it and did a quick BF/Google search which didnt provide much info.

Ive never handled a Boker before so what do you guys think about them? Do they put out good stuff? And whats the difference between Boker, Boker Plus and Magnum By Boker?

I like that it has a framelock (never had one), and that it comes with a nail nick, fully legal where im from, which is a giant plus. Plus the looks are pretty unconventional which i also like.

I know some people say a hollow grind is brittle and they'd never carry one, but the hollow grinds ive had have all held up to severe use with no chipping whatsoever.

On the minus side, a 5mm blade sounds like overkill and i cant re-position the pocket-clip. At 154GBP or 250USD its rather expensive too, but it looks very well made. Before everybody starts posting about how i should go for a custom please remember that 250USD is the price here in Europe. My Spydie DKPK, a slipjoint, cost me the same (250USD) after taxes and import fees.

What do you think guys? And please stay on topic, meaning no posts such "Sebenza rules" or "Get a RAT RC-something". Its the Haddock im interested in hering about. :D

Thanks for your time guys!

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From knives.pl:
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Closeup of the grind:
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A lot curves and strong tip. I like it. The N690BO steel sounds bit special, I need google it. But for price point, not that expensive for European stadards for high end knife from reputable maker.

somehow it looks bit like japanese style, like traditional japanese friction folder the blade.

Böker is made in Germany mostly. Usually highest end of Böker knives are branded directly to Böker.

Böker Plus , check Esav's comments. He knows.

Magnum by Böker is China made Böker division that produces cheapest Böker line knives with good quality.
 
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His usual exciting design work :)

Blade thickness is offset by the hollow grind so it's not thick at the edge.

Boker Plus is a separate designation for what seem to be better knives and Magnum is a budget line that wasn't even acknowledged by Boker originally.

N690BO is the same or very similar to N690C, an Austrian steel used in some pretty good knives. Not the latest and greatest, but high-tech enough to impress me.
 
I don' t own a Haddock, but I do own a Böker Turbine II and a Trance and I can tell you that Böker makes some really excellent knives, especially in terms of fit & finish.
 
It appears that you can carry this tip up or down. I am going to snag me thinks. I think BOKER puts out some really nice knives especially the last couple of years. keepem sharp
 
I would do almost anything to own a Haddock custom or production by Boker it will be a fantastic knife!
 
I'd like to know when & if this knife will be available to the U.S. market. As I understand it, the Boker line are usually made in Germany & are their top knife line. I believe the Boker Plus is their med. line, usually made in Taiwan, while their Boker Magnum line is their lowest cost line, usually made in China.

I could be wrong here, though. I don't know nor read anything about N690BO, but if it's anything like N690C, it should be very good. IIRC, N690C is an Austrian steel similar to 440C, but most of what I've read shows it to be a little better.

Very nice knife & I like that it's tip-up or down. I really don't care for tip-down knives, but fully understand if people have a preference to it. It's always nice when a knife manufacturer designs their knives for both tip-up/down.
 
I really like this Boker haddock.
It's about 180-200 euro over here and they are available in the knife stores.
Very nice Anso design:thumbup:
I want one too:D.

I have a 20 year old boker knife and its still one of my best slicer knives.
It's also a hollow grind.Ok not as thick as the haddock:D.


Boker:made in Germany
Boker plus:made in Taiwan
Magnum:made in China
 
Found some info in an article here: http://www.tactical-life.com/online/tactical-knives/n690-gain-the-cobalt-edge/

From the link:

Bohler, an Austrian steel manufacturer, is the current source for N690. This firm is considered a worldwide leader in their production of rolled sheets and plates that offer superior uniformity. The chemical composition of N690 is as follows: carbon 1.07%, chromium 17%, cobalt 1.5%, manganese .40%, molybdenum 1.10%, silicon .40% and vanadium .10%. Typically, N690 is hardened to a factor of Rc 58-60. Obviously, the key here is the addition of cobalt in the steel matrix. The cobalt allows the creation of a very uniform structure within the steel. And when used in blade steel, this provides a fine and consistent edge, enhancing edge retention and sharpening receptivity.

In discussion with various knife makers who have had experience with N690, some liken it to a sophisticated 440C with better edge holding and stain resistance. Other makers regard the steel as somewhat similar to VG-10 and see little difference between the two. One comment that ran through all of my conversations was the fact that the steel is extremely fine grain. When it comes to edge holding, every maker agreed that the finer the steel grain the better.

Dont know why, but at that price i expected it to be more...i dont know...more super-steel'ish or exotic, maybe?
 
thejamppa said:
The N690BO steel sounds bit special, I need google it.
Click to expand...
Not really, close to VG-10. Not PM, not ESR, not CPM, just a conventional steel, also referred as N690Co, and now I see Boker calls it N690BO?

Here, for you - N690 vs VG-10 vs 440C composition comparison graph.

Interesting, I dug up this on nextag - exclusive n690bo steel, which is a high performance special alloy containing cobalt, that was created in cooperation between bohler and boker.
No info what's changed though.
 
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I actually thought N690BO to perform very similar to 154CM. Just my thought. The folks at Bolker have really upped there involvement in producing some top line knives. I have the Titan Defender, and will be picking up the Titan Defender Lightweight in a month. Tomorrow the AF-FD arrives and will make my second hi-dollar Boker. Even the China Made Boker Plus line is good. I have the Valkyrie Bowie from that line and it is very well made, finished, and the 440C steel is very good in it.

When I first saw the Haddock, my mouth dropped open, and I told myself it would be mine. Then I saw it in the Boker 2010 Catalog and my heart sunk when I saw that it has the titanium handle on one side and the G-10 handle on the other. I just can't get behind this style of knife. I've had a couple and got rid of them because I did not like it. Just me though, as a LOT of people love it! I may end up with one anyway, we'll see.
 
Here are some comparison pics between Ansø's Haddock and Boker's licensed version. As you can see they are nearly identical. Ansø's looks like it has a flat grind where Boker's is hollow grind, plus it has a slightly larger blade.
 
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I am slowly but surely falling in love with this knife, the grinds are just so smooth yet aggressive in an awkward sort of way.

Love it.
 
That is a mighty fine blade. Boker sure is turning out loads of good stuff, especially that (sp) Exskelibur.

Combination of really thick spine and really deep hollow grind...should be interesting.
 
i love the handle / Ti framelock.....happy to something like that from
Boker.

i know its Anso design, but the blade ( in my opinion ! )
is so ugly.....it looks like the cheapest $ 5 folders blade.

love the handles......hate the blade.
 
Interesting, only cheap knives can be considered ugly, and somehow its supposed to be comparable to a red class monochrome?

Every once in a while things cease to make sense to me...

Not being one hand opening makes me stay away from the Haddock, though it is a beautiful design, and a thumbstud would definitely kill the flow of it. Though a flipper would have been neat.
 
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