whats up with boker?

C

carter13

Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
166
they seem to have really expensive knives with nothing but 440c whats the deal? shouldnt or couldnt they upgrade?
 
carter13 said:
they seem to have really expensive knives with nothing but 440c whats the deal? shouldnt or couldnt they upgrade?
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Boker makes a wide line of knives that run the price gamut as well as the style gamut.

To which particular Boker knives are you referring?

Tell us what you think is wrong with 440C.

I find 440C to be a very good blade steel.
 
Don't confuse 440C with 440A. Not too many years ago, 440C was a high-end steel for custom makers. It's still a great steel, except when it's not really 440C but some poorly worked variant. It became so popular, it got cloned. :)

In too many instances, upgrades are for show. 440C is a great working steel, highly corrosion-resistant and relatively easy to sharpen to a good edge.
 
Don't confuse 440C with 440A. Not too many years ago, 440C was a high-end steel for custom makers. It's still a great steel, except when it's not really 440C but some poorly worked variant. It became so popular, it got cloned
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Well put- I agree, 440C with a good heat treat is a fine steel. Wayne Goddard recently wrote in Blade Mag. he would rather have a poor steel with a good heat treat then a high end steel with a poor heat treat- (thats not to say 440C is a poor steel).
 
i understand that its a good steel but most makers have moved on to things like aus-8 or 154-cm, s90v, or super steels in their lines too. i just got my first boker catalog and wondered why most of there knives are a relitivly old steel instead of these new ones
 
The really expensive blades from Boker are made with damascus steel. Many of their new folders have 154CM blades, they also have AUS-8, N690 and a lot more. They still have a lot of 440C in their program, cause they how to get the best out of it and for me there's nothing with that. And yes, I do like Buck's 420HC. :D
 
I agree with the OP. I haven't been all that impressed with the grades of blade steel offered by Böker compared other knives at similar prices.

And IMO, 440C is just fine, but there are a lot of other steel types available.

From what I've seen in the $50 to $150.00 range, Böker doesn't offer much past 440C.

Is there something impolite about stating this and asking why it's the case?
 
There's nothing impolite in stating it and no one has said anything about the OP asking.

We're only reminding you that 440C is still a high-end steel against which others are measured, others which can add a lot to the cost and do have a learning curve for proper heat-treating.

For a small personal pocket folder, for example, you will not find yourself stressing the blade even up to what 440C can handle, let alone S30V. And by the way, 440C is arguably a higher-end steel than AUS-8, an older steel that got bypassed a few years ago and is only now making something of a comeback.
 
I wonder what the Boker Tree Brand slippies use for their current production carbon steel? Further, what do others - like Hen & Rooster and German Bull employ for their stainless steels in polished slippies? Is this where the 440A comes back into the equation, or is it 440C??


My experience with 440C has not been stellar - or wide spaced - just a single BM 551 Grip from five plus years back that came from the box quite dull. It was a 'chore' to finally re-edge - with a Sharpmaker. My S30V experience has been better.

Stainz
 
I think Boker is using 1095 under some European designation, X95 or something like that.

I wouldn't use Benchmade as a benchmark of what 440C can be, it's not a big steel with them, and they have had a rep for sending out obtuse edges, solid working edges that the buyer can refine to their liking. (OK, I'm being charitable. :) )

But 440C isn't the easiest steel to sharpen. That's what happens when you choose a steel for its edgholding qualities, too. AUS-8 sharpens well and sharpens easily ... and sharpens often.
 
carter13 said:
i understand that its a good steel but most makers have moved on to things like aus-8 or 154-cm, s90v, or super steels in their lines too. i just got my first boker catalog and wondered why most of there knives are a relitivly old steel instead of these new ones
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440C holds an edge better than AUS8.

You still have not said what is wrong with the performance of 440C.

In everyday use, I cannot tell the difference in edge retention performance between 440C and 154CM.Define your use, then perhaps I will know why you would demand S90V as a blade steel.

If it is good, it is good. And 440C is good. Newer does not necessarily mean better.
 
440C is relatively cheap and easy to machine. I don't know why the prices sit where they do, same for the Al Mar ultralights with AUS8. Well made knives, but the material cost and tool wear just isn't there compared to other blade steels
 
440c has no problems with it. i just mean since most of us like the newer super steals wouldn't boker use some in their cheaper knives. the ones that can compare in price to maybe a mini grip or a military. i have no problem with the steal i was just wondering
 
carter13 said:
440c has no problems with it. i just mean since most of us like the newer super steals wouldn't boker use some in their cheaper knives. the ones that can compare in price to maybe a mini grip or a military. i have no problem with the steal i was just wondering
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People that hang out here and fuss over blade steel alloys are a small percentage of knife buyers.

In the general knife buying population 440C is better known than any of the AUS alloys or any of the super alloys. And 440C is a good alloy. Even if it is not the alloy of the day.
 
I think what Boker is saying is "If it ain't broke don't fix it"....They have found a steel that works well for their knives at that particular price point, so why chang it just to follow the herd. I only have one knife from Boker, the Subcom, its AUS8. Although not the buzz steel of the minute, it is quite a little bulldog of a knife. I love the stubby little blade. The lock up is quite solid, and finds its way into my pocket everyday (makes a great money clip) no matter what else I am carrying. It is my favorite knife to carry clipped into my shorts when I am working out or jogging, its low profile and small size make it unobtrusive. Just my two cents.
 
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