Boker "Tree Brand Classic" & Solingen made traditional knives

[Un-Chained]

Sweet Gary !! Enjoy to the fullest

 

[bigfish64]

Picked up this Boker Gents Knife off the Exchange. Thanks Rick! Railsplitter
N690 Stainless and some really nicely figured Ironwood. With brass liners, nickel silver bolsters AND a pinned shield. Walk and Talk, fit and finish is excellent. This is a really nice knife! I find nothing to nit pick.
As well made as any GEC I've owned, much nicer then Case's standard line. Just a step below the Case Collaborations.
The price on these is pretty steep but finding one on the secondary market will save you money.
As I'm no fan of carbon steel folding knives this really hits a sweet spot for me.

Wow, nice pick up, these are really nice knives!

 

[AntDog]

This beauty just came in today. Bone covers are gorgeous.





I’d heard this was a HUGE knife. I’m used to carrying a Buck 110 loose in my pocket, so... not really. This is much slimmer, only 1/4” longer in both blade and handle, and half the weight! This will see lots of carry and use.



Absolutely love it so far. Best 70 bucks I ever spent.

 

[bigfish64]

This beauty just came in today. Bone covers are gorgeous.





I’d heard this was a HUGE knife. I’m used to carrying a Buck 110 loose in my pocket, so... not really. This is much slimmer, only 1/4” longer in both blade and handle, and half the weight! This will see lots of carry and use.



Absolutely love it so far. Best 70 bucks I ever spent.

Very nice AntDog, those covers DO look great, and that blade, what a brute!

 

[CraigTbone]

Today I received a Boker Tree Brand Trapper. SMKW said the blades are 440C stainless steel. I gave it a good soapy scrub and dried it off.

I used the spey blade to eat my salad (pepper ranch dressing) for dinner and was surprised when cleaning up that it had some patina.

Is this normal for 440C stainless steel? Is it not really SS?

Patina does not generally concern me but this knife will be used only for food so I was hoping for a good SS.

 

[Fixall]

Today I received a Boker Tree Brand Trapper. SMKW said the blades are 440C stainless steel. I gave it a good soapy scrub and dried it off.

I used the spey blade to eat my salad (pepper ranch dressing) for dinner and was surprised when cleaning up that it had some patina.

Is this normal for 440C stainless steel? Is it not really SS?

Patina does not generally concern me but this knife will be used only for food so I was hoping for a good SS.

May I ask which knife it is? This thread is about the Solingen made Boker's in particular. If it doesn't have the "Solingen" stamp on the tang, then it wasn't made in Germany or by Boker. The Boker Magnum and Plus lines are farmed out to other factories and made for Boker. Aside from a few oddballs like the Italian made Boker Plus knives (and a few of the asian made Plus knives) I wouldn't trust the writing on the Chinese made Boker Plus knives at all sadly.

Other than the Boker Arbolito lineup and the Italian made Boker Plus knives, I won't purchase anything from Boker without the Solingen stamp. The difference in quality is crazy. I really think they need to spinoff the Magnum and Plus lineups under a different name to avoid confusion and tarnishing the reputation the Solingen made knives have.

 

[Fixall]

I just re-read what I wrote, and I come off super aggressive. Not my intention, sorry!

 

[AntDog]

Agreed. There’s a world of difference between Boker and Boker +. I’ve found the only way to be sure is to look for “Solingen”.

Way back when, there was no confusion! They were just all Bokers, and all good knives.

 

[CraigTbone]

No worries. The clip blade is stamped Solingen. There is no stamp indicating the model number or steel type. The clip blade is etched with "Tree Brand Classic". SMKW shows the Item Number BK112525YB.

 

[Fixall]

No worries. The clip blade is stamped Solingen. There is no stamp indicating the model number or steel type. The clip blade is etched with "Tree Brand Classic". SMKW shows the Item Number BK112525YB.

That's definitely a Solingen, Germany made Boker (and a sweet knife). Unfortunately it looks like SMKW has it mislabled as every other site has the knife listed as having C75 high carbon steel. None of the dealers are supporting members, so I can't link them, but just google: "Boker 112525YB" and it should be a little easier to find.

I actually JUST had an issue with SMKW using the wrong pictures for a Boker they sold me. Seems they need to pay a bit more attention to the descriptions/pictures.

 

[CraigTbone]

Thank you Fixall. I really like this knife. The design is ideal for an out-and-about food knife (for me). The build quality is very nice, good spring strength, no wobble.

I have been looking for a 2 blade knife to fill this niche for me and there do not seem to be many offerings.
- 2 long blades
- Flat ground blades are important to me
- stainless steel blades preferred
- 3 7/8 to 4 1/8 folded length
- good quality
- not made in China
Any suggestions that fit these specs are most welcomed.

I guess I will keep the knife and use it but it means more care to clean and dry.

 

[Railsplitter]

That's definitely a Solingen, Germany made Boker (and a sweet knife). Unfortunately it looks like SMKW has it mislabled as every other site has the knife listed as having C75 high carbon steel. None of the dealers are supporting members, so I can't link them, but just google: "Boker 112525YB" and it should be a little easier to find.

