New Boker carbon slippies - Got a review?

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
Messages
6,677
I've been noticing some new Boker slippies in carbon steel lately. Here is one example, a trapper. They look pretty good. And they don't have that damn treebrand scrawl all over the blade which is the main thing that's long kept me from buying a Boker. Any of you guys have one of these new ones? Thoughts?
 
I don't have one of the new ones. I had an old splitback whittler with carbon blades that was really good. I got it off ebay for like $10.00 a couple years ago. The blades took a great edge and the fit and finish was good, the springs were strong. I never figured out how old it was or if the scales were bone or plastic. If they were plastic, it was well done, very convincing, not cheesy looking at all. If these are of similar quality, then I'd be interested in picking one or two up.
 
I have a newer Boker Congress in a blue winterbottom-look (I suspect plastic) handle. It seems pretty good. It does have some blade rub on one side of one blade. But at least it is decent carbon steel. It came acceptably sharp and did not have all that imprint crap on the blade like some of the Euro-made slips do. I am generally pleased with it. But be careful when you buy. The Boker Congress I picked up first was a black jigged bone one and it had a big gap in between the bolster and the scale on one side that I did not notice until I got it home. I went back to the store with that one and traded it for the one mentioned first above. Best of luck!
 
BOKER Red Bone Series

The use of bone as a handle material for knives came into the picture in 1930, when real stag supplies dried up for the growing knife industry. In Solingen, bone was called "false deer stag" and unique equipment was engineered to do the jigging and shaping of the flat bone scales in one pass. BOKER used this wild, still belt-driven machine until 1985. Boker imports the cattle bone out of Brazil. They feed the cattle on their wide Pampas one year longer than Argentina, so we receive nice, large pieces of extremely dense shin bone. Boker is proud to have the largest bone processing operation in today's cutlery industry.

From: The Boker website, bokerusa.com.

So yes, it's real bone, not plastic like some suspect.
 
Damn good knives, but nothing new, I used to sell Bokers (100s of them) back in the 80s and basicly they looked just like these. Our best seller was the red bone trapper in carbon steel. I've had older exsamples also that were very similar, the tradional carbon bone handle Bokers have been around for a long time and are well made with good steel. Bokers for me seem to hold an edge better than the other German brands, steel seems to be a higher rockwell. My .02 No stainless for me :p

Don Hanson
 
I had some of the older ones, made just like these also (Bokers been making them longer than anyone here has been alive).

These are nothing new, that's why they are calling them "classics". They are good knives.
 
>"These are nothing new, that's why they are calling them 'classics'. They are good knives."

============

Thanks, Rev. What really caught my eye was that these don't have that huge Tree Brand logo all over the master blade. I know it's maybe a trivial point, but I've always hated that and would never buy a Boker because of that.

But I'm hearing nothing but good things about these. Gonna have to start dropping birthday hints now. :D
 
I have to say Ive been impressed with these red bone classics. I dont htink much other their other slip joints, but these are like the old quality ones.
 
How "new", MNBlade? I bought a 82881 in 2001, that is a carbon steel-bladed Boker. It's a small one, at 2 3/4" closed. Unfortunately, the large blade has that etching you dislike, but the small blade is clear.

It is a beautifully made knife, in my opinion. The fit and finish are very good. The blade edges are great, and I love the strong halfway stops, that prevent the blades from closing too fast on your finger! It looks good, too; I think the rosewood and nickel silver compliment each other well.

It's my favourite slip joint pocketknife.

8288I.jpg
 
Pocketknife, the knife you have is fine. Boker still makes quality knives, but they also make some "not so good" knives also. The one you have is one of their higher priced SJ's. In fact they still make this knife. The red bone "classic" series is a really good in-expensive line of knives. They are "pretty" and good for using!~!! They have a new series called the "grand canyon", but I have not personally handled any yet.

https://www.bokerusa.com/default2.asp
 
rev jch, thanks for the info. Wow, those Grand Canyons are extremely handsome....and the red bone classics are very, very nice as well.

I recently handled one of the pearl handled Copperliners in a shop; the 4618; and THAt is a thing of beauty! Smooth as silk, and solid as a tank. I almost bought it, but remembered that almost all of my old collectable pearl-handled knives have cracked handles. Shell just is just too brittle for a tool handle. Too bad. Bone, on the other hand, is very strong. I've done a little bone carving (pendants), and I am quite amazed at its strength.

Okay, I have go now....to drool over pics of those red bones and Grand Canyons!
 
Pearl makes a great handle as long as it sits in a case, or you handle it with "kid gloves". Beautiful though! You should try to work it......a nightmare!!!!
 
Pocketknife said:
I almost bought it, but remembered that almost all of my old collectable pearl-handled knives have cracked handles. Shell just is just too brittle for a tool handle.
Click to expand...

Looking on Ebay a lot, I've seen plenty of old, cracked pearl knives. But I also see some that have major blade loss and have been used for a very long time, but with pristine pearl scales. This always amazes me. The owner took very good care of the knife - they must have always carried it in a pouch.
 
I have a Stockman (thought it was stainless till I sliced a tomato ;) ) nice edge holding good grind but the walk and talk is crap, utter crap.
 
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