The Boker Sub Kalashnikov Cleaver Automatic Knife in Black
Posted by sd on Aug 18th 2020
The Boker Sub Kalashnikov Cleaver Automatic Knife in Black
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 tree brand 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 beats 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 Boker 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 Sub Kalashnikov Cleaver automatic knife in black.
The Blade:
The blade on this knife has been 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.
The blade has been finished in a black coating. There are plenty of benefits of having a coated blade. The biggest one is that it is going to prolong the life of the blade because the coating is going to increase both the corrosion and the wear resistance of it. This is accomplished because of the barrier that is formed in between the steel and the environment.
However, that is not the only thing that the coating does. It also adds a sleek black appearance to the blade, which creates an all-black knife. This creates a harsher, sleeker look than you get with the blade that has been finished in satin. Lastly, the coating also cuts down on glares and reflections, which means that if you are using this knife in the field, the light should not be able to give your position away.
Unfortunately, coatings can and do scratch off after time or heavy use. This means that overtime, the qualities and characteristics that the coating brings the Sub Kalashnikov are going to be diminished or completely gone. Once a coating has scratched off, the best plan of action is to get it re-coated, or else the blade may begin to rust or corrode. The scratches would also add in texture, which makes cuts and slices less smooth.
The blade has been carved into a cleaver shaped blade. This blade is very similar to the kitchen cleaver, which means that this pocket knife is going to excel at cutting, slicing, and chopping. This is because the blades are more solidly built than many of the other pocket knife popular shapes. One of the benefits is that even though this knife can fit in your pocket, you are going to be able to take on almost any task with it.
The shape is made up of a spine that extends straight form the handle to about 7/8 of the way up the knife. At this point, it angles down to the point. The point is known as a false point, because where the point normally lies, it actually has not even been sharpened. And, where the cutting-edge ends, there is no “point.” This does mean that there is not going to be any accidental stabbings, which can make this a good rescue knife. However, it also means that it is not going to be a good general utility knife, because you are not going to be able to stab with it, even if you wanted to. The belly on this knife is closer to non-existent than anything else. However, there is a very slight curve to it. You may be able to slice some, but don’t try to rely on that at all. Again, this means that it is not going to be a good general utility blade.
The Handle:
The handle is made out of a black aluminum. Aluminum itself is a widely popular option for high-quality knife handle materials. Aluminum is tough, durable, incredibly corrosion resistant, and best of all, it is lightweight. However, it is also prone to getting scratched.
Aluminum is known to be a low-density metal, which is where the low weight of the handle comes in from. A low-density metal is a metal that is going to provide you with the heft that you need to take on all of your tasks. It is not going to make you feel that you cannot rely on the handle—instead, it is going to give you enough heft in your hand that you feel confident. Confident enough to take on whatever comes your way. Confident enough to rely on the H&K knife. That being said, it is not going to weigh you down. This is a smaller knife, so any of the heft that you can get from the handle is going to be appreciated.
One of the negative aspects of aluminum is that it is not going to offer as much grip as knife materials are going to offer. Also, aluminum has high conductive properties, so in colder environments, this knife may feel cold to the touch, which can hinder your use of this knife.
The handle has been designed to counter the effect of the lack of grip that the aluminum may give this handle. There are two rows of thick jimping. The first is on the spine of the knife right near the where the blade comes out of. The second is at the bottom of the spine of the knife. This row of jimping does curve around the butt of it. Both of these offer more texture, and thus, more grip to this Boker knife. These rows of jimping are going to give you more control over your cuts. The belly of the handle does have a larger finger guard as well as three finger grooves. Each one gets shallower and more elongated as you go down the length of the handle. There are two ridges on the face of the highly-textured handle as well. All of these characteristics are designed to give you a solid grip on this Boker knife. These characteristics will allow you to more fully trust the knife while you are using it.
The Pocket Clip:
The pocket clip on this knife is an extra-long, deep carry pocket clip. This means that you can easily move around without worrying about this knife falling out of your pocket. The clip extends nearly the entire length of the handle, which means that it is going to sit incredibly low in your pocket. The deep carry aspect also ensures that it is as concealed as it possibly can be. The clip is black, which matches the rest of the handle and blade, creating a fully black knife. This clip has been statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle.
The Mechanism:
This is an automatic knife that is deployed by a button on the front handle scale. Since this is an automatic knife, you will be able to bring this Boker into play easily and without fumbling. All you have to do is push the button, which will deploy the blade and lock it into place, ready to use. This does mean that it is going to be exceptional for quick tasks, or tasks that require both hands, since this can be deployed with only one hand.
The Specs:
The blade on the Sub Kalashnikov measures in at 1.95 inches long with a handle that measures in at 2.925 inches long. This creates a tiny overall length of 4.875 inches long. This is a small knife that is going to be easy to have with you at all times, because of how small it is. Of course, with such a small size, it only weighs in at a mere 2.4 ounces. While this is an advantage in terms of begin able to have it with you at all times, it can be a disadvantage because it may not provide you with the heft that you need to feel confident when it comes to some of the heavier-duty tasks that you may encounter.
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" cleaver-style 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 black aluminum handle, all-black hardware, a cleaver style blade in a black 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.
This knife is currently in stock at BladeOps, purchase yours here.