I actually JUST had an issue with SMKW using the wrong pictures for a Boker they sold me. Seems they need to pay a bit more attention to the descriptions/pictures.

I had the same problem with a Boker Scout at SMKW. The description was for a Green Burl model but the pictures were clearly not green. I asked them which knife is actually for sale and I never got a response. I never did buy the knife.

 

[Fixall]

Thank you Fixall. I really like this knife. The design is ideal for an out-and-about food knife (for me). The build quality is very nice, good spring strength, no wobble.

I have been looking for a 2 blade knife to fill this niche for me and there do not seem to be many offerings.
- 2 long blades
- Flat ground blades are important to me
- stainless steel blades preferred
- 3 7/8 to 4 1/8 folded length
- good quality
- not made in China
Any suggestions that fit these specs are most welcomed.

I guess I will keep the knife and use it but it means more care to clean and dry.

If you're looking for a bump up in quality from Case knives, the Boker Trapper is the only knife that really comes to mind. I usually go with a long spear or clip point and a smaller wharncliffe blade on my two-bladed knives though, so I'm sure others will chime in with some sweet knives.

Boker has a 440C stainless and stag Trapper that I'm aware of. Looks like there is quite a bit of variation is the stag though (and pricing for that matter).

BladeHQ

knifeCenter

 

[Fixall]

I had the same problem with a Boker Scout at SMKW. The description was for a Green Burl model but the pictures were clearly not green. I asked them which knife is actually for sale and I never got a response. I never did buy the knife.

Oof. Mine showed a knife with no blade etching and the one I received had a huge gold 150th anniversary etch on it, lol. To their credit, SMKW was quick to give a refund.

 

[Fixall]

The Castle Burg Club arrived yesterday, typical Boker quality, which is to say, excellent. View attachment 1580026This one is a bit chunkier than the Jute, which I was hoping for because the Jute has slipped out of my pocket on two occasions! View attachment 1580025The growing family.
View attachment 1580027

Picked up this Boker Gents Knife off the Exchange. Thanks Rick! Railsplitter
N690 Stainless and some really nicely figured Ironwood. With brass liners, nickel silver bolsters AND a pinned shield. Walk and Talk, fit and finish is excellent. This is a really nice knife! I find nothing to nit pick.
As well made as any GEC I've owned, much nicer then Case's standard line. Just a step below the Case Collaborations.
The price on these is pretty steep but finding one on the secondary market will save you money.
As I'm no fan of carbon steel folding knives this really hits a sweet spot for me.

I had no idea just how THIN those Club knives were! I think I'm sold on that pattern. I'm gonna take a look and see what I come up with. That Jute looks pretty sweet.

This beauty just came in today. Bone covers are gorgeous.





I’d heard this was a HUGE knife. I’m used to carrying a Buck 110 loose in my pocket, so... not really. This is much slimmer, only 1/4” longer in both blade and handle, and half the weight! This will see lots of carry and use.



Absolutely love it so far. Best 70 bucks I ever spent.

That is a BIG knife! Gorgeous covers! Boker has been releasing some really interesting dye jobs, I'm digging it.

 

[bigfish64]

I had no idea just how THIN those Club knives were! I think I'm sold on that pattern. I'm gonna take a look and see what I come up with. That Jute looks pretty sweet.

I think you’ll really like them Brian, the action on both of mine is mesmerizing. Although I will say they both needed a bit of oil and the Castle Burg needed a flush and oil. Now, they’re !

 

[Peregrin]

Sweet Gary !! Enjoy to the fullest

Thanks! I think it will make a great picnic knife. With the nice thin blade stock and the generous blade depth it should make quick work of slicing cheese, fruit or a sandwich.

Wow, nice pick up, these are really nice knives!

I'm really impressed with the obvious quality and attention to detail in the build.

I had no idea just how THIN those Club knives were! I think I'm sold on that pattern. I'm gonna take a look and see what I come up with. That Jute looks pretty sweet.

I really like the thin profile too. Sits nicely in the pocket. I guess that's part of what makes it a gent's knife.

 

[bigfish64]

I'm really impressed with the obvious quality and attention to detail in the build.

Yes, I was too Gary. What do you think of the action on these knives?
Todd

 

[Peregrin]

Yes, I was too Gary. What do you think of the action on these knives?
Todd

Mine is really crisp and smooth. Barely pinchable for me, but that's not a concern as I typically use the nicks or pulls. I like a half stop and this has one. I'd put the pull at 6 to 7.
Does that match what you are seeing?

 

[bigfish64]

Mine is really crisp and smooth. Barely pinchable for me, but that's not a concern as I typically use the nicks or pulls. I like a half stop and this has one. I'd put the pull at 6 to 7.
Does that match what you are seeing?

Yes, but for me, mine are pinchable, but I pinch most all my Single blades including my lambfoot knives. When closing, that “roadrunner” half stop is awesome. You know, something else that isn’t mentioned much about these knives that I find very appealing from both an aesthetic and tactile perspective is the sunken joint. Just fantastic. I think if the price was just a bit lower on these knives they would be flying off the shelves. Even at the high price point I find them worth every penny.
Todd