NEWS for the old buck 303's and Old timer 34OT's fans.. Boker plus mini stockman

M

mudguard

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Aug 2, 2013
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Today I got something that I really need to share..

I had ordered a boker pus mini stockman.. just to test it out. This was because at some point I owned a Old timer 34OT but because of the high maintenance of the carbon steel and the weather around where I live, I let it go. I moved on to a peanut (which I love) but a little extra size was needed.

So while drooling over the 440C steel in that this knife promised and the similarity with my old 34OT I pulled the trigger at a popular auction site.
I have to say that I am very impressed with the knife. It did need some cleaning and oiling right off the bat but for a user knife it is perfect! and for under $20 bucks I can't complain, the quality is right up there with my old 34OT and built is great. I hope this little fellow will outlast me.. I would really recommend it for someone who is looking for a well built affordable and easy to keep knife with a great edge.

I should also mention that the blades allow for a good choke because of the unsharpened area below the edge (just like the buck 303's and the old timers 34OT's giving you great control). I'll post some pictures of my own once I get around to it. Cheers!

Bokerministockmaninhand_zps813d3aae.jpg


Bokerministockmanwpeanut_zps07822314.jpg


See the similarity?
340T_Walden_F-1.jpg
 
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It's not often in this world that we can find a satisfactory replacement for an old friend that's gone down the road. But it looks like ya done real good there!:thumb up:

From what I've used in the past, Boker 440C is some good stuff.
 
Yes jackknife. they run it at 58 HC which is pretty good for an everyday utility blade. It sharpens a lot better than case's stainless too. The two small blades are very thin but they slice like crazy.. the main blade is nice and thick.. although some may not like that the sheepsfoot doesn't protrude as much as in the 34OT I find that it makes it easier to work with the main blade without hurting your hand as much. It reminds me of the old hollow ground Buck 303's which I like alot better than the current 3 spring'd and new grind ones.
 
Oh yeaa.. the main blade is slightly hollow ground and the other two are full flat ground. It came hair whittling sharp out of the box!
 
Very nice, very very nice. Every time I see one of those old 34OTs or similar sized stockmans I think about picking one up, but I never had. That Boker is very nice. It will serve you well, I'm sure.
 
mudguard said:
Oh yeaa.. the main blade is slightly hollow ground and the other two are full flat ground. It came hair whittling sharp out of the box!
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Thanks for adding that I was just gonna ask...

medicevans said:
Very nice, very very nice. Every time I see one of those old 34OTs or similar sized stockmans I think about picking one up, but I never had. That Boker is very nice. It will serve you well, I'm sure.
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Medium Stockmans are one of my favorite patterns, I love having the combination of blades that I can sharpen to different tasks. If you've never owned a medium Stockman you should get one, just be aware that because of the nesting blade they have to crink, (bend) the blades to get them to nest, this drives some of the OCD people I know crazy, IIRC the Buck 303 is the only one that because of the frame width doesn't do that, (I don't have my 303 in front of me to verify that), I know my Case has crinked blades, I just double checked.
 
A lot of knife for the money. 440C at that price point is interesting, it's not bad steel. I like the shield too, I think it's weird you can but this in 440C at 20 dollars, but nearly twice as much money will get you a Case in 420HC, not to dog on Case, I like them, but 440C is more appealing to me.
 
whetrock said:
A lot of knife for the money. 440C at that price point is interesting, it's not bad steel. I like the shield too, I think it's weird you can but this in 440C at 20 dollars, but nearly twice as much money will get you a Case in 420HC, not to dog on Case, I like them, but 440C is more appealing to me.
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Boker plus mini stockman
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The Boker Plus line is made in China. That would account for the price differential.

Boker, under the new label BOKER PLUS, is now producing pocket knives that meet critical demands. This new series is produced with strict instructions and quality checks by our well-known business partners in the Far East.
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http://www.boker.de/us/pocket-knife/boker-plus.html
 
Nice. Just FYI, if it was only the carbon steel that was off-putting about the 34OT, a bit of searching will reveal one of the last 34OT knives made circa 2003-2004. They had transitioned to stainless blades in those without so informing buyers via marking or literature. The "tell" is a thin dark brown line between the scales and bolsters.

6pxeg6.jpg
 
Wow, just checked the Schrade 34OT I picked up at BLADE a few years back and it has that this dark line. Guess mine is not 1095 like I thought.

Codger_64 said:
Nice. Just FYI, if it was only the carbon steel that was off-putting about the 34OT, a bit of searching will reveal one of the last 34OT knives made circa 2003-2004. They had transitioned to stainless blades in those without so informing buyers via marking or literature. The "tell" is a thin dark brown line between the scales and bolsters.

6pxeg6.jpg
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Give it the acid test. Lemon juice, potato, onion... you know. See, at nearly the same time they went to fineblanking the blades in stainless, they began buying their covers prepunched and trimmed and dyed. Prior, the trim and punch was done to dyed scales. Thus there was no dark dye line next to the bolster. That got trimmed off in the sizing dies. With the new process, the cover end dye remained and the thin dark line appeared when the assembled knives were glazed flush to the bolsters.
 
Knarfeng, I'm well aware of Boker-plus's country of origin, I've actually handled one of their Peanuts, it was of stellar quality, I just didn't realize they were 440C, I thought it's cool. I wouldn't break the bank to sample 1 or 2, I've had a streak of good luck with Rough Rider, and would like to see how these stack up against RR, the RRs are only 440A though. Not that 440A is bad, it works.
 
I have some RR knives and these boker plus are better in my opinion. The fit and finish of both are okay but the steel does make a bit of a difference. Plus boker offers a much better warranty too.
whetrock said:
Knarfeng, I'm well aware of Boker-plus's country of origin, I've actually handled one of their Peanuts, it was of stellar quality, I just didn't realize they were 440C, I thought it's cool. I wouldn't break the bank to sample 1 or 2, I've had a streak of good luck with Rough Rider, and would like to see how these stack up against RR, the RRs are only 440A though. Not that 440A is bad, it works.
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abcdef said:
Codger, did the "thin brown line" apply to the 34OT only?
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There were a few other patterns which they were transitioning, but I don't recall which ones offhand. Of course any in the 34OT family, such as 33OT might be found since they used the same frames and covers. In fixed blades, the Sharpfinger had been stainless for a few years. The tell on that one is the different, hollow grind.
 
I wouldn't characterize that response as surprise, pers se. Just an observation. I think it is pretty noteworthy, getting a steel of that caliber at that price point, versus 8cr13mov or 440A or 420hc, which the competition is largely composed of.
 
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