Hi all,
Here is a closer look at two interesting recent additions to my collection. Both are in my opinion good quality allround knives with character. They are both designed for two hand opening.
At the top you can see the Müller MSP Backlock, desert ironwood handle variant
At the bottom you can see the Böker Cox slipjoint, designed by Jens Anso.
First a closer look at the Böker Cox.
This is -a contradiction in itself- a beefy, sturdy slipjoint with a blade that's 4mm at the spine. I think that the design has a certain unique and primitive appeal, with its heavily stonewashed blade and specific G10 structure:
It weighs 94 gram, the blade is 6.7 cm (2.75") long and made of Bohler N690. Handholding is good. The slipjoint is fairly stiff to manipulate which gives confidence.
The other side of the handle is a slab of titanium that also looks worn out of the box. The total effect is like a beloved worn jeans, you really want to carry and use the knife. Notice that the clip can be placed at the other end (extra screws are already in the holes):
A 4mm thick blade seems a lot in a compact slipjoint, but the blade stays thin for a large part of its height, only near the spine does it get really wide (this "T" profile will definitely add sturdiness). It is true that such profile is not ideal for cutting cardboard boxes, your knife can easily get stuck in it. But for general EDC it actually works well enough:
Conclusion: the Cox is a very nice, highly original knife that I can recommend if you'd like something off the beaten track. It is and looks sturdier than a slipjoint typically is, and that is part of the charm.
Note that it's (well) made in Germany, and this together with the current euro/dollar exchange ratio will make it rather expensive in the USA (it already isn't cheap in Europe).
Now a closer look at the Müller MSP Backlock. This is designed by German knifemaker and one-man company Reinhard Müller who outsourced the production to an italian manufacturer, who did a SPLENDID job. It is currently a direct sale item, which makes it by European standards relatively affordable for a pocket knife with an 7.3cm, 3.3mm thick S90v blade!
Indeed, the combination of a high end steel, and good classic ergonomics makes the MSP in my opinion a near perfect knife.
It exists in different handle materials (looking back, perhaps I should have taken the utilitarian red or blue G10 version instead of the pretty desert ironwood, it somehow fits the no-nonsense attitude of the design better):
It is really nice in the hand, totally non-tactical, pure utility function. Its one disadvantage is that it is rather heavy (liners that are not skeletonised make a difference) at 120-130 grams depending on the variant, otherwise it is one of those "why pay more" knives: perfect construction, more than sturdy enough for edc, nice materials, and one of my sharpest knives out of the box:
Conclusion: the Müller MSP Backlock is a very, very good universal pocket knife. It cuts effortlessly, offers high end steel, perfect manufacturing and non-tactical looks. I recommend this to everyone.
Here are 2 comparison pictures with the small Insingo Sebenza, so you can compare sizes:
If you want to see more details about these knives, I had fun making review video clips (featuring a heavy flemish accent...) about them.
My Böker Cox review clip:
[youtube]Qr3R9WuYsyY[/youtube]
My Müller MSP review clip:
[youtube]OchPvnuDjEg[/youtube]
Enjoy!
Here is a closer look at two interesting recent additions to my collection. Both are in my opinion good quality allround knives with character. They are both designed for two hand opening.
At the top you can see the Müller MSP Backlock, desert ironwood handle variant
At the bottom you can see the Böker Cox slipjoint, designed by Jens Anso.
First a closer look at the Böker Cox.
This is -a contradiction in itself- a beefy, sturdy slipjoint with a blade that's 4mm at the spine. I think that the design has a certain unique and primitive appeal, with its heavily stonewashed blade and specific G10 structure:
It weighs 94 gram, the blade is 6.7 cm (2.75") long and made of Bohler N690. Handholding is good. The slipjoint is fairly stiff to manipulate which gives confidence.
The other side of the handle is a slab of titanium that also looks worn out of the box. The total effect is like a beloved worn jeans, you really want to carry and use the knife. Notice that the clip can be placed at the other end (extra screws are already in the holes):
A 4mm thick blade seems a lot in a compact slipjoint, but the blade stays thin for a large part of its height, only near the spine does it get really wide (this "T" profile will definitely add sturdiness). It is true that such profile is not ideal for cutting cardboard boxes, your knife can easily get stuck in it. But for general EDC it actually works well enough:
Conclusion: the Cox is a very nice, highly original knife that I can recommend if you'd like something off the beaten track. It is and looks sturdier than a slipjoint typically is, and that is part of the charm.
Note that it's (well) made in Germany, and this together with the current euro/dollar exchange ratio will make it rather expensive in the USA (it already isn't cheap in Europe).
Now a closer look at the Müller MSP Backlock. This is designed by German knifemaker and one-man company Reinhard Müller who outsourced the production to an italian manufacturer, who did a SPLENDID job. It is currently a direct sale item, which makes it by European standards relatively affordable for a pocket knife with an 7.3cm, 3.3mm thick S90v blade!
Indeed, the combination of a high end steel, and good classic ergonomics makes the MSP in my opinion a near perfect knife.
It exists in different handle materials (looking back, perhaps I should have taken the utilitarian red or blue G10 version instead of the pretty desert ironwood, it somehow fits the no-nonsense attitude of the design better):
It is really nice in the hand, totally non-tactical, pure utility function. Its one disadvantage is that it is rather heavy (liners that are not skeletonised make a difference) at 120-130 grams depending on the variant, otherwise it is one of those "why pay more" knives: perfect construction, more than sturdy enough for edc, nice materials, and one of my sharpest knives out of the box:
Conclusion: the Müller MSP Backlock is a very, very good universal pocket knife. It cuts effortlessly, offers high end steel, perfect manufacturing and non-tactical looks. I recommend this to everyone.
Here are 2 comparison pictures with the small Insingo Sebenza, so you can compare sizes:
If you want to see more details about these knives, I had fun making review video clips (featuring a heavy flemish accent...) about them.
My Böker Cox review clip:
[youtube]Qr3R9WuYsyY[/youtube]
My Müller MSP review clip:
[youtube]OchPvnuDjEg[/youtube]
Enjoy!
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