Boker Plus Petite Urban Trapper Knife Review

Boker dates back to the 17^th century at a small hardware factory. Above the factory, there was a huge chestnut-tree towering above the Boker factory. Apparently, Boker tools were very successful, for they ranked among the leading products in Germany, and then in neighboring counties a hundred years later. With an ever growing variety of tools and cutlery combined with the possibilities of international marketing the family realized that responsibility assignment was crucial to keep their chances. So Hermann Boker emigrated to found Boker & Co. in New York, whereas the younger Robert established his company in Canada and 1865 a branch of it in Mexico, market leaders under the name of Casa Boker to this very day.

The Bokers in Remscheid and their cousins overseas were very interested and in demand of razors, scissors, and pocket-knives form Heinrich’s new enterprise. They had to label their products in a simple manner for overseas-markets, for many customers had problems spelling the German name Boker. Heinrich considered the chestnut-tree as an ideal memorable logo, which belonged to the Remscheid company with another one, an arrow.

The relationship between the two Boker companies has always been very friendly. Heinrich was allowed to take the tree-brand with him across the river without troubles or payments. Since then, not a single product has left the Solingen factory without this sign. The US market became the main customer of Boker production as early as 1900 with H Boker & Co in New York concentrating on Solingen cutlery. This demand for pocket-knives soon beat that for other products like scissors or razors. In due course, the Solingen capacities were exhausted and the New Yorkers started their own pocket-knife production, to which pliers were added alter. 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 products too. Since then there were two different lines of Boker knives on the US market.

This continued until World War II when the Solingen factory was destroyed and Boker USA took control of the trademark until the German factory was rebuilt in the 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s the company changed hands several times, with the New York facility shutting down in 1983. In 1986, Boker reacquired the rights to the American brand and Boke USA was started in Denver, Colorado for US production.

Boker USA has four different lines of knives. The Boker Premium Collection, the Boker Tradition, Magnum by Boker, and Boker Plus, which is the line that the Petite Urban Trapper knife falls under.

Boker Plus is in close cooperation with internationally acknowledged experts form military, police, and security they develop and test tactical knives for the professional user. Boker Plus knives are innovative in terms of function and design, as well as guaranteed for everyday use.  Conception, design, and construction are carried out in Solingen, and production takes place in Europe, the USA, and Asia.

 

The Blade:

The blade on the Petite Urban Trapper is made out of VG-10 stainless steel. This is a high ends stele that is very similar to 154CM and ATS34 with slightly more chromium for enhanced corrosion resistance but also contains vanadium which makes it marginally tougher than these two. This is a cutlery grade stainless steel that is produced in Japan. The G stands for “gold”, which refers to the gold standard that this level of stainless steel is considered to have met. This Japanese steel is very popular on the Japanese cutlery market that has traditionally made the most of this particular type of steel in its knives. Because of how well VG10 holds an edge and its ability to withstand rust, VG10 has become the most popular steel for professional chefs and cooking enthusiasts. VG10 also has an amazing ability to have designs created into the blade during temperament.

The blade of this knife has been finished with a satin finish. A satin finish is the most typical knife finish. It is slightly less shiny than a polished finish, and it is less expensive than both the mirror and polished finishes. It has decent corrosion resistance, but less than polish or mirror finished knives. This finish shows fine buffing lines with two directional finishes that display the bevels of a blade. This finish does require great hand skill to accomplish. To create this finish, the steel is sanded in one direction with an increasing level of an abrasive, usually a sandpaper. This finish works to reduce the reflective glare of the blade.

The blade on this knife has been carved into a clip point style blade. This blade is perfect if you are looking for a great all-purpose blade. A clip point is one of the most popular blade shapes in use today. The most common place that you are going to find this blade shape is on the Bowie knife, but it is also very popular on a variety of pocket knives and fixed blade knives. To form the clip point blade shape, the back edge of the knife runs straight from the handle and stops about halfway up the knife. Then, it turns and continues to the point of the knife. This “cut-out” area is straight, and is referred to as the “clip”, which is how this shape got its name. Clip point knives look as if the part of the knife from the spine to the point has literally been clipped off. Clip point blades have a lowered tip, which helps you with control when you are using the knife. The clip point blade shape is perfect for stabbing because the tip is controllable, sharp, and thin at the spine. When stabbing with the clip point blade shape, the knife lends itself to quicker stabbing with less drag during insertion and faster withdrawal. One of the reasons that the clip point blade shape is such a popular blade shape is because they feature a large “belly” area that is perfect for slicing. When you are looking for a great everyday knife, you should be looking for a knife that has great slicing capabilities. One of the only disadvantages that a clip point blade has is that it’s tip is relatively narrow. And because of how sharp and narrow it is, it does have the tendency to be weak and can break fairly easily.

