Short knife review: Boker Magnum Jewel (01MB318) - now with pictures

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers
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Hey there,

I have grown fond of this little knife that I bought lately and I wanted to tell you about it all week. However, I have many things to do at the moment, so I decided to post the review and add some pictures later, maybe this weekend. Here you go.

Boker Magnum Jewel
http://www.boker.de/us/pocket-knife/magnum/classic-pocket-knife/01MB318.html

Type: small lockback knife
length opened: 13.5 cm
length of blade: 5.5 cm
length closed: 7.8 cm
Weight: 44 g
Price: ~12 €


While checking out several websites for new items (you do that too, right?) I saw this small, elegant and affordable pocket knife. I didn't think long and just ordered it.

It came in a nice black tin box and looked smaller than I expected. It is so small that it fits easily in the coin pocket of a jeans.

The knife is beautiful. It feels quite hefty for its size, all metal surfaces are polished bright and shiny. The rosewood scales are flawless.


I was very disappointed when I opened it, it didn't feel smooth at all. Instead it felt gritty and you could almost hear a grinding noise... I thought about sending it back, but then I decided I'd try to fix it.
I used plenty of oil to sweep out the dirt from the axis, and indeed I managed to get out most of the dirt and grime that was in there.

It opens nice and smooth now, it locks up solid with no blade play. The initial sharpness isn't razor-sharp, but very usable. It is flat ground with 1.7 mm thickness at the spine. The blade is stamped with "440 STAINLESS", I suppose it's 440A, so no surprises to expect here. 440A is a good usable stainless steel, pretty much all you need for daily tasks, nothing more, but nothing less. And you won't lever out bricks with a knife of this size anyway.

The overall fit and finish is quite good with only minor imperfections. The quality is on par with Rough Rider knives, maybe even a bit better (but then again, all my Rough Riders opened smooth from the beginning).


Conclusion:
I like this knife a lot, it is well built, looks elegant and is small and pocketable. However, Boker/Magnum should improve their quality control and ship only knives that aren't gunked up inside.

And here are some pictures for you (click to enlarge):

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Bought a nice on while stationed in Giebben

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As a rule, the first thing I do when a new blade arrives, is totally dismantle it. I wipe off all factory grime and lubrication with alchahol, and relube with my own. I was using “Sentry Solution”, but have now switched to “Finish Line Extreme Fluoro”, fluorinated grease. Blades will open and close silky smooth, and it is superior for lubing flashlights.

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That's a good approach, Ouchyfoot.

But with more traditional knives like this, there is no easy way to disassemble it because they are bolted together.

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Ahhh. That didnt even occur to me. I forgot about the classic “pinned” design. I actually read, or saw a video, from a guy that soaks those classic type blades in “Goo-Gone”, and them blasts them clean under the tap. He swears by it…don’t forget to re-lube though.

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I just added the pictures I promised in the beginning, hope you like them.

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That’s a real nice classic looking knife. 8)

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Yeah, absolutely non-tacticool

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Yup, and yet another one that you and I can’t be trusted with, according to our illustrious leaders :frowning:

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Very nice gentlemen’s slip-joint.

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Are there strictly no locking blades allowed in the UK, even in such a small size?

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[quote=ChimpOnABike]

Yup, and yet another one that you and I can’t be trusted with, according to our illustrious leaders :([/quote

That sucks. Can you even own knives and just not carry them?

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Technically, yes. No locks. Rules out an awful lot of the US kit for the UK market. In practice you’d likely be ok as a middle aged man with an Opinel out for a picnic but really in public you want small, non locking and with a Victorinox logo on the side.