Boker "tree" Brand

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Morgoth412

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Oct 4, 2002
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Hi everyone. I'm looking at the Boker medium stockman in 440a stainless steel. I have a few questions.
1. On their site they list the Knife at $81.95..is this knife really worth it? I love the look of the knife but is there a cheaper knife out there with comparable quality?
2. What sites would you recomend buying from. I checked 1sks and they didnt have the knife...
3. Is 440A a good steel?? ( im new to knife collecting)
Thanks in advance for all responses.
 
1.- In my opinion, Bokers tend to be expensive but worth it, a lot depends on handle material, $81.95 does seem like too much for my taste unless its a fancy handle like mother of pearl.

Yes, there are other comparable knives and much controversy as to which is best, check other threads and you will find some opinions.

2.- I don´t buy over the net, so I can´t help with that.

3.- I´ve had a 440A stockman since 1976 and it has served me well (it´s in my pocket right now), but there are better steels (that cost more), Boker makes some in 440C which is definitely better, check the TUTORIALS/FAQ´s link on the top of the page and read the Steel FAQ.
 
If you are good at sharpening (and have a diamond stone) you can get a Queen stockman with D2 steel and either cocobolo or bone handles for less money, it will perform much better than the Boker in 440A. Ir you like carbon steel, others to look at are Bulldog, Eye Brand, or Case (only the Cr-V steel), which will cost you less. In fact, Boker offers some nice ones in carbon steel. If you prefer stainless, check out what Buck offers. Although their current steel isn't any better than 440A, Buck does a good job on the heat treat.

That being said, the Bokers that I have handled have all been well made knives, I think if you look around you can find someone else on the internet who offers them for less. As someone else said, $81 is a lot of money unless it is a fancy pearl or stag handle. And if you hang around ebay, sometimes you can find some nice deals (I got a Boker stockman with carbon steel blades and rosewood handle, in new condition, for $25 plus shipping on ebay). They use 420 stainless in some models, I always thought that their stainless slipjoints were 440C, but maybe that has changed.

A few internet dealers who carry at least part of Boker's slipjoint line are:

knifecenter.com
discountknives.com
eknifeworks.com
gpknives.com
ndsproducts.com
toptexknives.com

I have only dealt with one of these, so I can't vouch for their service. Browse them all, there is some variability in their prices.
 
I have tried several of the Boker slipjoints in thier basic stainless steel and I have had terrible luck - they have been the only knives I have ever owned that I could not sharpen to a razor edge - and the poor edge that they did take did not hold up. Anyone else have this experience?

Also, does it actually tell you that the steel is 440A? I thought tthat they used 420. And definitely do not pay full retail - Ebay is a good source if you have a little patience.
 
check around a few places, if you buy it from boker you'll pay retail, you can get better prices on other sites.
 
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