Boker buy in the Magnum series from Chinese makers re-badged as “Magnum by Boker”. There are quite a few Enlans mixed in and apart from a few small details they are the same knives as Enlan send to market.
In the case of the A-Stan there are a few subtle yet important changes.
The G10 scales are from the EL-01KH but the blade and hardware are finished in “Titanium Coating” this does give the A-Stan a distinctive look. One that I like a lot.
If you have at any time had to adjust the pivot screw on an Enlan then you’ll know how awkward they are because they use proprietary heads on the screws.
Someone took this photo of all three designs together - I got it from Google images.
They are not impossible just awkward and annoying. SR Joben of Lazy Lizard Gear sells an upgraded pivot screw and phosphor bronze washer set Well worth doing as it puts the EL-01 into another league in terms of smooth opening and ease of adjustment.
Boker have already taken care of the pivot screw problem by specifying a Torx head pivot screw, same triangular design but with a Torx shaped hole in the centre.
The A-Stan is supplied in a presentation tin with a Torx key that fits the scale screws on one end and the pivot on the other.
This was a very nice surprise as the photo on the site where I bought the knife showed just the plain screw as in the top photo above. Why the hell Enlan doesn’t do it this way is beyond me, a pivot screw that can be easily adjusted is so much better.
In action the A-Stan feels smoother and after an initial break in flips nicely but still needs a little wrist flick to open it quickly.
The blade needed no sharpening, was well centred and the lock-up was as normal on the EL-01 solid, no play.
Some specs.
Blade Material: 440 Stainless Steel
Blade Length (cm): 9.4
Blade Thickness (cm): 0.3
Overall Length (cm): 21.1
Blade Coating: Titanium Coated
Handle Material: G10
Lock Type: Liner Lock
I’d be willing to bet that the blade is 8Cr13MoV.
I think this type of badge engineering can be good, in the U.K. we have the U.K.B.A. - customs that can’t make their minds up on the classification of knives and we run a high risk of having the knife seized, any flipper they class as a “gravity knife” and grab it for their “keeping the U.K. safe” figures.
It is good that there are a few vendors U.K. based that sell these knives. Not many are willing to openly sell Chinese knives for one reason or another but a different branding overcomes the reluctance. Another benefit is there is no waiting for the long trip from China, where I bought mine, Heinnie Haynes , they are well known for their speed of delivery so next day delivery with the basic P&P rate of £2 for orders under £30 is not unusual.
Price on the A-Stan was £15.95 - $24 so not as inexpensive as FastTech asks for the basic EL-01A, ~$14 - £9.50.
I collect the Enlan EL-01 series of knives - Enlan or Bee I don’t mind either, they are the same but for the name - so it was inevitable that I bought the A-Stan. Would it make sense for a non-collector to buy one, hell yes, very good looking, Torx tool supplied, foam lined presentation can plus one of the classic winners from the Chinese makers. For me it’s worth the extra money but then again I paid a stupid amount for another re-badged EL-01s - the RUI Energy series. -