Boker "Tree Brand Classic" & Solingen made traditional knives

Today I got my Club Jute. Very slim and with that retro-feel I wanted. I took the acidwash off to start my own patina.
The fit on it is absolutly perfect, not even the gaps I have seen on pr-photos around the shield is there on mine. I just wish they did a filled shield so it would be flush with the scales. Have anyone tried to fill their shield with epoxy or similar?
 
Fixall said:
I had some trouble with the router last night and decided to go to bed, rather than fix it and get the pictures uploaded, so I'm a bit late. :p

First I've gotta say that Boker has really stepped their packaging game up. I know stuff like this increases the price for the consumer, but I save my boxes and really appreciate nice touches like this.
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Inside the box was a soft, knife case. It's a bit nicer than usual though, and even has a dual zipper that allows you to apply a lock to the case. Both the barlows I received had this packaging, not just the special edition. :)
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And now for the stars of the show! First up is the Leopard Damascus and Desert Ironwood/Micarta Integral Barlow. I took these at about 2am, so no natural light unfortunately. :( I'll have to take some new pics outside soon to really show off the desert ironwood. Not a ton of figure, but it has fantastic color in person. The blade is the real cool part of the knife in my opinion though. It features 300 layer damascus, hand forged into the Pyramid pattern by Chad Nichols... Cool enough in itself... But the damascus was made from steel salvaged from the barrels of German Leopard tanks! Boker sure does some really cool projects. I also grabbed their Sherman tank knife, but that will have to be posted elsewhere since it's a more modern design.

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The Burlap Micarta Integral Barlow also came in. :D

My first thought (aside from "holy cow that's a lot of oil on the knife") was that the lack of a metal bolster and liners REALLY make the knife feel very light. I do gotta wonder a bit about the durability. I'm not super hard on my traditional knives, but strength is the purpose of the extended bolster on a barlow so I'm not sure how I feel about that. I had forgotten that they used N690 on these knives (I was thinking it was 440c), so that was a nice surprise. Fit and finish is excellent. I think I would have chosen a slightly less polished finish on the Micarta had I been the designer though. All in all I like it, but I'm not sure I'll be grabbing the all black version. I think I'm more of a metal bolstered barlow kind of guy.

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I usually use oxalicacid when restoring old wood handles, but it makes a dark patina on stainless steel to. Maybe try it to dampen the shine some? You can polish it with some steel wool after to the darkness you like
 
Barbababa said:
Today I got my Club Jute. Very slim and with that retro-feel I wanted. I took the acidwash off to start my own patina.
The fit on it is absolutly perfect,
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Very cool Barbababa, I just love mine.

Barbababa said:
Have anyone tried to fill their shield with epoxy or similar?
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I actually like the feeling of the shield, but that’s an intriguing idea. I’ll be interested in hearing if anyone has done that as well. 👍
 
AnW said:
This guy showed up today. It’s darn near perfect and will be in my pocket at least through the coming weekend.

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Wow, that’s a beauty AnW, how is the action on the main blade? I ask because mine is just a bit softer than I’d like and I was wondering if that’s how they all are or if it’s just mine. Man that wood has an awesome grain pattern! 😎👍
 
I love my swell-end jack. Virtually perfect as well. The action on the main is slightly soft, I suppose, but it is pretty snappy after a flush. My only (minor) complaint is that it wasn't as sharp as it could have been, but that was the case for many of my GECs also.

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bigfish64 said:
Wow, that’s a beauty AnW, how is the action on the main blade? I ask because mine is just a bit softer than I’d like and I was wondering if that’s how they all are or if it’s just mine. Man that wood has an awesome grain pattern! 😎👍
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It's definitely pretty! The pull on the main is a bit softer than any of my 85 Caplifters from the recent drop but not mushy by any stretch. I would say a light 5. I agree, I would prefer it to be a bit more stout - the Boker Barlows I have do have a firmer pull. From closed to half stop is softer than I would like, from half to full open is nice. From open to half stop and half stop to closed are also nice and snappy. I haven't flushed it out, oiled the joints, or done anything else other than fidget with it so perhaps it will improve. Otherwise, the scales are nice and even, the transition between the scales and bolsters are perfect, and the springs are flush at all three positions.
 
aji1 said:
I love my swell-end jack. Virtually perfect as well. The action on the main is slightly soft, I suppose, but it is pretty snappy after a flush. My only (minor) complaint is that it wasn't as sharp as it could have been, but that was the case for many of my GECs also.

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That's pretty! I may add one of those later - I need to see if GEC will release anything between now and the BF Knife that catches my fancy. I couldn't decide between the Thuya Burl or Green Curly Birch - seems like they are both beauts! I think I might prefer the profile of the GEC caplifter to these, but having said that I have neither opened a beer or turned a screw with the Boker yet so I will reserve judgement until a later date.
 
aji1 said:
I love my swell-end jack. Virtually perfect as well. The action on the main is slightly soft, I suppose, but it is pretty snappy after a flush. My only (minor) complaint is that it wasn't as sharp as it could have been, but that was the case for many of my GECs also.

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AnW said:
It's definitely pretty! The pull on the main is a bit softer than any of my 85 Caplifters from the recent drop but not mushy by any stretch. I would say a light 5. I agree, I would prefer it to be a bit more stout - the Boker Barlows I have do have a firmer pull. From closed to half stop is softer than I would like, from half to full open is nice. From open to half stop and half stop to closed are also nice and snappy. I haven't flushed it out, oiled the joints, or done anything else other than fidget with it so perhaps it will improve. Otherwise, the scales are nice and even, the transition between the scales and bolsters are perfect, and the springs are flush at all three positions.
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You guys have perfectly described my experience. These are great knives! Carrying mine today! 6533E1EC-B509-48AA-A893-84E327F8EE33.jpeg
 
You guys are killing me. Thought I was all set to pull the trigger on a Boker barlow but those caplifters look pretty nice. How is the caplifter to actually use?
 
JohnDF said:
I love that Boker is making Barlows and CapLifters for ready purchase, with good materials and quality builds.
I wish their Swell Jacks were a little more reasonable on price though, but they sure are beautiful.
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I agree. I’d have several more if it weren’t for the price. I will say the three recent Bokers I do have are top notch.
Catdaddy2 said:
You guys are killing me. Thought I was all set to pull the trigger on a Boker barlow but those caplifters look pretty nice. How is the caplifter to actually use?
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I’ll let you know tomorrow. Tonight I am on Ida induced sump pump duty …

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Water crested at the entrance to my basement and miraculously started to recede. I was truly blessed. Prayers for all those affected by this nasty storm.
(This is my back yard- if you look hard you can see my picnic table floating away).
 
AnW said:
I agree. I’d have several more if it weren’t for the price. I will say the three recent Bokers I do have are top notch.

I’ll let you know tomorrow. Tonight I am on Ida induced sump pump duty …

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Water crested at the entrance to my basement and miraculously started to recede. I was truly blessed. Prayers for all those affected by this nasty storm.
(This is my back yard- if you look hard you can see my picnic table floating away).
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That’s great news, you deserve a few cold ones! 😊👍
 
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