Boye dendritic cobalt?

elkins45

elkins45

Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
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The Talonite thread got me to thinking about the Boye cobalt knives. I've toyed with the idea of buying one for a couple of years now.

Does anybody have any opinions about them they would care to share? Beyond just the cutting ability of the blades, how is the overall construction? Are they straight FRN or lined?
 
I had a guy come into the knife shop I work at with one of Boye's pieces and he let me play around with it. I can't remember if it was lined or not, and I have no idea what the edge retention is like (the guy maintained his knives well, so it was nice and sharp) but I remember that I was very impressed with the overall quality of the knife.
 
I have one. They are well made, light, unlined and sharp. Remember they are made for nautical duties. I have one with a marlin spike.
 
The Prophet series is an unlined midlock, the steel was dendritic steel, if sharpened on a medium stone and left with a toothy edge it will out cut most steels on abasive materials, (rope, canvas, cardboard) unfortunately these are no longer manufactured, you can find them occasionally on the secondary market $100 give or take, if ya find one I'd recomend buyin' it as it is a great EDC.

The Cobalt series is still available, just look up boyeknives.com.
 
I carried a BDC folder with marlinspike for years in a warehouse for staple removal (regular and cardboard), and box opening, as well as food prep, leaving a neck knife for oil contaminated cutting tasks. As long as you realize how low the Rc is and remember that it will bend out on a hard object, and are not worried about it then they are great folders IMO, although I've often thought about cutting off the bail as I do not use it in a maritime environment.
 
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I have a Boye knife I carry whenever I am working on boats. It has the sheepsfoot blade and marlin spike. It came VERY sharp and is easy to keep it that way. It is unlined and very light. Easy to carry. My only complaint is the titanium pocket clip should be shaped more like the ones on my Benchmades.
Peace out.
 
i have had knives in dendritic colbalt & 440c [dendritic]. boye makes a high quality product& truly is a custom pioneer. i bought his 1st book in 1978 or 79 .Handmade Knives YOu Can Do It.i beleive that was the title. a real think out of the box cat whom is a good guy. my cardboard cutting tests on the colbalt several years back gave decent but not prenomanal results. however the construction is 1st rate. i would rate the spyderco salt & dendritic colbalt about = in edge retention. however since both are corrosion proof the nod goes to the salt [h1] since it is much less expensive.
 
They have never had much recognition on the Forums. A shame, since
they are truly excellent blades. I have both Cobalt and Carbide-
amazing edge-holding quality.
 
The original knives were were poured 440C stainless marked BDS (Boye Dendritic Steel). The later models are poured Haynes Stellite (a Cobalt/Chrome alloy) marked BDC (Boye Dendritic Cobalt). The dendrites (macro crystals) are formed in the micro edge and give the blade an agressive, toothy "bite". Most other Stellite blades are made by stock removal and are devoid of dendrites. David Boye doesn't remember if the Stellite is 6-B or 6-K, but both make a superlative knife.
 
I've had his knives for years, but all in steel. His designs are great, refined over many years. His service is also excellent. Free repairs even if you screw it up all by yourself (try that with Spyderco.) He comes from a maritime family and puts his history into his boat knives. Truly a knife to have if you life depends on it.
 
CARRERA50 said:
They have never had much recognition on the Forums. A shame, since
they are truly excellent blades. I have both Cobalt and Carbide-
amazing edge-holding quality.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way. He is an innovator, makes a great product, and from all accounts I've read a good guy. How can you root against someone like that?
 
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