Hi guys I wanted to share with you my happiness about my latest edged acquisition. I was after a strong locking folder with a saw for green woodworking and I particularly wanted that it have a handle that was comfy for hard carving use (ie; the spine of the saw shouldn't bite into the hand whilst folder). I searched for a while and most of the available options were too expensive and not quite right. Then I came across the Boker Optima range which feature interchangable blades they looked to fit the bill but for me they are just too pricey. Happily though Boker offer a budget version via their Optima line which also looked pretty good.
I ordered an Orange one from a certain online knife supplier based in Wiltshire (who provided outstanding customer service!) and it arrived during the week.
Well I'm really chuffed with the knife so far and am hopeful it will become a long term companion. Firstly the handle is a really nice muted orange colour (not too garish- but I'll not lose it amongst the leaves) the g10 grips are really grippy and the texture feels almost like micarta not plasticy at all. The handle is very comfortable even during hard use. The knife has one hand opening which works like a charm and the lock up is pretty solid (there is a slight amount of blade play but given the nature of the system its understandable). Most importantly the blades really o the business and have torn through green and seasoned wood beautifully! I started to rough out a bow stave from a small diameter (2") hazel branch and the saw blade did well at trimming it. Obviously a 3" saw isn't the best for this purpose but the Optima saw was as good as any I've come across on other folders. Then the knife blade carves wood really well, in fact it held its own against my sharpest puukko which I brought along for comparison! And again the knife felt great during this tough usage. Finally the sheath it comes with is pretty nice and keeps the spare blade save when not in use. I've yet to see how the steel holds an edge and what its like to resharpen but if these qualities are reasonable then this knife will definitely be a winner for me! Here are some pics
I ordered an Orange one from a certain online knife supplier based in Wiltshire (who provided outstanding customer service!) and it arrived during the week.
Well I'm really chuffed with the knife so far and am hopeful it will become a long term companion. Firstly the handle is a really nice muted orange colour (not too garish- but I'll not lose it amongst the leaves) the g10 grips are really grippy and the texture feels almost like micarta not plasticy at all. The handle is very comfortable even during hard use. The knife has one hand opening which works like a charm and the lock up is pretty solid (there is a slight amount of blade play but given the nature of the system its understandable). Most importantly the blades really o the business and have torn through green and seasoned wood beautifully! I started to rough out a bow stave from a small diameter (2") hazel branch and the saw blade did well at trimming it. Obviously a 3" saw isn't the best for this purpose but the Optima saw was as good as any I've come across on other folders. Then the knife blade carves wood really well, in fact it held its own against my sharpest puukko which I brought along for comparison! And again the knife felt great during this tough usage. Finally the sheath it comes with is pretty nice and keeps the spare blade save when not in use. I've yet to see how the steel holds an edge and what its like to resharpen but if these qualities are reasonable then this knife will definitely be a winner for me! Here are some pics
