Well, I received two knives as a gift, and here's one of them... the Boker Rescom. These are rescue knives and are available in red or black; this one is the black version (odel number 587). They're made in Taiwan and carry the Boker Plus mark, and were designed by our very own Daywalker (Chad Los Banos). You can find these in your local knife store for around $20-$25. It's an excellent tool that has some neat uses. On with the review...
Handle Details: The Rescom is just over 2-1/2" closed, and it's 1-1/2" wide. The back side is one piece of stainless steel; the front is a steel-lined scale of black FRN. Construction is simple: three Torx (T-6) on each side to hold the knife together, three T-6 screws for the pocket clip, and one T-8 screw for the blade pivot pin. The knife is an open-back design so you can blow out pocket lint or debris, and there's no added weight.. The shape of the handle is unique to the CLB designs; a rounded block with a choil.
There's also jimping on the back of the knife near the blade, the butt, and where your fingers rest when the knife is open and in hand (see the photo). The shape of the knife coupled with the flat design make this a very comfortable user, and one that won't twist easily when you're really putting a lot of pulling pressure on it. You also get a lanyard hole, which I usually equip with some 550 cord. As good as the CLB designs are, they ride a bit too deep in my pocket to withdraw easily with gloves on. 550 cord solves this problem. The FRN handle scale does its job, but it's not textured aggressively enough for me. This texturing is fine for an EDC knife, but I'd like it a bit more aggressive for a rescue knife. However, the excellent handle shape keeps it in hand nicely.
The pocket clip is adjustable for tip up or tip down carry, but it's right-hand only. Retention on mine was very tight, and it would pull my pocket upwards with it. Once I even managed to turn my pocket inside out by withdrawing the knife. I have since removed the clip, bent it out slightly, and replaced it. Problem solved.
The Rescom locks open via frame lock, and it's solid. The lock is jimped too, and it engages the blade for exactly all of its (the lock's) thickness. Speaking of thickness, the liners on the Rescom are 1/16" thick. The entire knife is just under 5/16" thick, not counting the pocket clip.
Blade Details: The Rescom has a blade of AUS-8, and a unique blade shape, which I'm not even going to attempt to describe here. Just take a look:
Let's break the blade down, feature by feature...
The first thing you'll notice are the scalloped serrations. Mine came razor sharp. They're ground on one side of the blade only, and are 14/16" long. What are they for? Well, you can cut a seatbelt (or just about any fibrous material) with them. They're sharp enough to serve as a main blade, although they'll leave things just a bit more jagged than a plain edge. Personally, I use them to cut thicker rope at work. Just put the rope as close to your hand as you can and pull. What the serrations don't cut, the hook will. And that brings me to the hook. It's just under 1/2" in opening diameter and 7/16" deep, and it's ground on both sides. This is where thin rope and line usually ends up. Seatbelts don't stand a chance, as they easily rip with this blade.
I've used this knife for hunting as well, and the hook serves as a nice guthook. The serrations get in the way sometimes and cut things that I don't want to cut, but that's to be expected from a knife that wasn't made for the purpose I guess. The blade is just over 1/16" thick, and all together it's 1-3/4" long. There's a nice guard that forms when the blade is locked open, and it's made even better by the choil.
Opening is accomplished via two plastic thumb ovals on the blade. Opening is smooth because of nylon washers on both sides of the blade, but mine is a bit hard to open with gloves on. Since this was made as a rescue knife, I'd like the thumb ovals to be a bit bigger and a bit farther from the handle; the material on my gloves gets caught between the handle and the thumb oval sometimes. Sometimes my gloved fingers miss the oval completely and I have to try again. Bare-handed, opening is easy. In colder weather (25 to 35 degrees) opening is a bit fidgety; sometimes my finger skips off the oval and sometimes it doesn't.
There's one more thing about the blade that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else: it makes a very nice glass breaker. Make sure you wear gloves. Hold the knife, blade locked open, in a stabbing grip with your pinky finger in the choil. Hold tight. Stab into the glass with the tip of the blade. Since the tip is flat and lock-up is so good, I've done this about four times with no damage to the knife or myself (remember to wear gloves to keep your hand from getting glass into it). No blade failures or anything; it just went right through.
So, what's my verdict on the Rescom? Well, the price is right and the maker is well-known for quality. The designer knows what he's talking about. I'd say that if you're fire or EMS personnel, or if you cut through a lot of ropes or straps, the Rescom would be a nice choice for you. I can't see a use for every-day carry if you don't do these things, but it's a very useful tool. You could always buy one and keep it in your car just in case you can't get out, right?
