All,
I'm 100% new here, interested in WWII period daggers (bit of a niche, I know...)
I had a chance to handle a Boker and Paul Chen Hanwei V42 side by side yesterday and thought I'd pass on my impressions, as I couldn't find a good side-by-side comparison online. I'm not an expert on the period Case V42 knives, by any means.
The knives are about the same price and more or less the same design, but there are some obvious differences. I'll quickly relay my observations about handle, blade & sheath.
1 - The handle on the Hanwei appears more accurate (thinner leather washers) than the Boker, which uses thick washers and has a smooth, polished finish more like the Case reproduction issues. I was surprised to note that the handle on the Hanwei is noticably longer than the Boker, perhaps a full inch. Certainly a better fit in my large hands. The leather piece over the crossguard was thicker on the Boker, both were reasonably fitted (I'd heard of some of both types that weren't glued to the crossguard).
2 - The blade on the Boker is shorter, wider and thicker than the Hanwei. Though I don't think it's necessarily more historically accurate, it is a better feeling & looking blade with better proportions. The Hanwei feels long and thin. I expect that with use, blade shapes on V42 knives changed, so I think both are reasonable representations. But the Boker would inspire more confidence in hard use.
Both "thumb prints" on the blades feel fine; neither makes more or less of an impression than the other. Both knives feel like they're painted, or roughly powder coated, with a rough finish.
The Boker has "Boker plus" on the blade in white. The Hanwei is more non-descript.
3 - The sheath on the Boker is a noticeable step up from the Hanwei. Wider, thicker, better finished, with a "three layer" construction and a leather thong for tying around the leg. Again, I don't think this means it's more historically accurate. I think the more roughly made Hanwei sheath is probably more historically correct, though it's obviously not as nice as the Boker. The Hanwei I saw had quite a bit of colour variation across the leather. I can't say that all Hanwei sheaths have colour variation across the leather, and certainly expect that many originals were made from less than perfect leather, but if that will be a big deal for you, be warned that it does happen.
4 - The Boker arrives well packaged, knife and sheath separately wrapped, in a decent box with a FSSF shoulder patch and a copy of the unit's "death card". The Hanwei was not as nicely packaged as presented to me. However, I'm going to avoid comment as it may have been "depackaged" at the shop. In the end, I don't think the box matters, but the Boker was presented with more attention and care.
Conclusions:
Well... I'd say that if you want period-correct, buy the Hanwei simply for the proper handle design and the rougher sheath. If you have larger hands, the Hanwei is also for you. If you want a slight update on a classic, nicely made and presented, go for the Boker.
In the end, I nearly bought the Boker but balked on the shorter handle length and left the shop with neither.
Cheers - Jeff C
I'm 100% new here, interested in WWII period daggers (bit of a niche, I know...)
I had a chance to handle a Boker and Paul Chen Hanwei V42 side by side yesterday and thought I'd pass on my impressions, as I couldn't find a good side-by-side comparison online. I'm not an expert on the period Case V42 knives, by any means.
The knives are about the same price and more or less the same design, but there are some obvious differences. I'll quickly relay my observations about handle, blade & sheath.
1 - The handle on the Hanwei appears more accurate (thinner leather washers) than the Boker, which uses thick washers and has a smooth, polished finish more like the Case reproduction issues. I was surprised to note that the handle on the Hanwei is noticably longer than the Boker, perhaps a full inch. Certainly a better fit in my large hands. The leather piece over the crossguard was thicker on the Boker, both were reasonably fitted (I'd heard of some of both types that weren't glued to the crossguard).
2 - The blade on the Boker is shorter, wider and thicker than the Hanwei. Though I don't think it's necessarily more historically accurate, it is a better feeling & looking blade with better proportions. The Hanwei feels long and thin. I expect that with use, blade shapes on V42 knives changed, so I think both are reasonable representations. But the Boker would inspire more confidence in hard use.
Both "thumb prints" on the blades feel fine; neither makes more or less of an impression than the other. Both knives feel like they're painted, or roughly powder coated, with a rough finish.
The Boker has "Boker plus" on the blade in white. The Hanwei is more non-descript.
3 - The sheath on the Boker is a noticeable step up from the Hanwei. Wider, thicker, better finished, with a "three layer" construction and a leather thong for tying around the leg. Again, I don't think this means it's more historically accurate. I think the more roughly made Hanwei sheath is probably more historically correct, though it's obviously not as nice as the Boker. The Hanwei I saw had quite a bit of colour variation across the leather. I can't say that all Hanwei sheaths have colour variation across the leather, and certainly expect that many originals were made from less than perfect leather, but if that will be a big deal for you, be warned that it does happen.
4 - The Boker arrives well packaged, knife and sheath separately wrapped, in a decent box with a FSSF shoulder patch and a copy of the unit's "death card". The Hanwei was not as nicely packaged as presented to me. However, I'm going to avoid comment as it may have been "depackaged" at the shop. In the end, I don't think the box matters, but the Boker was presented with more attention and care.
Conclusions:
Well... I'd say that if you want period-correct, buy the Hanwei simply for the proper handle design and the rougher sheath. If you have larger hands, the Hanwei is also for you. If you want a slight update on a classic, nicely made and presented, go for the Boker.
In the end, I nearly bought the Boker but balked on the shorter handle length and left the shop with neither.
Cheers - Jeff C
