440C was never rare. It was just new.
And you are not "expected" to buy your new dagger. If you dont want to spend that money, don't. It's not like a dagger is groceries.
Boker has priced their knives at a point where they will sell. Hence, they are not overpriced.
And comments like this are why I continue to have marcinek on ignore.
440C a bear to sharpen? I don’t envy those sharpening skills, Gaston
OP, I’m with you, man. 440C is a fine steel, and the Model T Ford was a fine car, but times have changed, and we can get way more carbides and way more horses for the price today
Edit: Boker is an older company and their german line kind of went in a parallel direction to Gerber: they’re leaning way too hard on their brand name power and think they don’t need to modernize. The only thing that they’re doing right today is their Plus lineup with the high value flipper/D2 blades like the Hitman, Caracal, etc
Yeah, and actually in terms of some of the materials used, Gerber actually went backwards. How I long for the Gerber quality and steel of the 1980s.
440C is a perfectly suitable steel for most applications, honestly. I have a Stedemon ZKC D01 that I have put a nice mirror edge on, and it is a wonder to cut with and holds the edge well. That said, I only spent $40 on it. I probably would have held off if it was a Boker product, because I doubt I would have been able to pick it up for less than $80.
If you highly value blade steel - and there’s nothing wrong with that - then Boker is probably not right for you. Very few of their models approach Spyderco or ZT’s materials-to-price ratio, and you will end up spending close to $100 for a Boker with a steel as underwhelming as D2 or VG-10 when you could pick up a Spyderco with 110V or S35VN for a similar price. Additionally, with the recent explosion of Chinese manufacturers putting out very nice products at attractive prices, you can get some very nice 440C, 12C27, VG-10, and S35VN knives without breaking the bank. Kizer’s Vanguard series has some of the best deals on quality VG-10 knives, Stedemon ZKC will slap some ceramic bearings on a 440C knife and sell it for $50-60, BesTech has rolled out some impressively-made D2 knives, etc.
Boker’s real claim to fame is their wide selection of uniquely-designed knives. You just can’t get some of those knives elsewhere, and you pay a premium to own them. Much like CRKT, the primary gripe people have with Boker+ knives is that the materials and quality doesn’t seem to line up very well with the price - which is only really frustrating because some of the models they produce are really interesting.
Yes Comeup, I think this is where you, Beans and Madcap are right. Böker does have many nice designs but, more often than not, the cost being out of whack w/ the materials used is what holds me back. I do desire many of their models especially the fixed blades but if they're not going to give me more bang for my buck I just don't think I can do it.
I just looked up the Boker dagger it's $157, made in Germany, and comes with a Kydex sheath, that seems pretty reasonable to me.
Even at 157, it's tough to make the argument for this reasonable imo. NOT impossible, but tough....and sorry but, I DESPISE *Kydex*.
It looks cheap and quite often ends up rattling after the break-in period. I know plastic sheathing is all the rage these days but, it largely just comes off as cheap junk to me. When I see it, I'm reminded of the cheap, plastic holsters used to hold our cheap, pot-metal, toy six shooters as a kid back in the 80s.
And lastly I'm sorry but Gaston, no offense buddy but, I've read enough of your posts over the last few years that I thought it best to just stand back and see what happens. I know I'm probably coming off as a jerk but, I'm hoping you are also getting an education from some here on this forum.
And, I don't know where you're buying your daggers but, I have several that were shipped w/ an edge. Just recently, my father bought the CS Peacekeeper I and II and BOTH would easily slice a newspaper to ribbons right out of the box.
