Boker Classic Green Cub Micarta Fixed Blade Knife Review
Posted by admin on Nov 8th 2018
A huge chestnut tree towering above the small Boker hardware factory in the 17th century is the oldest traceable fact about the Boker family. Apparently Boker tools were very successful on the markets, as they were ranked among the leading manufactured goods in Germany and neighboring countries hundred years later on.
Due to rising demand in a politically restless era Hermann and Robert Boker decided to start with the production of sabers in 1829. Inventories of September 1830 had already proven a weekly production of 2000 pieces made by 64 smiths, 47 grinders and a large number of workers and trainees. With a permanently growing product line of tools and cutlery and the great opportunities of global sales, the family saw the need to distribute the tasks to make the best use of their interests. So Hermann Boker emigrated to found Boker & Co. in New York, whereas the younger Robert established his company in Canada and in 1865 a branch in Mexico, being the market leaders under the name of Casa Boker until today.
Heinrich only crossed the river Wupper to go to Solingen, where the German cutlery industry was booming. Together with the well-known cutlery expert Hermann Heuser he founded Heinr. Boker & Co. in 1869.
The relationship between the two Boker companies has always been very friendly. Heinrich was allowed to take the treebrand with him across the river without any troubles or payments. Since then not a single product has left the Solingen factory without this sign. After over 100 years of existence the venerable tree was cut down by a stroke of lightning in 1925. A gifted artist carved an image of the majestic tree into a piece of original trunk which adorns the CEO´s office in Solingen.
The US market quickly became Boker`s most important sales territory. In 1900 most of the production was shipped to the US and H. Boker & Co. in New York was more and more concentrating on products from the Solingen production. The demand for pocket-knives soon beat that for other products like scissors or razors. The demand on the products increased faster than the production capacities in Solingen, so the Bokers from New York decided to start their own pocket-knife production to which pliers were added later on. Because of the tree-brand being well established by then and the good understanding within the international Boker family, there wasn´t any problem to get permission from Solingen to use the tree-brand for American made products as well. Since then there have been two different product lines of Böker knives on the US market with identical logos and sometimes even identical item numbers; one product line Made in USA, the other product line Made in Solingen, only to be differentiated by the markings “Boker USA” or “H. Boker Improved Cutlery Solingen”.
Today we will be discussing the Boker Classic Green Cub Micarta Fixed Blade.
The Blade:
The blade on this knife is made out of Bohler N690 Stainless Steel. This steel is similar to 440C steel and has a carbon content that is around 1.07%. This steel is a high end stainless steel with an alloy that is common in many good knives. This is a durable knife steel that is wear resistant while also being a hard steel. The most common steel that N690 steel is compared to is 440C, because it is also a high-chromium stainless steel. The steel is going to be easy to re-sharpen and it offers a good value.
The blade has been finished with a satin finish, which is the most common blade finish that you are going to find on the market today. It is also the most traditional blade finish that you are going to find on the market today. The finish is created when the manufacturer repeatedly sands the blade in one direction with an increasing level of a fine abrasive, which is normally a sandpaper. As a key, the finer the sandpaper or other abrasive, and the more even the lines, the cleaner the finish is going to look. Because it is a Boker knife, the finish is going to look incredibly clean. The satin finish does a few other things as well: it decreases the amount of glares and reflections that the knife is going to give off and it increases the corrosion resistance of this steel slightly.
The blade on this knife has been carved into a drop point style blade. The drop point style blade is one of the two most common blade shapes on the market. This is because it is both versatile as well as tough. The shape is created with a spine that extends from the handle to the tip of the knife in a slow curve. This creates a lowered point, which is going to give you the ability to perform fine detail work with. The point is the key characteristic of the drop point knife, but not just because it is dropped. It is also because it is broad, which is where the drop point knife gets the strength that it is known for. The drop point blade shape is able to withstand more than the clip point because of how tough the point is. This blade shape also has a very large belly that is going to make slicing a breeze. The drop point blade shape does have one major disadvantage: because the point is so broad, you do lose out on much of your piercing and stabbing capabilities. This is the opposite of the clip point, which is ideal for piercing, but not ideal for strength.
