- Joined
- Apr 4, 2017
- Messages
- 32
Original review in 7Knives page
So this time I am reviewing the BOKER PLUS MINI TRACKER fixed blade knife. This knife came into my possession “by accident” – I was in a gun shop looking for something completely unrelated to knives, and there it was – beautifully sitting on the counter behind a glass, just begging to be taken home.
So in the end, I left the shop without the things I needed to buy and with this beauty in my hands – no regrets. So, let’s get into it:
Sturdy looking Kydex sheath will be liked by Kydex lovers – it is sturdy, good quality, and has adjustable screws, so you can carry the knife in multiple different ways by adjusting the belt clip.
Of course, it is a bulky knife – forget about a comfortable concealed carry.
In terms of design, I would suppose that you will either hate it or love it – it is only a matter of preference. Me personally – I love it, even though I can agree to the fact that it is not the most practical design. Oh, and it is also a good thing to mention that the design was created by a professional knife maker Dave Wenger in collaboration with BÖKER – kind of the cheaper, more money-friendly version of the original Mini Tracker knives made by Dave Wenger himself, which cost around 400$.
Also, it is rumored that Liam Neeson wanted to use this exact knife in the movie Taken, because he loved the design of it so much. Are you sold yet?…..
Overall appearance: 7/10
The handle feels solid, well-built and the texture that Micarta provides is amazing.
I can only think about two possible downsides to it (they are called downsides more rhetorically I guess, because they are not really big issues): the color, and the fact that the Kydex sheath will eventually leave wear marks on the Micarta handle (more on that in the Sheath section of this review). But all in all, it is a good, quality handle.
Overall handle: 9/10
Blade overall: 8/10
When you want to take the knife out, it really takes some force to push it out of the sheath – which is always a nice thing.
Of course, during time of usage, the sheath will leave some marks on the knife’s handle – that is usually the case with most of the Kydex sheaths. But in the end, the Kydex sheath for this knife is really well built, designed to protect your blade from the outside world, while providing a lot of useful carrying options, so you can adjust it accordingly to your gear load out. But still – it is not designed for concealed carry.
Sheath overall: 9/10
BOKER PLUS MINI TRACKER OVERALL SCORE: 8.25
Is it a most comfortable carrying knife? No way.
Will the design be liked by everyone? No chance. But still – it will serve you through all heavy duty work, it will attract a lot of interested looks, it will be used by all the villains during the apocalypse, and it will not fail you.
It is a sturdy knife, which I bought out of pure emotion because I liked the way it looks (we’ve all been there). But after I bought it, I found myself using it more and more – the heaviness, the sturdiness, the extremely comfortable handle and nice sheath really appealed to me.
So if you are looking for a knife, that is: extremely comfortable; amazing design, built like a tank, is made to be used in heavy conditions – this could be a knife for you. To me, at the moment, this is one of the best fixed blade knives I own.
Take care,
Paulius, 7Knives
So this time I am reviewing the BOKER PLUS MINI TRACKER fixed blade knife. This knife came into my possession “by accident” – I was in a gun shop looking for something completely unrelated to knives, and there it was – beautifully sitting on the counter behind a glass, just begging to be taken home.
So in the end, I left the shop without the things I needed to buy and with this beauty in my hands – no regrets. So, let’s get into it:
DETAILS
- 1095 carbon steel, recurve style blade
- Micarta handle (comes in only one color)
- Kydex sheath
- Blade Length: 5.31″ (13.48 cm)
- Overall Length: 9.84″ (25cm)
- Weight: 9.54 oz. (270gr.)
- Price range: 70-100$
APPEARANCE
Boker Plus Mini Tracker stands out of the crowd, especially by its recurve style black blade, which has a black powder coat material for anti-rust and abrasion protection. It is an aggressive looking knife – I could easily see some villain in a TV show using it, because it gives that “bad-ass” vibe. I don’t really like that there is no options to choose from regarding the handle color, but then again, there is only so much to choose from when you’re talking about Micarta material (for those who are not familiar with Micarta – it is a brand name for composites of linen, canvas, paper, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or other fabric in a thermosetting plastic.)Sturdy looking Kydex sheath will be liked by Kydex lovers – it is sturdy, good quality, and has adjustable screws, so you can carry the knife in multiple different ways by adjusting the belt clip.
Of course, it is a bulky knife – forget about a comfortable concealed carry.
