Boker Magnum Passenger Knife Review

Boker traces its origin to the 17t century as a tool maker in Germany graduating to swords and blades by the 1800s. The company claims it was producing 2000 sabres a week by 1839 for use in various wars. By the 1860s the company had fractured with a branch of the family emigrating to North America and setting up plants in Canada, New York, and Mexico. The German and North American factories produced similar knives and used the “Tree Brand” trademark. This continued until World War II when the Solingen factory was destroyed and “Boker USA” took control of the trademark until he German factory was rebuilt in the 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s the company changed hands several times, with the New York facility (Hermann Boker & Co) shutting down in 1983. IN 1986, Boker reacquired the rights to the American brand and Boker USA was started in Denver, Colorado for US production.

Boker USA has four different lines of knives: The Boker Premium Collection, the Boker Tradition line, the Boker Plus line which focuses on innovation, and lastly, Magnum by Boker. It is this last line that we will be focusing on today. Magnum by Boker is made for its Price and Performance. When Boker describes this line they say, “The attractive brand from Boker with a great price-performance ration. The concept takes place in Solingen, design, construction, and finishing in overseas. Magnum offers a wide range of knives form all categories, from traditional pocket knives, to hunting knives and modern knives. Latest lock technologies and knife trends also for price-sensitive customers.” Because this line is form Boker, you know that you can rely on it, but because the Passenger is from Magnum, you won’t have to worry about spending a fortune to get a quality pocket knife. Today, we will be focusing on the Boker Magnum Passenger knife.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of 440B stainless steel. This steel is part of the 440 series of steels. It is a low cost stainless steel and is the second most rust resistant out of the 440 steels. But, the 400 series are some of the most rust resistant knives that you can find. 440B stainless steel is very similar to 440A but it does have a higher carbon content range, measuring in at .75%-.95%. 440B steel can be hardened to about RC 58 and has good corrosion resistance. It is also a tougher steel than the more commonly used 440C stainless steel. However, 440B steel is inferior to 440C when it comes to edge retention and edge sharpness. But, because it is easier to work with and less brittle, it makes it easier for the manufacturer to machine meaning that it is going to make for a cheaper blade steel. Overall, the 400 series of steel remains one of the most popular choices for knife makers because it is easy to sharpen and it is very resistant to corrosion.

The blade on the Passenger has been finished with a stonewash finish. Personally, the stonewash finish is one of my all-time favorite blade finishes. This is for a variety of reasons ranging from the way that it looks to how low maintenance it really is. The stonewash finish got its name because the steel literally is “washed” with stones. The steel is rolled around with a small abrasive material, which is usually pebbles, to give the steel the rugged and textured look. Once it has been rolled with the pebbles, it is removed and smoothed out. This finish easily hides scratches, while also providing a less reflective nature than a brushed or satin finished blade. There is actually a wide variety of stonewashed finish because the look will vary depending on the shape of the stones used, what the steel looked like originally, and the tumbling motion that the steel will go through. The stonewash finish also hides fingerprints very well, so the blade will not need to be polished as often as blades with different finishes. The stonewash finish is low maintenance and works to preserve the original look overtime.

The blade has been carved into a clip point blade style. The clip point and the drop point blades are both very similar and they are also some of the most popular blade styles used today. This is because they are such great all-purpose knives. However, there are some key differences, so not only will I explain what a clip point blade is like, I will go over the differences between the two styles. The shape of the clip point blade has the back, or unsharpened, edge runs straight form the handle and then stop about halfway up the knife. Then, it turns and continues to the point of the knife. This “cut-out” area can be curved or straight, but on this particular knife, it is straight. This cut-out area is also referred to as the “clip”, which is where the shape got its name. Clip point knives look as if the part of the knife from the spine to the point has been clipped off. Because of this clipped of portion, the point is lowered, which provides more control when you are using the knife. Because the tip is controllable, sharper, and thinner at the spine, a clip point knife lends itself to quicker stabbing with less drag during insertion and faster withdrawal. One of the reasons that this blade shape is so versatile is because of the large belly area that makes it perfect for slicing.

The differences between a drop point and a clip point really just comes down to the tip. On the drop point, the tip is also lowered, but much broader. Because of this, a drop point is much stronger and can take on harder tasks, but you aren’t going to have stabbing capabilities with it. A clip point has a lowered tip, but because it is thinner and sharper, you have fantastic stabbing capabilities. On the other hand, the tip is narrow and weak; more prone to snapping off. This weakness is really the blades only disadvantage.

