Personally for me I would choose Boker over Gec or Case both companies I enjoy, but for value and quality I'll pick Boker but it's a personal preference. Boker has top notch customer service Terry Trahan is a asset ( can't wait for the flack I'm going to get from the my next statement,
but it's cool keep drinking the kool aid ) Gec should take a lesson. But when a company offers a lifetime warranty and can't honor it because they don't have a service department or they don't have the parts because of small batch production then don't tout a lifetime warranty. I have sent two knives back one Gec one Boker, Gec many emails and excuses of : not having a repair department, two months later and: Bill is personally working on your knife Bla Bla Bla, one email to Terry at Boker :and we are not making the pattern any longer if you would like I can send you a different knife of greater value all within the first return email.
I feel with Gec it's only going to get worst as time goes on, I still like Gec products but I'm more hesitant, I feel that their lifetime warranty is slightly dishonest. Not bashing Gec love their products but this is my first hand account of two cutlery firms.
Anyway back to Boker, people complain that Boker is not transparent I have posted many times about this topic so I'm just going to copy and paste old post:
But as far as Boker being deceptive, they are upfront if you go to Bokers web page as to country of origin, I think the problem starts with uniformed vendors selling Boker's name, not sure if all are trying to be deceptive, meaning selling off the history that they know of Boker. I see all the time on online auction sites selling the economy Magnum line as German made, someone was selling one the beginning of the week as a " rare vintage Boker "
I think as consumers with computers, tablets, smart phones etc. it's easier than ever to make sure you know what you are buying, with Boker the shield is a safer bet on country of origin, rather than the tang stamp, shield should read SOLINGEN, if the shield reads Germany, it's been outsourced, Boker since the late 1800's early 1900's has been making assembling in countries other than Germany, after WWII the German facility was destroyed along with a good portion of documents and history, if memory serves me it was J.Wiss & sons( one of the many owners of Boker USA ) that really helped get the German facility back on track. Dating Bokers is also a problem because they tend to reissue old tang stamps for nostalgia, speaking only of the German made knives if there is no steel designation, means it's carbon, stainless will be stamped, although I recently had proved this wrong with Boker as a knife I purchased was made with mixed parts stainless & carbon, but Bokers customer service ( Terry Tarhan ) provide excellent response and service, policy being if not happy they will replace with same new item, or a item of greater value.
Yes Boker can be confusing, but they make a great product with a great value, with a little homework don't get bitten by a uniformed or shaddy seller.
I've posted this list I gathered many times before, it's a look into the vastness of Boker
Hermann Boeker immigrated to New York in 1887 and founded H.Boker & Co., Boker also owned Valley Forge cutlery and were also contracted to make knives for many other cutlers including Case.
H. Boker & Co's made knives for C. Platts & Sons in the early 1900's as Platts had been contracting knives out at that period of time, both companies were located in New York.
I found these list of Cutlers Boker has made knives for, don't remember where I found these or how accurate they are:
Arbolito - Spanish for "little tree". South American branch. Argentina.
Boker Plus - Boker's current "international" brand. Made in Tiawan and China.
Boker USA - Started in 1899 when H. Boker & Co. purchased the Valley Forge plant. Ended U.S. production in 1983.
Casa Boker - Hardware store founded in 1865 by Robert Boker. Sold knives and hardware improted from USA, Germany and England. Known as "the Sears of Mexico".
Cinch - Current manufacture in Solingen.
Cooper Group - Purchased Boker USA from J. Wiss in 1977. Moved production to Statesboro, GA. Ended US production in 1983.
Cyclops Steel - Purchased by Barl F. Boker in 1916. Sold in 1926. Titusville, PA.
George Schrade - Purchased by Boker ni 1956. Closed in 1958
H. Boker & Company - Founded in NY in 1837 by Hermann Boker. Imported cutlery from Germany. Began making knives in the US with the purchase of Valley Forge cutlery in 1899.
H. Dorwal - Knives made by Boker in Solingen, distributed by the Remsheid Bokers for the Canadian market.*
Heinrich Boker - Official name of the factory in Solingen. Opened in 1869.
Hen and Rooster - Boker made knives in Solingen for Frost. Recent.
