Which Kwaiken Folder?

I vote for the Boker Burnley, which I honestly never thought I would do, but once I handled a few at a local shop and another that one of my friends owns, I found that the quality of it is much higher than the typical offerings from Boker.
Not only that, but if you get the flipper version with VG-10, you're getting a pretty decent steel, and BladeHQ also has a version with carbon fiber scales that looks pretty damn good for what it is honestly.

The only complaint I have ever heard about the Boker/Burnley (when talking about the flipper at least) is that very rarely you might want to slightly sand down the point of the knife because it might stick just a touch over the scales on the sides and not be entirely hidden, so it can very rarely catch skin when running your hand down the knife, but I have only seen one or two that needed it, and it would be something just about anyone could do without damaging the finish much, if at all.
 
They both have something I really like. I like the look of CRKT's double grind.
BÖKER has a fixed blade kwaiken look.
 
I prefer the boker burnley for the flipper and IKBS and it is extremely well made. But the CRKT to me wins simply because as nice as the burnley is I am not a fan of the flipper tab nor is the handle very comfortable to my hands.
 
I only have the Boker Kwaiken ones.

One is a thumb disc folder with orange G-10 and you can get nicked with the blade tip. The other two are the flippers and no issues at all. My favorite is the blackwashed VG-10/CF one. It's lighter as well. There's also a CF that's not blackwashed.

Boker is coming out with Mini Kwaiken flippers with 3 inch blade lengths of VG-10. Several handle materials.

Here are my three Boker Kwaiken folders. From top to bottom:

  • AUS-8, Orange G-10, Thumb Disc (BladeHQ Exclusive 01BO292)
  • AUS-8, Titanium, Flipper (01BO296)
  • VG-10, CF, Flipper (BladeHQ Exclusive 01BO299)


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I'm debating too, I'd want to VG-10 and carbon fiber that the boker version offers. No dislike for CRKT, but that tip looks a tad thin as well
 
I can say, as the owner of a CF VG-10 Boker Kwaiken (satin blade), it's an amazing little gem. It tucks away so neatly that's it's really a feat of engineering. I gonna show my nerd a little here, but it really feels like it could be the housing for a modern, classy little lightsaber! And at least on mine, there are no issues of snagging or cutting through the scales (though I can see how it could happen). It's just an elegant piece and I'm really enjoying it. :thumbup:
 
I bought the Boker. Got one in orange g10 when they went on sale last year. Build is excellent on mine, no tip issue with the liners/backspacer. Need to do the flipper mod on it.

It really is a bit of a marvel how narrow and compact it is.
 
Actual Burnleys seem to be going down in price as of late, and probably will go down a little more closer to Blade. If you have some extra money...
 
I'll throw a wrench into the mix and say CRKT. I've handled two AUS8 Burnleys and one of the CF/Blackwash BHQ exclusive flipper VG-10 models. All of them felt flimsy and had centering issues. I had to fidget with the pivot too much to get good flipping / centering / lockup on all three. Basically, each time, I thought "well, I probably just got a lemon, and I'm sure I'll like this one!" and each time I got one, I thought "Man, what a flimsy POS with poor quality control."

Far be it from me to say CRKT has stellar quality control, but I've certainly had better luck with their folders than Böker. The only Böker knives I've handled that were of good quality were the Uolcos, Squail, and Haddock - the latter of which is a Böker Tree Brand knife, made in Germany, far outside the normal quality range of Böker Plus.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that Böker Plus is a bad line, but there are certain models that seem prone to being less than well made by the standards generally held here. I've heard great things about the Boker Vox F3, for example, but wouldn't touch a Boker Baby Bat with a 10' pole. The quality range is all over the place and the Trapper and Kwaiken are just too flimsy for me to ever recommend.
 
Boker and CRKT quality can be inconsistent. Love my CRKT Eros with no issues. Solingen Bokers like my Minos have been exceptional.

I misspoke about my Orange Kwaiken. Mine is one of the ones where they fixed the blade tip and included a nice thumb disc.

The titanium Kwaiken flipper had no issues but it was just an AUS-8 steel and kind of heavy. Since then they've upped the steel to VG-10.

The CF Kwaiken flipper is an ounce lighter than the titanium. My first one had issues with CF chips and scratches around screw/pivot holes, blade not centered and lockup at 80%. Requested a replacement from BladeHQ to address all issues. The replacement had all issues fixed except for minor CF chips. Like it a lot.
 
Thank you, Gentlemen.
Since I had a Burnley, I will try the CRKT Shizuka. If I dunt like it, back to Burnley.
rolf
 
I have the CRKT and it's kinda interesting. Lotta blade in a very slim package. Seems rather single purpose to me and I haven't cut much with it. Has a wicked thrusting point and stabbing profile. Mine is pretty stiff and I can barely open it with gloves on and can't close it with the gloves. It's so slim and unobtrusive that it rides in my work jacket. I'm thinking of trying the larger version at this point...

Couple 'o' pics...



 
Update: I have the Shizuka Noh Ken, love it. Japanese style knives win me over everytime and this one has a traditional Double spine.
If you guys were on the fence about this folder, get off and get one.
rolf
 
The Boker one is more of a gentleman's folder and the CRKT seems more of a work horse. I prefer the Boker Burnley, have both CF versions and I love them.
 
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