Boker Thorn MokuTi Frame Lock Knife Review
Posted by admin on Apr 22nd 2014
Boker had an incredibly succesful knife in the Anso 67 Mokuti. Produced in 2012, this limited run sold out in just a couple of days. The Thorn Mokuti comes to market as a continuation of the Mokuti series from Boker. A Jim Burke design, the Thorn boasts a front scale of Mokuti and a back scale which is titanium wrapped with Mokuti.
If you haven’t heard of Mokuti, it is, according to Boker, “a unique damask like welded composite of two titanium alloys.” There are only a few blacksmiths in the world who can produce this unique blend. Chad Nichols is one of these talented blacksmiths who use a complex forging process that creates this incredibly rare and extremely durable titanium laminate. The Chad Nichcols website reads that Moku-Ti is, “A Titanium Laminate made from Commercially Pure titanium and the allow 6Al-4V.” And, the final product has a unique look that is highly sought after by knife collectors around the world. This Jim Burke designed framelock knife highlights the complex and beautiful Mokuti in a skillful, artistic manner that is certain to delight knife collectors the world over.
The front handle scale is all Mokuti. The back handle scale is a titanium frame lock wrapped in Mokuti–creating a delightful look that is unique in all the world. The Thorn features a spear point, hollow ground blade of CPM-S35VN with a finely polished two tone finish. Each blade proudly has the serial number marked on it. Only 199 of these knives were produced for the US market. Each knife comes in a special wood presentation box along with a certificate of authenticity.
So the real question arises–how does it perform? This unique framlock knife weighs only 3.09 ounces. So when you first pick it up, you may be surprised at how light it feels. Titanium is a chemical element that is referred to with the symbol Ti. It has a very low density, a high strength, and is highly resistant to corrosion. Often it is alloyed with iron, aluminum, vanadium, molybdenum as well as other elements to produce extremely strong yet lightweight alloys. These alloys are most often used in military and industrial applications. In fact, many jet engines, missiles and spacecraft use titanium. Titanium is most valued because of its corrosion resistance and the fact that it has the highest strength to density ration of any metallic element. In other words, if you need a lightweigth alloy that can take a beating you probably want titanium. So the handle scales are durable. The MokuTi blend makes them look great. And, the shape that Jim Burke has designed makes for a very comfortable hold. The lower half of the handle swells out into a comfortable, modified palm swell. The very end of the handle tapers to a point. Just above the point, there is a lanyard hole for alternate carry.
The blade has a nail nick for easy open. The 2.6″ blade opens smooth. Once fully opened, the framelock clicks firmly into position. The inside edge of the framelock is slightly beveled to allow your thumb easy access when you want to disengage the framelock mechanism. An easy push unlocks the blade and the blade closes as smoothly as it opens. A ball detent locks the blade firmly in the closed position. The blade steel, S-35VN is one of the most advanced blade steels on the market today. It offers high corrosion resistance, extremely high durability as well as toughness. It also has incredible wear resistance. All of these properties make it one of the most sought after blade steels around. The two tone (blade has a high polish finish and the high spots have a stonewash finish) finished blade has the Boker tree logo on the front along with the words BOKER Manufaktur Solingen S35VN GERMANY. On the back the blade displays the JB logo (Jim Burke) as well as US xxx/199 with the xxx being the individual serial number of that particular knife. This is a unique, well designed, high quality knife that is clearly limited in availability. Because of these properties, it is certain to be a hit among collectors.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Overall Length: 6.25″
Blade Length: 2.6″
Blade Steel: CPM S-35VN
Handle: Mokuti, Titanium Frame
Designer: Jim Burke
Weight: 3.09 Ounces