The Handle:
The handle on this knife is made out of Canvas Micarta. Micarta is a popular type of a phenolic, which is a substance made with the organic compound Phenol, a type of resin. This material is created with tin layers of canvas that are soaked in a phenolic resin. This creates a product that is lightweight, strong, and looks a little nicer than G-10. This material was actually originally introduced as an electrical insulator but was found to be a great option for knife handles.
That being said, Micarta does not have any surface texture. It requires a lot of hand labor to produce and then carve some sort of texture into the knife. The more manual labor a material requires, the more expensive it is going to be. This means that Micarta is definitely going to raise the cost of the knife. Some people worry that because the manufacturer carves the texture into the knife that the material is going to be easily scratched. That is not an issue. Micarta is incredibly hard and not easy to scratch, which is why it does cost so much to put the texture in it. The overall pros of this knife material are that it is tough, light, and durable. The overall cons to this knife material is that it is expensive and it is brittle, just like G-10.
The handle is very simple for a fixed blade. There are finger guards on each side of the handle. They are not the largest finger guards that you are going to find, but they will do the trick. The spine is pretty straight, but does bulge out slightly. Towards the end of the handle, it curves towards the butt, which is pretty pointed. The belly of the hadnle has a bulge in the middle, which is going to the user a more comfortable grip on the knife. On the butt of the handle, there is a lanyard hole, which allows you to have this knife with you throughout more situations. You can wear it around your neck or even tie it onto a pack of some sort.
The Mechanism:
This is a full tang fixed blade.
A full tang knife is a type of knife that has the metal from the handle extend clear through the handle to the butt. This is definitely the tougher of the fixed blades, because there are no weak spots where the handle and the blade have been welded together. Not only that, but if the handle scales happen to break, you still have the entire blade shape to use. This is an ideal option for a tactical knife, where you are going to need the strength. It is also an ideal option for a survival or outdoors knife where you are heavily relying on your knife. You will be able to take on harder tasks with this than you would be able to if it were not a full tang knife.
A fixed blade knife is a type of knife that lacks a mechanism. You do not fold the blade into the handle. It is one continuous knife. Fixed blades have a few advantages. For starters, they are the superior tactical and survival tool. They are superior in tactical situations because you can bring it into play much quicker than you would be able to bring a folding knife into play. All you have to do is pull the knife out of the sheath and then it is ready to go. With a folding knife, you would have to remove it from your pocket, open it, and then you would be ready to go. It is a superior survival tool because you can do more with it than just slice. Because it is a full tang, you can dig, split wood, use it for food preparation, use it for first aid, or almost anything you want. The fixed blade is also going to be easier to maintain and clean.
The Sheath:
The sheath that this knife comes with is made out of leather. Leather is the most traditional material that you are going to find for a knife sheath. This material is very rugged, tough, and strong. This knife is not going to break like the modern material such as plastic would. If the stitches happen to come undone, they can easily be re-sewn. A leather sheath not only feels good, it looks good. Plus, if you take care of this knife sheath, it is only going to look better as it ages. There’s even more though, the leather sheath is very versatile and will actually provide your knife with a custom fit once it is broken in. The leather is also going to be silent, which means that you can easily pull the knife out and put it back in without making a single sound.
Of course, it is going to have its disadvantages. Leather is not waterproof. If you happen to get it wet a lot, it will dry out the oils and the leather will crack. On the flip end of the spectrum, if you expose this sheath to high heat, the oils will dry out and the sheath will crack. That being said, both of those cracking issues can be prevented if you oil it occasionally.
The Specs:
The blade on this knife measures in at 3.8 inches long with a blade thickness of 0.1 inches. The handle on this knife measures in at 4.6 inches long. The overall length of the knife measures in at 8.4 inches long. The knife itself weighs in at 4.6 ounces. The sheath that it comes with weighs in at 2 ounces. This knife was made in Germany.
Conclusion:
The Cub is another Lucas Burnley designed fixed blade that has quickly gained praise from consumers on a global scale thanks to its clean versatile design and ergonomic profile. With a sturdy full tang design, each product is also complimented with Micarta handles that allow them to get wet without losing traction. The Boker Classic line of knives are manufactured in the City of Blades Solingen, Germany and have been since 1869–ranking as a global innovation leader for more than 145 years. This model features green canvas Micarta handle scales, a drop point style blade in a satin finish and the brown leather sheath supports a belt carry option. You can pick up this knife today at BladeOps.