TK cover knife... really?

G

G.Moll

Joined
Mar 20, 2012
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Tactical Knife magazine has the Boker Plus Apparo on its cover. I honestly dont see why. Im not trying to hate on Boker, but the Apparo just seems like another rambo blade! Hollow handle, 440c blade, and a crappy sheath. I know it sounds like im just hating on the knife, but its undeserving of a cover shot. The Esee Caniru is also talked about in the magaine. The candiru should have been on the cover for being a great survival knife, not the Apparo. Idk it just seems like TK bought into the hype.
 
When was the last time you saw a negative article about a knife in a knife magazine? Makes you wonder why huh? ;)
 
Newt Martin has apparently found a way to join the blade and handle in a way that is much stronger than the typical hollow handle knife. I don't know about the sheath but 440C is an outstanding knife steel. Randall hollow handle knives per Gary Randall only repair joint damage on 1 or 2 model 18's a year. If you haven't handled the Apparo then how can you form an opinion about the knife? Martin knives are some of the highest quality knives made and Boker seems to be doing justice to their design......whay so much dislike?
 
G.Moll said:
Tactical Knife magazine has the Boker Plus Apparo on its cover. I honestly dont see why. Im not trying to hate on Boker, but the Apparo just seems like another rambo blade! Hollow handle, 440c blade, and a crappy sheath. I know it sounds like im just hating on the knife, but its undeserving of a cover shot. The Esee Caniru is also talked about in the magaine. The candiru should have been on the cover for being a great survival knife, not the Apparo. Idk it just seems like TK bought into the hype.
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The Candiru is a great little back up knife, but not really something I'd seeing as deserving of a cover photo on a magazine titled "Tactical Knives".


HardTripper said:
I hate almost the whole issue, its all about super combat fighting knives...
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So, you'd expect with the title of the magazine being what it is that the focus would be on bushcraft knives and kitchen cutlery?
 
No but I find most issues have more of a 50 50 split, the last three or so issues have been less survival and more mall knife fighting. Not ky cup of tea, I'd love a more outdoors focused knife magazine but selection is limited up north.
 
I with Mistwalker ..the Candiru is a great little back up knife,but a "great survival knife"...I think you've been drinking to much Pine Tree needle tea and have become drunk on the bushcraft hype......in seriousness though this style harkens and takes it cues from the Randall 18 one of the Grand Daddy designs for outdoor survival.....
 
Shotgun said:
When was the last time you saw a negative article about a knife in a knife magazine? Makes you wonder why huh? ;)
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Exactly. The great majority of magazines will write what they are paid for. Knives, cameras, bicycles or cars, it 's the same story everywhere.
 
Why would you read a magazine titled "Tactical knives" if you didn't want to read about, you guessed it, tactical knives? The "Survival Knife" that people always think of looks like the Apparo, hollow handle, saw on the back. So what if the knife isn't your favorite knife. Also, 440C is a great steel if treated correctly.
 
Not that I really use them anymore, but I still have a place in my heart for "Rambo knives" That one looks pretty nice actually. It really does resemble the Parrish and Randall survival knives. I wouldn't mind playing with an Apparo myself.
 
They are trying to bring hollow handle blades back into fashion.

It does hark back to the survival knife a lot of us fell in love with in the 80's...

Most of us have grown out of it though :) P.S. I still have 2 buck 184 in my collection..
 
tknife said:
Not that I really use them anymore, but I still have a place in my heart for "Rambo knives" That one looks pretty nice actually. It really does resemble the Parrish and Randall survival knives. I wouldn't mind playing with an Apparo myself.
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As long as they are well made, I think in certain environments they make perfect sense. If I still lived in south Florida where the temps are usually a good deal warner in the winter than they are here...and where I hardly ever did any hard chopping with a knife, I may still be packing the old Marto Explora I had. I've heard good things about the Martin knives, so I ordered a Boker Apparo to check it out for myself.
 
It's deserving of a cover shot because its a production model of an expensive Newt Martin custom :) the actual Martin Hollow Handle blades run everywhere from $575 to $1k so it's nice to see their design and construction (hopefully) in an affordable iteration.

I have no need for one but I sure like the style :)

I'll be on the lookout for a Mistwalker review ;)
 
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Regardless of the fact that Rambo carried a hollow handle knife or the hype is big on the front of a magazine, as survivalists and knife nuts we should respect the innovation and history of this style knife. Apathetic people are always quick to shoot down a new thought or design. The original concept behind the hollow handle survival knife is sound and well executed. Not to mention it's getting better. What if Rambo carried a Chris Reeve one piece hollow handle?
 
mistwalker said:
As long as they are well made, I think in certain environments they make perfect sense. If I still lived in south Florida where the temps are usually a good deal warner in the winter than they are here...and where I hardly ever did any hard chopping with a knife, I may still be packing the old Marto Explora I had. I've heard good things about the Martin knives, so I ordered a Boker Apparo to check it out for myself.
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Awesome! I look forward to your review and pics. I keep looking at the pics of it myself and really am starting to want it!
 
HardTripper said:
I hate almost the whole issue, its all about super combat fighting knives and tacticool crap.
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I don't think the Helle Dokka falls into that category.

Knife magazines make money off ads, a lot of whose items get reviewed in said magazines. If the articles were negative, some companies would be upset & stop paying for advertising & submitting items to be reviewed. Thus the articles tend to focus on the positive aspects of the knife being reviewed. When reading the articles pay attention to what is NOT said, or how it is said. When you notice that the article on the super tough tactical focuses on how tough it is, yet mentions nothing about ergonomics or fit & finish, you might say that is indicative of something.
 
The Apparo was made for those of us who can't afford the real deal Sir. The Martins are good folk who know what they're doin when it comes to knife making. Take a look at their website and see for yourself.
 
The genre of knives still suffers from the stigma earned from when it's most common form was the imported $5-10 knives advertised in comic books and still occasionally found at flea markets and gun shows. The rep was, at a time, well earned as a general POS that no knowledgeble outdoorsman would be caught dead with. It is difficult to overcome a stigma like that.

The blades were of cheap indeterminate metal, poorly heat treated (if at all) with a non-working sawback, cheap molded plastic handles spray painted in woodland camoflage, often a inaccurate liquid filled ball compass glued into the buttcap, and a cheap vinyl sheath. They were kid's toys that came apart after one or two hacks at a tree branch or toss at a tree.
 
I really liked this issue.
We "knife people" are fortunate to have TK, IMO. Steven Dick is doing a very good job.
They do write-ups about the new stuff out there and are doing a good job.
The "hard copy" magazine industry is extremely difficult right now and will probably be all but gone in 10 years.
I like the magazine overall and continue to subscribe.
IMO we should support various aspects of the "knife culture", even if they aren't our specific genre.
 
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