Thanks for the writeup and the photos. After putting it off a while, I just received the Boker Patriot I ordered online while on sale. As far as I can tell, the Boker Patriot blade is either a saber grind or a flat grind with flats at the spine. Given that the linerless scales and back spacer are made of Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon (FRN), I expect the areas that appear milled are actually molded in. Initially, I did not like the lack of washers or bushings, but I no longer have any concerns. If the nylon pivots wore out, I could always add washers. Though I have heard others mention a gritty action, but mine is smooth and I can easily flick the blade open. In the locked position, there is no blade play in any direction. I can easily close the blade single handed, either having the clade choil drop onto my finger first or by carefully using my index finder to close the blade while depressing the release. It is safer to drop the unlocked blade choil onto my index finger. The FRN scales are very rigid, especially considering they lack liners. It is also a nice feature to have removable thumb studs, which will help with clamping sharpeners or to make this a two hand opening knife where laws require that. The blade retention is strong enough that the blade will not shake open. All in all, I am pleasantly surprised by the Boker Patriot and I recommend it to anyone looking for a very light weight and capable every day carry (EDC) folding knife, when it can be found on sale.