In terms of design, I would suppose that you will either hate it or love it – it is only a matter of preference. Me personally – I love it, even though I can agree to the fact that it is not the most practical design. Oh, and it is also a good thing to mention that the design was created by a professional knife maker Dave Wenger in collaboration with BÖKER – kind of the cheaper, more money-friendly version of the original Mini Tracker knives made by Dave Wenger himself, which cost around 400$.
Also, it is rumored that Liam Neeson wanted to use this exact knife in the movie Taken, because he loved the design of it so much. Are you sold yet?…..
Overall appearance: 7/10
HANDLE
I like the handle very much. It is sturdy, has a good grip on it, nice texture – those things are very important when we are talking about a heavy knife – you have to feel that you are holding it comfortably in your hand. Well, this handle is probably one of the best knife handles I’ve tried in a long time. Even when you grip the knife upside down, with the blade facing outward – the handle is curved a bit at the bottom, so your thumb can rest easily and comfortably.The handle feels solid, well-built and the texture that Micarta provides is amazing.
I can only think about two possible downsides to it (they are called downsides more rhetorically I guess, because they are not really big issues): the color, and the fact that the Kydex sheath will eventually leave wear marks on the Micarta handle (more on that in the Sheath section of this review). But all in all, it is a good, quality handle.
Overall handle: 9/10
BLADE
Recurve style blade, covered with a black abrasion and corrosion resistant powdered coating. I can’t really tell you yet about the corrosion protections since I had this knife for only a year so far, but the abrasion, and small tears and scratches are ripping through the coating material, so don’t get your hopes up that this knife will look exactly the same, especially after heavy use. But still, the 1095 carbon steel is decent enough metal, and it is quite reliable I would say, even if you use this blade often.Sharpening
As for the sharpening – I have sharpened it only once or twice during the course of 12 months, so it retains sharpness pretty good. Of course, the recurve design blade is not making it easy to sharpen it – it really takes more time and practice to sharpen this knife properly. And also – if you run through the powdered coating part with a whetstone, it will leave marks on it. And since the powdered coating feels like sandpaper, you will not be able to smooth those scratches out with a honing oil or polishing paste.Functionality
As for the blade itself, BÖKER says that this MINI TRACER is a great outdoors knife – suggesting its functionality to be somewhere in the bushcraft/survival category. To me, it looks like it could be used like a skinning knife maybe, but then again there are far better skinning knives out there. Since the blade is heavy, steady and sturdy, I would imagine it could easily manage some hard labor, like: chopping (blade even has a wider top part, designed a bit like a splitting ax), digging, or any other heavy-duty work.Design
The blade and knife itself is designed to be tortured, and I am pretty certain it can take it, no matter the scratches in the powdered coating. That powdered coating provides another nice feature – it gives you extra steadiness, if you are doing some precision cutting and need to grab the blade with one hand. And the design – I have said it before, and I will say it again – to me, it looks amazing.Blade overall: 8/10
SHEATH
Sturdy Kydex sheath, multiple belt clip placing options, nice “click” sound when you put the blade in the sheath – it all just works. The sheath is made in good quality – when the blade is inside, there is no wobbling or movement whatsoever. You can easily carry this knife upside down and not worry about it accidentally falling out of the sheath.When you want to take the knife out, it really takes some force to push it out of the sheath – which is always a nice thing.
Of course, during time of usage, the sheath will leave some marks on the knife’s handle – that is usually the case with most of the Kydex sheaths. But in the end, the Kydex sheath for this knife is really well built, designed to protect your blade from the outside world, while providing a lot of useful carrying options, so you can adjust it accordingly to your gear load out. But still – it is not designed for concealed carry.
Sheath overall: 9/10
BOKER PLUS MINI TRACKER OVERALL SCORE: 8.25
EPILOGUE – SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
This knife, first and foremost, is cool. Does it have the best functionality for the bushcraft and/or survival situations? Of course not.Is it a most comfortable carrying knife? No way.
Will the design be liked by everyone? No chance. But still – it will serve you through all heavy duty work, it will attract a lot of interested looks, it will be used by all the villains during the apocalypse, and it will not fail you.
It is a sturdy knife, which I bought out of pure emotion because I liked the way it looks (we’ve all been there). But after I bought it, I found myself using it more and more – the heaviness, the sturdiness, the extremely comfortable handle and nice sheath really appealed to me.
So if you are looking for a knife, that is: extremely comfortable; amazing design, built like a tank, is made to be used in heavy conditions – this could be a knife for you. To me, at the moment, this is one of the best fixed blade knives I own.
Take care,
Paulius, 7Knives