Henry Boker - Brand name associated with the Remsheid Bokers. Mostly sold in Australia. Also used on many hand tools in that country.
J. Wiss & Sons - purchased Boker USA in 1969.
J.A. Henkels - Contracted knives made by Boker Solingen. Dates uncertain (1960 - present ???)
John Newton (Sheffield) - Made by Boker USA, Newark, NJ, circa 1906.
John Primble - knives sold by Belknap. Boker USA made knives sold under the Primble trademark from circa 1940s - early 1980s. Primble knives made by Boker have a star on the pattern number stamped on the tang.
Litton Industries - Owned Boker USA in 1968. Sold to J. Wiss in 1969.
Magnum - Knives made in China.
New Britain - Toolmaking company in Connecticutt. Purchased Boker USA in 1965. Bought by Litton Industries circa 1968.
Olde Stag - trademark patented by Boker in 1975 to identify knives made with "del-bone" (delrin) imitation stag handles.
Radium - Blade etch on some Boker knives from early 1900s. History unknown
Rainbow (Providence, RI) - made by Boker USA circa 1933-1954
Razor Steel - Etched on some Boker USA blades circa 1940-1950
Riverside Cut. Co. NY - Made by Boker USA circa 1918
Tree Brand - The Boker brand, USA and Solingen, as it is sometimes called.
Tree Brand Classic - trademark patented in 1974 - used on knife patterns that have been around for a while...
United Boker - Contract knives made by Boker circa 1984-1994.
Valley Forge - Company purchased by H. Boker & Co. in 1899. Closed original plant in 1921, but continued to manufacture Valley Forge knives alongside Boker USA knives in the Maplewood, NJ plant until the 1950s.
Whitehead & Hoag Co. (Newark, NJ) - Made by Boker USA circa 1900-1959
Wright & Wilhelmy (Omaha, NE) - Made by Boker and Ulster
1. Manhattan Cutlery Company (1868-1906).
2. Trenton Cutlery Company (1880-1906).
3. Regal Cutlery Company (1906).
4. George Dunbar (1901-1906).
5. Eclipse (1887-1918).
6. Hilton (1922-1924).
7. Edelweiss (1903).
8. Hardy Bros. (1884-1885).
9. Bicycle (1894).
10. O.K. Barlow Germany (1867-1917).
11. O.K. Barlow (1896-1917).
12. Red Injun Razors (1902).*
13. Celebrated Knife etched Bokers (late 1800's-early 1900's).
14. X (with an arrow thru it) Boker M R (1850-1875).
15. Baumwerk is Spanish for tree work.
16. Alemania is Spanish for Germany.
17. Radium (patented by Boker in 1904).
18. I'm not positive on these two, but I'm pretty sure Boker made them: W.D. Herbert and Dixon Cutlery Co.
19. Boker also made some knives for Case. The old Case radio or plier knives are identical to the old H. Bokers, as well as an old camp/scout knife pattern.
20. Prentiss Knife Co. New York (1916-1930) VF is stamped inside a circle (Valley Forge when Boker owned them) on the back of the tang.
21. Wyeth's Warranted Cutlery.
22. Bowen (1990's).
Just wanted to add you can't fault a company for offering a economy line, business need to stay competitive and I'm sure the non knife nut, compares traditionals to Taylor made Schrade and Rough Rider, it's a way to capture a customer, possible a starting point for a lower cost knife that will hopefully lead them back for a second purchase of a higher end product.
With the information provided above and the two older links I am providing, should equip anyone with the necessary tools to purchase the Boker knife you want, don't take online vendors, auction site sellers word for it look at the knife you are buying, and determine for yourself, I'm on my phone and the pictures that Pertinux linked are outsourced, you can read Germany on the shields plus, I can tell most times just from looking at the knife.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...r-Remscheid-R-amp-H-Bokers-Improved-Cutlery-H
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Is-Boker-doing-a-disservice-to-it-s-customers
Pete
I too have been burned by customer service. In this case it was Case. Sent a nice stag coke bottle hunter with a swing guard in for a broken spring. They said they couldn't fix it but would replace with a like valued knife. The one I got back was some thin enormous coke bottle in green bone that was the ugliest knife I've ever owned. I still buy Case knives to this day.