Knife Review: Boker Grey Sub Kalashnikov Automatic Knife

The Boker Grey Sub Kalashnikov Automatic Knife

The Boker name and logo can be dated back until the 17^th century where it seems like the Boker tools were very successful on the markets; the tools were ranked among the leading manufactured goods in Germany and neighboring countries for hundreds of years.

Due to the 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 200 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 exert Hermann Heuser he founded Heinr. Boker & Co. in 1869.

The Bokers in Remscheid and their cousins overseas were very interested and in demand of razors, scissors, and pocket knives from Heinrich’s new enterprise. They had to label their products in a simple manner for overseas markets, as many customers had problems spelling the German name Boker—apart from the widespread analphabetism. Heinrich considered the chestnut tree as an ideal, memorable logo which belonged to the Remscheid company with an arrow as well. One of the rare and precious documents which survived the total destruction of WW II is an ad of Boker Remscheid from 1874, showing both logos.

The US market quickly became Boker’s most important sales territory. 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.

Today, there are four lines of Bokers. Boker Manufaktur Solingen, which is the premium collection. Boker Arbolito, which is the tradition collection. Magnum by Boker, which is the line that gives you the best price with the best performance. The Boker Strike Automatic is a member of the fourth group: The Boker Plus collection which focuses on innovation. This lien is in close cooperation with international acknowledged experts form military, police, and security as 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.

Today we will be discussing the Boker Grey Sub Kalashnikov Automatic knife, which is in stock currently at BladeOps. This is one of the versions of the Sub Kalashnikov that BladeOps has in stock. You can see the range of them here.

The Blade:

The blade is made out of AUS-8 stainless steel. This is an upper mid-range steel that is made in Japan. If you are looking to compare it to another type of steel, your best bet would be to 440B. However, AUS-8 is going to be slightly more corrosion resistant. It is also similar to 440C, except that it is a little bit softer than 440C. The extra softness does mean that you are going to have to sharpen the blade more often. This is because AUS-8 stainless steel does have less carbon than some of the higher ranked steels. The more carbon there is in a steel, the better it is going to be able to hold its edge. However, it also means that it is going to be much easier to sharpen when you do need to. It is also a breeze to get a razor-sharp edge on this steel. This steel is tough enough to get the job done. One of the main benefits of having the blade made out of AUS-8 steel is that it will keep the cost of the knife low, while still giving you enough quality so that you feel like you can depend on it.

The blade has been finished with a bead blasted finish. This finish is created when small glass or ceramic beads are blasted at the steel. These are an abrasive material that blast at a high pressure against the metal, which creates the even grey look that we know. One of the benefits of a blasted blade is that the reflections and glares are going to be reduced, because it does have a matte surface. The matte and even gray also give a sleek appearance to the blade that you are not going to find in other places.

While it does have a variety of benefits like we have mentioned, it also does have some disadvantages. The first thing that you should know is that the blasting does create and increased surface area as well as micro-abrasions. These are the qualities that make the steel more prone to rusting and corroding. In fact, a blade that has been blasted can rust overnight if left in the worst environments. That begin said, you should have no problems as long as you keep the blade clean and dry after each use.

The blade has been carved into a drop point blade shape. The drop point is one of the most common blade style because it is so durable as well as being versatile. The shape of the blade is created by having the spine of the knife start at the handle and then curve slowly towards the point. This creates a lowered point, which is going to give you more control over the knife. The tip is also broad, which is what gives you the characteristic strength from the drop point blade shape. This is an important feature for this knife in particular because you are going to want all of the strength you can get for your tactical needs. This is also a versatile blade shape because of the large belly that is provided. One of the only drawbacks to this blade shape is that because the point is so broad, you do lose out on some of your piercing abilities that you would get from a clip point.

The Handle:

The handle on this Exclusive knife is made out of aluminum, which is one of the more common knife handle materials that you are going to come across. It is loved because of how durable and corrosion resistant it is. This allows the handle to be low maintenance, while also being tough. That being said, aluminum does feel really cold in your hand because of the high levels of conductive properties. It is also prone to scratches.

The handle has been anodized grey. One of the biggest benefits of an anodized aluminum handle is that the anodization process literally changes the surface of the aluminum. This means that the sleek grey color won’t be able to peel off like many other coatings. The anodization process also increases most of the good qualities of aluminum, such as making it harder, stronger, tougher, and more durable. This is going to counter the fact that aluminum is prone to scratches. The anodization process really just increases the quality of aluminum, making it a handle choice that you cannot go wrong with.

Overall, the handle has been designed for grip and hold. With this handle, you should have no worries about being able to keep your hold on this while you need it most. The spine of the knife has two sections of thick jimping, which will provide you with enough texture and grip that you don’t need to worry about this slipping out of your hand. The first row of jimping is right where the spine of the handle and the spine of the blade meet. In fact, the jimping even extends onto the blade slightly. The rest of the spine is smooth, until you get to the very end of it. The second row of jimping extends at the bottom of the spine as well as curving around the length of the butt. Again, this jimping will provide you with the grip that you need.

The belly is designed for comfort. There are two large finger grooves that will give your hands a comfortable hold on the Boker. There is a slight finger guard to protect your fingers in case you do accidentally slip.

While aluminum is not known for the gripping abilities, and is even known to be rather slippery, Boker combatted this nicely by roughly texturizing the entire face of the handle. Also, there are two ridges that extend the width of the handle, adding even more elements of grip. Near the butt of this handle, there is a lanyard hole that should fit most of your lanyards.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this Boker is an extra-long deep carry clip. The clip extends nearly the entire length of the handle, which is going to help it stay inside of your pocket as you move about your day. You will not need to worry about this knife falling out of your pocket, as well as you not being weighed down by it. This is a knife that you will hardly even notice until the moment you need it. The clip is a dark silver that matches the rest of the hardware.

The Mechanism:

This is an automatic knife. This knife, as well as the rest of the Kalashnikov auto family, is referred to an auto-conversion knife which means the knife is produced as a folder knife and then converted via third party to offer the automatic function.

Because it is an automatic knife, you need to be aware that automatic knives do fall under a strict set of laws in the United States of America. These laws make it so that automatic knives are not legal in every state or city. You, as the purchaser and the user, need to be aware of your local laws before purchasing and carrying this knife. BladeOps is not responsible.

The benefits of an automatic knife are that they are easy and quick to bring into play. You can also open the knife with only one hand, because you just have to press the button on the handle.

The Specs:

The blade on this tiny knife measures in at only 1.95 inches long, with a handle not much bigger than that, measuring in at 2.925 inches long. This means that the entire length of the overall handle when the blade is opened measures in at 4.875 inches long. With such a small knife, you can expect a low amount of weight as well. This Boker weighs in at only 2.4 ounces, which means that you can have this knife with you at all times without it weighing you down in the slightest.

Conclusion:

BladeOps is excited to announce the newest exclusive model to the ever-growing arsenal of Boker Kalashnikov auto knives--the Sub Kalashnikov featuring a sub-2" blade. Quite possibly the perfect evolution of the most popular Boker automatic series ever, the Sub Kalashnikov boasts powerful push button action, a 1.95" blade, and a full-width handle for a rock-solid grip. This exclusive model features a grey aluminum handle, standard hardware, a drop point style blade in a bead blasted finish and the extra-long deep carry pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle.

The Boker Kalashnikov automatic knife is one of the most popular side open automatics on the market today considering the price point. This knife, as well as the rest of the Kalashnikov auto family, is referred to an auto-conversion knife which means the knife is produced as a folder knife and then converted via third party to offer the automatic function.