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.
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.