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I've owned one of almost every model of Boker's Kwaiken. It's a great design, Burnley has crafted something truly timeless and we're already seeing other designers and knife companies riffing on the Kwaiken with their own takes. I suspect this trend will continue and that this style of knife will only become more pervasive as time goes on.
Here's a quick primer to distinguish the versions:
Both the micarta and the orange g10 are (clearly) thumb-stub deployed and run AUS-8 steel. They aren't bad deals at the lowest price point +shipping, though both can be found on Amazon for slightly less at the moment. Both the orange g10 and the micarta offer a solid grip, in some cases, these scales are better than what you'll find on the "upgraded" knives in terms of grip and retention. Deployment with the thumb stud takes a little getting used to, but the knife can be flicked open easily with a minimum of practice. AUS-8 isn't as high quality a steel as VG-10, but depending upon your intended use you may not notice a dramatic difference. These are good everyday use and carry knives.
The titanium and carbon fiber scaled versions run VG-10 and have a much smoother scale. As some have noted in comments, they can be downright slick, with little to no grip factor. But they are gorgeous knives and both look like a much higher-end knife than the money you are paying for them. These are more of a dress carry or gentleman's carry, not for any lack of utility of the blade itself but because you'll want to limit use to lighter cutting tasks due to the lack of grip on the scales. Of note: it's not specified here whether these models have the added jimping on the flipper, part of Boker's redesign for the Kwaiken as of last year. Some earlier models of the Ti and CF-scaled Kwaikens do not have the flipper jimping, and are a little more difficult to reliably deploy. At the roughly $95 price point here, you are saving $45-55 off the average lowest price seen on Amazon/Blade HQ.
The other two g10 flippers, the blackout as well as the black g10, I consider the best iterations of the Boker Kwaiken, with the blackout being the slightly better of the two. As both of these were launched last year, they have the jimping on the flipper and the scales offer better grip than either the titanium or carbon fiber, with the blackout's textured scales adding even slightly more grip than the black g10. They both also run VG-10 steel, on par with the Ti and cf versions. Yes, they aren't as flashy, but they are rock solid every day carry knives that will stay in your hand the way you need them to during cutting tasks. There's negligible difference in weight between the two g10 flippers and the Ti and cf flippers. The steel liners keep the weight fairly consistent across versions, with only minor fluctuations in weight due to the differing scale options. Again, at the $95 price point here these are great deals, saving you $25-35 off the average lowest price seen on Amazon/Blade HQ.
GentlemanSinVery thorough breakdown, well said.
JonasO
197
Dec 3, 2016
GentlemanSin"AUS-8 isn't as high quality a steel as VG-10, but depending upon your intended use you may not notice a dramatic difference. These are good everyday use and carry knives."
This is just straight up bullshit. My AUS8 knife takes a half decent edge, but it needs attention all the time. The steel feels durable and strong, but never hard and sharp and it never takes a hone sharp enough to take hairs off my arm. I understand this is a decent quality in a fighting knife, but for an EDC that you want a decent blade sharpness on, AUS8 is just not hard enough to take and hold a decent edge. AUS8 is by modern standards a mid-range steel good for 45-60 dollar knives depending on size. The VG10 blade for this size is a decent price, but all in all, this drop is a rip-off.
JonasOI was pretty clear to place some caveats on my statement and I never claimed that AUS-8 and VG-10 are equivalents in any way. Your assessment of the steels is quite accurate.
My discussion of their value was in terms of relative lowest pricing of these particular models of knives with other sellers, not in terms of the value of an AUS-8 blade over VG-10.
And truly, this is still all relative to how the buyer uses their knife and how much they appreciate the design itself. AUS-8 or not, these don't feel like $50 knives in hand. That's a credit to Burnley's design and to Boker's ability to produce a factory version of that design.
I do feel that the price point on the AUS-8 blades is a bit high, but it wasn't 4 years ago when I bought my first.
As for maintaining an edge, a strop works wonders on AUS-8.
JonasO
197
Dec 4, 2016
GentlemanSinWell, if you feel the design and quality of the blade in general warrants the extra cost, more power to you. Tomato/tomato I suppose.