(All photos were taken from MultiTool.org and are not my own; no copyright infringement is implied.)
Handle Details: The Rescom is just over 2-1/2" closed, and it's 1-1/2" wide. The back side is one piece of stainless steel; the front is a steel-lined scale of black FRN. Construction is simple: three Torx (T-6) on each side to hold the knife together, three T-6 screws for the pocket clip, and one T-8 screw for the blade pivot pin. The knife is an open-back design so you can blow out pocket lint or debris, and there's no added weight.. The shape of the handle is unique to the CLB designs; a rounded block with a choil.
There's also jimping on the back of the knife near the blade, the butt, and where your fingers rest when the knife is open and in hand (see the photo). The shape of the knife coupled with the flat design make this a very comfortable user, and one that won't twist easily when you're really putting a lot of pulling pressure on it. You also get a lanyard hole, which I usually equip with some 550 cord. As good as the CLB designs are, they ride a bit too deep in my pocket to withdraw easily with gloves on. 550 cord solves this problem. The FRN handle scale does its job, but it's not textured aggressively enough for me. This texturing is fine for an EDC knife, but I'd like it a bit more aggressive for a rescue knife. However, the excellent handle shape keeps it in hand nicely.
The pocket clip is adjustable for tip up or tip down carry, but it's right-hand only. Retention on mine was very tight, and it would pull my pocket upwards with it. Once I even managed to turn my pocket inside out by withdrawing the knife. I have since removed the clip, bent it out slightly, and replaced it. Problem solved.
The Rescom locks open via frame lock, and it's solid. The lock is jimped too, and it engages the blade for exactly all of its (the lock's) thickness. Speaking of thickness, the liners on the Rescom are 1/16" thick. The entire knife is just under 5/16" thick, not counting the pocket clip.
Blade Details: The Rescom has a blade of AUS-8, and a unique blade shape, which I'm not even going to attempt to describe here. Just take a look:
Let's break the blade down, feature by feature...
The first thing you'll notice are the scalloped serrations. Mine came razor sharp. They're ground on one side of the blade only, and are 14/16" long. What are they for? Well, you can cut a seatbelt (or just about any fibrous material) with them. They're sharp enough to serve as a main blade, although they'll leave things just a bit more jagged than a plain edge. Personally, I use them to cut thicker rope at work. Just put the rope as close to your hand as you can and pull. What the serrations don't cut, the hook will. And that brings me to the hook. It's just under 1/2" in opening diameter and 7/16" deep, and it's ground on both sides. This is where thin rope and line usually ends up. Seatbelts don't stand a chance, as they easily rip with this blade.
I've used this knife for hunting as well, and the hook serves as a nice guthook. The serrations get in the way sometimes and cut things that I don't want to cut, but that's to be expected from a knife that wasn't made for the purpose I guess. The blade is just over 1/16" thick, and all together it's 1-3/4" long. There's a nice guard that forms when the blade is locked open, and it's made even better by the choil.
Opening is accomplished via two plastic thumb ovals on the blade. Opening is smooth because of nylon washers on both sides of the blade, but mine is a bit hard to open with gloves on. Since this was made as a rescue knife, I'd like the thumb ovals to be a bit bigger and a bit farther from the handle; the material on my gloves gets caught between the handle and the thumb oval sometimes. Sometimes my gloved fingers miss the oval completely and I have to try again. Bare-handed, opening is easy. In colder weather (25 to 35 degrees) opening is a bit fidgety; sometimes my finger skips off the oval and sometimes it doesn't.
There's one more thing about the blade that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else: it makes a very nice glass breaker. Make sure you wear gloves. Hold the knife, blade locked open, in a stabbing grip with your pinky finger in the choil. Hold tight. Stab into the glass with the tip of the blade. Since the tip is flat and lock-up is so good, I've done this about four times with no damage to the knife or myself (remember to wear gloves to keep your hand from getting glass into it). No blade failures or anything; it just went right through.
So, what's my verdict on the Rescom? Well, the price is right and the maker is well-known for quality. The designer knows what he's talking about. I'd say that if you're fire or EMS personnel, or if you cut through a lot of ropes or straps, the Rescom would be a nice choice for you. I can't see a use for every-day carry if you don't do these things, but it's a very useful tool. You could always buy one and keep it in your car just in case you can't get out, right?
(All photos were taken from MultiTool.org and are not my own; no copyright infringement is implied.)