My new Boker Armed Forces Tactical Tanto Fixed Blade

[topspeclt]

Whist on a campaign to restore my ageing and lost knife collection I decided to purchase this knife:


http://www.boker.de/us/index.php?c=45,2,&a=BO216&p=&pp=0

I have just received this today and am impressed.

Here is my quick review:

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best here is my evaluation

Overall Construction - 8
Great construction, no rattling, the fixed blade goes all the way to the end of the handle and beyond.


Comfort - 4
For a quick use the knife should be comfortable enough. BUT, if you use it for ANY serious work then I must say the handle is most uncomfortable! The ridges around the handle will grind and chew-up your hand. I've only tested for a short while and my hand feels sore already. Good thing is that since the ridges are so deep one could lace the handle thereby potentially eliminating this problem. Oh, and I do have tough hands...


Weight - 8
Doesn't feel too heavy or light, just right actually.

The balance is good, the end of the knife doesn't feel like it is dropping when holding the handle.

Finish - 6
Some issues with the screws on the handle. Some are flush (2 of them) some are not (4 of them). There is also marring around the screw hole making the hole really stand out (looks like a white ring). Some would consider it nitpicking but it IS visually noticeable and the flaw attracts the eye. Somehow, I think if this was made in USA or Germany this wouldn't happen.

Also, with one lanyard hole there is an area where the black coating hasn't been applied properly. It is about 5mmx1mm strip.

Furthermore, the handle has two scratches (about 5mm) in the G10 handle. Not too bothered by this but noticeable.

There are also some indentations on the metal ridges on top of the handle (two in fact).

Lastly, on one side of the blade the word 'CHINA' can be seen clearly. What a let down! they could have just left it off and kept us 'falsely' believing it had something to do with Germany. Oh well... (nitpicking again)

The black coated blade is fine.

Factory edge - 9
Very sharp out of the box! I tested it on recycled notepad paper which is very thin. I was surprised how such a big knife cut through it so easily without problems -probably the chisel grind blade.

One problem is that two points on the serrated edge seem to be slightly bent. I used a key to chip one tiny bent point and it looks fine now.

Usability - 8
Very rugged and dependable knife. You will definitely need to wrap up the handle for proper use (camping) if you don't want an infected hand when camping!
You also get a very sturdy tactical Cordura sheath. The knife stays in the sheath even when upside-down and only comes out if you flick it very hard. OK, sturdy, sheath nothing special at all.

Overall - 9.5
Overall I'm happy with this one and given manufacturing is done in the far east slight imperfections are to be expected. The is my best knife in the large fixed-blade category hands-down.

I'll post a review of the Boker AK101, Smith & Wesson Homeland security Tanto, Kershaw ZT 0200 and Leatherman Klamath soon.

Thanks.

P.S. I've just realised that since this knife is aimed at the Armed Forces the knife makers may have expected them to wear gloves when using this tool. This might explain the deep ridges on the handle

 

[FMJBT]

I wore this knife on my body armor during my last deployment. I'm pretty impressed with it as well. High points:

1: Rugged, rugged, rugged. Nothing breakable on this knife, and I don't expect that it would ever fail during use. Build quality is exceptional for a blade made in China. Edge retention seems pretty good also.

2: Low profile sheath with MOLLE attachment points. The sheath slaps right on to most military issue body armor or packs, and is very low profile. No external pouches or straps to get hung up on stuff while crawling around.

3: Looks mean as hell. Maybe a small detail, but I would definitely stop in my tracks if I were confronted by someone with this knife. It doesn't look as though it would be at all comfortable to be stabbed with

Low points:

1: Ergonomics. Much like the Amed Forces Tanto folders, this is like holding a brick with a blade attached to it. It's somewhat more bearable on the larger fixed blade, but the handle design could definitely use some re-shaping.

2: Chisel grind: While very effective at cutting, and durable, it's a pain to sharpen in the field. A standard symetrical bevel would be much easier to sharpen using the smaller equipment that is easy to pack.


For the same reason, Im not a big fan ofthe tanto design or the partially serrated blade. They take more time to sharpen, or take special equipment to sharpen. I'm waiting for the spear point version to come out at the end of this month. It will address a few of the issues I have with the Tanto design since it will have a symetrical edge and does away with the tanto style tip.