Boker Knives: Centuries of German Craftsmanship
In case it wasn’t blatantly obvious, I will let you in on a little secret about Kent of Inglewood: We love old stuff. Antique razors, old ways of shaving, traditional axe designs, well-aged scotch, and we really love old brands. Companies with decades, even centuries of history, whose products and stories stand as a beacon of quality through the eras. One such brand that we love is Boker of Solingen, Germany.
As best we can tell, the roots of Boker stretch back to blade makers operating as early as the 17th century. In 1829, Hermann & Robert Boker were prominent makers of sabres, long heavy swords used by cavalry of the era, producing 2000 blades every week. The two later spread to the United States and Canada to grow their own brands, and the company continued in Germany. Heinrich Boker moved to Solingen in 1869, Germany, a town known for its steel and cutlery industry, and founded the company that we know and love as Boker today.
History of the Boker insignia over the years.
Branded with the iconic chestnut tree that marks Boker blades to this day, their knives, razors and scissors spread across the world, gaining widespread recognition over the following century. Now, Boker offers one of the broadest, most extensive ranges of knives globally, and we are very proud to be stocking a wide range of their blades.
With so many pocket and fixed blade knives on the market, it can become tough to tell them apart for an amateur like me. This goes double if I’m just staring at pictures on the internet. What really got me hooked on Boker was when their first shipment arrived, and I could hold them. As with other top-notch knife makers, you genuinely feel the quality of Boker knives. They have that magical feeling when you handle them, a moment of zen followed quickly by an “oh crap, I think I have to take this one home."
Despite the age of their brand, it’s clear Boker isn’t stuck in the past. They’re using all kinds of crazy high-tech steels and fancy handle materials, and they’ve collaborated with a ton of famous American knife makers to conjure up some truly new and exciting designs. They’ve managed to walk the fine line between sticking to their roots and honoring their heritage while crafting a ton of slick, modern knives. They just work. They’re beautiful, feel great in your hand, and are reliable as hell. So now that I’ve waxed poetic for two paragraphs let’s look at some of my favorite Boker knives that are most likely to join my collection.
Lancer 42
This little guy is everything I want in a pocket knife: weighty, solid, substantial, yet slim. The full-steel construction makes it incredibly rugged with an equally tough D2 steel blade and a handy pocket clip for easy access. It even has a liner lock for one-handed closing!
Optima Thuja
The Optima Thuja from Boker is absolute genius. This larger folding knife is the ultimate multi-tool in the field, with a removable blade that can be swapped for various other cutting tools. It featured a hefty, confident grip with a contoured shape that works for any size of user. The included blade is a fantastic multi-purpose outdoor knife, great for both hunting and
bushcraft applications, but can be changed on the go for a drop point blade or a blade with a gut hook.
City 7
Technically a knife, but so much more too! The City 7 features a glass-breaker, screwdriver with bottle opener and wire stripper, small serrated blade with screwdriver tip, corkscrew, foldable lanyard hole, scissors, punch/awl, wood saw, pocket clip. Squeeze that all into a sturdy package, slap on some G10 scales, and you’ve got yourself a tank of a multitool!
Boker Urban Trapper
The Urban Trapper is a stylish, distinguished knife, perfectly suited to accompanying you to fancy occasions and opening gifts or slicing a ribeye in place of a cheap serrated steak knife. The two-handed opening and wood accents make it more appropriate for formal settings and an excellent gift for groomsmen, loved ones, or anyone else!
Boker J-Bite
I love a readily accessible knife that you don’t notice until you need it. The J-bite comes with a leather sheath that mounts horizontally on the belt, with a leather strap connected to the handle to lock it in. The short blade is as much at home opening boxes and letters as skinning a buck, making this an excellent everyday carry fixed blade knife.
Boker Savannah
You don’t wanna know how many times I’ve heard “That’s not a knife!” while working at Kent of Inglewood, and I’m confident half of them have been while holding this guy. The Boker Savannah is a big beefy blade without being unwieldy. Take it hunting, fishing, or bushcrafting - just don’t try to shave with it!
I hope after reading this that you’re as enamored with Boker as I am. They’re a brand I’m proud to represent, and I’m grateful that we get to play a tiny part in their illustrious 3+ century history. You really can’t go wrong with any of their blades, so if you didn’t see your next knife in this article, I encourage you to check out their more extensive selection in-store or on our site. Cheers!
