How are Boker knives?

A

agoutihead

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May 5, 2007
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I've found a knife by Boker that I really like & is only $100 off amazon.

But what is the quality of Boker knives?

They are german right? And anything german is usually good. Specially guns etc...
 
ive owned about 5 bokers and i have always been satisfied. they tend to use lower to mid range steels but heat treat really well. Best part about boker is you get some great designs and various knife types for really cheep. i just ordered the Boker Vox RHino, cant wait to get it.
 
The Boker line of economically priced knives is manufactured in China under the Boker Plus name. I own two of the Boker Plus knives: The Boker Exskelibur 1; and the Chad Los Banos Boker Trance. They're both excellent knives and I recommend them.
 
Böker and Böker Plus knives price and quality usually is really good. Usually real Böker ones are done in Germany or elsewhere but Plus and Magnum knives are made in Taiwan and or China.

Böker knives I've had so far have had good fit and finish and good value for price point. Böker seem have to make more intruiging knives this year. EXSKELIBUR-series, Jim Burke Ressurection-series, Rhino and Gnome to mention few.
 
I like a lot of their slip joints. I have several and they have proven to be good knives. Personally, for 100 bucks I would think that there were better steel options than 440C but that's just me. If you like it, that's all that matters.
 
I have been really impressed by what the Boker Plus line has been putting out there. Between Chad los Banos work (ie SubCom) and now the Vox stuff, you can get some excellent knives (that are also affordable).
 
agoutihead said:
I came across this one and really seemed to like it...

http://www.amazon.com/Boker-Escrima...e=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1277054339&sr=8-1

That one's by Boker, so its German & I'm good right?

Are there any other high quality german knife makers?
Click to expand...

Actually the Amazon description isn't perfect. It is a Boker Plus knife (here is the description on the Boker site), meaning made in Taiwan. Now all my Boker Plus knives display an excellent quality/price ratio, so you don't need to worry about that.

German Bökers are nicely made these days. Older lower-priced Bökers were sometimes less than perfect but the higher end models were always convincing.

About other brands: there are a number of traditional knife brands, but you seem to be more interested in tactical designs.
In that case it's worth checking out Eickhorn who mainly aim their products at professional users. They are made in Solingen, Germany.
Finally experienced designer Dietmar Pohl (who designed several knives for Böker and Eickhorn) now has his own brand Pohl Force, offering interesting modern products. They seem relatively popular here in Europe, the good quality/price must have an influence. FYI Pohl Force is designed and quality-checked in Germany, but made in Taiwan.
 
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I don't consider myself a steel snob, and I have a few made with 440. But, I sure didn't pay a $100 for all of them combined, let alone one!
 
440c isn't a bad steel my any means. It has been characterized as such by cheap company after cheap company buying it in bulk and putting a shitty heat treat on it.

Boker's heat treat is one of the best in the business and turns 440c into an awesome blade steel.
 
MoreToasties said:
Boker - German
Boker Plus - Taiwan
Magnum by Boker - China
Click to expand...

The first few models from Boker Plus were made in Taiwan.
But then Boker starting producing some Boker Plus models in mainland China.

Today, a few Boker Plus models continue to be made in Taiwan, but most are made in mainland China.

In my view, the knives from Taiwan are better quality than those from mainland China.


All of the Boker Magnum knives are made in mainland China.



Then there are the "Boker" brand knives.

Most of these are still made in Solingen, Germany.
However, many - especially fixed blade models - are made in Argentina under the name "Boker Arbolito".


The Solingen, Germany made Bokers - slipjoints and fixed blades - are high quality knives.

I have several and very highly recommend them.
 
I fully respect Boker (German), have no experience with Boker Plus, but do have a Boker Magnum. It was about $15, and is a liner lock with a plasticized wood handle (they make dozens of similar knives).

Brief review of a Magnum: The handle is quite nice, and I would have no complaints even if the knife cost much more. The blade is thin, made of basic stainless steel, had ragged sharpening, and a sandblasted finish. It is exactly what you would expect on a low priced knife. The liner lock is a bit short and it springs 100% across with a little gap, so it has a bit of blade play. I tightened the torx pivot and it took away most of the blade play but not all. It is worth $15 but not a lot more.

Fine company, just check out the model number at a few places to make sure you are buying from the right product line.
 
I find the German Bokers to be of excellent quality. Their handles do seem to be a little blocky on some models.
 
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