The plain edge is a straight, continuous edge. Plain edges are better than the serrated edge when the application involves push cuts. The plain edge is also superior when you need control, accuracy, and clean cuts. The plain edge is going to work phenomenally when you are shaving, skinning, peeling, or slicing. This is because most of these applications involve mostly push cuts.

 

The Handle:

The handle is made out of Carbon Fiber handle scales with titanium liners. Carbon fiber is a somewhat generic term referring to thin strands of carbon begin tightly woven then set in resin. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer is what you get when you buy a knife marketed with a carbon fiber handle. The resulting material is a tremendously strong, yet lightweight material that is unfortunately rather expensive. While it is a strong material, it is still farm from indestructible and does suffer from being brittle. This is because the carbon fibers have been woven together in a single direction. When the strands are stressed in that direction, it is crazy strong. When the fibers are stressed in any other direction, the material will start to break apart. And because it is brittle, it can crack if it is subjected to sharp impacts.

Titanium is a lightweight metal alloy, and it does offer the best corrosion resistance of any metal. Unfortunately, it is expensive to machine. Titanium is a very sturdy material, yet it is still “spring” which is why you commonly see titanium used as the liner material for knives. Unfortunately, titanium does suffer from being prone to scratches.

The handle has a slight finger groove to provide you with a very comfortable and safe grip. There is also a finger guard to give you extra protection from slicing your fingers. Other than the slight finger groove, the handle is perfectly straight. The handle does flare out at the butt slightly to better your grip on the handle knife. The carbon fiber is textured enough that you will have a solid grip on the handle during most scenarios.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip is a deep carry titanium clip that has been statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. The titanium clip has been acid stonewashed to provide a very rugged, well-worn look. An acid stonewash finish or a black stonewash finish is a stele that has had an acid treatment that darkens the blade before it undergoes stonewashing. The acid oxidation enhances a blade’s rust resistance by placing a stable oxide barrier between the steel and the environment. The stonewash finishes are very low maintenance and preserve the original look of the steel overtime. And, the stonewashed finish will hide the scratches that can occur with use over time. At the top of the pocket clip, there are two small holes punched out. You can use these holes to attach a lanyard—if that is something that you desire.

 

The Mechanism:

The blade operates on a ball bearing pivot and is deployed with an ambidextrous flipper function. The flipper mechanism is a small rectangular protrusion that juts out of the spine of the handle when the blade is closed. Flipper knives offer a smooth way to open your knife. 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 on this knife will actually swing around and end up underneath the knife continuing to offer protection from accidental knife injuries. If you are concerned about the safety of your thumb, a flipper knife will be more to your liking. Many people have reported that deploying a flipper reliably does take a bit of practice, and for the most part that is highly accurate. An essential element of a great flipper is a high quality pivot mechanism.

This knife also features a liner lock to securely lock your blade into place once it has been deployed. Liner locks are one of the most common form of lock on modern folding knives. They are easy to use, they are easy to assemble, and the cost is not much. The basic design uses one of the blade’s liners, cut out and bent to create a spring effect, to engage the back of the blade tang when the blade is opened. While liner locks have been around for a long time, the modern implementation of the liner lock is credited to custom knife maker Michael Walker, who made two important upgrades: using a stop pin anchored to the scales to precisely align the blade when open, and adding a detent ball on the liner lock to hold the blade closed, providing a snappy opening action—as well as added safety to keep the blade from accidently opening.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this knife is 2.8 inches long with a handle of 3.4 inches long. The overall length of the knife is 6.2 inches long. The knife weighs in at 1.1 ounces.

 

Conclusion:

The Boker Plus Urban Trapper series is a Brad Zinker designed folder that comes in many different designs and finishes. This newly released petite version of this knife boasts a frame lock design and the VG-10 stainless steel blade operates on a ball bearing pivot and is deployed with an ambidextrous flipper function. The Boker Plus line of knives are designed in cooperation with knife experts worldwide and provide innovative knife concepts for every task. This smaller model features carbon fiber handle scales atop titanium liners, a clip point style blade in a satin finish and the deep carry titanium pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. Pick yours up today at BladeOps.