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Boker Plus Hyper

http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2256_zps2f847...

I've been carrying this little Boker Plus Hyper for a few weeks now and I have to say, I'm not convinced it's worth the $35.00 price tag they go for, I do enjoy carrying the knife because it's so thin and easy to carry comfortably in pocket, however there's a few things I think you should consider before spending the cash on this one.

The Blade:
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2257_zpsd345c...
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2258_zps4b38e...
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2259_zps0126e...

Well the blade is stamped 440C but is it really? In my use of this knife (food prep, cutting cardboard and plastic) it didn't seem to perform like true 440C steel, if I had to guess I'd say it's 9Cr18MoV because it's edge dulled somewhat quickly during standard cutting chores where my true 440C blades did not, we can also see that it's made in China and we all know how this goes, you get a Chinese knife marked 440C and it's 9Cr18MoV, get a Chinese knife AUS-8 and it's 8Cr13MoV, just the way it works, I will say it performed better than say an 8Cr13MoV in edge holding, but not by very much. It has a very high flat grind which I found to be decent in slicing however not as effective as an FFG blade as I did get some drag when cutting cardboard. The shape reminds me of a Kershaw Blur, very organic but I like the belly and found it to be very utilitarian. And for anyone who cares, it's 2.75 inches long and wears a very standard TiNi coating. The blade gets 3.5 out of 5

The Handle/Ergonomics:
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2262_zps208c0...
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2263_zps70011...
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2261_zpsea74c...

The handle on the Hyper is somewhat small for me, I have medium sized hands and can only get a 3 finger grip on the knife and I can't say it's super ergonomic in hand because of how thin it is, I find that when I'm cutting hard with it, it tends to bite into my hands a little bit, not terribly but it's worth noting. It's G10 on one side, stainless steel on the other, not alot of grip on the G10 but I still like it and think it's attractive looking compared to all the overly simple looking knives on the market today. The handle I like but I don't love for the reasons I mentioned. The handle get's a 3.5 out of 5.

Strength And Lockup:
http://i804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/138_2260_zps3a9fa...

It is a framelock knife so it will be strong in the EDC role HOWEVER, my Boker Plus Hyper has up and down blade play :thumbdn: come on Boker, get it together, I have $10.00 Sanrenmus with tighter lockup than this, BUT I should note, the play only exists while I am not touching the lock bar, when I'm gripping the knife it engages the frame further over and eliminates the blade play, so it may not be a huge deal to some of you, but I personally think the tolerances should be tighter. Strength And Lockup get's a 3 out of 5.

Value/Overall Score:

I do not feel the Boker Plus Hyper is the best option for $35.00-$45.00, I would like it ALOT more if it was only $20.00-$25.00 but it being what it is, I'd recommend checking out other knives such as the Kershaw Cryo, CRKT Drifter, Sanrenmu 710 or Spyderco Persistence. Overall Score: 3 1/4 out of 5

3 members like this

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on December 1, 2013 at 13:14

photo 138_2262_zps208c098b.jpg

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on December 1, 2013 at 13:16

photo 138_2263_zps70011ca1.jpg

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on December 1, 2013 at 13:17

photo 138_2261_zpsea74c8e6.jpg

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on December 1, 2013 at 13:21

photo 138_2260_zps3a9faeae.jpg

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on December 1, 2013 at 13:22

Thank you for the info Brian!

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on December 1, 2013 at 15:33

I like the deep pocket clip on the Hyper. Would love the same on the Subcom.

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Permalink Reply by Graeme on January 16, 2014 at 21:32

I'm a big fan of the cheap little Bokers. But I do find that all the steel frame locks tend to get a little play. They need to harder up the steel a bit and tweak the geometry a little to get more life and better lockout. Though I guess for $20-$40, you can't expect too much...

And you are right about the steel. They label it 440C but it's 9Cr18MoV...all of the Chinese manufactures do that.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on February 2, 2014 at 13:05

Exactly right Graeme, there arre Chinese factories that will call the steel 440C or whatever you want to call it. This is the problem that plagues our hobby and other knife sites including Facebook whic is turning ant-knife, they will not stand against the practice it wrong and deceptive to the knife user as you well know.
Graeme said:

I'm a big fan of the cheap little Bokers. But I do find that all the steel frame locks tend to get a little play. They need to harder up the steel a bit and tweak the geometry a little to get more life and better lockout. Though I guess for $20-$40, you can't expect too much...

And you are right about the steel. They label it 440C but it's 9Cr18MoV...all of the Chinese manufactures do that.