Boker is one of the oldest and largest knife manufacturers in Europe and the world. At the same time, the knives are distinguished by good thermal performance, balanced characteristics, pleasant appearance, as well as a reasonable price.
The knife, which will be discussed today, was created by the American designer Ram Maramba (Ram Maramba) and is positioned as a utilitarian tool for urban wear.
Blade steel
For the manufacture of the blade, a rather old 440c stainless tool steel was used. Before powder steelmaking became widespread, the 440c was considered the best choice for short-bladed weapons.
This is completely justified. Due to the large carbides, the steel has an aggressive cut, while quite good wear resistance. Easy to sharpen with ceramic abrasives. On a thin edge, at sharp corners, the steel tends to give micro-chips, under excessive load. At the moment, steel is very popular as a material for knife blades in the budget price segment.
Blade geometry
The blade, 94 mm long and 3.9 mm thick, is formed by slightly concave descents 2/3 of the blade width high. From the side of the butt, a rather large false blade is made, on the edge of the blade.
A very large double-sided peg is designed to bring the blade into working condition. Because of this, the blade looks like a pop-eyed crocodile.
On the butt, there are two platforms for placing the finger, closer to the axial node, under the thumb with a small notch. And closer to the tip, under the index finger, with a large notch. Although I may be wrong, the notches in the false blade area may be purely decorative.
The Damascus Folding Knives is neatly and evenly reduced to 0.5 mm along the entire length of the cutting edge. The angle of sharpening is slightly less than 40 degrees. The knife, which is the norm for Boker, shaves with a rebound, silently shreds the paper into noodles.
The blade is long enough and strong enough to handle heavier loads than the EDC knife concept suggests. With a powerful tip, you can pick something up or pierce something.
The long blade allows you to work effectively as a product, I mean cutting sandwiches or salad during a lunch break in the office. That is not a full-fledged kitchen work, of course.
Knife design and handle ergonomics
The narrow handle is made of 6Al4V Titanium, which reduced the weight of the knife to an acceptable level of 137 grams. And at the same time to ensure a high margin of safety of the design of the knife. For a better grip on the sides of the handle, asymmetric vertical cuts are made to improve grip between the hand and the handle.
The length of the handle is 123 mm, rather narrow, which has a positive effect on the comfort of carrying the knife. But with serious power work, the knife will knead the hand.
For the safety of workers, the handle of the knife is made with two large sub-finger recesses, the index finger rests confidently and securely in one, and the rest in the second. The handle expands towards the tail, well filling the brush. There is also a small lanyard hole in the tail section.
The front finger notch also provides easy access to the lock, which is used as a frame lock. To avoid abrasion of the titanium plate of the frame, a hardened cracker is built into it.
The lock securely blocks the blade in the open state, the new knife has no backlash. The axial assembly is made on washers, nevertheless, the mechanics of the knife are good, the blade opens easily and smoothly without finishing with a brush.
A narrow steel clip with a deep fit is designed to carry the knife. The knife sits on the pocket quite tightly.
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