The blade on the Passenger is a plain edge. This makes the knife capable of taking on a very large variety of tasks. With the plain edge, you will be able to get a finer edge and it will be easier to sharpen than a serrated blade. However, you will also have to sharpen your blade more often than if it were a serrated edge.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of G-10 handle scales with stainless steel liners. G-10 is a very durable reinforced material that is made up of fiberglass soaked in resin, then highly compressed and baked. This process makes it impervious to liquid and physically stable under extreme temperature fluctuations. G-10 is most commonly black, but can come in different colors. On the Passenger, the G-10 does come in black. This material is typically very non-slip. Many knife lovers love to use G-10 because of a variety of reasons. For starters, G-10 is very shapeable which means that it is more comfortable and will feature grippable handle shapes. Secondly, it gives you very similar traction whether in wet or dry environments, and will give you a very solid grip in rough conditions. Another reason that G-10 is such a fantastic knife handle material is that you can get different texture finishes that allow for higher or lower grip handles, depending on the expected use conditions. Also, because of the lower weight of G-10, the Passenger is going to be a lighter knife and not weigh you down.

The handle has ribbing down the palm of the handle to give you phenomenal grip in any environment. There is a finger guard and a deep finger groove to give you a solid grip and keep your fingers safe. In the finger groove, there is jimping to give you an even more secure grip. The spine of the handle slopes down slowly, fitting perfectly in your hand, and giving you a comfortable grip for long periods of time.

The liners are made out of stainless steel. Stainless steel provides excellent durability and resistance to corrosion but it is not particularly lightweight. Because the stainless steel is just used for the liners, it won’t weigh down the knife enough for it to be a hassle. And, because of the heftiness behind the stainless steel liners, your knife is going to be noticeably stronger and more durable than it would have been without.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional ide of the handle. The pocket clip is silver, with a satin finish and held in place by three small screws. The clip and the screws match the rest of the hardware on the Passenger knife.

The Mechanism:

The Boker Magnum Passenger knife features a flipper mechanism. Flipper knives offer another way to smoothly open both spring assisted and manual folding knives. The flipper is normally located on the spine of the knife as part of the blade. The blade is deployed by using the index finger to pull back on it. This not only keeps your hands at a safe distance from the blade but gives you an added finger guard once opened. The flipper in most cases will actually swing around and end up underneath the knife continuing to offer protection from accidental knife injuries. If you are concerned the safety of your thumb, a flipper will be more to your liking than a thumb stud. The flipper is a relative newcomer on the one-hand-opening scene, at least in terms of popularity. While studs and holes enlist a thumb to open the knife, a flipper employs an index finger, and the feature is naturally ambidextrous. Some people do argue that deploying a flipper reliably takes a bit of practice, and that is pretty true.

The blade is secured with a liner lock. Liner locks are one of the more common mechanisms that you are going to find on a folding knife. This knife was invented in the early 80s by knife-maker Michael Walker. The liner lock functions with one section of the liner angled inward toward the inside of the knife. Form this position, the liner is only able to go back to its old positon with manual force, therefore locking it in place. The tail of the liner lock, which is closest to the blade, is cut to engage the bottom of the blade under the pivot. If the user wants to disengage the lock, they must manually move the liner to the side, away from the blade bottom.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.4 inches long. The G-10 handle on the Passenger measures in at 4.6 inches. The overall length of the knife measures in at an even 8 inches long. This knife weighs in at 5.6 ounces.

Conclusion:

The Passenger is one of many new mid-year models released by Boker this summer. Each liner lock designed model features a stainless steel blade that is seamlessly deployed with the spine flipper function and a gentle flick of the wrist and the stonewashed finished nature of the blade is great for hiding wear marks from all the tasks you will be able to accomplish with this workhorse. The tough blade made of 440B is going to be able to take on those harder tasks while always keeping its sharp edge. The Boker Magnum line of knives are designed in cooperation with knife experts worldwide and provide impressive quality and outstanding price-performance ratio. This model features black G-10 handles, stainless steel liners, a clip point style blade in a stonewash finish and the pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. This is a powerful pocket knife that is designed for demanding work. Pick up your Passenger knife today at BladeOps.